Peter Hartcher is the political editor and international editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a Gold Walkley award winner, a former foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Washington, and a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. His latest book is The Sweet Spot: How Australia Made its Own Luck and Could Now Throw it All Away. His 2005 book, Bubble Man: Alan Greenspan and the Missing Seven Trillion Dollars, foresaw the collapse of the US housing market and the economic slump that followed.
A theme echoing through US media in the last few days was that Donald Trump's decision to attack Syria during dinner with China's president was sending a message to Beijing. But what was the message?
The US missile attack on Syria's Al-Shayrat air base was a tactic, but is it part of an overarching plan or just an isolated convulsion?
Nick Xenophon and Mathias Cormann demonstrated this week that compromise in a democracy can produce results.
China has played hard and dirty in its breakneck catch-up with the West.
While the major parties concentrate on their parlour games, winter is coming.
Australia was told to bend over and brace for a kicking from China last week. But, in the event, there was no kicking. Quite the contrary.
Contrary to expectations, Donald Trump seems to be taking time to assess, rather than rushing to irradiate.
In a scene in the ABC TV political satire Utopia, the prime minister's press secretary is explaining to the head of the fictitious Nation Building Authority why he has to ignore feasibility studies.
A parallel universe exists just 200 kilometres from Australia's shores. It's otherwise known as Indonesia. A remarkable event that you haven't heard about has just taken place there.
Pauline Hanson said two remarkable things this week. No, not the customary Muslim-hating. That's entirely routine. It's written into the One Nation policy platform.
Search pagination
Save articles for later.
Subscribe for unlimited access to news. Login to save articles.
Return to the homepage by clicking on the site logo.