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foreign affairs
Correspondents
Tony Abbott’s win attracted little interest among Beijingers. Does it matter?
James Leibold
2 October 2013
The contrast with Kevin Rudd couldn’t be starker, yet the Anglophile PM might have a certain edge, writes
James Leibold
in Beijing
Books & arts
Military injustices
Fergal Davis
24 June 2013
Fergal Davis
reviews a vivid account of the human cost of the Guantanamo Bay trials
International
Imbalance of power
Andy Butfoy
5 April 2013
Despite the cuts, the United States will remain the world’s military giant for the foreseeable future, writes
Andy Butfoy
International
Japan’s paradoxical shift to the right
Tessa Morris-Suzuki
6 December 2012
A nationalist troika formed in the run-up to this month’s Japanese election poses challenges for the region
From the archive
The diplomat who read Dostoyevsky
Graeme Dobell
8 February 2012
Tormented by self-doubt, regretting missed opportunities, George Kennan helped shape the postwar world
Essays & reportage
At the pointy end of the bayonet conundrum
Graeme Dobell
16 December 2011
Graeme Dobell
looks at humanitarian intervention in theory and practice
Books & arts
The diplomat
Geoffrey Barker
24 October 2011
Geoffrey Barker
reviews Philip Flood’s memoir of a career in the diplomatic service and as an agency head
National affairs
Running the foreign service under Rudd
Geoffrey Barker
31 August 2011
DFAT has emerged from a resourcing “trough,” according to departmental secretary Dennis Richardson. But there’s still a long way to go, writes
Geoffrey Barker
Books & arts
Doing the right thing
Brett Evans
6 December 2010
Brett Evans
reviews a surprising account of Guantanamo Bay’s first 100 days
International
All or nothing?
Geoffrey Barker
2 December 2010
The WikiLeaks disclosures show the need to balance private and public diplomacy, writes
Geoffrey Barker
International
Gaza: symbol and flashpoint
Sumantra Bose
10 June 2010
Can the Obama administration, bogged down in Afghanistan, rise to the challenge, asks
Sumantra Bose
National affairs
The Hitch from central casting
Brett Evans
8 October 2009
In terror of boredom, Christopher Hitchens talked to a receptive audience at the Sydney Opera House, writes
Brett Evans
International
Obama the realist idealist
Geoffrey Barker
2 August 2009
The failure of Woodrow Wilson at the Paris peace conference holds a lesson for the US president, writes
Geoffrey Barker
International
Hoping for the best and hedging against the worst
Geoffrey Barker
10 July 2009
Despite what Paul Keating says, an ambivalent attitude to China is justified by the facts, argues
Geoffrey Barker
International
The waiting game
Kevin Boreham
29 June 2009
That old diplomatic stand-by, “masterly inactivity,” might well be the best response to the events in Iran, writes
Kevin Boreham
National affairs
The good, the bad and the Section 420s
Robin Jeffrey
4 June 2009
The Australia–India relationship is on the cusp of something deep and mutually beneficial. It would be tragic if thugs and misunderstandings got in the way, writes
Robin
…
National affairs
Collision course
Brian Toohey
5 May 2009
Abandoned in the 1960s, “forward defence” makes a disturbing reappearance in the government’s defence white paper, argues
Brian Toohey
National affairs
The intellectual American alliance
Bruce Grant
1 April 2009
For the American president and the Australian prime minister this week’s G20 meeting is a vital test, writes
Bruce Grant
National affairs
Why are we in Afghanistan?
Dennis Altman
10 March 2009
Is Australia sleepwalking through a conflict with mixed objectives and uncertain prospects, asks
Dennis Altman
National affairs
Civilian control?
Norman Abjorensen
27 February 2009
Defence and Foreign Affairs are special cases in government, which means the rewards of the job are uncertain, writes
Norman Abjorensen
Essays & reportage
After the exodus
Bruce Grant
29 January 2009
The latest release of cabinet papers is a reminder of the political stresses triggered by the arrival of Indochinese boat people in the mid 1970s.
Bruce Grant
, author of…
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