The curious case of Kevin Rudd

What a turnaround for the former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.  Eighty-one days since he was removed from the prime ministership, Rudd accepted the role of Foreign Affairs Minister in the Gillard cabinet.  The promotion came at the expense of Stephen Smith, who was sidelined to the vacant defence portfolio.  The Lazarus-like return of “K-Rudd” has staggered political commentators and the general public alike.  Yet the question remains: is Rudd the right person to be Australia’s number one diplomat?

We can only speculate as to Julia Gillard’s motivation for promoting Rudd.  Amidst the scandal surrounding Cabinet leaks (which Rudd was alleged to be behind), it is unlikely that the position was some kind of “reward” for stepping aside without an intra-party fight.  Rather, the appointment should be seen as either (1) Gillard’s method of showing the minority Labour government is unified or (2) a way of alienating Rudd from the domestic political agenda by regularly sending him overseas. 

Others have attempted to justify Rudd’s appointment by reference to his diplomatic experience, particularly his career in DFAT and Mandarin proficiency.  Dr. Michael McKinley, an international relations lecturer at the Australian National University, has described Rudd as ‘the best qualified person for the job.’    

Yet Dr McKinley’s support for Rudd’s elevation to Foreign Minister is a little thin.  After his political execution, critics, including Realpolitik Today, charged the former Prime Minister with damaging relations with China, Japan and India.  Essentially, the pedants claimed that Rudd did little to allay the fear of Japanese and Indian leaders over his closeness to China.  The CCP, on the other hand, were apparently frustrated by Rudd’s erratic shifts between 真友(true friend, zhenyou) and moralistic preacher.  Professor Hugh White, also from ANU, got it right when he summarised Rudd’s foreign affairs performance as Prime Minister as ‘not that impressive.’ 

Whilst Stephen Smith lacked the international profile of someone like Alexander Downer, he handled the role competently.  His departure from the portfolio is regrettable.  Realpolitik Today projects that, without repairing his own past mistakes, our new Foreign Minister will not achieve much for Australian foreign policy.