AIM Extra
The Ballroom and the Republic
When I first heard that a new ballroom at the White House was being discussed in the language of “national security,” I assumed it was satire. Surely no serious political figure would attempt to convince […]
Articles by Roswell
Politics
Donald Trump Claims He’s “The Most Powerful Person To Ever Live”
In a statement that caused historians to briefly consider early retirement, Donald Trump has declared himself “the most powerful person to ever live.” The announcement was delivered with trademark confidence, minimal irony, and the quiet […]
AIM Extra
Angus Taylor’s Australian values: please sign here (details to follow)
Step One: Adopt Our Values There’s a particular kind of sentence in Australian politics that sounds firm, sensible, and reassuring – right up until you ask the most basic follow-up question. Angus Taylor’s announcement that […]
Politics
The Expanding Presidency of Donald J. Trump
There was a time – not so long ago – when the office of President of the United States seemed a sufficiently demanding role. Nuclear codes, global alliances, the occasional domestic crisis. A full plate, […]
Politics
Papal authority, now featuring Donald J. Trump
The Vatican has long maintained that the selection of a new Pope is guided by the Holy Spirit, a sacred process steeped in centuries of ritual, prayer, and secrecy. This week, however, that understanding was […]
Politics
Strength, Spectacle, and Self-Delusion
There is a peculiar kind of leadership that does not merely fail – it redefines failure as success and insists, loudly and repeatedly, that everyone else is too blind to see it. That, increasingly, is […]
Politics
“Are there any wars you’d like us to join?”
Pauline Hanson has once again stepped forward to demonstrate that when it comes to global conflicts, distance is no barrier to enthusiasm. In comments that seemed to blur the line between foreign policy and schoolyard […]
Politics
Scott Morrison gobsmacked to learn Australia can say no
Scott Morrison stunned to discover Australia not legally obliged to follow U.S. into every conflict Former prime minister Scott Morrison has declared himself “gobsmacked” that Australia has not gone further in supporting the United States […]
Politics
America’s in another war. Let’s sit this one out.
There is a familiar pattern to American wars. The beginning is dramatic, the middle is complicated, and the ending is usually somebody else’s problem. First comes the announcement from Washington. Something terrible has happened somewhere […]
Politics
From Entebbe to Gaza
It was the height of the 1970s, a decade defined by political turbulence and the rise of international terrorism. On June 27, 1976, the world’s attention was hijacked along with Air France Flight 139. The […]
Politics
Tony Abbott volunteers Australia for a war nobody asked us to join
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has criticised the Albanese government for what he describes as Australia’s “shameful” failure to support the United States and Israel as they strike Iran. In Abbott’s telling, Australia has abandoned […]
Politics
The Most Respected Man in the Room (According to the Room)
According to Donald Trump, the United States is respected around the world again. This is terrific news. It must be. It was announced very confidently. One imagines world leaders waking each morning, stretching, and whispering […]
Politics
The rivalry that reaches the stars
When former president Barack Obama was asked in a rapid-fire exchange whether aliens were real, he replied bluntly: “They’re real.” It was dry, ambiguous, almost certainly playful. In another era it would have drifted away […]
Satire
Deep-Dive Polling: The Hidden Cohorts Behind Trump’s Approval Ratings
Each day in the United States someone, somewhere, is running a poll on President Trump’s approval rating. The standard questions are predictable. His performance on the economy. The border. Inflation. “Are you better off?” “Do […]
Politics
Governing from the Centre – But at What Cost?
The perception that the Albanese government is governing from the political centre – and at times shading toward conservative comfort zones – has become a recurring theme in Australian political commentary. Whether that perception is […]