Both Labor and the Coalition are deepening Australia’s alignment with the United States, even as doubts grow about AUKUS, the rules-based order and the risks of being drawn into a US-China conflict. (more…)
Category: USA
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Trump raises voice – Vatican lowers heat
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Rome visit exposes the contrast between White House fury and papal diplomacy. (more…)
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On-again, off-again war/peace rhetoric: just epic insider trading?
Epic insider trading by those who likely know Trump’s plans is one characteristic of the US war on Iran, with some observers suggesting the on-again off-again peace deals are deliberately choreographed for the markets.
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India’s farms dodged the Hormuz crisis, but its budget didn’t
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels on 17 April 2026 came as a great relief for India. But the blocking of the strait revealed both how exposed Indian agriculture is to a single waterway and how heavily the government must lean on subsidies to insulate farmers from the consequences. (more…)
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Trump’s tragedy of errors
Regardless of how long US President Donald Trump’s ill-advised war and today’s stagflationary conditions last, the long-run consequences will be profound. Fancying himself an absolute monarch, Trump has broken something he cannot fix and unleashed forces he cannot control. (more…)
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America builds AI, China uses it to transform systems
The US continues to lead in developing AI, but risks falling behind in deploying it at scale. China, once seen primarily as a follower, is positioning itself as a leader in implementation. If this persists, the consequences will be seen in the competitiveness of national economies. (more…)
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Trump’s blockade, Iran’s defiance: public messaging in the time of war
In the current Iran war, both sides are seeking to shape the narrative surrounding whatever agreement eventually emerges. This entails public rhetoric that may not align with quieter negotiations taking place between the US and Iran. The world is watching not necessarily the collapse of diplomacy but its transformation into a more public form of political performance. (more…)
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John Roberts: the Chief Justice who broke American democracy
John Roberts promised impartiality when he became Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Instead, over 20 years he has systematically ruled in favour of one party’s structural interests across voting rights, campaign finance, redistricting, executive power, and congressional oversight. Today, one in three Americans say they do not trust the Court to act in their interests. (more…)
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Resisting Trump’s extreme religiosity
Trump’s extreme Christian nationalism poses a dual threat. By dragging the US and the West further toward the ideological right, he is both fuelling civilisational tensions and deepening fractures within the Christian faith. Christians should join Islamic and Confucian proponents of the ‘middle pathway’ to resist such extreme religiosity. (more…)
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Warpower is a write-off
Cheaper and more effective ways of waging war are emerging, but then there’s the American (and Australian) way that still sees the waste of horrendously expensive equipment. (more…)
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US support for Israel is faltering
The political consensus in America that sustained unconditional US support for Israel was built over decades; it will not be dismantled quickly. But the direction of change is now clear. The shift in public opinion away from supporting Israel reflects generational change. That demographic trajectory will not reverse. (more…)
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Australia: don’t join the war crime
Australia is expected to consider this week a request from the US to join a coalition of allies in a military effort, the ‘Maritime Freedom Construct’, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Australia should refuse, even in the unlikely event that others join. (more…)
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A just war: Pope Leo and President Trump
Pope Leo XIV has spoken on several occasions about the urgent need to seek peace and not war. President Trump and other American politicians have essentially told him to mind his own business and to stick to issues of religious teaching and belief. But Pope Leo is sticking to his essential business of providing ethical and moral leadership. (more…)
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Modern warfare requires cultural intelligence
Washington’s failure to subdue Tehran stems in part from overlooking the Iranian mindset moulded by Persian civilisational pride and the Shiite sense of martyrdom. It underscores the value of cultural intelligence as the third pillar of warfare, alongside human and singal intelligence. (more…)
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Charles is not my King
Our media has been full of praise for King Charles and his handling of President Trump on the recent state visit. His mention of AUKUS has been hailed as a great moment for Australia. (more…)
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End this war, stop bleeding taxpayers dry, say Democrat senators
The US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has been hammered on the true costs of the Iran war during a Senate hearing and dubbed a war criminal by anti-war activists. (more…)
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The Iran war shows cheap missiles beat expensive defences
The Iran conflict is revealing a stark imbalance in modern warfare, where cheaper weapons are overwhelming costly defence systems and testing the limits of US military strategy. (more…)
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US falls to ‘historic low’ in press freedom tracker
The United States has dropped to an historic low in global press freedom rankings, with political pressure on media and industry consolidation driving the decline.
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A $25 billion offer? Inside Trump’s push to end the Hormuz crisis
Reports from Israeli sources suggest Donald Trump is considering a multibillion-dollar payment to Iran to end the Strait of Hormuz blockade, exposing divisions within the US administration and tensions with Israel.
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The ‘little’ things that matter – Message from the Editor
There were lots of ‘big’ stories this week, in the wider world and in P&I. The assassination attempt at the White House dinner, the anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, rising debate over our place in the world in our Foreign Policy Rethink series, and constant violations of the Israel/Lebanon ceasefire. The list goes on. (more…)
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Why TikTok is being ruined by its new American owners
TikTok’s transformation under US ownership is reshaping it into a platform for censorship, AI exploitation and political influence, undermining free expression. (more…)
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The King’s speech: hereditary power comes to rescue democracy
King Charles’ address to the US Congress highlighted the tension between democratic ideals and inherited power, revealing deeper strains in the western political and economic order. (more…)
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‘More destruction of science’: Trump fires every member of US National Science Board
Donald Trump has dismissed every member of the National Science Board, escalating a broader push to dismantle independent scientific advice and cut research funding across the US government. (more…)
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Iran is holding the line – and the US strategy is unlikely to break it
Sixty days into the conflict, Iran has held its ground in the Strait of Hormuz, while US pressure has failed to force concessions – raising the risk of escalation, oil disruption and wider global instability.
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Contracting strategy to think tanks: catering to America’s fantasies of even more war
US think tanks play a central role in shaping military strategy and future conflicts, embedding a long-standing logic of war that allies are expected to support.
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Mission creep in the Gulf shows Australia hasn’t learned from past wars
Australia has again joined a US-led conflict with little transparency or debate, raising the risk of mission creep, economic costs and another drawn-out military failure. (more…)
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Trump is a product of the media age – and a master of it
Donald Trump’s rise and rhetoric reflect a profound shift in how media shapes behaviour, power and public discourse in the digital age. (more…)
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Australia can’t have self-reliant defence and nuclear submarines
In the latest in our Foreign Policy Rethink series, Mike Gilligan argues that Australia’s renewed focus on defence self-reliance is incompatible with its deepening commitment to AUKUS and nuclear submarines. (more…)
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Australia’s foreign policy needs renovation, not demolition
In the latest of our Foreign Policy Rethink series, Peter Varghese outlines how alliance, region and multilateralism must be recalibrated for a more contested and uncertain global order. (more…)
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PM urged to act as court clears path for Duggan extradition
A court ruling has cleared the way for extradition, but the decision now turns political – and whether the prime minister steps in to protect an Australian citizen. (more…)