The pressure the Abbott government faced over the Syrian refugee crisis hints at a broader trend. Global political dynamics are now exposing a credibility deficit in Australian foreign policy.
Andrew Hastie addresses Liberal volunteers while Tony Abbott looks on.
Matt Dawson
Julie Bishop, deputy Liberal leader and the most senior minister from Western Australia, has a special interest in the tough Canning byelection contest. Liberal candidate Andrew Hastie, a former SAS officer…
US forces have been making targeted airstrikes over Syria since late 2014.
Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed
When Kevin Rudd came under attack from some of his ministers for the way he ran his cabinet, it turned out to be the beginning of the end. Now we are seeing Tony Abbott struggling to contain instability…
Julie Bishop recently claimed that the Australia-Indonesia relationship is ‘very strong and very good’.
AAP/Johannes Christo
Are there any other options at the international level to have the downing of Flight MH17 properly investigated and – if appropriate – prosecuted by an impartial, independent international court?
If we were to evaluate two equally able politicians on their ‘merit’, chances are the man would outperform the woman.
AAP/Lucas Coch
No matter whether it’s targets or quotas, “merit” is always held up as the stalwart gold standard. But can we judge merit without bias? And is merit really the right measure for ability anyway?
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says he is working to find ‘alternate venues’ for the cattle.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The fall in prospective Australian live cattle exports to Indonesia has come as a surprise to the government and immediately prompted the question of whether tensions in the relationship are at play.
President Joko Widodo is not crying over cuts to Australian aid for Indonesia.
AAP Image/Eka Nickmatulhuda
Australia has cut aid to Indonesia by 40%. That may cause diplomatic displeasure, but the country has restructured its development programs in recent years to be less dependent on foreign money.
When Australians hear about Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s dire warnings and counter-terrorism raids, they could lose historical perspective on the threat posed by Islamic State.
AAP/Mal Fairclough
Dire government warnings and counter-terrorism raids in our suburbs paint a picture of the worst threat Western nations have ever faced. A little historical perspective is in order.
Julie Bishop and Tony Abbott are firm advocates of human rights when Australians are executed but not when asylum seekers are involved.
AAP/Lukas Coch
In condemning Indonesia’s execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Australia has relied on the same human rights obligations that it rejects when applied to asylum seekers.
The Australian-Indonesia relationship has become frosty and personal, which will test the diplomatic skills of Tony Abbott and Joko Widodo.
AAP/Eka Nickmatulhuda
Protests on Anzac Day, rather than being ‘utterly alien to Australians’, have a long tradition and embody the democratic right to dissent for which the troops fought.
Julie Bishop with her counterpart Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Bishop’s headwear attracted attention and some criticism in Australia.
EPA/Stringer
Julie Bishop’s high profile as foreign minister must surely be rivalling that of Kevin Rudd.
Foreign ministers Julie Bishop and Mohammad Zarif demonstrated a growing rapport between Australia and Iran in reaching agreement on some but not all fronts during her visit to Tehran.
EPA
Australia made progress on restoring trade and sharing intelligence on Islamic State in Iraq. Iran was less open to accepting the return of asylum seekers, which may prove a blessing in disguise.
We get the English word ‘chess’ from the Persian word Shah (king). The linguistic identification of this part of the world with chess belies its Indian origins, but in a country where the ancient nobility…
Iranians, who celebrated in the streets of Tehran following this month’s nuclear agreement, are keen to rebuild relations with the West.
EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh
By reaching out to Iran, Australia can help end a long stand-off with the West that prevented solutions to many of the world’s most dangerous problems, including Syria’s civil war and Islamic State.
Mike Baird has been rewarded for being upfront about a difficult issue, while Tony Abbott was less forthcoming before his election and lost many voters’ trust as a result.
AAP/Nikki Short
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop said the take out from the result was that “people are ready for reform as long as it’s explained to them, and that’s what Mike Baird did”. It was a pointed comment.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has increased her public visibility in recent months.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Many Liberal eyes are already on Julie Bishop. And given she’s indicated that if there were to be a leadership contest she’d likely be in it, the Foreign Minister will come under increasing scrutiny in coming months.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made headlines face palming and rolling her eyes during a speech by Treasurer Joe Hockey.
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The Coalition has had a substantial lift in the latest Newspoll, now trailing Labor in two-party terms 49-51% compared with 45-55% a fortnight ago. This is its best two-party result since September. The…