International Relations

2 November 2017

Later this week President Donald Trump embarks on a 12-day tour of Asia – the longest trip to the region by a US president for 25 years, taking in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The President’s time in Asia will be dominated by the threat posed by North Korean nuclear missiles, uncertainty about his administration’s trade policies

19 May 2017

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

12 April 2017

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

22 February 2017

After just four weeks, the Trump administration finds itself beset by problems, many of them related to national security: the botched executive order on immigration; a gush of leaks from the intelligence community and the messy departure of national security advisor Lieutenant-General Mike Flynn; and concerns, increasingly shared by Republicans in Congress, about reported links between Trump’s circle and Russia.

3 February 2017

Tough phone calls between Australian prime ministers and other world leaders are nothing new; I have been present for a number of them. Even when the messages are firm and the differences great, invariably they remain civil. Harsh words between a prime minister and a US president are still rarer – although the alliance almost fractured over differences between Gough

30 January 2017

Theresa May confirmed in her landmark speech at Lancaster House earlier in the month that Brexit really does mean Brexit. Britain will be leaving the economically strangling common market protectionist racket and seeking opportunities across the world. This, however, was not welcomed by all. Green MP and co-leader Caroline Lucas has complained that May is “hoping for far flung countries

16 January 2017

It is doubtful many Australians realise what a consequential leader Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been for Australia. During Abe’s first, truncated term as prime minister he and his Australian counterpart, John Howard, signed a bilateral Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, paving the way for closer defence and security cooperation and a genuine strategic partnership. The two countries’ relationship

14 July 2016

Theresa May is Britain’s new prime minister. Should we “Keep Calm and Carry On” or hit the panic button? The initial reaction from markets and the British political establishment has been a collective sigh of relief. Markets and institutions value certainty of political leadership and they reacted positively when May became PM. May triumphed when the other candidate for the

1 June 2016

On 23 June, Britons will be asked, Brexit or not? The answer will have seismic ramifications for the future of democracy, sovereignty and freedom. No lesser advocates than Boris Johnson and Prime Minister David Cameron have prosecuted the affirmative and negative cases for Brexit. Why then, should an upstart Australian enter the fray in the Brexit debate? Because Brexit is

23 May 2016

Coal is the best resource we have in the fight to end poverty. The IPA’s Hannah Pandel explains why.