Echoes of the Cold War have underscored the mood at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland with US and Russian leaders divided over how to deal with the Syrian civil war. But lecturer Adam Lockyer says Syria will not be the only issue that will split the major powers at the summit.
]]>There was a clear strain on relations at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland this week, as Russia's Vladimir Putin and US president Barack Obama remained divided on intervention in Syria. As lecturer David Smith notes, the costs of foreign entanglements are high, both diplomatically and economically.
]]>Free trade agreements have long been accused of sending jobs overseas, but tarriffs and subsidies have just as long a history with outsourcing. Research associate Marc Palen why protectionism is again on the rise.
]]>Lecturer Adam Lockyer says that for the first time since the Cold War, Russia and the US are lining up on opposite sides of a civil war. How will the G8 summit affect the US policy towards Syria?
]]>Following Barack Obama's decision last month to provide Syrian rebel forces with military assistance, the G8 summit looks certain to become a forum for major leaders to discuss the developments in the Middle East. Lecturer Adam Lockyer looks at the summit and the likely outcomes in terms of US foreign policy.
]]>The American people don't want another war. Barack Obama has tried to stay out of the conflict. So why is the US arming rebels in Syria, in what lecturer Adam Lockyer calls "the most risky foreign policy decision Obama has to date made"?
]]>Lecturer Adam Lockyer discusses the election of new Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and the US decision to send military aid to Syria's rebels, saying that further US intervention is likely to lead to an escalation of violence.
]]>An announcement by the Obama administration that the US will supply rebel forces in Syria with arms could significantly shift the dynamic in a country beset by civil war. Jonathan Bradley, the online editor of American Review, the Centre's journal, asks lecturer in US politics and foreign policy Adam Lockyer what US involvement in the fight means for the Middle East.
]]>Centre CEO Bates Gill discusses big issues facing the Asia-Pacific region, including negotiations surround the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the first meeting between Xi Jinping and Barack Obama. What can we expect from a rising China and how is US trade policy shaping the region?
]]>Trade negotiations involving Australia, the United States and nine other countries aimed at establishing the Trans-Pacific Partnership are at an advanced stage, but Centre guest and international trade expert Sherman Katz says the late entry of Japan has caused delays.
]]>The US president Barack Obama has been stepping up negotiations on what his administration is calling the most significant trade agreement in two decades, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Centre guest and international trade expert Sherman Katz says the agreement still has significant hurdles to overcome.
]]>In May, the Texas legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill requiring state agencies to give preference to goods produced in America and especially Texas. Research associate Marc Palen explains why Governor Rick Perry was right to veto the bill.
]]>Sustainable fuel is becoming an increasingly important part of the aviation industry, from commercial travel to defence. But chair of the Australian Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Fuels Susan Pond says Australia still needs to address key gaps in the value chain to make biofuels competitive with fossil jet fuel.
]]>After revelations that the National Security Agency has been collecting the phone and internet records of US citizens, President Barack Obama said the US would have to make some choices between liberty and security. Research associate Nicole Hemmer thought America had already made that choice — when it elected Barack Obama.
]]>After ten years working in finance and industry Justin Burke felt that he needed a change. In this article, he explains how the Centre's master's program scratched his intellectual itch and opened up new opportunities in the process.
]]>Last week was the 65th anniversary of the American Australian Association, one of the partner organisations that founded the US Studies Centre and the Perth USAsia Centre. US ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich writes of the Association's continued contribution to both Australia and the United States.
]]>The leaking of a 41-page Powerpoint presentation on the US National Security Agency's ability to carry out widespread telecommunications surveillance on American citizens has civil liberties advocates up in arms. Lecturer David Smith says the developing scandal could have widespread global ramifications.
]]>With major issues such as cyber-security and tensions in the South China Sea hanging over the meeting, the Obama-Xi summit may not have achieved all its goals. But lecturer David Smith says it did go some way to opening a stronger dialogue between the two countries.
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