IN 2013, DURING the early stages of my PhD, I spent a semester in Washington, DC. There I was, a twenty-something postgrad from Canberra, spending each nine-to-five at the Library of Congress, opposite the Supreme Court and around the corner from Congress itself. Each morning I queued for coffee behind suits wearing lanyards who spoke of influence and access. I saw presidential motorcades, hobnobbed at the Australian Embassy, and was privy to rumours that Hillary was definitely going to run in 2016.

Exciting, sure.