The Sudanese crisis is an epitome of the ongoing struggle between the forces of authoritarianism and those of pro-democracy change that has come to feature in many states of the Arab world for more than …
Nearly three years after his failed bromance with Donald Trump, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is once again angling for US attention. North Korea has tested a new, high-tech missile and hinted that it may …
A new ASPI special report, Sliding-door moments: ANZUS and the Blue Pacific, released today, canvasses important lessons from the 70-year history of ANZUS in the Pacific Island region* and how those lessons bear on Australia’s …
The abduction and extraordinary rescue of Cleo Smith in Western Australia has played out as a dramatic and ultimately heart-warming story of dogged police work and a little girl returned to her family. For hundreds …
The first week of Glasgow’s COP26 climate summit is over, and we have seen a number of countries make landmark promises to help mitigate the effects of climate change. ASPI’s Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas …
Amid global uncertainties, strengthening like-minded nations’ bonds to deal with those challenges is vital. In the Indo-Pacific region, cooperation between Australia and Japan has been where the action is. There are three defining challenges—the so-called …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. ASPI’s first big policy impact was arguing that Australia must intervene to save Solomon Islands. The …
World leaders have now departed Glasgow after delivering, with a few notable exceptions, underwhelming climate announcements. If COP26 was the planet’s last best chance, leaders for the most part didn’t rise to the occasion. But …
At Senate estimates hearings on 24 March of this year, the independent Senator Malcolm Roberts bluntly asked Defence Department officials, ‘If the last sub will be delivered in the 2040s and the first delivery is …
Sea state An Astute-class submarine from the UK’s carrier strike group has docked at HMAS Stirling naval base in Perth, giving Australian naval personnel an opportunity to observe its capabilities. It’s the first Royal Navy …
At a recent meeting of trans-Atlantic foreign policy experts, a European friend told the group that he used to worry about a decline in American hard power but felt reassured. On the other hand, he …
It’s not yet two months old, but our AUKUS partnership with the United States and Britain is already showering us with lessons about statecraft, strategy, politics and how to buy submarines. Here is my take …
The AUKUS agreement with the United States and Britain opens many opportunities to develop the Australian Defence Force in new directions beyond those detailed in the 2020 force structure plan. ASPI executive director Peter Jennings …
How easy is it for a motivated actor to access your DNA, and why should you even care? These questions have long led to a Pandora’s box few are willing to open; Covid-19 has changed …
International organisations are currently plagued by allegations of powerful states wielding undue influence over outcomes. These include recent revelations about Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other countries pushing back against the United Nations on climate …
As tensions across the Taiwan Strait rise, pressure is growing on the US administration to deter China more effectively by giving up on strategic ambiguity and moving towards a policy of strategic clarity. Indeed, last …
September was a dizzying month in Australian foreign policy, especially in the Australian–American relationship. In quick succession were the 70th anniversary of ANZUS, the announcement of the new AUKUS defence partnership, the annual AUSMIN consultations …
High school economics taught us that scaling up improves efficiency and reduces costs. There’s intense focus right now in the Northern Territory on tapping into large-scale solar and renewable hydrogen, large-scale gas exports and large-scale …
The United Nations Climate Change Conference better known as COP26 that’s underway in Glasgow might conclude with a big international agreement. But whatever tactical successes are achieved at COP26, the results are likely to mark …
US security agencies have released their first comprehensive public-facing intelligence assessments on the impacts of climate change on US national security—three months after the due date set out in President Joe Biden’s January executive order …