Yesterday
- Opinion
- Democracy
Democratic recession could deepen in 2024
At this moment of maximum global peril, democracies have lost the thing they need most: the power of their legitimacy.
- Misha Zelinsky
This Month
- Analysis
- Middle East tensions
National security wolves howl at moon over Red Sea warship
Cries of outrage over the decision not to deploy to the Middle East are obscuring questions about Australia’s basic defence capabilities.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Labor’s best policy might be admitting Red Sea defence gap
If strategy is Labor’s reason, it raises concerns. If there is no available ship, it raises another set of questions about Australia’s alarming lack of military capabilities.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Asia-Pacific
Taiwan: A Trojan horse for Beijing?
Taiwan’s elections next month will once more focus attention on the difficulty of any future move by Beijing to absorb Taiwan.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Defence
Australia’s Hunter frigate project should be sunk
Its crystal clear that the replacement ships for the Anzac class that we cannot send to the Red Sea will not provide a worthwhile capability for the Royal Australian Navy.
- Rowan Moffitt
- Analysis
- International affairs
Albanese reaches for Keating’s Asian mantle
In a speech that canvassed all the issues on his foreign policy plate, there was one section that stood out.
- James Curran
- Analysis
- Middle East tensions
Is Australia’s delay on US warship request dithering or prudent?
The opposition accuses the government of dithering. But it would be a dangerous mission, and there are powerful historical precedents.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Foreign relations
Independent posturing outside the US alliance would endanger Australia
The more important and integral we are to American regional interests, the more likely it is that our powerful ally will come to our aid, under any administration.
- John Lee
- Analysis
- Business Person of the Year
Why Boris Johnson thinks a Trump win would be good for the world
Former British PM talks about his biggest regret, political ghosts and a host of other topics at The Australian Financial Review Business Person of the Year event.
- Jennifer Hewett
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Islamic double standard
Islamic religious fanaticism threatens not just Israel, but open societies everywhere, argues US philosopher Sam Harris.
- Sam Harris
Women warned of Hamas attack, but their male bosses didn’t listen
Female Israeli soldiers had cautioned for months that the resistance movement was planning something, but they weren’t taken seriously by commanding officers.
- Mary Ann Sieghart
Billion-dollar AFP busts reveal what criminals do with their money
A police taskforce has seized more than $1.1 billion worth of assets from alleged criminals, including fancy houses, fast cars, designer gear and bags of cash.
- Patrick Durkin
- Opinion
- Russia-Ukraine war
US and EU bickering leaves Ukraine adrift
Political bickering in Washington and European capitals over ongoing support for Kyiv appears to presage an even bleaker winter for President Zelensky.
- James Curran
- Analysis
- China relations
Why Australia can’t rely on the US to save it from China
Former foreign minister Gareth Evans looks at the country’s options in relation to the dominant force in the region.
- Gareth Evans
Gareth Evans: Can we rely on America to defend Australia?
The former Labor foreign minister does not hold back in an incisive analysis of the current co-ordinates of Australian foreign policy
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Joe Biden
What happens if Biden were to step aside?
Such an eventuality would upend all calculations in the presidential race here and in the US.
- James Curran
Antisemitism is tarnishing nation, mining boss warns
Criticism of Israel must start with recognition that Hamas is a terror group, Evolution boss Jake Klein says.
- Brad Thompson
- Opinion
- The AFR View
A permanent ceasefire would be just another temporary truce
Supporters of a genuine peace process should hope Israel can finish the job of protecting itself from Hamas as quickly as possible.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
What Kissinger would have advised on Israel-Hamas
The Australian government has been trying to balance domestic opinion, rather than articulate clear and simple objectives.
- Alexander Downer
- Opinion
- Foreign relations
Henry Kissinger was an inconsistent opportunist
America’s 20th century foreign policy giant and statesman was driven more by domestic considerations than he would ever have admitted.
- Tom Switzer