‘Electric circuitry has overthrown the regime of “time” and “space” and pours upon us instantly and continuously the concerns of all other men.’ Marshall McLuhan, 1967. ‘The traditional factors of production …
Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
On 6 September, 2001, a bunch of journalists and military officers met at the National Press Club in Canberra to discuss why the military and media don’t get along. The Australian Defence Force had media …
‘Tis, indeed, a wonderful time to be a Defencenik in Canberra. Tomorrow is Budget Day in the national capital. Yet Defence has nothing to fear and everything to expect. Defence is special. The budget future …
Today is Anzac Day, the 101st anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli. Anzac Day has broadened its personal reach and become less overtly political or even geopolitical. The annual moment of memory has evolved. And …
Next Monday, April 25, is Anzac Day, the 101st anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli. This is the first of two columns by Graeme Dobell reflecting on the commemoration. For six decades, I’ve known …
Canberra is where strategy and politics meet. Always to confer; occasionally to collide. Ever seeking conclusion—ever settling for compromise. In the politics and strategy games, cooperation and clash are constant companions. And Canberra is where …
The standard political and military approach to journalists is to use and abuse. The hacks return it with gusto. When things go wrong and the going gets tough, the political/military approach shifts gear to shut …
Southeast Asia is feeling the pressure from Asia’s big beasts. ASEAN, as a middle-power grouping, might be glad of a bit of extra middle-power heft from the likes of Australia and New Zealand. The strategic …
A former Secretary-General of ASEAN, Ong Keng Yong, says ASEAN could create a special category of partnership just for Australia and New Zealand. Ong says Australia and New Zealand are so important to ASEAN’s Community …
Australia’s defence thinkers are ever worried about self-reliance and order. The Rs reign: rules and self-reliance and region. Those themes run through the 40 years from the first Defence White Paper in 1976 to the …
It’s time to look past Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—this is Oz and the Seven White Papers. (No word to hand on the Handsome Prince capability trial or cost blowout in the digital poisoned …
A Defence White Paper is analysis framed by numbers. More than dollars and equipment, the numbers offer meanings and mental maps. Seek the topography from the typography. The crudest measure is to rank countries by …