A STEP TO THE RIGHT

By the time Alexander Downer left office, he had surpassed “Doc” Evatt and Dick Casey to become Australia’s longest-serving Foreign Affairs Minister. Over nearly twelve years on the chessboard of global politics, he negotiated with some of the world’s most powerful leaders to promote and protect Australia’s interests. It was a modern-day odyssey. During those years, Downer navigated wars in distant regions, violent upheavals, and terrorist attacks close to home. He worked to strike a delicate balance between the competing interests, values, and priorities of the United States and China — and to forge a more constructive relationship with Indonesia, Australia’s giant neighbour to the north. By the end of his tenure, few were better placed to interpret the interplay of politics, strategy, and principle that explains why global events unfolded as they did — and why they continue to do so today. This book is the first comprehensive account of Downer’s remarkable political journey. It traces his early passion for politics while growing up in the Adelaide Hills, his childhood memories of playing cricket at The Lodge under the watchful eye of Robert Menzies, and his first taste of international diplomacy as a trainee diplomat. It follows his rise in the 1990s as a formidable political force — including his brief and turbulent stint as the youngest-ever federal Liberal Leader.