Aug 21, 2026 – 9.00amIt was an unlikely crew who gathered in the living room at Kirribilli House two days after Christmas in 1991. Paul Keating had been prime minister for a week, but there was no treasurer, finance minister or any other cabinet member. Instead, Keating had gathered six men, mostly in their 40s like him, for what he describes as “an intellectual event”. They were Australia’s top minds on international trade, strategy, US relations and the rising economies of Asia.The world was changing fast. The Soviet Union had dissolved the night before. With it went the force field whose ideological currents had convulsed world politics in a Cold War since 1945. As Keating told this author, “the big superpowers had turned the magnets off”.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? James CurranInternational affairs expertJames Curran is professor of modern history at Sydney University.Fetching latest articles
Behind Paul Keating’s grand vision for Australia
The former prime minister considered foreign policy as the story of his nation and its place in the world. A new book shows that his ideas cannot be denied.
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