Building lines of influence in the Pacific.

The power of carrots and sticks in the world of geoeconomics.

Two very different volumes on the legacies of imperialism expose the parallax of coloniser and colonised.

Leaders are always going to be hard to protect, especially if demonstrating a common touch means touching commoners.

Two new books examine how the Bard’s wit and wisdom can serve as guides for modern day policy and prophecy.

The burdens of history should not be confused with sentimentalism in forging a modern relationship.

With the United Kingdom headed for the polls, Alastair Campbell has a few suggestions on what makes a good leader.

Preventing the spread of unconventional tools of warfare requires constant vigilance.

Is it any wonder the public is often bemused about the merits of trade policy?

How one discipline can learn much from another.

New research brings a valuable insight into the role of people not usually seen or heard in stories of war.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Physically, Rushdie will never be the same after his attack. But as a writer, he is back.

Germany’s struggle with morality is not only a concern of history but an animating factor in contemporary politics.

A big part of the challenge is asking the hard questions – and a new book does just that.

Politics isn’t the only strange omission from what is undoubtedly a captivating and relentless movie spectacle.

A new take on the history of the world starts 3.8 billion years ago and offers conclusions about our future.

Two recent history books that improve our understanding of India's present

In an attempt to control 19th century trade with India and China, Britain dumped tea and resorted to a new addictive drug.

When trade is made a weapon, the target isn’t always hit.

Seeking perfection among the dead ends, red herrings and lost causes, a lover of espionage lists the must-haves.

The rhythms of the electoral cycle are too often overlooked in the conduct of conflict.

A new book explores the power of literature on history's battlefields.

Embracing the lost art of “creative destruction” will allow the once booming economy to flourish again.

Construction lessons – from the Empire State to the Sydney Opera House – can inform Australia’s most pressing problems.

Power is much more than GDP and tank numbers. But the US monopoly on the digital age is eroding.

Whether the DMZ or sites of historic atrocities, place carries a connection to remind us of the precariousness of life.

It’s best to not only take populists seriously, but also literally, especially when they threaten mass murder.

An action film where the climax features a gritty anti-hero urging the importance of an informed vote? Watch and learn.

From George Smiley to Jackson Lamb, the best spy fiction relies not on heroes but masters of the plot.

Uncovering the murky business of corruption and graft too often puts journalists’ lives at risk.

A new book explores how post-war Europe’s waves of counterculture and activism transformed the notion of revolution.

Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.

Yes Minister, indeed.

Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.

Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.

History can be a useful guide, but the geopolitical circumstances of today are vastly different.

When can personal responsibility be dissolved into collective culpability?

Could Canada cope? Might Australia? Two books on the “vice in the chest and tightness in the stomach” prospect.

From the early signs of decay to the recent downwards turn, Europe’s trajectory is captured with pen and voice.

Can Australia’s statecraft and alliances offer alternative security options in the Indo-Pacific?

A mostly unsentimental new memoir of life in the GDR ruminates on the what-ifs.

A recent biography on the former PM reveals a man short on dignity and gravitas, and afraid to make the hard decisions.

Sam Roggeveen’s Echidna Strategy rightly challenges Australia to act as a diplomatic powerhouse, not a military one.

The ever-present threat of spies can lead to the greater danger – ourselves.

Joseph Stalin’s denial of access for Western journalists during the Second World War heralded the birth of disinformation.

Accounts from Kabul hold lessons on how easily the world moves on, and some takeaways for Ukraine.

At the heart of Australia’s Westminster democracy is an eclectic, eccentric, DIY political system.

A new book throws light on the 1965 massacres – but the government’s redress for victims is yet to extend to justice for the perpetrators.

Hardly the touted blockbuster, Born To Fly is more dreary vanity flight than rousing nationalist paean.