The Asian Century

Abstract

Julia Gillard was a competent if not authoritative leader of Australia�s foreign and defence policies during her term in office. She had to contest with her two foreign ministers, Kevin Rudd and Bob Carr for influence, the High Court and the Parliament for control over the portfolio. In some ways this suited her preference for domestic issues. Over time, an agenda geared around the Asian Century emerged, and the Gillard Government achieved improved relationships with the US, China and India.It also won a seat on the United Nation�s Security Council. Yet, it struggled to define what it was attempting to achieve through Australia�s external affairs, and often allowed rank populism to shape its decisions, often in ways that ended up rebounding on the government Show more