Between the Lines

The United States, the European Union and Russia are among dozens of countries which have submitted plans to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of the next UN climate talks in Paris in December. Australia, China, and Canada are expected to deliver their plans to the UN soon. But after the disappointments of previous global climate conferences, what are the prospects of the world reaching a significant, binding deal in Paris?

British prime minister David Cameron has promised to lead a government for "one nation" after an election result that took everyone by surprise.  Not only did his conservative party win a second term, it now holds an outright majority. Mr Cameron says his decisive victory has given him a mandate for "tough" renegotiations over Britain's relationship with the European Union. Also in this edition of Between the Lines, is political speechmaking a dying art?  And what does one of Australia’s greatest speechwriters think about the impact of social media on our political discourse?

China's paramount leader, Xi Jinping, is widely regarded as China’s strongest leader since Mao Tse-tung. So what will Xi Jinping do with his unprecedented personal power? And will China overtake America as the region’s superpower? Also in this edition of Between the Lines, what’s the future for Yemen – a country in the grip of a complex civil war?  Since Houthi rebels forced the president out of the capital earlier this year, the besieged government has been fighting back with the help of deadly Saudi-led airstrikes.

Is Australia ‘dancing with the devil’ by agreeing to share intelligence with Iran?  Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the arrangement will help Australia track down foreign fighters serving with Islamic State. But critics, including independent MP and former intelligence officer Andrew Wilkie, warn against trusting a country once branded part of an ‘axis of evil’.  Also in this edition of Between the Lines, the British election campaign is heating up in its final days, with claims of dog whistling and scare mongering levelled at the Australian running the Tory campaign.

Gallipoli is a byword for grotesque military incompetence. But 100 years on, it’s also become a formative part of Australia’s national psyche. Have we become overly obsessed with a collective memory of Gallipoli that ignores the facts of our worst military defeat? Also in this edition of Between the Lines, Australia marks another significant military anniversary next week – 50 years since Prime Minister Robert Menzies committed troops to Vietnam, beginning our longest and most controversial conflict of the 20th century. But was Vietnam really in our national interest?

With the China boom coming to an end and the global commodity price cycle working against Australia, what’s the future for our economy?  Could we be facing a contraction, despite weathering all the major economic shocks of the last 25 years? Also in this edition of Between the Lines, a reflection on the legacy of Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor to two presidents, and a look at the ongoing battle between foreign policy realists and idealists.

For decades, the US has enjoyed global pre-eminence, with the power to create political and economic order, virtually anywhere in world.   But its influence is declining.  What does that mean for international stability? Also in this edition of Between the Lines, another in Tom Switzer’s occasional series reflecting on the wisdom of decisions taken at pivotal moments in our history. This week, Tom highlights a missed opportunity to strike a grand bargain with Iran in 2003.

Britain could well be facing another minority government, in what’s being described as the closest and most unpredictable national election since the 1970s.  While the Labour Party is facing electoral wipeout in Scotland, David Cameron has drawn criticism for a surprise decision to rule out a third term. Also in this edition of Between the Lines, what’s in the proposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership and will it go ahead?

The world this week farewelled two statesmen: Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew and Australia’s 22nd Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.  Lee, who presided over Singapore’s economic transformation was remembered as a ‘true giant of history’, although critics say he muzzled the media and restricted civil liberties.  Malcolm Fraser drew bipartisan tributes for a political career, which saw him once loathed by Labor for orchestrating the Whitlam dismissal, but later embraced by the Left as a champion of human rights.

The founding of  the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in China, as an alternative to the US-EU dominated World Bank and IMF, illustrates the growing power and influence of Asia, and China in particular.  Should we be concerned? One of Asia’s leading public intellectuals, Kishore Mahbubani, argues this will be a new golden era of peace and prosperity for the region. Also in this edition of Between the Lines, another instalment in the program’s occasional series: With the Benefit of Hindsight.   This time, Tom Switzer reflects on the decision to invade Iraq in 2003.