Delegated diplomacy

The last decade has seen a substantial rise in scholarly writings on the value of diplomacy. American political scientist David Lindsey’s Delegated Diplomacy: How Ambassadors Establish Trust in International Relations contributes to this trend, arguing that diplomats remain important in the making of world politics and do so in surprising and paradoxical ways.

Stop talking, start punching

Australia must stop talking about being a middle power that punches above its weight. Talking about it is far less interesting to the rest of the world than Australia actually doing it.

Say hello, wave goodbye

Trump’s abandonment of traditional allies and alliances should force Australia to rethink its priorities and cleave to long-established principles, rather than blindly follow the USA down a potentially disastrous path.

Australia’s role in a shifting world order

With global conflict escalating and civilian protections eroding, Australia has a strategic opportunity to assert leadership in upholding international humanitarian law.

Citizen diplomacy

Citizen diplomacy is reshaping global politics as ordinary individuals take on more active roles in advocating for democratic values and influencing international affairs. Sparked by Barack Obama’s call to action, this movement challenges traditional state-centric diplomacy and demands greater accountability from political leaders.

Mea culpa

Australian Army analyst William Leben discusses what he got wrong about Australia’s relationship with Papua New Guinea, major military acquisitions, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what can be learned from it.

Open the embassies

The Trump administration should restructure the American diplomatic effort across the Pacific to boost the President’s stated aims of increasing both strategic influence and administrative efficiency.

Fickle friends

The world looks a lot less friendly for Australia than it did at the beginning of 2024 and this is unlikely to change any time soon. Australia needs to face its situation realistically rather than relying on the illusion that ‘great and powerful friends’ have its best interests at heart.

Women in diplomacy

Australia has made remarkable strides in gender equality in diplomacy, achieving near parity in its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. However, globally, women remain underrepresented in diplomacy, highlighting the need for continued efforts to address gender disparities and ensure equal representation worldwide.

The underfunding of Australian diplomacy

Spending on Australian diplomacy has reached new lows, meaning important events, meetings, and committees are being missed or attended by interns, and Australians are still waiting for the Albanese government to do something about it.

Hostage diplomacy

It’s time for Beijing to stop assuming it can worry Australia, and start worrying about what Australia might do. We can start by fighting for justice for Yang Hengjun and defend our democratic sovereignty.

In the house of pooh bear

Tensions appear to be easing between Australia and China, but the Prime Minister must remember that pulling punches on international security in the hope of frictionless diplomacy and short-term economic gain only teaches authoritarian states that aggression and coercion are effective.