Category: Global Challenges

China’s Latest Attempt to Clear the Air


The picture of Presidents Xi and Obama, beaming as they shake hands after jointly announcing their ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement on the eve of the G20 summit, is even more striking when one considers just how far apart the two countries were on the issue of climate change as recently as 2012.

The Obama Administration deserves credit for its second-term diplomatic engagement with China on climate and energy issues, but by far the biggest contributors to China’s changed international stance on these issues are internal to China itself.

Making vs. Keeping G20 Globalization Gains


The G20 summit of world leaders just finished two days of meetings, during which they focused primarily on the many ongoing fires threatening the global economy. These include the alleged “dumping” of Chinese steel on other nations, worsening climate change, cybersecurity and the fear of competitive devaluations.

Did the EEC Push Russian-Japanese Territorial Issues Forward?


For two days at the start of September, the centre of East Asian politics moved to Russia’s main city on the Pacific coast. Vladivostok hosted the Eastern Economic Forum, an annual event designed to pitch the Russian Far East to domestic and international investors.

Globalization Meets Protectionism


Globalisation has contributed to the growth of China for decades but the rise of protectionism in Western economies could curb Chinese trade and investment.

‘No First Use’ Fallout


Hugh White’s views on the dangers of the United States moving to a ‘No First Use’ nuclear posture are inherently unpersuasive. The virtues of a ‘No First Use’ policy have been crisply spelled out by Ramesh Thakur, for instance, in recent pieces in The Strategist and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Can China Mitigate Rising Global Protectionism?


As China assumes G20 leadership, the prospect of global “protectionism” is on the rise and the stakes could not be higher for cooperation and major structural reforms. Without continued investment and trade, secular stagnation in advanced economies and growth deceleration in emerging economies will continue to broaden.

Another Shot at Global Governance Reform


At the end of the twentieth century, China was an observer of global governance, on the sidelines of the G7 and not yet a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Encouraged by Western countries to embrace global governance, China has become much more proactive in pushing global cooperation since the G20 was founded. As president of the G20 for 2016, China has an unprecedented opportunity to provide impetus to global development.

Inequality Creeps into the Land of the Fair Go


There is growing evidence that inequality is increasing not only in Australia but also internationally within the advanced industrial economies. The age of endless growth in prosperity for everyone is a distant memory of a more hopeful age.

Are Immigrants Hurting or Helping Economic Growth?


Immigrants have become a major scapegoat in recent years for sputtering Western economies.

The Complex Nature of a Nuclear Pledge


Barack Obama began his presidency with a dramatic gesture, which captured the world’s imagination and won him the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking in Prague in 2009, he declared that the United States would work towards abolishing nuclear weapons. Since then, for over seven years, nothing has happened. Now that might be about to change.