Incorrigible Optimist

A Political Memoir

Gareth Evans

• Publisher: Melbourne University Press Digital
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780522866445
• eBook ISBN: 9780522866452
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Global Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

A colourful and central figure in Australian politics for two decades—described by Bob Hawke as having 'the most acute mind' of any of his ministers—Gareth Evans has also been applauded worldwide for his contributions, both as Foreign Minister and in later international roles, to conflict resolution, genocide prevention and curbing weapons of mass destruction.In this sometimes moving, often entertaining, and always lucid memoir Evans looks back over the highs and lows of his public life as a student activist, civil libertarian, law reformer, industry minister, international policymaker, educator and politician. He explains why it is that, despite multiple disappointments, he continues to believe that a safer, saner and more decent world is achievable, and why, for all its frustrations, politics remains an indispensable profession not only for megalomaniacs but idealists.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• 1 Justice: Being careful what you wish for—Civil libertarian—A national bill of rights—Law reformer—Failed constitutional reformer—The joys of opposition—Becoming Attorney-General—Biggles—Combe–Ivanov—The trials of Lionel Murphy—Ministerial dreams and realities
• 2 Race: Death in Alice—Growing up in the 1950s—Aboriginal legal services and land rights—Mabo in the Senate—Mandela and apartheid—The changing face of Australian racism—Indigenous recognition and reconciliation—Legislating against race hatred
• 3 Enterprise: Minister for Pipes and Holes—Energy—Mining—Water—Minister for Transport and Communications—Corporatising the state-owned enterprises—Labor’s brand of socialism—Tough love for the ABC—Relevance deprivation in opposition—Contemporary economic challenges
• 4 Diplomacy: New dawn—Inheriting the Labor tradition—Becoming Foreign Minister—‘His mind craves structures’—National interests and good international citizenship—National capabilities—United States alliance—Middle power diplomacy—Setting priorities—South Pacific—Aid, human rights and the environment—Cooperative security—Australia and the United Nations
• 5 Cooperation: At home in Asia—Indonesia—East Timor—Peace in Cambodia—Regional economic and security architecture—ASEAN—Japan—China v. United States—India and the Indo-Pacific—Middle East—UK and Europe—Russia—Effective foreign policymaking
• 6 Conflict: Vietnam at war—When is it right to fight?—Leading the International Crisis Group—What makes for successful NGOs—Lessons for preventing deadly conflict—Staying optimistic in a dangerous world
• 7 Atrocities: Life and death in Cambodia—The horror of Rwanda and the Balkans—Conceiving the responsibility to protect—Birth of a new international norm—What R2P has achieved—Why pessimism is premature
• 8 Weapons: Reliving Hiroshima—The inhumanity of nuclear weapons—Australia’s responses—The Canberra Commission—Co-chairing the Australia–Japan ICNND—Fading of the Obama dream—Lessons for frustrated nuclear disarmers—Chemical weapons
• 9 Education: State school scholarship boy—Melbourne University—Oxford—Teaching and learning—ANU Chancellor—‘The fish rots from the head’—Challenges for Australian universities—What makes for a great university
• 10 Politics: What motivates politicians—From beginning to burnout—What makes for effective politicians—What makes for successful political leaders—Hawke and Keating—What makes for successful governments—Democracy and its current discontents—Beating populism—The necessity of politics—‘Don’t mourn, organize!’
• Notes
• Milestones
• Acknowledgements
• Index