Nominating loyalist John Ratcliffe as US intelligence chief will only compound the problem of speaking truth to power.

Rather than a beginning of something more, the testimony of the former Special Counsel this week felt like an end.

Not only is Donald Trump the boy who cried wolf, the US public will not support diving into a quagmire war of choice.

There is no appeasing a playground bully so why should countries bother to negotiate with the unreliable “Tariff Man”?

Even the trade war hasn’t dented Trump’s popularity in the feelings of the Chinese people.

Donald Trump is undermining much more than just the nuclear deal with Iran, but faith in international law, too.

Look beyond the reality show coverage of the Trump presidency, the bipartisanship on regional initiatives is striking.

If Alan Greenspan was “the Maestro”, then Fed chair Jay Powell needs also play to the orchestra to resist Donald Trump.

What the long investigation has really exposed is more of the same old politics at play.

It is possible to discern a slowly emerging US strategy for dealing amid the tweets of fury.

<p>Europe and America read from diverging scripts at the annual strategic confab, the Munich Security Conference.</p>

Reported comments by Australia’s ambassador to the US warning Trump against a “pyrrhic” win with China seem out of step.

A Democrat-controlled House and a feisty Republican senate auger meaningful congressional oversight of foreign affairs.

A hoary “what if”, but Trump has helped calm Korean peninsula dangers in a way that may have eluded his 2016 rival.

<p>The blizzard of coverage of the president obscures other important stories – in the US, and in Australia, too.</p>

How does Donald Trump’s fixation with border fortifications sit in the context of historic and contemporary examples?

Mattis said Trump deserves a defense secretary “whose views are better aligned with yours”. Does such a person exist?

<p>Halcyon days when the US built international institutions that would benefit all and foster globalisation – over?</p>

There is every chance the president will be bolder abroad, in search of wins he believes will help him at home.

<p>Is anything short of a punishing defeat for Republicans actually an endorsement of Donald Trump?</p>

The midterm elections this week may change the balance of power in Washington and re-define Donald Trump’s presidency.

<p>Despite new policy moves, the Trump administration's space policy is poorly defined and could stoke conflict.</p>

President Trump’s deadline to decide on America’s role in the Iran Deal is drawing close.

It’s unclear whether Bolton’s hawkish views will transfer into reality in office.

Analyst Tom Wright makes a compelling point in a new essay, but there's nothing inevitable about US–China rivalry.

Last year saw a surge in testing and deployment of both ballistic and cruise missile technology throughout the Indo-Pacific.

US policy in Syria is full of holes without a strategic plan for once the mission to defeat ISIS concludes.

It appears China’s economic policy-making elite (if not always Xi Jinping himself) like the certainty and stability of the Bretton Woods system.

Many Republicans privately resent US President Trump for passing responsibility on the Iran deal to Congress.

Evaluating intelligence and why questions about Donald Trump's ties to Russia won't go away.

Three domestic factors are likely to drive the US toward a tougher China policy.

The Chinese delivered a masterful display of pure spectacle, ego flattery, and diplomatic theatre.

Asian leaders are looking for clues as to which America will show up in the remaining three-plus years of Trump’s term.

The Japanese PM doesn't need an untrusted US President setting his international security agenda.

The President appears to be learning that whatever leverage the US has with China is derivative of our alliances and partnerships in the region.

Australia would prefer the US to focus on the Indo-Pacific rather than become further embroiled in the Middle East. We may well be disappointed.

Trump has failed to apply Roosevelt's advice in dealing with the Middle East.

Trump appears determined to prove the Iranian Supreme Leader was right when he said the US couldn’t be trusted.

In a choice between US isolationism and exceptionalism, it’s the latter that Americans hold dear.

US threats are not seen as credible and are unlikely to work on Pakistan in the future.

Forgotten amid the protests is that the substance of the US-Malaysia relationship has been of significant value to both countries.

In language and in tone, Trump's debut speech at the UN General Assembly felt like the international affairs equivalent of his inaugural address.

President Trump’s first visit to the UN General Assembly this week will indicate whether he intends to promote America’s global engagement or double down on America first.

On Pakistan, Trump has said out loud what has until now been largely debated and threatened in private.

The Afghanistan Army, if widely mentored and well supported by its own intelligence and air and ground fire support, could have a significant effect on the Taliban in one to two years.

The influence of advisers is undoubtedly there, but how much will they mitigate the President’s disruptive tendencies?

If Beijing expects the Trump Administration to go soft on China following Bannon's dismissal, it's going to be disappointed.

It seems Trump has been co-opted by the powerful military and foreign policy establishment in Washington - memorably described as 'the Blob' by former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes.

China's leaders would very reluctantly back down if they were truly convinced that the alternative was war with America. But how would the US convince them of that?

Trump’s words and actions have had a significant impact, scaring Western businesses already wary of doing business with Iran and adding fuel to the growing fire between the US and its European allies.