Hugh White – Hard New World

What is Australia’s place in the new global landscape?

Are we ready for our post-American future? In an era of rising danger for all, and dramatic choices for Australia, Hugh White explores how the world is changing and Australia should respond.

Under Donald Trump, America’s retreat from global leadership has been swift and erratic. China, Russia and India are on the move. White explains the big strategic trends driving the war in Ukraine, and why America has ‘lost’ Asia. He discusses Albanese Labor’s record and why complacency about the American alliance – including AUKUS – is no longer an option. This brilliant short book urges us to navigate a hard new world with realism and confidence.

This is a thoroughly updated and significantly expanded edition of the bestselling Quarterly Essay.

Hugh White is the author of The China Choice and Quarterly Essay 39, Power Shift. He is professor of strategic studies at ANU and was the principal author of Australia’s Defence White Paper 2000.

James Curran is Professor of Modern History specialising in political and foreign relations history. He is also a foreign affairs columnist at The Australian Financial Review where he was also International Editor from 2023-2025.