A century on: remembering the Australians who fought in the Russian Civil War

The Russian Civil War killed as many as 10 million people and the Bolshevik victory gave a bloody birth to the Soviet state. Small numbers of Western forces fought the communists, including a handful of Australians in the wake of the Great War.

Bringing Hong Kong back from the brink

Hong Kong’s current crisis is the result of the absence of politics. The chief executive and the cabinet were never elected, are unrepresentative and do not have to answer to ordinary Hong Kongers. Average citizens also feel they have no stake in a leadership system that ignores their needs, serves mostly the wealthy elite, and is answerable only to Beijing.

Hong Kong: The canary in the coal mine

Hong Kong continues to be wracked by civil unrest as its people protest against Chinese oppression. How did it come to this, what does it signal, and where is it likely to end?

It’s a numbers game of two halves

Manchester City won last year’s English Premier League and have a 36.5 per cent chance of coming top again, according to the numerical analysis of University of Adelaide’s Professor Steve Begg.

Which side are we on?

The protests in Hong Kong started over CEO Carrie Lam’s extradition bill and have turned into a defining issue for the trajectory of China as a state and a society, and for the Chinese state’s relationships internationally.

Why Truman stands taller than Trump

Harry S. Truman was at least 10 centimetres smaller in stature than Donald Trump, but he towers above him as a national and international leader.

Bringing Russia to justice over MH17

Those involved in the shooting down of a Malaysia airliner – and the deaths of 283 passengers and 15 crew on board – during Russia’s proxy invasion of Eastern Ukraine may yet be brought to justice.

Imperfect as Iran is, engage it with diplomacy, not war

Iran is widely seen as an international pariah, and is blamed for supporting terrorists in the middle east and beyond, yet diplomatic engagement could still prove a more productive strategy than military confrontation.

Balancing the rise of China

It’s clear that China wants to become the predominant power in Asia. Why should that be a concern for Australia? The answer goes to the heart of the intersection of our interests and values in foreign policy.

Putin and Xi plot an oppressive digital future

China and Russia are very different nations in many ways, but both are ruled by authoritarian regimes determined to assert themselves on the international stage while crushing political dissent at home and both use the internet to achieve their goals.

Australia needs a clear and consistent China policy

Our government should take a leaf out of China’s book by strongly promoting our national interests, speaking plainly in defence of our core values, and explaining our strategic priorities to the domestic public.

Thirty years after Tiananmen it’s time to face facts and join forces

Thirty years after Tiananmen we need to spend less time trying to fix China and more time shoring up our ability to take care of ourselves, our societies and all of our citizens.