Wednesday, May 30, 2007

What is Michael Fullilove reading?

Michael Fullilove, who directs the global issues program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia, is the latest contributor to Writers Read.

He came to my attention with his recent article in Slate, "Chinese Love Triangle," which argues that however critical the bilateral relationship with China is, America "needs to understand that, in the future, its Asian relations will increasingly be dominated by trilateral configurations, as old allies and friends such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia move to accommodate the rising influence of the Middle Kingdom."

At Writers Read, Fullilove tagged a couple of books he was reading in preparation for a trip to Israel and Turkey as well as several other books, including one about David Hicks, the Australian held at Guantanamo until very recently.

Fullilove recently published an op-ed in the Financial Times on 30 March 2007 arguing that only Seinfeld can fully explain the US invasion of Iraq:
“This doctrine,” argues Fullilove, “recalls the classic episode of the TV comedy Seinfeld, “The Opposite,” in which George Costanza temporarily improves his fortunes by rejecting all the principles according to which he has lived his life and doing the opposite of what his training indicates he should do.” Fullilove believes that the Iraq policy pursued by the Bush administration satisfies the Costanza criterion because it is the opposite of every foreign policy the world has ever met.
For a follow-up on "the Costanza Doctrine," see Fullilove's Q & A.

Michael Fullilove is a Rhodes Scholar and former prime ministerial adviser who writes widely on politics and international relations. His work has appeared in publications such as Slate, the Financial Times, The National Interest and Foreign Affairs, and his first book, "Men and Women of Australia!": Our Greatest Modern Speeches, was published in 2005 by Vintage.

Writers Read: Michael Fullilove.

--Marshal Zeringue