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Foreign policy rates barely a mention as US turns inward
Only the spectacle of anti-American violence across the Middle East and beyond has made foreign policy a live issue in the race to the White House....
Foreign investment and the whims of politicians
In September 2009, economics officials from the US embassy sat down with the then-head of Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB),...
Paul is a prophet deserving honour in warning on America's limits
He rails against the "American empire" that "brought the September 11 attacks on us". He condemns Obama for killing Osama. He is indifferent to...
Struggling welfare state in EU is a stark warning
The question as to how European nations arrived at their present state of economic dysfunction is perhaps as important as what they should do to...
Withdrawal from Afghanistan would not hurt our US ties
While the past week's coverage of the enhanced military co-operation between Canberra and Washington may suggest otherwise, the most urgent item on...
A note of scepticism about the Obama visit
The first time I turned out for a US president was two decades ago when George H.W. Bush came to town. He drove through Sydney and I ran cheering...
Why cling on to an outdated refugee convention?
The United Nations 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is not fit for purpose. The 60-year-old convention was designed for an era we...
Am I outraged by this asylum shemozzle? I am.
The political debate over asylum seeker policy is surprisingly ferocious given that it is bipartisan. Both the Government and the Opposition are in...
Forget compassion - our better angels aren't listening
With its Malaysia solution the Gillard government is about to implement one of the most illiberal asylum seeker policies since mandatory detention...
Opening door to an outlaw
China is a sleeping giant, Napoleon once warned. ''Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the world.'' The sleeping giant awoke to the...