Kevin Rudd: In Australia, the rise of a political nerd
Earnest, bookish, and nerdy, Labor Party chief Kevin Rudd is poised to lead Australia.
from the September 21, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Bigger role in Australia's backyard
His voracious reading had convinced him that China was the power of the future, so in 1976 he enrolled in a degree in Chinese language and history at the Australian National University in Canberra.
After graduating with first class honors, Rudd joined the Australian diplomatic service, serving in the early 1980s in Sweden before being sent to Beijing with his young wife Therese, a posting he loved.
As a committed Sinophile, analysts say Rudd is likely to strengthen the already close economic and diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing, while trying to maintain the all-important Anzus alliance that obligates the US, New Zealand, and Australia to work together on security concerns in the Pacific.
"I think he'd carve out a more independent world role," says Stuart. "He has deep and intimate links with America but he also wants to get along very well with China. He'll resist joining any kind of anti-China quadripartite alliance with the US, Japan, and India, of the sort that Dick Cheney is pushing for. But he'd make behind-the-scenes representations about human rights abuses; he's particularly concerned about the repression of Christians."
Still, Rudd is no pacifist – he has said he would consider increasing Australia's deployment to Afghanistan, where he believes the true fight against terrorism lies. He is also likely to continue Australia's tough interventionist stance in the immediate neighborhood, maintaining troops in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
Labor has not won a federal election since 1993. If he wins this one, Rudd will be anxious to continue the 14-year run of economic growth that has made Australians wealthier than ever before.
"It will be a case of 'steady as she goes,' "says Dr. Economou. "He may wind back some of the government's industrial relations reforms, but there won't be a dramatic change."
So is Australia ready for a leader named Kevin? If the opinion polls of the last few weeks are anything to go by, the answer appears to be a resounding "yes."
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