Alexander Downer and former Prime Minister John Howard join author Tony Parkinson and CIS Executive Director Michael Stutchbury for a wide-ranging discussion on Australian foreign policy, alliance politics, and the shifting global order, marking the launch of A Step to the Right, Tony Parkinson’s new biography of Australia’s longest-serving foreign minister. Drawing on their shared experience during the Howard years, Downer and Howard reflect on a period of rare political stability and sustained policy achievement, and the principles that shaped Australia’s approach to diplomacy, security, and the national interest.
The conversation explores Australia’s alliance with the United States, the decision to invoke ANZUS after September 11, and the controversies surrounding Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terror. Downer sets out his defence of alliance reciprocity, arguing that alliances endure only when partners are prepared to support one another in difficult moments. Howard reflects on the strategic logic behind Australia’s overseas commitments and challenges the notion that foreign policy must choose between history and geography, or between America and Asia.
Turning to the present, the discussion examines the erosion of the rules-based order, rising protectionism, China’s strategic ambitions, European free-riding, and renewed geopolitical instability across Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific. Downer and Howard address tensions over Taiwan, Iran’s role in regional conflict, and the return of great-power rivalry, while also critiquing the influence of media narratives and the foreign policy establishment on public debate. The event offers a candid reassessment of recent history and a clear-eyed examination of the challenges confronting Australian foreign policy in an increasingly volatile world.
TThis event was presented by the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, Australia, and recorded live at CIS.