Paul Barratt is a former Secretary of the Department of Defence and the Department of Primary Industries and Energy. He is now an Adjunct Professor in the School of the Humanities at the University of New England, and President of Australians for War Powers Reform.
National affairs
Weighing the costs of war
Paul Barratt
12 November 2020
With the federal government appointing a special war crimes prosecutor, it’s time to confront broader questions about armed interventions
National affairs
Australia’s soft-power gap
Paul Barratt
2 July 2020
The launch of two new defence reports highlights the government’s preoccupation with military force and the American alliance
National affairs
ASIO’s home truths
Paul Barratt
27 February 2020
The security agency’s first public threat assessment was fine, as far as it went
National affairs
Australia’s US–China dilemma
Paul Barratt
20 August 2019
With careful thought and skilful diplomacy, Australia can navigate its way through the confrontation between Washington and Beijing
National affairs
How, and why, do we go to war?
Paul Barratt
17 August 2018
Special Forces should not be exempt from the rules of warfare, says a former head of the defence department. But there’s also a deeper question: how do we make the decision to…
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