Section: The Conversation (USA)
Is Putin’s Russia the critical threat Americans believe it to be?
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. AP Photo/Pavel GolovkinU.S. intelligence agencies – 17 of them – agree that evidence shows the Russian government hacked the Democratic National Committee and waged a campaign to influence voters in 2016. Although no evidence of...
Russia’s geopolitical PR campaign finds a perfect opening in North Africa
Not since the end of the Cold War has Russia carried so much weight. Deeply involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, doggedly safeguarding Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime in Syria, and alleged to have meddled in the US presidential elections, the Kremlin is a force for all the world to reckon with. And now it has a new playing field,...
David Petraeus on US policy under Donald Trump, the generational war against Islamist Terrorism, and dealing with China
Retired United States General David Petraeus was interviewed by Brendan Nicholson, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute at a Liberal party gala dinner in Sydney on Friday. Dan Hembrechts/AAPRetired United States General David Petraeus was a commander of international forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later he headed the CIA, before...
US Supreme Court opens the floodgates for the trademarking of racist slurs
The Slants in concert/Tommy Byrd/Flickr, CC BY-NCYou may not have heard of Asian-American dance-rock band, The Slants, but you may soon be very aware of a troubling precedent set after they won a contentious legal victory in the US Supreme Court. Founder and bass player, Simon Tam, first tried to register the band’s name as a trademark in...
Can we predict political uprisings?
Forecasting political unrest is a challenging task, especially in this era of post-truth and opinion polls. Several studies by economists such as Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler in 1998 and 2002 describe how economic indicators, such as slow income growth and natural resource dependence, can explain political upheaval. More specifically, low per...
Fact Check: is China dumping steel?
We are continuing to act, when necessary, against unfair trading conditions in the steel sector, and against foreign dumping. European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem speaks after the EU introduced new duties on steel products from China on Friday, June 9. China’s hold over the international steel market is pretty clear. It...
As US influence wanes, Germany has the chance to step into the spotlight
Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the United States has been performing what seems to be a partial withdrawal from the international stage. This retreat is sometimes purposeful, as when the administration realised its campaign promise to exit the Paris climate agreement. But is is also sometimes uncertain, as when Vice President...
As US influence wanes, Germany steps (back) into the global spotlight
Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the United States has been performing what seems to be a partial withdrawal from the international stage. This retreat is sometimes purposeful, as when the administration realised its campaign promise to exit the Paris climate agreement. But is is also sometimes uncertain, as when Vice President...
George HW Bush: America’s last foreign policy president
Unlike every president who followed him, George HW Bush had a background in foreign policy. In 1972, Bush was serving as U.S. Ambassador to the UN. AP Photo/Dave PickoffGeorge H.W. Bush, who turns 93 today, was the last person elected president of the United States with any prior foreign policy experience. He entered office with one of the most...
Trump to Europe: You’re on your own
Merkel consider her options after meeting with Trump on May 26, 2017, in Italy. AP Photo/Evan VucciDuring his recent trip to Europe for meetings at NATO Headquarters in Brussels and with the Group of Seven in Italy, Donald Trump delivered on his campaign promise to disrupt business as usual. In the process, he is undoing U.S. policies undertaken...
