Clinton Fernandes

Clinton Fernandes is Professor of International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales. He has published on the relationship between science, diplomacy and international law, intelligence operations in foreign policy, the political and regulatory implications of new technology and Australia’s external relations. His research in the Future Operations Research Group at UNSW analyses the operational environment, and the threats, risks and opportunities that military forces will face, in the 2030-50 timeframe.

Clinton Fernandes reviews ‘The End of Empires and a World Remade: A global history of decolonization’ by Martin Thomas

December 2024, no. 471 • 26 November 2024

The End of Empires and a World Remade is Martin Thomas’s magnum opus. Subtitled ‘A global history of decolonisation’, it is more than 600 pages long, of which nearly 300 pages consist of Notes and Bibliography covering more than 2,000 articles and books. The overwhelming majority of these were published in the twenty-first century – an indication of the burgeoning academic interest in deco ... (read more)

‘History without vexed issues: Liquidating our memories of East Timor’ by Clinton Fernandes

October 2024, no. 469 • 24 September 2024

Twenty-five years ago, an international peacekeeping force entered East Timor, delivered it from Indonesian occupation, and placed it under United Nations administration. Known as the International Force East Timor (InterFET), it had 11,000 troops from twenty-three countries and was commanded by an Australian major general. Everything about these events seemed miraculous. East Timor’s independ ... (read more)

Clinton Fernandes reviews ‘Eurowhiteness: Culture, empire and race in the European project’ by Hans Kundnani

March 2024, no. 462 • 22 February 2024

Hans Kundnani, a British citizen, began working at the European Council on Foreign Relations in 2009. He considered himself a ‘pro-European’ supporter of European integration and regarded the European Union as a force for good. He came to realise that much of what he thought he knew about the EU and its history were self-idealising myths that had been created by the EU about itself. Eurowhiten ... (read more)

Clinton Fernandes reviews 'Empire, Incorporated: The corporations that built British colonialism' by Philip J. Stern

October 2023, no. 458 • 24 September 2023

A senior public servant writes that the history of corporations shows that there are ‘some things which a Government cannot do officially, and which are best accomplished when the people take the lead, while the State lends its support, remaining in the background until it is required to interfere’. This is ‘almost forgotten now in these days of international law, of diplomats, and of quick ... (read more)