CANBERRA – AIIA National President Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA was quoted extensively in national media after she appeared on the opening panel of the high-profile event on sovereignty and security organised by former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith’s comments focused heavily on the state of global order. She noted in particular that \u201cThe fragmentation of the international economic system is now a fact. The post-cold war order isn\u2019t collapsing, it has collapsed. The US is dismantling the foundations of its global hegemony, along with the norms and values that have underpinned the US-Australia relationship. And this dismantling cannot be reversed by a change of administration \u2026 To say that Australia is not well positioned is an understatement. It\u2019s a dog-eat-dog world. But our political and some of our bureaucratic class are largely admiring the problem. So the biggest challenge to overcome is the inability of our political class to position Australia for this new world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n