Publications
Our publications are the most important means of contact between the Centre's ideas and its general readership. Since 1976, The Centre for Independent Studies has produced some of the most authoritative publications in Australasian academia. From the influential Lands of Shame to the authoritative Will China Fail? CIS has published hundreds of publications covering topics from the social policy to legal affairs to religion and education.
In addition to books, the CIS publishes a range of shorter publications: Issue Analyses deal with controversial and current issues and Policy Mongraphs investigate and offer policy solutions. Since 1984, Policy magazine has published feature articles and reviews authored by some of the foremost national and international thinkers on public policy and ideas. The quality of writing and the diversity of topics in Policy ensure its status as a 'must read' by leading politicans, businesspeople and academics.
Hard copies of our publications are available for purchase through the bookstore. Many of the smaller publications are also available for download.
CONTRIBUTIONS
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All General Publications
Australia and the Asian Ascendancy: Why Upskilling is Not Necessary to Reap the Rewards
Government programs to upskill the Australian workforce for the Asian Century are a solution to a non-problem. With more...
Future Submarine Project Should Raise Periscope for Another Look
Australia should not spend $40 billion to repeat the mistakes of the Collins Class submarine. Nuclear submarines, such as...
BOOK REVIEW: The World America Made
The World America MadeBy Robert KaganReviewed by Benjamin Herscovitch
Australia's Asia Literacy Non-Problem
New large-scale Asia literacy programs are not necessary for Australia to prosper in the Asian Century. There are approximately...
The Kingdom of God is Forcefully Advancing and Forceful Men Lay Hold of It
In the CIS’s annual Acton Lecture on Religion and Freedom, Senator David Coltart discusses the application of biblical...
BOOK REVIEW: The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of World Economy
The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of World Economy by Dani Rodrik (New York, 2011.)
FEATURE: Taming the Dogs of War: Why Parliament Should Authorise Major Deployments
Parliament and the courts could spare Australia from ill-advised military action.
Malaysian Dilemma: The Enduring Cancer of Affirmative Action
In March 2010, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced a New Economic Model (NEM) for Malaysia. These include pledges to wind-back...
Jakarta's Juggling Act: Balancing China and America in the Asia-Pacific
Indonesia is emerging as a significant player in Southeast Asia’s security architecture. Its prime foreign policy concern...
Europe’s Painful Farewell: An Essay on the Decline of the Old World
Europe is a continent in crisis. The financial problems of many European economies became visible to the rest of world when...
Empires on the Edge of Chaos: The Nasty Fiscal Arithmetic of Imperial Decline
In the 26th John Bonython lecture, Niall Ferguson, one of the world’s leading geo-economic thinkers and best-selling author...
After the Wall – Reflections on the Legacy of 1989
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it marked the end of the Cold War and of Eastern European communism. Two decades on, The...
INTERVIEW: Afghanistan's Critical Year
Major General Jim Molan tells Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe that Australia should invest greater resources in Afghanistan.
BOOK REVIEW: The New Vichy Syndrome—Why European Intellectuals Surrender to Barbarism
The New Vichy Syndrome—Why European Intellectuals Surrender to Barbarism by Theodore Dalrymple (Encounter Books, 2010.)
BOOK REVIEW: Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times
Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times by Barry Wain (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.)
FEATURE: Plan B for Dealing with North Korea
If North Korea refuses to give up its nuclear ambitions, all palatable options will have run out.
FEATURE: Losing Tomorrow Today: Islamising Germany
A new generation of collaborators is caving in to the new conquerors of Europe.
FEATURE: Open the Borders
Classical liberals should support the free movement of people.
FEATURE: After the Wall: Twenty Years On
A look at Germany's unification history.
The importance of India: restoring sight to Australia’s strategic blind spot
The paper traces the rise of ‘strategic India’ in Asia, the significance of the remarkable improvement in the US-India...
BOOK REVIEW: The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars In the Midst of a Big One
The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One by David Kilcullen (Scribe Publications, 2009).
Why America will lead the 'Asian Century'
The beginning of the end of America’s strategic primacy in Asia is commonly predicted. We are supposed to be entering a...
BOOK REVIEW: The Rotten State of Britain
The Rotten State of Britain by Eamonn Butler (Gibson Square, 2009)
BOOK REVIEW: Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis
Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis by Mike Cinoy (St Martin's Press, 2008).
BOOK REVIEW: The Post-American World
The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria (W. W. Norton & Company, 2008).
Anglo Primacy and the End of History: The Deep Roots of Power
The 24th Annual John Bonython Lecture Whether the United States should lead the world is much debated, but American primacy...
FEATURE: Suffer The Intellectuals
An explanation of why predictions by intellectuals so often turn out to be wrong.
BOOK REVIEW: Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present
Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren (W.W. Norton, 2007).
BOOK REVIEW: Super-State: The New Europe and Its Challenge to America
Super-State: The New Europe and its Challenge to America by Steohen Haseler (IBTauris, 2005).
BOOK REVIEW: The Looming Tower: Al-Quaeda and the Road to 9/11
The Looming Tower: Al-Quaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright (Allen Lane, 2006).
Australia and the Future of Nuclear Deterrence
Strategic developments in North Asia are being driven by North Korea’s dangerous missile and nuclear brinkmanship, as well...
BOOK REVIEW: The Partnership: The Inside Story of the US-Australian Alliance Under Howard and Bush
The Partnership: The Inside Story of the US-Australian Alliance Under Howard and Bush by Greg Sheridan (New South Books,...
BOOK REVIEW: The White Man's Burden
The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have DoneSo Much Ill and So Little Good by William Easterly...
COMMENT: The Unholy Alliance
The Western left and Islamic radicals are finding common causes.
COMMENT: The Falcon and the Falconer
To more effectively combat terrorism, we need to understand why homegrown Western converts turn against their own societies.
BOOK REVIEW: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 by Tony Judt (William Heinemann, 2005).
Annals of Aid: Vanuatu and The United States Millenium Challenge Corporation
Without fundamental reforms in land tenure, Vanuatu cannot increase its output and productivity. Without a thoroughgoing...
FEATURE: Anti-Americanism Past and Present
The recent upsurge in anti-Americanism has a long history.
Make Poverty History: Tackle Corruption
The results of the latest international survey of corruption reveal huge international differences. Poor countries tend to...
INTERVIEW: The West in an Asian Century
Susan Windybank interviews Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished former diplomat and scholar from Singapore: dubbed 'the Max...
Between Two Worlds. Australian Foreign Policy Responses to New and Old Security Dilemmas
Globalisation has connected these two worlds through ease of travel, communications and financial flows, but it has not integrated...
Alliance: The View from America
The Occasional Paper aims to 'de-parochialise' the debate in Australia by asking how Americans think about the alliance.
FEATURE: Federalism and The States of Reality
There is cultural and political life in federalism, even as the Howard Government masses for an assault on the states.
FEATURE: Morality and Foreign Policy
Prudence has an important place in foreign policy.
FEATURE: Tribalism in the Arab Mena Region
Arab tribalism is a drag on development and reform.
INTERVIEW: The Thoughtful Superhawk
Susan Windybank speaks Robert Kagan about his controversial thesis and America's role in the world.
America and the World: The Crisis of Legitimacy
America is suffering a crisis of international legitimacy. So where will it find it?
BOOK REVIEW: The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America
The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America by John Micklewait and Adrian Wooldridge (The Penguin Press, 2004).
FEATURE: Locked in: Australia Gets a Bad Intellectual Property Deal
The intellectual property provisions of the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement are an unfortunate policy shift.
FEATURE: Unfinished Business: Reforming Our Intelligence Agencies
Terrorism is not the only urgent issue our intelligence agents must face.
Morality and Foreign Policy
Owen Harries explores the intellectual heritage of two opposing positions on morality in foreign policy; the hands-off realist...
A Voluntary Free Trade Alliance: How to Overcome Hurdles in the Path of Traders and Investors
The 'Global Free Trade Alliance' would promote free exchanges between nations on a voluntary basis and could become a ‘World...
BOOK REVIEW: Making Australian Foreign Policy
Making Australian Foreign Policy by Allan Gyngell and Michael Wesley (Cambridge University Press, 2003.)
BOOK REVIEW: Art of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations
Art of Creation: The Founding of The United States by Stephen C. Schlesinger (Westview Press, 2003).
Gulliver Unbound - Can America Rule the World?
America's combination of political, military, economic and cultural predominance is without precedent, and there is nothing...
COMMENT: The Culture of Guilt
Like welfare dependency in developed countries, aid dependency in developed countries has entrenched a 'handout' mentality...
COMMENT: The Terror Trap
Despite its high hopes and resolute rhetoric, the 'war on terror' is disturbingly similar to America's 'war on poverty' and...
REVIEW ARTICLE: Engagement with Asia Revisited
Continental Drift: Australia's Search for a Regional Identity by Rawdon Dalyrmple (Ashgate, 2003).
Sustainable Immigration and Cultural Integration
Professor Kasper outlines the benefits of past migration. He points out that Australians can be justifiably proud of the...
Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers : A Global View
A worldwide excess of demand for immigration means that Western countries cannot accommodate more than a small proportion...
Has History Restarted Since September 11?
Francis Fukuyama argues that the fracture line over globalisation could turn out to be a division, not between West and the...
Understanding America
Our most urgent need is to understand America - both in terms of what it is and its impact on the world - for current US...
FEATURE: Trouble in 'Paradise': The Africanisation of the South Pacific
Some of the problems that have plagued states in sub-saharan Africa may well be emerging in the South Pacific as well.
Breaking the Trade Stalemate: What Are Australia’s Options?
Australia’s best hope of long-term trade liberalisation lies in signing a free trade agreement with the United States....
Setting the Record Straight: Free Trade and the WTO
By allowing social issues into the WTO agenda using tenuous links to trade policy, the WTO Council has placed the organisation...
Rear Vision on Trade Policy: Wrong Way, Go Forward
Policies affecting trade flows do not begin or end in the international arena: Decisions about reducing protection must be...
Open for Business? Australian Interests and the OECD's Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI)
The proposed OECD’s Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), which the Australian government has been helping to negotiate,...
Nationality
Is the nation state the best form of political organisation? Should a country’s borders be based on racial or linguistic...
BOOK REVIEW: Migrations and Cultures: A World View
Migration and Cultures: A World View by Thomas Sowell (Basic Books, 1996.)
COMMENT: Australia's Competitiveness Two Years On
'Competitiveness' has been the economic buzz word of the past two and a half decades.
BOOK REVIEW: Social Networks and Job Acquisition in Ethnic Communities in South Australia
Social Networks and Job Acquisition in Ethnic Communities in South Australia by Edgar Carson (Australian Government Publishing...
COMMENT: Privatisation Experience: The Czech Case
The systematic transformation of the Czech Republic in the post-communist world.
FEATURE: Japan's MITI: A Role Model for Australia and New Zealand?
Japan's success may be despite, rather than because of, MITI.
BOOK REVIEW: Antarctica: Private Property or Public Heritage
Antarctica: Private Property or Public Heritage by Keith Suter (Pluto Press, Sydney, 1991.)
Australia's Asian Challenge
The proceedings of the Autumn Public Policy Forum in the 1994 Bert Kelly lecture series Sydney, 24 February 1994. Three experts...
NOTES & COMMENTS: Rejoinder to Clarke and Ng
A rejoinder to Clarke and Ng's The Economic Case for an Open-Door Immigration Policy.
FEATURE: Britain and European Union: The Broader Issues
This article sets out the philosophy of the Bruges Group and speculates on the likely impact of recent political changes...
Economic Control or Economic Development
P.T. Bauer argues that wide-ranging state controls hinder the development of Third World economies.
UNCTAD and the North-South Dialogue
It is common for governments of wester industrialised nations (the ‘North; in the title) to allocate healthy portions of...
