The Frightened Country
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Wear and tear with damage
Pages: Yellowed
Australia has long wrestled with a profound anxiety about its place in the world — a vast, isolated continent perched at the edge of Asia, perpetually uncertain of its security and identity. The Frightened Country by Alan Renouf, one of Australia's most distinguished diplomats, presents a penetrating and authoritative critique of Australian foreign policy, arguing that the nation's strategic thinking has been consistently hampered by deep-seated fear and a reliance on powerful foreign patrons, from Britain to the United States. Drawing on decades of insider experience at the highest levels of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Renouf chronicles the decisions and failures of successive Australian governments, illustrating how a culture of dependence and anxiety has shaped — and constrained — the nation's engagement with the world. The work stands as a landmark in Australian political literature, offering not merely a historical account but a bold, unflinching indictment of a national psyche. Renouf's prose is precise and authoritative, carrying the weight of a man who witnessed firsthand the diplomatic corridors he so incisively dissects. His analysis cuts across party lines and decades of policy, raising urgent questions about sovereignty, self-reliance, and national courage that remain as relevant today as when first posed — leaving the reader to wonder whether Australia has ever truly confronted its deepest fears.
Author: Alan Renouf
Format: Hardback
Published: 1979, Macmillan
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Wear and tear with damage
Pages: Yellowed
Australia has long wrestled with a profound anxiety about its place in the world — a vast, isolated continent perched at the edge of Asia, perpetually uncertain of its security and identity. The Frightened Country by Alan Renouf, one of Australia's most distinguished diplomats, presents a penetrating and authoritative critique of Australian foreign policy, arguing that the nation's strategic thinking has been consistently hampered by deep-seated fear and a reliance on powerful foreign patrons, from Britain to the United States. Drawing on decades of insider experience at the highest levels of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Renouf chronicles the decisions and failures of successive Australian governments, illustrating how a culture of dependence and anxiety has shaped — and constrained — the nation's engagement with the world. The work stands as a landmark in Australian political literature, offering not merely a historical account but a bold, unflinching indictment of a national psyche. Renouf's prose is precise and authoritative, carrying the weight of a man who witnessed firsthand the diplomatic corridors he so incisively dissects. His analysis cuts across party lines and decades of policy, raising urgent questions about sovereignty, self-reliance, and national courage that remain as relevant today as when first posed — leaving the reader to wonder whether Australia has ever truly confronted its deepest fears.