The beat Rifles in the streets? Around 50 NSW riot squad officers have been issued with semi-automatic assault rifles—Colt M4 Carbines, to be exact. Intended to be deployed in terror incidents, the officers could also …
Articles by: "Jack Viola"
Sea state During his visit to Beijing, Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, was formally rebuked by his Chinese counterpart. Chinese Navy commander Shen Jinlong condemned the Australian Navy for having ‘compromised the …
The world Welcome to the last ‘ASPI suggests’ of 2017. Let’s kick things off with a look back at the year. The New York Times has published a list of its most-read stories of 2017 …
The beat Drugs in flames The Pakistani Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) held its 2017 drug-burning ceremony in Islamabad. In the presence of national officials and international representatives such as the UN Office of Drugs and Crime …
Sea state Japan and China have agreed to implement a ‘hotline’ to avoid clashes in the East China Sea. No official agreement on the details of the mechanism has yet been reached, but the Japan …
The world Donald Trump doesn’t let a week slip by without throwing a spanner in the works. His decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital overturned more than two decades of US foreign policy in …
The beat Andromeda defeated A collaboration between the FBI, various European crime and cyber crime investigators, Europol, Eurojust and private-sector partners has ‘dismantled one of the longest running malware families in existence’, the Andromeda botnet. …
Sea state Indian Naval Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba expressed concern at China’s naval presence—including submarines—in the Indian Ocean. India fears that the Chinese navy’s plan to deploy warships to Gwadar, a Chinese-owned port in Pakistan, …
Foreign policy white paper and WPS In late November, Australia released its first foreign policy white paper since 2003. While Katrina Lee-Koo has acknowledged that it represents a ‘step in the right direction’ in terms …
The world Britain is preparing to settle its ‘divorce bill’ with the European Union. Initial claims from presumptuous Brexiteers that Britain would be saving, not spending, have proved false—in the short term, at least. The …
The beat Austerity analysis Barry Loveday from the University of Portsmouth has sounded the alarm about declining police numbers in England and Wales in his analysis of the recently released state of policing report. He …
The world This week pundits continued to pick apart President Donald Trump’s Asia trip. This piece from China File takes a look at the geopolitical manoeuvring of two great powers, now possibly on equal footing, …