'A colourful and central figure in Australian politics for two decades-described by Bob Hawke as having 'the most acute mind' of any of his ministers-Gareth Evans has also been applauded worldwide for his contributions, both as Foreign Minister and in later international roles, to conflict resolution, genocide prevention and curbing weapons of mass destruction.
'In this sometimes moving, often entertaining, and always lucid memoir Evans looks back over the highs and lows of his public life as a student activist, civil libertarian, law reformer, industry minister, international policymaker, educator and politician. He explains why it is that, despite multiple disappointments, he continues to believe that a safer, saner and more decent world is achievable, and why, for all its frustrations, politics remains an indispensable profession not only for megalomaniacs but idealists. '(Publication summary)
'Gareth Evans continues to be one of the more thoughtful figures in Australian public life, entering the Senate in the late 1970s and serving with distinction in both the Hawke and Keating governments, as, at various times, Attorney‐General, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Transport and Communications, and Foreign Minister. He then went on to grace the international stage as head of the Brussels‐based International Crisis Group before becoming Chancellor of the Australian National University in 2010.' (Introduction)
'Is Gareth Evans’s “incorrigible optimism” evidence-based?'
'Gareth Evans is one of the most formidable figures in external affairs since HR Evatt. The former foreign minister’s memoir, Incorrigible Optimist, is a vividly articulated account of life in and after politics, passionately argued and richly anecdotal at the same time.' (Introduction)
'Gareth Evans is one of the more interesting figures from the Hawke–Keating governments, not alone as a high achiever in a talented team, nor in the tenacity that saw him remain so long in the inner circle, but unusual in forging a cosmopolitan career of such substance thereafter. His political memoir demonstrates the continuity of his principal concerns – identified in the thematic chapter headings of his book – from his earliest exposure to student politics through his success as foreign minister (1988–96) to stewardship of the International Crisis Group (and many other international panels and commissions besides). It is a story spiced with both the idealism and megalomania that he concludes drive productive political engagement.' (Introduction)
'Gareth Evans is one of the more interesting figures from the Hawke–Keating governments, not alone as a high achiever in a talented team, nor in the tenacity that saw him remain so long in the inner circle, but unusual in forging a cosmopolitan career of such substance thereafter. His political memoir demonstrates the continuity of his principal concerns – identified in the thematic chapter headings of his book – from his earliest exposure to student politics through his success as foreign minister (1988–96) to stewardship of the International Crisis Group (and many other international panels and commissions besides). It is a story spiced with both the idealism and megalomania that he concludes drive productive political engagement.' (Introduction)
'Gareth Evans is one of the most formidable figures in external affairs since HR Evatt. The former foreign minister’s memoir, Incorrigible Optimist, is a vividly articulated account of life in and after politics, passionately argued and richly anecdotal at the same time.' (Introduction)
'Is Gareth Evans’s “incorrigible optimism” evidence-based?'
'Gareth Evans continues to be one of the more thoughtful figures in Australian public life, entering the Senate in the late 1970s and serving with distinction in both the Hawke and Keating governments, as, at various times, Attorney‐General, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Transport and Communications, and Foreign Minister. He then went on to grace the international stage as head of the Brussels‐based International Crisis Group before becoming Chancellor of the Australian National University in 2010.' (Introduction)
