United States
Singapore summit: the case for guarded optimism
Everybody is saying it: the big split between the US and North Korea as we head towards the 12 June leaders summit in Singapore (and yes, it looks like it is on again) is…
Summit cancelled: advantage Pyongyang
US President Donald Trump’s decision, conveyed in a personal letter to Kim Jong-un, to cancel the Singapore summit scheduled for 12 June is not unexpected. It will…
The Moon is still strategic
Decades after the Moon became covered in American flags and footprints, the nearest world in space is becoming strategic again.
Recently, China launched a satellite to orbit the…
US naval accidents revisited
The US Navy is usually acknowledged as the biggest and best navy in the world. It is by far the biggest, and the best in terms of the hardware of naval warfare, …
Bolton’s bargain: a Libya deal for North Korea?
Over the past year, the US has been engaged in what it calls a maximum pressure campaign to push North Korea to take concrete steps towards denuclearisation. President Donald…
All’s not fair in US–China trade stoush
As tense trade talks between the US and China continue, a growing chorus of US commentators seem to have concluded that, whatever their misgivings about President Donald Trump, he…
Talking North Korea in Australia
This month, I was in Australia for events hosted by the Lowy Institute and Sydney Writers’ Festival respectively. The questions were excellent, and I would…
Method in Trump’s madness on Iran
There has been widespread condemnation of US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, including from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who…
Can Europe salvage the Iran deal?
Trump finally did it: in perhaps one of the most ridiculous moves of his presidency (although competition on that front is fierce), he announced that his administration would…
Trump’s Iran decision: one reckless act must not be followed by others
US President Donald Trump’s decision to walk away from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – comes as no surprise, since he’s been…