There’s a rare sense of momentum building in Australia’s foreign policy establishment centred on one deceptively simple phrase: conflict prevention. This is a new incarnation of an old idea, but it risks dilution through diplomatic etiquette and a destructive geopolitical spiral.
The conflict prevention agenda is in the Foreign Minister’s speeches, both in the region and at the United Nations General Assembly. It’s in the Prime Minister’s leader-level engagements with Australia’s most important partners. It’s the core mission of a new branch within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Defence and National Security Policy Division. It’s the basis for a boost…