Grant Wyeth

Jan 13, 2025 | lowyinstitute.org | Grant Wyeth

Donald Trump’s proclamation about reshaping North America and having Canada become “the 51st state” is but one land grab by the soon-to-be returned president. This may just be another of Trump’s distractions, more attention-seeking, or a negotiation tactic. Or maybe he sees annexing Canada as a simple real estate transaction. Yet as a demonstration, it’s worth considering how complex it would be to incorporate Canada into America’s political institutions.

Dec 31, 2024 | thediplomat.com | Grant Wyeth

Since Christmas there have been three stories that have dominated my information environment. The first is the annual Boxing Day cricket test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) – spanning five days. The second is a new series by the Melbourne broadsheet The Age on Melbourne’s booming western suburbs. And the third is the social media war between tech bros and MAGA ultras over the United States’s HB-1 visa.

Dec 30, 2024 | thediplomat.com | Grant Wyeth

December was a particularly active month for Australia’s engagement within the Pacific Islands region. There was the announcement of a new Australia-Nauru Treaty, followed by the signing of a new security agreement with the Solomon Islands, as well as confirmation that a Papua New Guinea team will join Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) competition in 2028. All these initiatives are designed to consolidate Australia’s primacy in the region, and counteract the influence of China.

Dec 27, 2024 | thediplomat.com | Grant Wyeth

Recent figures indicate that Australia is currently housing a record number of people on the Working Holiday Maker visa: 213,400 at the end of November. These figures are an indication of Australia’s status as a lifestyle superpower capable of attracting young people, but also present Australia an opportunity to harness these people’s talents to inject some dynamism into its under-achieving creative economy.

Dec 1, 2024 | lowyinstitute.org | Grant Wyeth

Hamburg is Europe’s third largest container port. While it lags behind Rotterdam and Antwerp in terms of volume, it is the continent’s largest rail port. If you want to get heavy volumes of cargo from or onto the European rail network quickly and efficiently, then Hamburg is your port. Due to the European Union’s ambitious Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) plan, the port’s significance is expected to increase – with three of the plan’s nine transport corridors intersecting with the city.