Mixed signals in run-up to APEC

Cribb’s colleagues, professors Stewart Firth and Stuart Harris, share his sense of loss.

Many of the students now coming through Australian schools without the foundation of NALSAS are not quite old enough for university and the workforce, but Firth and Harris are starting to worry for the future of their fields of study and interest.

Firth, head of the Pacific Centre at ANU’s Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, is author of the seminal text Australia in international politics: an introduction to Australian foreign policy. Harris brings to the masters program that he started this year, on China’s global engagement and domestic transformation, his long experience in the diplomatic service, where he was departmental secretary from 1984-87.

Among Asia scholars, much store is put by the prospects of the former diplomat and Mandarin-speaking Kevin Rudd - China product of the ANU - in government.

As Cribb assures, there are no fundamental differences in values between Australia and its neighbours in the region, only one of emphasis - as is the case when comparing any different sets of peoples; there isn’t a “clash of civilisations” scenario in the region.

It's complex even for Asia-literate Rudd, as can be seen in his ambiguity with APEC. Confessing to having been an APEC sceptic in his address to the Australian Institute of International Affairs, he said "Australians are never much interested in meetings for the sake of having meetings".

Among Australia’s neighbours in ASEAN, the spirit of musyawarah is pluralism and tolerance by another name - the first step is an openness to listen as much as to prescribe.