In my previous post, I looked at some of the issues involved in the Royal Australian Navy acquiring or leasing older nuclear-powered attack submarines from the UK to jump-start Australia’s own SSN program. In summary, …
‘Sustainability’ is an increasingly popular term used to signal one’s virtue in contemporary public discourse, but it’s a poor basis for sound public policy. It conveys a biologist’s view of the economy without any of …
Planet A A new study has recommended that 11 species of Australian bees be listed as threatened, a five-fold increase, due to the 2019–20 bushfires. Lower bee populations threaten crop production, with consequences for Australia’s …
With ASEAN toeing the line of non-interference, the Quad has its first major opportunity to prove its mettle and help end the violence in Myanmar. After a brief waltz with democracy, Myanmar once again descended …
In case you’ve just arrived from Mars, the Australian government has announced it will acquire, with the assistance of the United States and United Kingdom, a fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) that will be …
The Afghanistan debacle has shaken many of America’s allies around the world, making them wonder about the US’s reliability as a partner. In the Middle East, it has led some Arab allies to reassess their …
The Arctic is changing rapidly, owing to the impact of global warming, increasing competition for resources and geopolitical rivalries. Regarding the region’s future, the European Union has both interests to uphold and a meaningful contribution …
Papua New Guinea is divided over its Covid-19 response. The virus has spread throughout the country since March and is now pushing hospitals to capacity in the nation’s worst Covid-19 surge so far, but a …
The first of anything is expensive. Theodore Wright studied this in the 1930s and found a mathematical relationship between how many of a thing have been made and how much cheaper and faster production becomes. …
There’s a wealth of data on the history of military conflicts, which have caused many millions of deaths in the past century, but there’s comparatively little quantitative research forecasting the frequency and severity of wars. …
Does China intend to displace the United States as the world’s leading superpower? Henry Kissinger has frequently argued that China approaches foreign relations from a long-term perspective, while Western countries are tactical, focusing on short-term …
The multifaceted failure in Afghanistan and the AUKUS announcement have generated deep reflection in Australia and elsewhere on the reliability of foreign commitments made by the United States, and on the conditions attached to them. …
The AUKUS strategic partnership of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States has created a kerfuffle whose echoes have been heard from the Indo-Pacific to the Atlantic. Canberra is relieved, Beijing is enraged, Paris …
We live in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. There’s a greater likelihood of a major crisis or conflict in our region in the next 10 years than at any point in decades. From a direct …
China’s coercive expansionism may be taking its most dangerous turn yet. Recently, record-breaking numbers of Chinese military planes have entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, where the island’s authorities assert the right to demand that …
Australia’s strategic policy leaders have long been acutely aware of the importance of the nation’s north to economic, ecological and tactical security. The vast expanse of country has been continuously cared for by First Nations …
The Australian government often describes Australia and New Zealand as ‘natural allies’. But Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement of the AUKUS security partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom on 16 September—which he …
Now that the initial euphoria over the announcement of the AUKUS agreement and Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear submarines has passed, it’s time to unpack some of the deeper meaning. The mandated 18 months of …
Pick any sector of the European economy, and you will find a lot of companies cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. But, while sectors like construction, electricity production and agriculture now emit much less than they did in …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. The most widely read study ever produced by ASPI is Uyghurs for sale:‘re-education’, forced labour and …