The Sydney Globalist

The supply, scarcity and security of energy continue to wield vast influence over the global geopolitical landscape. Lucrative energy contracts underlie the foreign policy decisions of governments. The shift to alternate energy sources and the merits of nuclear power, in light of Fukushima, remain central to domestic and international policy dialogue. The remnants of antiquated [...]

It is possible to summarise William D. Nordhaus’ recent article in The New York Review of Books with a few words: energy is a kind and dear friend; it is an insidious, invidious bastard. It is the friend which lights our streets, warms our homes, crackles our food. It is the bastard which flaunts itself, [...]

Christopher McDonogh argues for a swift transition to renewable energy. Throughout history there have been unipolar periods where superpowers have dominated world affairs. First there was the Pax Romana, the European peace under the Roman Empire. Then came the Pax Britannia, when Britain ruled the largest empire in history. Today we live in the relative [...]

Danielle Chiaverini returns to Copenhagen in order to understand why the future looks bleak for environmental foreign politics. Climate change is one of the pivotal themes of modern international politics. Its innately global nature, however, does not exclude the prevalence of states in the negotiating room. Instead, nationalism is deeply embedded within the arduous and [...]

Mark T. Jones explores a less than idyllic situation. For many, the very words “Trinidad and Tobago” conjure up images of azure skies, crystal-clear waters, sun-kissed beaches and the sounds of the Caribbean’s most exuberant carnival. Sadly, the islands are currently not quite so idyllic. Trinidad and Tobago is experiencing a difficult time – so [...]

Jenny Tang explains how it’s more complicated than just a Clash of Civilisations. With so much of the global political discourse during this post 9/11 decade invoking the challenges of cultural and religious difference between America and Islam, one could be forgiven for thinking that we are experiencing a ‘Clash of Civilisations’, as Samuel Huntington [...]

Jérôme Boutelet examines China’s growing military might and regional ambitions. Chairman Mao Zedong famously said that ‘political power grows out of the barrel of a gun’. Recent events have shown that China is more than willing to apply this dictum on the international stage. Abandoning ideas of a peaceful rise, it is beginning to flex [...]