Reading room

It is sometimes difficult to know what books to read on international issues; thankfully the AIIA has Reading Room: the online book review section of the Australian Journal of International Affairs. Literature reviewed includes international relations, security or history, among other topics.
To suggest a title for review or to offer to review, contact australianoutlook@internationalaffairs.org.au.

28 Jul 2025
AUKUS is a classic case of the “tail wagging the dog.” On the back of lies, a constructed inevitability of
23 Jul 2025
Lucie Kadlecová's Cyber Sovereignty offers an ambitious and timely intervention into one of the most pressing questions in contemporary international relations: how
16 Jul 2025
Hugh White’s latest essay warns that Australia must urgently prepare for a post-American regional order shaped by great power rivalry
04 Jul 2025
The last decade has seen a substantial rise in scholarly writings on the value of diplomacy. American political scientist David
19 Jun 2025
Russia’s ambitions to become a Pacific great power have been marked by repeated failures, shaped by deep structural and historical
12 Jun 2025
Fareed Zakaria explores how periods of rapid economic and technological change often unleash cultural anxiety and political backlash. In Age
05 Jun 2025
By focusing on Stalin’s decision-making processes and the geopolitical manoeuvrings that defined Soviet-Finnish relations, Kimmo Rentola provides valuable insight into
30 May 2025
Sten Rynning traces the political history of NATO from its inception in 1949, through to the ongoing Ukraine War and
14 May 2025
Do preferential trade agreements truly help African economies, or do they keep them trapped in a cycle of dependency? In
06 May 2025
A broad and timely introduction to the challenges of technology governance, Marcus Smith’s Techno: Humans and Technology invites readers into
17 Apr 2025
Thomas Hale’s book Long Problems skilfully unpacks the issue of time that prevents humans to adequately formulate and implement responses.
02 Apr 2025
Amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty and tumult, Paul Tucker draws on International Relations theory, political economy, tangible examples, and his own