Global Issues
The US and the international power structure: Reviewing 'Still Ours to Lead'
The rapidly escalating situation in Iraq is a major test for US foreign policy. President Obama, who outlined in his West Point address a policy of selective US engagement and…
When should the IMF apologise?
If you make a mistake, common courtesy says you should apologise. The IMF made a mistake in its forecasts for the UK economy — a high profile mistake. It admitted it got it wrong…
Climate and energy policy merging, but where is Australia?
Australia's low level of ambition ahead of next year's climate change talks in Paris reveals more than the negative effect of domestic politics on our international reputation…
A call for practical action to end sexual violence in conflict
Our TV screens this week are carrying many reports from the Global Summit to end Sexual Violence in Conflict currently taking place in London. It helps to have Angela Jolie,…
Football vs international policy: No contest
Tomorrow I begin a bleary-eyed month of World Cup watching. In part to justify my reduced productivity over the next four weeks, I wanted to identify some of the key points at…
Climate change: The G20 can add value
Yesterday I gave an interview to the Sydney Morning Herald for a story published today: 'Stopping climate change talks "could hurt" G20' (p. 8 in the paper version). Here I want…
A parallel Chinese financial order
The Financial Times ran a front page piece last Monday claiming that China has ordered a ban on state-owned companies using Western management consulting companies. It is alleged…
Allure of normalcy: America's first-order foreign policy issues
Last week saw the publishing of Robert Kagan's latest essay for New Republic magazine: 'Allure of Normalcy: what America still owes the world'. It is a magisterial contribution…
The far right in Europe's elections: Not such a big a deal
The most sensational result of the elections to the European Parliament is the gains made by xenophobic nationalists in some member countries, particularly France and the UK. The…
Obama at West Point: The limits of American power
Barack Obama has declared a new foreign policy doctrine: the limits of American power. The US, he argues, 'must always lead on the world stage,' but 'US military action cannot be…