Reading Room

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
31 Mar 2025
As a fragile peace deal risks splintering in Tigray, a catastrophic humanitarian crisis could get even worse. As Chair of
28 Mar 2025
Based on in-depth analysis of opinion polls available for the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the book
17 Mar 2025
Evan Mawdsley’s Supremacy at Sea is an engaging and fast moving account of the opening moves of the U.S. Navy's
14 Mar 2025
Examining the Chinese Communist Party’s century-long trajectory, this volume analyses its resilience, ideological governance, and modernisation strategies. While offering rich
13 Mar 2025
Hansbury’s book examines Belarus’s 2020 uprising, Lukashenka’s survival strategies, and the West’s response. While insightful and engaging, it overlooks key
25 Feb 2025
Ahead of the 2025 Filipino general election, political tensions surrounding President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. have captured global attention. In
18 Feb 2025
Hawai‘i’s Chinese community has played a pivotal yet often overlooked role in the islands’ history, shaping its social and economic
13 Feb 2025
Climate change is an existential threat for Pacific nations and Australia, according to the authors of Climate politics in Oceania:
31 Jan 2025
The recently published memoirs of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel are fuelling the present-day criticism of her legacy. And it
27 Jan 2025
Kushner’s The Geography of Injustice unravels the contested war crimes trials and lingering memory of Japanese wartime atrocities, offering critical
23 Jan 2025
Capturing News, Capturing Democracy highlights how government capture of media, exemplified by the Voice of America under the Trump administration,
14 Jan 2025
Australia is debating how best to harness artificial intelligence (AI) for economic growth, especially to boost its long-sluggish productivity. In
20 Dec 2024
The world is entering a new Cold War between the United States and China, requiring a comprehensive, aggressive strategy to
10 Dec 2024
Slick by Royce Kurmelovs is a compelling exploration of how the fossil fuel industry has managed to maintain its dominance
06 Dec 2024
In Canada First, Not Canada Alone, Chapnick and McKercher make a renewed case for understanding Canada’s place in world politics
26 Nov 2024
Geoff Raby's new book examines the evolving power dynamics in Core Eurasia, focusing on the competition between China and Russia,
25 Nov 2024
“Repeat: A Warning From History” is Dennis Glover's new book that looks to the future as much as the past.
19 Nov 2024
Harrison's groundbreaking study reveals how military conscription has been weaponised as a tool of genocide, with devastating case studies from
14 Nov 2024
Kevin Rudd’s new book, “On Xi Jinping,” offers insightful analysis of the transformation of Chinese politics, economics, and foreign policy
06 Nov 2024
In “South Sudan's Fateful Struggle,” Steven Roach presents the history and fundamental causes driving conflict in the world's youngest country.
31 Oct 2024
“The Dragon Roars Back” is a deep-dive into the leadership and foreign policy of the People's Republic of China. With
28 Oct 2024
Allan Behm's undertaking of the odd couple relationship that characterises the Australia-American relationship is refreshing and bold. Australia's foreign policy
23 Oct 2024
In ”Smoke and Ashes,” Amitav Ghosh takes the reader through a broad, yet deeply personal exploration of opium's history, its
14 Oct 2024
The US has stumbled into at least two “New Cold Wars,” according to David Sanger. And as he writes, this
09 Oct 2024
I Will Show You How It Was is a personal Ukrainian perspective on the realities of the Russian invasion of
01 Oct 2024
Gary Bass's new book takes the reader through a detailed account of the “Tokyo Trials”; court sessions held by the
26 Sep 2024
Named after a particularly eventful year in German history, 1923 is a book that examines the economic and political context
16 Sep 2024
Indonesia’s farming sector is shrinking, with modern challenges like urban migration, reliance on imports, and declining land availability threatening food
11 Sep 2024
America in the World is a collection of key US diplomatic documents from the Spanish-American War to the Biden administration.
29 Aug 2024
It’s an achievement for Adrian Karatnycky to analyse over three decades of Ukrainian independence and six presidents in 306 pages.
08 Aug 2024
Base Towns investigates the emergence of anti-US military movements across East Asia. The author's study highlights significant local differences, offering
02 Aug 2024
Helen Fry's book sheds light on the untold stories of women who defied barriers to excel in intelligence roles during
25 Jul 2024
The book deals with “The China-Australia Migration Corridor,” the largest and longest established of China-Australia flows. It provides valuable information
16 Jul 2024
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent book gives readers insight into his Christian evangelical thinking. However, outside of AUKUS and
12 Jul 2024
The Obama administration’s Pivot to Asia was the right idea at the right time, according to a new book by
04 Jul 2024
The Iraqi Ba’ath regime’s murderous attacks on Kurdish populations in the 1970s and 1980s had ongoing impacts on Kurds in
18 Jun 2024
As it is with all legends, the more distant the memory, the greater the reverence and the sketchier the details.
05 Jun 2024
Nabila Ramdani's Fixing France explores the paradox of a nation that claims to be egalitarian yet is profoundly divided along
30 May 2024
Russian imperialist governments and public agencies have for centuries promoted false narratives about Ukraine both to the domestic audience of
28 May 2024
Eastern Europe's transformation since the fall of the Berlin Wall still highlights deep East-West divides. Till Hilmar's book explores how
24 May 2024
It is not surprising that China's Xi Jinping should visit France, Europe’s second largest economy and one of the dominant
23 May 2024
Freudenberg published “At What Cost” in 2021, documenting the exponential rise of corporate control of the health economy, and cataloguing
23 May 2024
In the past decade, China has emerged as Australia’s biggest competitor for influence in both Papua New Guinea (PNG) and
22 May 2024
On the fortieth anniversary of the ANZUS alliance, Coral Bell reflected on its significance for Australia in 1991 and the
26 Apr 2024
In this volume, Miaad A. Hassan takes issue with “defined” political and social systems, and outlines how majorities and minorities
26 Apr 2024
The subtitle of Chodor and Hameiri’s book is “Learning the Lessons from Australia’s COVID-19 Response.” There is one lesson in
19 Apr 2024
Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's latest book, Why Bharat Matters, offers a deep look at the civilisational turn in India's
19 Apr 2024
America’s foreign policy has always been a battleground between isolationist and internationalist forces, according to Charles Kupchan. The tussle continues
12 Apr 2024
In the shadow of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East it is challenging to imagine a farewell to
08 Apr 2024
How should the West view China’s rise on the global stage? Kerry Brown’s China Incorporated challenges common misconceptions of China’s
04 Apr 2024
Nicholas J. Cull highlights the importance of proactively preserving a nation’s public image. Debunking negative propaganda in retrospect might not
27 Mar 2024
O'Keefe’s book on Australian foreign policymaking provides an extensive overview, especially of Australia’s major diplomatic relationships. This work goes far
27 Mar 2024
In this thought-provoking book Yasheng Huang seeks to explain the unique stability of the Chinese political system over 1500 years
21 Mar 2024
Under Xi Jinping, China has returned to ideology-based policies and abandoned collective leadership, according to Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung.
12 Mar 2024
An interesting insight into insurgencies is that they rarely succeed. David H. Ucko’s Insurgent’s Dilemma: A Struggle to Prevail shows
01 Mar 2024
This week in Australian foreign affairs: Philippine's President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr first official visit to Australia; statement on death
13 Feb 2024
In his third edition of “India after Gandhi,” historian Ramachandra Guha argues that India is now in the middle of
07 Feb 2024
In her book, Séverine Autesserre investigates the persistence of an “unlikely peace” in certain conflict-ridden areas like Idjwi in Congo
01 Feb 2024
Australia is seemingly focused on the red centre and the wealth generated by its vast farms and mines. Ian Hoskins’
30 Jan 2024
As a middle power in an increasingly volatile and contested region, Geoff Heriot argues that Australian Governments need to be
24 Jan 2024
For a long time, India’s academic and foreign policy circles have suffered from a “blind spot” on Myanmar, despite the
22 Jan 2024
Anthony Cooper, together with Thorsten Perl, provides a well-researched account of a British air raid on Berlin, in December 1943.
18 Jan 2024
Charles Dunst, current foreign policy advisor to Colorado Democratic Senator Michael F. Bennet, offers a perspective on how democracies can
14 Dec 2023
Professors John Mearsheimer and Sebastian Rosato contest the view that states frequently act irrationally. In response, they propose their own
01 Dec 2023
In just two years, Javier Milei, a political outsider and best known for his YouTube and TikTok virals, managed to
01 Dec 2023
Krishnan Nayar’s big history exemplifies our general willingness to take positions on national histories and political arrangements without bothering to
28 Nov 2023
The current approach of the Arab League to Israel-Palestine issues serves more as a diplomatic veneer rather than a catalyst
23 Nov 2023
In absence of a plan B for the 2024 presidential elections, support for Maria Corina Machado in the primary elections
22 Nov 2023
Donald Trump is an endlessly fascinating political figure for Australians, not just because of the experience of his 2017-2021 presidency,
16 Nov 2023
The American government is taking advantage of its central position in many global networks to pursue its security interests through
08 Nov 2023
Western societies have shown a great deal of solidarity with Ukraine. 20 months after the invasion, however, there are some
02 Nov 2023
Sam Roggeveen takes issue with assumptions concerning the staying power of the United States in East Asia, while also arguing
01 Nov 2023
Türkiye has firmly opposed any harm to civilians and innocents in Gaza and Israel. Despite keeping with his unwavering support
01 Nov 2023
It is no secret that the UN needs reform. Nearly eight decades on, and with great power competition having returned,
23 Oct 2023
The Member of Parliament from Parramatta, home to the largest number of Indian diaspora residents, Andrew Charlton provides an engaging
20 Oct 2023
Victor D. Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo’s Korea, a New History of South & North is a highly engaging essay
13 Oct 2023
Semiconductors moved to the heart of geopolitics during the postwar period, from the Cold War to the 1990/91 Gulf War. 
04 Oct 2023
Isaac Saney offers an authoritative account of Cuba’s role in liberating Namibia and South Africa that is centred on the
28 Sep 2023
The authors of this timely edition provide the reader with new and engaging perspectives on the Kim Jung-un regime. Neither
19 Sep 2023
Ajay Gudavarthy unpacks the success of the political right in India. In addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime
15 Sep 2023
Europe made great progress towards a “whole and free” continent during the 35 years until 2007/08, when a cascade of
24 Aug 2023
Given the continued relevance of neoliberal economic policy in India, it becomes imperative to investigate the domestic roots of such
18 Aug 2023
Martin Wolf’s new book dissects in great depth the threat of a “crisis of democratic capitalism.” He leaves this reader
16 Aug 2023
The contested history of the partition of India, and ultimately Pakistan's formation, is divulged in this book. Issues arise from
08 Aug 2023
This book traces US diplomacy, relations, and activity in Southeast Asia through recent history, highlighting both the strengths and flaws
31 Jul 2023
The challenge of creating and breaking coded messages has been a crucial part of intelligence work for centuries. From cracking
28 Jul 2023
Professor Raina MacIntyre proposes that we are entirely too complacent about the risks of pandemics. According to the author, pandemics
25 Jul 2023
Violence and crime contribute to one of Latin America’s most pressing social problems. This book provides an overview of this
07 Jul 2023
Despite increasing awareness of the need for reform, police abuse and violence remain a major problem in the United States.
06 Jul 2023
Following the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, it was recognised that international controls were essential
28 Jun 2023
Elizabeth Buchanan notes that publishing a book just as the central character invades a neighbouring country presents an array of
10 May 2023
Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated drastically since the optimistic days of the 1980s and 90s. This is
27 Apr 2023
Did the Forever Wars borne out of the War on Terror produce the administration of Donald Trump? According to the
18 Apr 2023
In this telling of Australia's long-term assistance mission to the Solomon Islands, author Michael Wesley dives deep into Australia's foreign
18 Apr 2023
In the discussion of British antislavery activity, Raphaël Cheriau posits that English international diplomacy may have shaped a new theory
05 Apr 2023
Dr Bob Bowker is a former Australian diplomat, intelligence analyst, and academic who has followed affairs in the Middle East
17 Mar 2023
In his new book, Pacific Power Paradox, Van Jackson seeks to correct our vision of the past through his argument
08 Mar 2023
In Enemies Near and Far, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Thomas Joscelyn provide a theoretical framework for how terrorist groups innovate their
21 Feb 2023
This volume offers a compelling analysis of how neoliberalism has impacted conservative, nationalistic movements and the gendered and racialised violence
15 Feb 2023
In their book, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China, Hal Brands and Michael Beckley argue that China is passing
14 Feb 2023
This important book returns the rich and contextually valuable perspectives of different peoples to the policy forefront. The broad divisiveness
03 Feb 2023
The latest book by Richard Hanania examines American historic and contemporary foreign policy decisions through the lens of public choice
24 Jan 2023
It has recently become fashionable in Washington and other defence and foreign policy establishments to view China as eternally devious.
24 Jan 2023
Julia Margaret Zulver’s High-Risk Feminism in Colombia comes at just the right moment. Over the last decade, Latin America’s bottom-up
19 Jan 2023
The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) safeguards system defends human civilisation. Trevor Findlay’s book casts new light on one of
19 Jan 2023
Michael Mandelbaum’s latest book takes readers through America’s rise from weak, settler-nation to hyper-power hegemon over the past 250 years.
09 Jan 2023
The United States is going through a profound transition to which there are only difficult and costly choices. In this
14 Dec 2022
Under the leadership of Abe Shinzo, Japan devised a grand strategy for managing China’s rising economic and military power. In
13 Dec 2022
Julia Gillard’s sexism and misogyny speech is now regarded as a defining moment in Australian political history. This book documents
25 Nov 2022
James Cotton’s selection of key documents from Australia’s diplomatic history in the 1930s extensively details Australia’s historical commitment to principled
26 Apr 2022
History seems to be accelerating with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, following in the footsteps of COVID-19 and the rise of
19 Apr 2022
Australian Institute of International Affairs National President Allan Gyngell starts his history of Australian foreign policy with the observation that
12 Apr 2022
Geopolitical competition between the US and China can provoke dangerous status conflicts for which Europe seems ill-prepared. This edited collection
04 Apr 2022
Tharoor provides a scathing criticism of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Tharoor is a member of the opposition,
28 Mar 2022
In The Invisibility Bargain: Governance, Networks and Human Security, Jeffrey Pugh focuses on Ecuador's immigration policies from 2000 to 2017.
28 Mar 2022
The world is still in a state of shock as it seeks to analyse and understand Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
22 Mar 2022
“Good international citizenship” (GIC) was a major theme in Gareth Evans’s role as Australia’s foreign minister and has also featured
31 Jan 2022
The global ruptures brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have created a profound moment of political transformation, teeming with possibilities for
17 Jan 2022
Public Intellectual seeks to reveal how Richard Falk became prominent in America and internationally as a public intellectual and citizen
11 Jan 2022
Abe Shinzō was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. But his legacy will be mixed at best, according to a recent volume
13 Dec 2021
In the age of neoliberal globalisation, regional integration is conceptualised predominantly in economic terms. Power Relations and Comparative Regionalism argues
06 Dec 2021
The origins of COVID-19 are rather murky, as Jasper Becker argues in “Made in China.” We need an independent inquiry
29 Nov 2021
Through this collection of interviews, Chomsky highlights many issues facing contemporary society. The book discusses the pandemic and the rise
22 Nov 2021
Adolescents in Humanitarian Crisis offers an insight into issues facing adolescents in crisis situations. It spans multiple regions and issues,
01 Nov 2021
Christopher Bickerton and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti describe, define, and diagnose what they consider to be a new logic of democratic
25 Oct 2021
Feargal Cochrane’s new book, Northern Ireland: The Fragile Peace, offers an insightful account of the long struggle to achieve peace
18 Oct 2021
China seems to be on a path towards global leadership. However, according to Luke Patey, with middle powers and developing
11 Oct 2021
Recognition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, acknowledges the mental distress suffered by veterans of war. Tine Molendjik argues that
01 Jun 2021
The Tiananmen Square Massacre offered a violent glimpse into the nature of Chinese politics under a communist government. In his
28 Apr 2021
Joko Widodo’s victory in the presidential race in 2014 challenged the previously elitist political establishment. His victory represented change, however
14 Apr 2021
One part of China's Belt and Road Initiative is a high-speed train project from Kunming, China through Southeast Asia to
29 Mar 2021
A missing or lost life impacts others, the effects of which can be far reaching and last lifetimes. Acknowledging this, the International Committee
15 Mar 2021
According to Bill Hayton, the modern Chinese state was constructed, or “invented,” at the end of the Qing Dynasty, based
08 Mar 2021
The 20th century saw unprecedented social changes which heightened women’s inclusion in public life. Jacqui True’s new book depicts the
22 Feb 2021
International relations are more than just government. With relations between Canberra and Beijing at a stalemate, the story of AFL
15 Feb 2021
The dominant narrative in Southeast Asia is that China is drawing all the region’s states into its sphere of influence.
18 Jan 2021
Increasingly politicians are realising climate change is quickly spiralling out of control, with limited time left to dispel the threat.
11 Jan 2021
The United States is a country that has lost its way in the emerging Asian Century. The new administration will
19 Aug 2020
Proximity matters, and so too do acute political and socioeconomic inequalities. These are the twin premises of this fascinating collection
25 May 2020
By most accounts, China has behaved badly through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Fascinating insights can be derived about China’s present behaviour
25 Mar 2020
The Australian Treasury’s initial purpose was to be a bookkeeper and budget manager for the new commonwealth government.  A couple
02 Mar 2020
Trump’s “America First” policies have paved the way for regional powers to assert their own local agendas.  Sreeram Chaulia examines
17 Feb 2020
A close examination of ports and other infrastructure projects in Indonesia and Australia brings to light a paradox of success
09 Jan 2020
Srinivasan, Mayall, and Pulipaka offer a thorough insight into how cultural values, supranational institutions, and ideology influence foreign policymaking. This
01 Jan 2020
David Cameron’s memoir appropriately highlights the successes of his Conservative government but is marred by his twisted justifications of the
30 Dec 2019
Hugh White’s new book, How to Defend Australia, recommends Australia double defence spending and consider nuclear weapons. Both are highly
17 Dec 2019
Tim Bowden takes a compassionate yet irreverent look at the experiences of Australian diggers in World War II. Even today,
31 Oct 2019
The National President of the AIIA, Allan Gyngell, launched  a new book, Meeting Saddam’s Men: Looking for Iraq’s Weapons of
17 Oct 2019
Partition Voices accounts for the survivors of mass atrocities that took place during India’s partition. Their voices are not just
10 Sep 2019
“The Solidarity Challenge” is the story of John Burgess, who was the former Australian Ambassador to Poland from 1980-81. His
03 Sep 2019
Brian Toohey's book, "Secret," offers an scathing assessment of Australia's decision making in defence and foreign policy. “We the Government
14 Jul 2019
Hugh White should be praised for getting Australians to think the unthinkable and alerting them to our deteriorating strategic situation,
04 May 2019
In Eric Drummond and his Legacies: The League of Nations and the Beginnings of Global Governance, David Macfadyen, Michael DV
28 Apr 2019
Benjamin Isakhan, Shamiran Mako and Fadi Dawood’s edited collection State and Society in Iraq: Citizenship Under Occupation, Dictatorship and Democratisation
24 Apr 2019
Alyssa Ayres’ Our Time Has Come: How India is Making its Place in the World is an ambitious, evidence-packed and
14 Apr 2019
Eileen Chanin’s Capital Designs: Australia House and Visions of an Imperial London is a meticulously researched and illustrated account of
08 Apr 2019
In Bapak Angkatan Udara: Suryadi Suryadarma, Adityawarman Suryadarma gives a biographical account of his father’s life and career as the
09 Mar 2019
Brendan Taylor’s The Four Flashpoints: How Asia Goes to War is a model of policy-engaged scholarship that should be required
27 Feb 2019
In Rise and Resist, Clare Press takes a look at the developments in 21st-century democracy. She explores the new counterculture
17 Nov 2018
The United States has lost its political and moral primacy and is now confronting an increasingly assertive China. As power
03 Oct 2018
The rise of populists, a growing number of authoritarian regimes and an apparent loss of confidence in democratic politicians have
09 Sep 2018
Despite the coming demise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the volume is a timely reminder of the limited
26 Aug 2018
A transnational textbook illustrates the complexity of current-day diplomacy at a time of unprecedented disruption. University textbooks that highlight the
19 Aug 2018
This book makes for an excellent primer on issues of Asia-Pacific security, with 12 chapters exploring both traditional and non-traditional
13 Aug 2018
Understanding political processes in a country of Indonesia’s geography and population size—not to mention ethnic, religious and socio-economic heterogeneity—is a
12 Jul 2018
Although it joins a growing list of jeremiads about the possible end of Western civilisation, Edward Luce’s book usefully puts
04 Jul 2018
Asia is commonly depicted as the most rapidly growing and economically dynamic region in the world. John West's book offers
14 May 2018
Nostalgia paints 1948-1958 as a golden era of economic growth and modernisation in Venezuela. Lisa Blackmore challenges these views by
07 May 2018
The political, economic and security power play between China and India, arguably the two most critical Asian powers today, is
30 Apr 2018
This is a fascinating book by a pioneer of international relations scholarship in Australia. Tony Palfreeman founded the study of
25 Apr 2018
In the post-World War II period, significant shifts have occurred in the place of Indigenous servicemen and servicewomen in the
11 Apr 2018
In Cold War and Decolonisation, Andrea Benvenuti has written a careful analysis of Australian policy towards the decolonisation of Malaya,
26 Mar 2018
One of the key lessons of Kautilya’s great manual of statecraft, the Arthashastra, is that the effective management of an
16 Jan 2018
What will an Asia-Pacific without America look like? In this topical and critically important essay, Hugh White discusses the scenario
08 Jan 2018
Transitional justice has emerged, over the last three decades, as a globally recognised approach to addressing one of the greatest
01 Jan 2018
International Relations has long been dominated by classical and often Anglo-American theorists. This book seeks to address this issue by exploring
17 Dec 2017
The Anarchical Society, undoubtedly Hedley Bull’s most famous work, turned 40 in 2017. The Anarchical Society at 40: Contemporary Challenges and
11 Dec 2017
This is a powerful narrative, providing an insider’s perspective to events of relevance in Pakistan’s history and politics as well
03 Dec 2017
The need to understand the intersection between international relations and technology theory is more important than ever. While one book
17 Oct 2017
Challenging orthodox views is not an easy matter and the contributors to The Honest History Book have done significant thinking