Recent Posts

Why Turnbull has to ‘do a Merkel’

The cynicism or moral immobilism of the Western powers toward the Syria conflict has been a reminder that states all too often conform to the behaviour pattern predicted by the neo-realist conception of international relations. Yet in a handful of countries, including Australia and Germany, the popular response to the refugee crisis created by the conflict has reminded these states ...

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Epilogue to the South Pacific tuna treaty

Once again the South Pacific Tuna Treaty is in the news. But this year with heels dug in on both sides the outdated tuna treaty may have taken its last breath. For the past five years the tuna treaty’s annual funding negotiation has been an ordeal as the parties involved locked horns on how much the United States should pay ...

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At US-ASEAN Summit, preparing for a new normal

The element of signaling surrounding the first US-ASEAN summit in Sunnylands, California was strong. The White House decision to host ASEAN leaders at the same venue where US President Barack Obama previously received Chinese president Xi Jinping symbolized the increasingly pivotal role the US was according ASEAN as an institution. Visiting Laos and Cambodia, US Secretary of State John Kerry ...

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