Between the Lines

Global disasters can require deeper government intervention in the economy and society. Could some of the measures taken during the pandemic, remain in place after it passes? And what does it mean for liberalism?; Also, do Harry and Meghan have a point about the toxic royal 'firm', or is all this drama just jeopardising the reputation of the British institution?

Centre-left parties are bleeding the blue-collar vote to the conservatives. Globally. How can the ALP broaden its appeal? Also, with the benefit of hindsight, was the 'Arab Spring' ever going to deliver democracy to the Middle East?

It's 25 years since the coalition was elected to an eleven year term in power. As leader, John Howard represents one of the greatest political comebacks in modern history. How did he do it?

With China’s rise as a great power, it is paying more attention to reclaiming territory, like Taiwan, that it has long regarded as its own. How should the US and its allies, including Australia, counter Beijing’s conduct? Also, is the West’s hostility towards Putin just driving Moscow closer to Beijing?

A decade ago, the Arab Spring promised to end dictatorship and bring self-government to people across the Middle East. Yet it mostly led to either renewed dictatorship, civil war, extremist terror, or all three. Also; after five decades of military dictatorship came to an end in Myanmar, the armed forces there retained a significant hold on power. After being trounced in last November’s election,...

The relationship between China and Australia continues to deteriorate and it goes beyond trade sanctions. By standing up to China, is Canberra just 'pulling the tail of the tiger'? Or are we right to protect our national sovereignty?

Re-naming Australia Day won't help, says a prominent leader of our Indigenous community, who defends our national holiday. Jacinta Nampijinpa-Price says that moves to call January 26, “invasion day”, are pointless and divisive. They won't help Aboriginal Australians, especially those in remote communities, who suffer from profound disadvantage. Also, America post Trump. How will Joe Biden convince...

Is the Department of Home Affairs too big? Peter Edwards and Jacinta Carroll on the legacy of the Hope Royal Commissions into intelligence which recommended a clear separation between intelligence collection and policy making. Also: China's Good War. Oxford university historian Rana Mitter on how the new Chinese nationalism is being shaped by a re-interpretation of China's role in World War Two.

Joshua Landis: The French mandate and Lebanese history Lebanon was once a model for the Middle East. Today, it looks more like Syria or Iraq. Why? And should the French be held accountable? Joshua Landis, Director: Centre for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma Japan’s POWs: systematic mistreatment? During World War Two more Australians died in Japanese prisoner of...

Weighing up Turnbull’s legacy Former Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull recently published his memoir A Bigger Picture.  In it he settles old scores with colleagues over his 2018 ousting, which he describes as an “act of madness.” What is his legacy, and how will history judge our nation’s twenty ninth Prime Minister? Jacqueline Maley, columnist at The Sydney Morning Herald. Jennifer Oriel, columnist...

Shinzo Abe resignation Shinzo Abe is Japan’s most successful post-war political leader. Recently, he resigned for health reasons. So what is his legacy for Japan and the wider region?  Plus, Putin’s People: how the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West. Journalist Catherine Belton explains how tensions in Belarus and the poisoning of anticorruption campaigner Alexei Navalny fit into Russa...

Defending the right to offend China on campus This year, Human Rights Watch Australia Director Elaine Pearson was interviewed by the media department at the University of New South Wales about the human rights implications of Hong Kong's new national security law. Her comments on Hong Kong new national security legislation upset some students. They claimed the article caused offence to China and d...

If we use what we have learned from 2020, 'Utopia' can be ours; and with the rise of China, what is next for the USA?

2020 has many contenders for events with enormous consequence: the COVID pandemic, racial tensions, cancel culture and China, to name a few. It's easy to identify the 'losers', but who are the 'winners' who managed to lead in such uncertain times?

Calls are growing for Canberra to end our dependence on China, but can Australia afford to cut ties with our most important trading partner? Also, should Beethoven be subject to 'cancel culture'?

The 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US are arguably the most significant and consequential events of the past 20 years. But beyond the initial 'shock and awe' revenge on al Qaida, the war on terror had only just begun.

Boris Johnson has cleared out leading Bexiteers, who’ve run his government since he became prime minister. Now what for Britain as it prepares for life after the EU? Also, is a Royal Commission into media diversity justified?

As Trump leaves office it seems that 'Trumpism' is here to stay. Should Trump's base trust a new leader? Also, on the 45th anniversary of the Dismissal, evidence shows that there was no conspiracy between Buckingham Palace and Governor General Sir John Kerr.

How will it be possible for Trump or Biden to govern the US when tension is at its worst since the Civil War?; and how Emmanuel Macron defend press freedoms in secular France in the face of the Islamist challenge?

Donald Trump’s foreign policy is usually met with derision. But while critics mock his diplomacy just days away from the US presidential election, Trump has had a few victories to put in his closing advertising pitch to the American people. Also, for more than a quarter century, no Republican won the presidency or ran the White House without the advice of James Baker. A new biography outlines his...

Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party has won a stunning victory in a landslide election but if NZ does not sort out its economic challenges quickly, could our trans-Tasman cousins become a failed state? Also, COVID-19 won’t spell the end of capitalism, but will the US move closer towards government intervention for complex issues like the pandemic? And if socialism continues to rise, how will it be diffe...

Modern slavery has worsened with the economic fallout of COVID. As the supply chain falters during the global lockdown, sacked workers have become even more vulnerable to exploitation. Also, is the US guilty of breaking the rules that they themselves, recommended?

Trump's response to COVID and the farcical presidential debate cause yet more concern for the US election. If America no longer stands as a global inspiration, where does that leave us? Also, China has been hailed as the world’s great hope for slashing carbon emissions. But if Beijing needs fossil fuels to grow the economy and reduce poverty, is the praise premature?

As the Liberal Government prepares for the federal budget, is it going through an ideological revolution? For several decades, conservatives have supported smaller government and fiscal prudence but the coronavirus has meant that Scott Morrison has broken with tradition. Also, how does the world ensure that Xi Jinping’s China lives in a rules-based liberal international order?

Is Donald Trump a better bet for Asia than Joe Biden? While the region’s political elites are far more worried about China than climate change, Trump is more focused on containing China than decarbonising the global economy. Also, why does the West want to isolate Russia, when it has only had negative results in the past?