Diplomacy
DFAT: Not perfect, but in our national interest
A few days ago a suggestion was made on Crikey that DFAT, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, should be scrapped. I was tempted to ignore it, because as far as I…
Books
Understanding Public Diplomacy in East Asia - book chapter
Alex Oliver and former Australian senator Russell Trood have written a chapter on Australia's public diplomacy in a new book from Palgrave, Understanding Public Diplomacy…
Digital Diplomacy links: Modi at Facebook, Russia memes, DFAT in denial and more
On the first Friday of each month the Interpreter publishes Digital Diplomacy links instead of the weekly Digital Asia links. As Australian digital diplomacy strives to catch-up…
UN Security Council bid: How Australia should sell itself
It's leaders' week at the UN. The 70th Session of the General Assembly is open for business under the Presidency of Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark. General-Secretary Ban Ki-Moon is…
DFAT & digital diplomacy: In denial and in need of review
In 2010 former Lowy Institute research fellow Fergus Hanson published a forward-looking policy brief urging Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to catch up…
Australia makes another tilt at the UN Security Council
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has just announced that Australia will bid for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2029-30.
That's 15 years from the end of our last Security…
Xi in America: China's poor grasp of public diplomacy on full display
Having a Catholic Pope and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China descend on Washington at almost exactly the same time helped illustrate something important about…
Turnbull's new cabinet is great news for the Pacific
On Monday, Prime Minister Turnbull unveiled a new cabinet with sweeping changes to the front bench. The most important point for the Pacific is that Julie Bishop retains her…
Digital Asia links: Battle of the US State visits  President Xi Jinping vs. Prime Minister Modi
The Asia Pacific is the most dynamic digital landscape in the world, home to the fastest adopters of new technologies and the largest concentration of mobile and social media…
Australia-South Korea 2+2 delivers ambitious agenda
One week ago – a long time in politics – the South Korean and Australian foreign and defence ministers held a '2-2' meeting in Sydney. This high-level biennial conclave for the…