‘Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity. They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports. Be …
Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
Australia’s overseas spies shelter in the most silent spaces of the spook universe. The 68-year-old ethos of the spies of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service is never to speak publicly, just as they aim never …
Where Australia’s foreign minister visits tells much about what she and her government value. Covid-19 means overseas travel for Marise Payne costs 14 days’ quarantine on the return to Oz. The travel test now comes …
Donald Trump went negative and then he tested positive. Trump visited chaos on the first campaign debate. Then Covid-19 did the same to his campaign. The Donald’s ability—call it a skill—to shout and shift is …
The departure of Abe Shinzo as Japan’s leader opens a new era for Canberra’s quasi-alliance with Tokyo. Australia is going to find out how much its small ‘a’ alliance is based on Abe and how …
Submarines are a top-of-the-budget answer to a top-of-the-pile nightmare. The argument for subs lies within the fundamental call on any nation: defend the realm and protect the currency (proving the oldest-profession status of strategists and …
Australia started the journalist war with China. Tit-for-tat logic made it inevitable that Australian journalists in China would pay the price. Hard questions should be asked about Canberra’s thinking on the costs and consequences of …
Submarines are so vital to Australia that two of our past prime ministers have publicly pointed to the nuclear-powered option. Shifting from the conventional power of the existing Collins class and the planned Attack class …
On Wednesday, Australia’s South Pacific ‘step-up’ reaches its fourth birthday as an ambitious work in progress. History and geography command commitment. Commitment generates cash. Cash is as vital as vision because neighbourhood needs press. Strategy …
The switch from creating a ‘Son of Collins’ to making a ‘son of Collins’ is a conundrum of Australia’s submarine saga. The Defence Department abandoned the option of building a second generation of the Collins-class …
The idea of morality in US foreign policy is a macabre jest in the age of President Donald Trump. Yet the amorality of a shape-shifting American president emphasises the value of moral compass points. By …
Australia has spent 40 years building its own submarines. For subs (and ships) we do defence as industry policy. Build our own naval muscle and build our economy. Protect sovereignty and protect jobs. The capability …