Book Review: The Uncaged Sky: My 804 Days in an Iranian Prison Reviewed by Arushi Ganguly — Reading room 29 June 2022Borne out of her gruelling experience of living in Iranian prisons for two years comes a compelling memoir where Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert reminds us of the human faces behind the hostage diplomacy frequently practiced by the Iranian state. Read More
Book Review: Dancing Before Storms: Five Revolutions that Changed the World Reviewed by John West — Reading room 22 June 2022Five political revolutions, from the American revolution to the Russian revolution, offer lessons on how to manage the forces of political, economic and social change, according to Robert T. Harris. But, he argues, the human propensity for denial means that we are likely heading toward new revolutions. Read More
Book Review: On the Idea of Humanitarian Intervention: A New Compartmentalization of IR Theories Reviewed by Kirril Shields — Reading room 15 June 2022On the Idea of Humanitarian Intervention. A New Compartmentalization of IR Theories delves into the minefield of international relations theory with its various subsectors and branches, a task that requires scholarly fortitude and contains far-reaching opinions, with some sensible and other polemic. Read More
Book Review: Narratives of Statelessness and Political Otherness - Kurdish and Palestinian Experiences Reviewed by Dr Rachel Stevens — Reading room 08 June 2022Narratives of Statelessness and Political Otherness examines what it means in everyday life for those who are stateless and marginalised from the political centres of power. Read More
Book Review: Understanding Presidential Doctrines U.S. National Security from George Washington to Joe Biden Reviewed by Tyler Venske — Reading room 01 June 2022Understanding Presidential Doctrines demonstrates a comprehensive, balanced, and central dual study of US presidential doctrines and foreign policy. The book traces themes and ideologies that shape US foreign policy through the lens of presidential doctrines. Read More
Book Review: The Ethics of Exile: A Political Theory of Diaspora Reviewed by Dennyza Gabiella — Reading room 23 May 2022The Ethics of Exile: A Political Theory of Diaspora tells a different story of migration. Ashwini Vasanthakumar reveals the stories of ordinary exiles, showcasing their political agency and moral complexity, that are rarely told in histories written by the powerful. Read More
Book Review: Aid Imperium: United States Foreign Policy and Human Rights in Post-Cold War Southeast Asia Reviewed by Marc Martorell Junyent — Reading room 11 May 2022Salvador Regilme seeks to understand how US foreign aid has impacted human rights in Southeast Asia during the post-Cold War period. In using “Imperium” to describe Washington’s relations with Southeast Asia, Regilme acknowledges the region’s agency to shape its interaction with the United States, while pointing to the inequality within this interaction. Read More
Book Review: Diplomatic, A Washington Memoir Reviewed by Bruce Wolpe — Reading room 09 May 2022Joe Hockey served as Australia’s ambassador to the United States in the last year of President Barack Obama’s term and throughout Donald Trump’s presidency. Diplomatic is his memoir of those tumultuous, extraordinary times. Read More
Book Review: No Enemies, No Friends: Restoring Australia’s Global Relevance Reviewed by Melissa Conley Tyler FAIIA — Reading room 05 May 2022Australia now appears to live in a new and less predictable world. If, as most agree, this is true, a book like No Enemies, No Friends: Restoring Australia’s Global Relevance helps us look beyond the status quo. Read More
Book Reviews: We Need to Talk About Putin: Why the West Gets Him Wrong & A Short History of Russia: From the Pagans to Putin Reviewed by John West — Reading room 26 April 2022History seems to be accelerating with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, following in the footsteps of COVID-19 and the rise of China. To gain a quick understanding of the background to the Ukraine war, two recent books by Mark Galeotti on Russian history and Vladimir Putin are excellent primers. Read More