Jonathan Pearlman

Can We Trust America? explores the uncertainties for Australia as questions arise about the commitment of its closest ally. "As the United States needs Australia more, we have the chance - and the obligation - to shape the alliance in our interests. Instead, we have become less questioning and more compliant with each presidential tweet." - MICHAEL WESLEY The eighth...

Australian Foreign Affairs is published three times a year and seeks to explore—and encourage—debate on Australia's place in the world and global outlook. "There is no Australian future—sunlit or shadowed—in which China will not be central." - Allan Gyngell The seventh issue of Australian Foreign Affairs explores Australia's status as the most China-dependent country in the developed world, and the...

Dead in the Water: The AUKUS Delusion explores Canberra's strategic illusions as the ultimate cause of the AUKUS debacle, intertwined with political factors, as noted by Hugh White. The twentieth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs delves into Australia's seismic decision to establish a security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom. This pact includes a bold, costly, and...

As a new US administration edges closer to international climate action, will Australia follow suit, or risk becoming an outlier? Australia's climate and energy policy is a 'toxic time bomb' . . . Now Morrison, feeling the heat from Australia's allies, from growing numbers in the business community and from a majority of voters, needs to work out how he...

In a changed world, how do Australia's alliances, friendships, and rivalries help and hinder us? "These are anxious times. Not since early 1942 have Australians felt so in need of allies, yet been so unsure of their major ally ... Canberra is eagerly, even desperately, looking for new protectors." — Hugh White The tenth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines...

Could India, an emerging giant and growing geopolitical player, change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific? "As Australia's relationship with China has soured, probably irretrievably, India has emerged as the great new hope." MICHAEL WESLEY The thirteenth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines the future of India, a rising giant whose unsteady growth and unpredictable political turns raise questions...

Australian Foreign Affairs is published three times a year and seeks to explore—and encourage—debate on Australia's place in the world and global outlook. "The uncomfortable reality is that preserving an exclusive sphere of influence in the South Pacific is not going to be possible against a regional power that is far stronger than any we have ever confronted, or even...

As the great powers clash in South-East Asia, how will Australia secure its interests in the region? The latest issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines the challenges confronting South-East Asia as it finds itself at the epicentre of the rivalry between the United States and China. Our Unstable Neighbourhood looks at the fragile state of democracy and the growing threat...

What will America's next president mean for Australia and the world? "Trump's return does not signal an American retreat from the world . . . Rather, it foreshadows a president even more determined to get his way on the world stage, and with fewer voices of caution and restraint around him." — James Curran The twenty-third issue of Australian Foreign...

Spy vs Spy: The New Age of Espionage examines the newest threats and vulnerabilities Australia faces from espionage and foreign spies. 'As its strength has increased, it has become clear that China has its own preferred set of rules. And that is as true in espionage as it is in geopolitics.' - Andrew Davies The ninth issue of Australian Foreign...

The twenty-fourth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs explores how new technologies have emerged as an economic and industrial battleground, and as a key means of projecting power globally. The next issue of Australian Foreign Affairs delves into the battle between Washington and Beijing to develop and control the world's technology, highlighting the risks and opportunities for Australia. As consumers turn...

Australia's partners are turning away from the values that underpin the partnership. What should Canberra do? The next issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines the consequences for Australia as some of its most important friends and partners — including India, Indonesia, and the United States — shift towards authoritarianism and illiberalism. As Donald Trump seeks to return to the White...

Towards an Independent Foreign Policy 'We need to determine a foreign policy of our own - one that looks after Australia's interest in the new order; an order which will have China as its centre of gravity.' - PAUL KEATING Australia's top thinkers on foreign affairs address the most significant dynamics affecting Australia today, including the rise of China and...

Canberra and Jakarta face similar threats in a changing Asia. Could this lead to closer ties? "Indonesia's commitment to Cold War-era non-alignment has only been possible because no force was capable of pressuring Jakarta to move beyond it. China may be that force." – SAM ROGGEVEEN Canberra and Jakarta face similar threats in a changing Asia. Could this lead to...

In the face of a rising authoritarian Asia and a declining democratic West, can democracy fight back? "China is an emergent empire of a kind never seen before . . . It's not a gunpowder or dreadnought battleship or B-52 bomber empire. It's an information empire, propelled by commercial interests." JOHN KEANE The eleventh issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines...

How has Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed the international security, economic, and political terrain? The latest issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines the global upheaval caused by the war in Ukraine, which has heightened the tensions between democracies and authoritarian states, and has led to a more assertive Europe that could represent a new force in world affairs. The Return...

If Asia's key flashpoint erupts into war, what will Australia do? The decision could reshape our future in Asia. "Whether or not America chooses to fight, a crisis over Taiwan would most likely see its position destroyed. This is the real flaw in America's position, and Australia's." — HUGH WHITE The fourteenth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines the rising...

Towards an independent foreign policy. The second issue of Australian Foreign Affairs, Trump in Asia, examines the United States' sudden shift from the Asia Pivot to America First. It provides insights into Donald Trump's White House and explores how his unpredictable approach to international affairs is affecting the volatile Asian region. Trump in Asia is essential reading for anyone wanting...

The latest issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines Australia's evolving ties with the United States as the power balance in Asia changes and as Washington continues to face bitter domestic divides. We Need to Talk about America looks at the future of the alliance in an era in which the US's global role and stature—once seemed so constant—are becoming less...

Does China really want to attack Australia? "The strategic air in Australia has for many years now resounded with the thumping talk of imminent conflict. But how likely is war with China?" — James Curran The nineteenth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines China's ultimate goals as an emerging superpower, including the extent of its territorial ambitions. The New Domino...

Australian Foreign Affairs is published three times a year and seeks to explore – and encourage – debate on Australia's place in the world and its global outlook. Are We Asian Yet?: History Vs Geography examines Australia's struggle to define its place in Asia as it balances its historic ties to the West with its geography. Are We Asian Yet?...

The twenty-fifth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs explores the possibility of nations across Asia developing nuclear weapons and the consequences for the region's security. "For too long we have avoided thinking seriously about nuclear weapons . . . If those closest to us are preparing for a darker nuclear future, we need to talk about how we might survive in...

The next issue of Australian Foreign Affairs explores the costs, risks and potential benefits of Australia's plan to buy, build and operate a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Lost at Sea looks at the ways in which the AUKUS undertaking is set to reshape the nation's military, economy, diplomacy and foreign relations, and at the consequences and alternatives if the project...

"Trump's zero-sum thinking is causing negative-sum outcomes, where everyone loses, and the United States will eventually lose most." Shiro Armstrong The twenty-sixth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs explores the decline of global free trade and the emergence of a new economic order in which nations view trade as a tool for gaining strategic advantage. As Donald Trump's tariffs reshape the...

Australian Foreign Affairs is published three times a year and seeks to explore—and encourage—debate on Australia's place in the world and global outlook. "While we can never ignore Indonesia's potential as a threat, its potential as an ally is more important to us now than it has ever been." — Hugh White The third issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines...