Published at Griffith Asia Insights The late US Secretary of State George Shultz noted that “diplomatic visits are an important expression of presidential priorities.” Despite President Biden’s last-minute cancellation to Papua New Guinea (PNG), the significance of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s brief visit should not be overlooked, let alone the signing of the US-PNG Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) – an agreement that reflects not only a changing strategic atmosphere but PNG’s emergence, scale and its challenges and internal politics. Indeed, while working with Port Moresby’s National Capital District Commission in 2010, I recall the fanfare of then-US Secretary of […]

Sharing some thoughts in the Spectator on the legacy of Robert Menzies – the founder of the Liberal Party – in 2023.

Published in the Griffith Asia Review’s Pacific Outlook section With the hefty price tag of hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the fear of creating ‘white elephant’ venues that long sit dormant after use, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has adopted a ‘new norm’ approach for the Brisbane 2032 Games. This plan, the IOC notes, “will provide cities with increased flexibility in designing the Games to meet long-term development goals” and “invites opportunities to reduce venue sizes, rethink transport options, optimise existing infrastructure and reuse the field of play for various sports.” While the Games will continue to carry a significant […]

My first piece for Griffith Asia Insights on the importance of remittances to Pacific economies and, at the same time, not forgetting about economic reform.

Observations on the American republic, following a recent trip.

At the start of the year, in preparing for a part-time MBA, I absorbed as many leadership, strategy and management books as palatable – not bad for one’s general reading but certainly enabling a head start. This included revisiting Peter Thiel’s Zero to One but also exploring the less well-known Parag Khanna’s The Future is Asian, and William Thorndike’s even less known but excellent The Outsiders – a book on unorthodox CEOs that good friend Jordan Shopov kindly gifted me. Indeed, The Outsiders was fascinating. In an era when we singularly lionise CEOs like Warren Buffett and other charismatic celebrity-types, […]

A short recap in The Spectator on 2022 and my thoughts for Australia-Pacific relations in 2023.

Here are my three pointers on how to apply Australian statecraft in the South Pacific.

Latest thoughts on the monarchy v republic debate.

Prince Philip, it was said, had one duty above all others – to never let the Queen down. Her majesty, who has sadly passed away aged 96, aspired to never let people down. It’s not well known, for example, that on the same morning of Michael Fagan’s 1982 Palace break in – where Fagan threatened to slit his wrists with an ashtray at the foot of the Queen’s bed – she insisted the 11am investiture ceremony – literally only hours later – still proceed. No one would be left disappointed on their big day. Indeed, it is a small but […]