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Articles by Derek McDougall
Malcolm Fraser and the Commonwealth of Nations
ABSTRACT Malcolm Fraser’s view of the Commonwealth of Nations and involvement in its affairs exemplifies his approach to international relations, combining idealism and pragmatism. His liberalism was strongly anti-racist. Evident before he became prime minister, this approach developed further at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings in 1977, 1979 and 1981, and in the short-lived Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meetings.
Book Review: Asian Crucible- Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future.
‘Crucible’ according to the Oxford English Dictionary refers figuratively to any severe test or trial. This surely is what contemporary Asia is undergoing. In a masterly analysis Nick Bisley demonstrates the essence of what this situation entails: how it came about, how it has developed in more recent times, what might emerge in the future, and what might be done in favour of more benign outcomes.
The anti-Zionism of Sir Isaac Isaacs
Sir Isaac Isaacs warned in the 1940s that Zionism risked deep and lasting conflict. Decades on, those arguments about justice and prudence remain sharply relevant. In the mid-1940s there was a significant debate in Australia about Zionism, with Sir Isaac Isaacs (Governor-General, 1931-1936, and a Jew) taking a strongly anti-Zionist position. Are the arguments of Isaacs still relevant today?
Search for security: AUKUS and the new militarism
Advanced search The Round Table The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies Latest Articles Submit an article Journal homepage Full Article Figures & data Citations Metrics Reprints & Permissions Read this article /doi/full/10.1080/00358533.2026.2641043?needAccess=true Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Log in via your institution Access through your institution Log in to Taylor & Francis Online Log in Shibboleth Log in to Taylor & Francis Online...
Revisiting the Anti‐Zionism of Sir Isaac Isaacs, Australia's First Native‐Born Governor‐General-and a Jew
Sir Isaac Isaacs, Australia's first native-born Governor-General (1931–1936) was a leading figure in the controversy on Zionism within the Jewish community in Australia in 1941–1946. Isaacs argued against Extreme or Political Zionism on grounds of prudence and justice. Zionism undermined the British war effort, also leading to conflict within Palestine and beyond.
So you want to own Greenland? Lessons from the Vikings to Trump
Advanced search The Round Table The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies Latest Articles Submit an article Journal homepage Full Article Figures & data Citations Metrics Reprints & Permissions Read this article /doi/full/10.1080/00358533.2025.2561725?needAccess=true Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Log in via your institution Access through your institution Log in to Taylor & Francis Online Log in Shibboleth Log in to Taylor & Francis Online...
Turbulence: Australian foreign policy in the Trump Era
Advanced search The Round Table The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies Latest Articles Submit an article Journal homepage Full Article Figures & data Citations Metrics Reprints & Permissions Read this article /doi/full/10.1080/00358533.2025.2584256?needAccess=true Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Log in via your institution Access through your institution Log in to Taylor & Francis Online Log in Shibboleth Log in to Taylor & Francis Online...
The Australian federal election of 3 May 2025: domestic issues amidst international turmoil
ABSTRACT The 2025 Australian election resulted in a major win for the Labor Party. While the focus was on domestic issues, there was a backdrop of international turmoil resulting from the impact of President Donald Trump. Labor campaigned more effectively, winning strongly in two party preferred terms under the preferential voting system, although the primary vote for the major parties was weak.
Book Review: Great Game On: The Contest for Central Asia and Global Supremacy - Australian Institute of International Affairs
Geoff Raby’s new book examines the evolving power dynamics in Core Eurasia, focusing on the competition between China and Russia, particularly in Central Asia. Raby highlights historical tensions, strategic implications, and the shifting global order, offering insights into China’s rising dominance and the potential for a strategic shift in US-Russia relations.
The Samoa CHOGM: What Does It Mean? - Australian Institute of International Affairs
There is a disjunction between the Samoa CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) as reported in the media in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), and CHOGM as actually experienced. How should we better understanding the meetings? In the Australian media the focus was on CHOGM as an arena for tensions between Australia and the Pacific island countries (PICs) over climate action, also raising the spectre of increasing Chinese engagement with these countries.
Book Review: Plans for Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness - Australian Institute of International Affairs
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent book gives readers insight into his Christian evangelical thinking. However, outside of AUKUS and standing up to “China’s bullying,” it has limited value for those who are primarily interested in foreign policy. Plans for Your Good is an unusual book for a former Australian prime minister to write. With a few exceptions, most Australian prime ministers have followed some version of the Christian faith.
Australia’s International Agency: “Deputy Sheriff” or “punching above its weight”? - Australian Institute of International Affairs
A more independent foreign policy would help to reconcile Australia’s political and economic configurations with emerging international changes. How such a policy and identity shift may come about is yet to be determined, but it is clear that America’s decline and China’s regional impact are likely to influence what comes next. A constant theme in discussions of Australian foreign policy is the question of how much influence Australia has in the international environment.
AUKUS: A Commonwealth perspective
By Derek McDougall Prospects for AUKUS While clearly AUKUS is a new development, we can ask whether this partnership is likely to endure. There are at least two aspects to consider: the submarine programme and the strategic impact. With reference to the submarine programme, the most relevant factor to consider is the political situation in each of the three AUKUS countries. With a production schedule extending to the 2050s, there are many potential obstacles.
AUKUS: A Commonwealth Perspective
(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) By Derek McDougall Prospects for AUKUS While clearly AUKUS is a new development, we can ask whether this partnership is likely to endure. There are at least two aspects to consider: the submarine programme and the strategic impact. With reference to the submarine programme, the most relevant factor to consider is the political situation in each of the three AUKUS countries. With a production schedule extending to the 2050s, there are many potential obstacles.
Book Review: Trump’s Australia: How Trumpism Changed Australia and the Shocking Consequences For Us of a Second Term - Australian Institute of International Affairs
Donald Trump is an endlessly fascinating political figure for Australians, not just because of the experience of his 2017-2021 presidency, but because of his ongoing role in US politics and the very real possibility that he will return as president in 2025. Bruce Wolpe addresses this situation in a very engaging book that provides important insights into both Trump I and the possibility of Trump II from an Australian perspective. Wolpe is very well placed to undertake this task.
Book Review: The Echidna Strategy: Australia’s Search for Power and Peace - Australian Institute of International Affairs
Sam Roggeveen takes issue with assumptions concerning the staying power of the United States in East Asia, while also arguing against the view that China is a threat to Australia. He is an advocate for “defensive defence,” urging a return to the “defence of Australia” doctrine rather than proceeding with the AUKUS arrangements. As far as the US is concerned, Roggeveen’s position is that the US is protected by its geographical distance from Asia (and from Europe for that matter).
Whitlam’s legacy in Australia–Vietnam relations 50 years on | East Asia Forum
Author: Derek McDougall, University of Melbourne After winning office in December 1972, former Australian Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in February 1973. While Whitlam is often credited with ending Australian involvement in the Vietnam War, this assessment of history is a misunderstanding.
Whitlam’s legacy in Australia-Vietnam relations 50 years on
Author: Derek McDougall, University of Melbourne After winning office in December 1972, former Australian Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in February 1973. While Whitlam is often credited with ending Australian involvement in the Vietnam War, this assessment of history is a misunderstanding.
Toward a More Ethical Australian Foreign Policy - Australian Institute of International Affairs
The major emphases in the foreign policy of the new federal Labor government are already clear. The ethical assumption is that such policies will protect or improve the position of the Australian community broadly conceived. Most Australian governments focus on the protection of economic and security interests. Labor is no exception. Its rationale is “national interest,” but on the assumption that Labor is better at achieving the preferred goals than was its Coalition precursor.
Where Are You Albo? Australia and CHOGM 2022 - Australian Institute of International Affairs
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Rwanda from June 20. Anthony Albanese’s decision not to attend has raised some eyebrows. The new Labor government has been energetic on some international issues. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has visited Tokyo for the Quad meeting, as well as Jakarta. Foreign minister Penny Wong accompanied Albanese in both cases and has also visited the South Pacific twice.
Book Review: Good International Citizenship: The Case for Decency - Australian Institute of International Affairs
“Good international citizenship” (GIC) was a major theme in Gareth Evans’s role as Australia’s foreign minister and has also featured in his post-parliamentary career. It is helpful to have his perspective on this matter elaborated in this short, very readable book. Gareth Evans has done it again, this time with an excellent contribution to Monash University Publishing’s “In the National Interest” series.
An Authoritarian Turn in the United States: Implications for Australia? - AIIA
Australia will inevitably be affected by the future political direction of the US. The Australian government must exercise caution and focus on pursuing more independent international policies. “A republic, if you can keep it.” (Benjamin Franklin, 1787) While a week is undoubtedly a long time in politics, speculation is rife about a resurgence of Trumpism in the United States (US).
The frontlines of peace: an insider’s guide to changing the world
"The frontlines of peace: an insider’s guide to changing the world." Peacebuilding, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2 Additional information Notes on contributors Derek McDougall Derek McDougall is a Professorial Fellow (Professor) in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, as well as being a Research Affiliate of the Initiative for Peacebuilding in that university.
Can Advocacy Change the Views of Politicians About Aid? - Australian Institute of International Affairs
The Australian Aid and Parliament Project (AA&PP), led by Save the Children, takes a “Presence-Based Approach” — which has both promise and limits — to influencing Australian Aid by seeking to build connections between aid beneficiaries and Australian parliamentarians. The last decade has seen major changes in commitments to foreign aid from countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Australia’s Growing Asian Minority: The Impact on Foreign Policy - AIIA
Certain commentators have argued that immigration intakes will eventually start to shape the foreign policy of a recipient country. But in the case of Australia and its growing Asian minority, adaptation has been slow to occur, with some decisions actually being contrary to what one would expect from more Asia-sensitive governments.
Without America? A Response - AIIA
When it comes to the US and China, Australia should take care not to subscribe to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hugh White’s latest Quarterly Essay on Australia’s position in the ‘new Asia’ raises at least three critical points: How much is China’s power and influence growing? Is the United States declining to the extent White suggests? Is Australia likely to be dominated by China in the future? White overstates his case.
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