Good piece by Nick Bryant. I remember the adults I grew up around in country WA in the 1970s were very into the cultural cringe, "Australia is insignificant" way of thinking.

But I don't think approach that makes much sense. We're what, the world's 13th biggest economy and pretty innovative in many fields, so why shouldn't we be involved with issues in the big wide world? Why not have opinions about the Middle East or other regions, and apply influence where we can?
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"Australia’s self-belittling streak has its uses. It requires a leap of imagination to see a Trump-like demagogue ever emerging here, given the enduring power of the tall-poppy syndrome and the scything down of puffed-up poseurs who take themselves too seriously.

"The problem is that tall-poppy thinking is too often applied to the country as a whole. That, I would suggest, is a product of how Horne’s The Lucky Country still dominates the intellectual landscape. It is a brilliant book, but 60 years after its publication, it’s one that Australia mistakenly takes too seriously."

#auspol https://www.smh.com.au/national/let-s-rethink-the-lucky-country-australia-s-fortune-was-never-dumb-luck-20241219-p5kzmf.html