Arvanitakis on American Politics: Voting in a time of a pandemic

It did not take long for the fragile peace between the Democratic and Republican leaders brought on by coronavirus to breakdown and, as America risks reopening for business, attention is turning to the election in November.

Australia’s incrementalist hedging in a fractured world order

Australia faces challenging circumstances. Its economic wellbeing is increasingly tied to a country, China, that is becoming the enemy of its security guarantor, the United States. The corrosion of liberal institutions reduces Australia’s options and constrains its scope for influence.

A pandemic in the era of great power rivalry and neoliberalism

Dr Oliver Villar of Charles Sturt University argues that the real virus threatening the world is neoliberalism, rather than COVID-19, and the current pandemic is a smokescreen for US-China rivalry.

Hard lessons and soft power

If American policy continues its current chaotic path, COVID-19 will inevitably accelerate existing trends towards nationalistic populism and authoritarian uses of technology.

Power politics threatens global cooperation to combat COVID-19

Fuelled by rising nationalism and protectionism, the United States, China and Russia are attempting to shape the external environment to support their own strategic interests.

Will Covid-19 stump Trump?

President Donald Trump’s chaotic response to the COVID-19 crisis has let the disease run rampant in the USA and his hasty attempts to open the economy again may leave more havoc in their wake.

Triumph of the autocrats?

Positive outcomes in the battle against COVID-19 may favour those who see strong government as desirable in its own right, but the upsurge in volunteering and group solidarity in many countries may point to a more optimistic future.

Arvanitakis on American politics: Understanding the populist pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the way in which Donald Trump, like other populists, creates a clear divide between a faceless elite and ‘the people’, but it comes at a time when the people rely on those experts for their lives.

Australia should invoke the ANZUS treaty

Scott Morrison has called the ANZUS Treaty ‘the single most important achievement’ of the Liberal Party in any term of government. He can now use that achievement to show solidarity in the fight against COVID-19.

A new world in the making

The world will be different after COVID-19 and our leaders will have to put the same effort, energy and resources into our international dealings as our ongoing domestic challenges.

Will COVID-19 be the trump card in the 2020 US election?

The COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed the coming 2020 US presidential elections, but will Trump’s mishandling of the health crisis undermine his chances of a second term in office?

The death or rebirth of America?

The spiraling death toll in the USA, and the bumbling reaction of the Federal government, has prompted many commentators to predict the eclipse of America as a major power, but the COVID-19 crisis is more likely to revitalise that nation’s inherent dynamism.