Foreign Affairs

West Will Have Sympathy For Catalan Anger
8 November 2017

West Will Have Sympathy For Catalan Anger

Catalonia. For most Australians, the name of its capital, Barcelona, will resonate more. The city conjures up images of the grand boulevard Las Ramblas, the architecture of Antoni Gaudí, epitomised in his Sagrada Familia basilica, the Summer Olympics in 1992 and Catalan tenor Jose Carreras crooning Amigos para siempre to Sarah Brightman. Unlike the Basque Country, we don’t associate Catalonia with a
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When France Puts You To Shame With IR Reform, You’re In Trouble
12 October 2017

When France Puts You To Shame With IR Reform, You’re In Trouble

Australia needs politicians like Emmanuel Macron – politicians who are willing to take on powerful vested interests for the sake of reform. Sure, there’s plenty not to like about Macron: the global warming evangelism, for one thing, or his ‘bold vision’ for a beefed-up European Union. But there is much to be admired in Macron’s economic agenda. More to the
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Brexit Britain Can Learn From The Extraordinary Success Story Of Its Old Friend And Partner, Australia
7 October 2017

Brexit Britain Can Learn From The Extraordinary Success Story Of Its Old Friend And Partner, Australia

Britain is at a political fork in the road. Brexit provides an extraordinary opportunity to chart a new course in trade, regulation and immigration policy. One place Britain can learn from is an old friend and partner, a country that has achieved over 25 years of economic growth, and has higher incomes and where people have longer lives. A beacon
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Australia Can’t Be Silent Amid The Misery Of Venezuela
29 August 2017

Australia Can’t Be Silent Amid The Misery Of Venezuela

Venezuela is a failing socialist state. The economy is 40 per cent smaller than a few years ago. Nine in 10 households are unable to ­afford enough food. Infant mortality has risen 30 per cent. The ­opposition is being severely ­repressed, even murdered. A decade ago Venezuela was the richest country in South America, with the largest known oil reserves
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Resilient Alliance With Us Underwrites Our Strength
15 August 2017

Resilient Alliance With Us Underwrites Our Strength

For all the furore it generated, the prickly phone call between Donald Trump and Malcolm Turnbull was a blip in Australia’s alliance relations with the US. In the mid-1950s Canberra and Washington differed over how to respond to the communist threat in Indochina. In the 60s we were at odds over Indonesia’s claim to Western New Guinea (now Papua), the
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Timor’s Prosperity Lies In Its Best Assets: Its Beaches And People
11 August 2017

Timor’s Prosperity Lies In Its Best Assets: Its Beaches And People

East Timor holds a special place in the Australian psyche. It is our newest neighbour, and we played a critical role in supporting its road to independence in 2002 through the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping mission. Australian troops also kept the peace after the bloody Indonesian withdrawal in the aftermath of Timor’s 1999 independence referendum. A half-century earlier, Australian troops were
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Why Canberra Will Ignore Trump’s Gaffes
19 May 2017

Why Canberra Will Ignore Trump’s Gaffes

It’s every intelligence chief’s nightmare – a phone call announcing the unexpected disclosure of highly sensitive secrets. The stakes are high: intelligence methods potentially compromised; future access to vital intelligence on terrorist plots and other threats jeopardised; diplomatic relations with allies and partners strained; and, in some cases, the lives of agents put at risk. Alarm bells clearly rang at
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Turnbull And Trump Showed We Were Allies, Now To Work Together On China
8 May 2017

Turnbull And Trump Showed We Were Allies, Now To Work Together On China

Relief may be Malcolm Turnbull’s overwhelming emotion as he settles back for the long flight home from New York before a crucial budget. Returning to his home town and the inevitable protests for the first time since the inauguration, President Trump may have kept the PM waiting for a few hours. But it was worth it. Trump was welcoming, warm
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We Can’t Just Rely On US To Defend Australia
12 April 2017

We Can’t Just Rely On US To Defend Australia

The US missile strike in Syria, rising tensions with North Korea, China’s creeping militarisation of the South China Sea, and recent terror attacks all highlight an important reality: Australia cannot take its security for granted. For decades Australia and its Asia-Pacific neighbours benefited from a relatively stable region in which open markets, inclusive regional institutions, uncontested freedom of navigation and
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US Has Sent Syria A Message
7 April 2017

US Has Sent Syria A Message

There are seminal moments in a US presidency, often sadly sparked by catastrophe. Recall the Srebrenica Massacre for Bill Clinton and 9/11 for George W Bush. Likewise, Tuesday’s horrific chemical weapons attack in Syria marked a turning point for Donald Trump’s nascent presidency and US global leadership more broadly. So, struck by the tragic images of dead and dying children
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