United States
Intellectual property: the big risk in US–China ties
It may be chaotic and confused, but the Trump administration is not entirely nuts. Expected to slam China with heavy penalties for appropriating the intellectual property of US…
Carrots and sticks in the Iran nuclear deal
In January, US President Donald Trump’s frustration with the Iran nuclear deal got the better of him as he set a 12 May deadline for its renegotiation. But meeting this goal is…
Rex Tillerson sacked: the swamp was winning
We’ll get to the consequences of Rex Tillerson’s sacking in a moment, but first consider his brief tenure as America’s chief diplomat.
Mostly Tillerson will be remembered …
Rocket Man and the Dotard: a leaders’ summit for the age
If the North Korean cheerleaders at the Olympics hadn’t snared enough global attention already, the prospect of a grip-and-grin meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un sure…
Multilateral trade versus self-interest
How should countries respond to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium? One response would be to retaliate. Another would be to emphasise the damage done to the…
Commentary
Trump’s trade war pins Australia between a rock and a hard place
Originally published in The Australian.
Roland Rajah
The long road back for the US to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Tentative signs the US may have been adopting a more sensible view on trade have been dashed by President Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose tariffs of 25% on…
The danger of might without power
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the Pentagon is “considering plans to send heavily armed, versatile Marine Corps Expeditionary Units to East…
Commentary
Donald Trump, trade, and Malcolm Turnbull in the middle
Originally published in the Australian Financial Review (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images).
Roland Rajah
Moon versus Abe and the contest for America’s ear
A battle is underway between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in over their differing approaches to North Korea. They are competing to shape…