Inside Story

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

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