United States
Power and legitimacy go hand in hand
I was delighted to read Sam Roggeveen’s thoughtful reply to The Interpreter article by Ali Wyne and myself about the relative qualities of US and Chinese power. Roggeveen makes…
Pushing the Philippines‑US alliance over the cliff
The termination of the 1998 Philippines-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) initiated by the Duterte administration will mark a historic disruption of American power projection in…
In Africa, the US plays catch-up with China
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced his first trip to Africa, 15–19 February, with stops in Senegal, Ethiopia, and Angola. The choice of these three countries…
Trump impeachment: The aftermath
Last week late on Wednesday afternoon, the 134-day impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump ended with a near party-line vote in the Senate in favor of acquittal…
What Trump’s State of the Union tells us about his re-election bid
This year’s State of the Union address came as part of a tumultuous trifecta, given it was wedged between the Democratic Iowa caucuses vote count fiasco and the Senate impeachment…
Trump’s White House: State of chaos
The State of the Union, the US president’s annual speech before a joint session of congress, is invariably a theatrical affair, replete with praise for a string of everyday heroes…
A new ambassador in Washington
Joe Hockey, former Treasurer, has stepped down as Australia’s ambassador to the United States and will soon be replaced by another former cabinet minister, Arthur Sinodinos. In…
Trump’s State of the Union: A preview
Next Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump will deliver America’s annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress – the Senate and the House of…
The real US–China competition: Competing theories of influence
Strategic competition between the United States and China has come to dominate US foreign policy debates. That competition is multifaceted – while rooted principally in a quest…
The US is elbowing Australia and allies in a race for the China market
US President Donald Trump was quite right when he declared the 15 January US–China “Stage One” agreement an “unbelievable deal” for the United States. Unbelievable it is, though…