In international policy this has truly been a week for the passing of giants. With colleagues, I am saddened at the loss of Coral Bell, and would second Minh Bui Jones’ exquisite observations about all that set her apart from so many other strategic analysts in Australia and elsewhere.
One of my first tasks on joining the Lowy Institute in 2007 was to edit and publish Coral's exceptional paper, The End of the Vasco da Gama Era. Not only was it a pleasure, it was an education. Indeed, many of the paper's themes, such as the strategic shift to Asia and the prospects for a concert of powers, have echoed in the years since. I can only regret that we will not have opportunity to publish her again.