In a recent Lowy Institute paper, the Center for New American Security’s Thomas Shugart warns that China is building up its military capacity to coerce Australia directly, particularly in the event of US strategic retrenchment …
My political awakening coincided with the systemic changes that unfolded following the collapse of communism in Hungary in 1989. I was both fascinated and overjoyed by my country’s rapid democratisation. As a teenager, I persuaded …
In 2019, Exercise Talisman Sabre ended with an airdrop of 26 tonnes of humanitarian assistance into Shoalwater Bay Training Area. In 2021, the same location was used to open the biennial exercise with a multi-domain …
Every million tonnes of coal has recently been costing China’s steel mills more than US$400 million, compared with around US$250 million paid by steel mills everywhere else. The difference is entirely explained by China’s embargo …
Ten years ago, in September 2011, Australia and the US stretched ANZUS to cover cyberspace. That year’s AUSMIN communiqué addressed the challenges posed by growing cyber threats, specifically endorsing a joint statement on cyberspace. The …
Greece’s naval modernisation program is another step in the nation’s attempts to secure strategic advantage in a region being shaken by shifting balances of power. Its naval modernisation complements the government’s recent signing of defence …
While Covid-19 continues to provide moments of awakening, it’s yet to become the catalyst for the paradigm shift expected by many in the back half of 2020. Perhaps this will change with the realisation that …
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews has detailed plans for authorities to more closely monitor convicted terrorists if they are freed from prison. In a speech to an online seminar hosted by the ASPI on ‘The …
The Afghanistan fiasco has already touched off regional rivalries. The small but oil-rich State of Qatar and allied Republic of Turkey were the first off the rank, joining forces to assist the Taliban and their …
The American-led global war on terror, launched 20 years ago after the 11 September 2001 attacks against the United States, was already faltering before President Joe Biden took office. Now it may not recover from …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. The Strategist first went online on 17 July 2012, becoming a ‘blog’ that blossomed. ASPI’s publication …
It’s episode 100 of Policy, Guns and Money. For this special occasion, ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings speaks to former Australian prime minister John Howard and Governor of Western Australia Kim Beazley. They consider some …
The world, including countries with major stakes in Afghanistan, has come to terms with the return of the Taliban to power. Now the Taliban must come to terms with the world. However, both internal and …
Thai foreign policy is frequently characterised by the metaphor of bamboo bending with the wind. The simultaneous strength and flexibility of bamboo suggests a foreign policy that is both adaptable and pragmatic in its aim …
Much is being said about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the measures used to deal with it, and how Australians are coping as a result. It’s unsurprising that levels of alarm and disillusionment have …
There’s been a strong focus on the upcoming AUSMIN talks between Australia’s defence and foreign ministers and their US counterparts and calls for Australia to press the US robustly to deliver more substantive Indo-Pacific and …
Last Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that he wouldn’t be contesting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election at the end of September. In doing so, he effectively signalled his intention to resign …
The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 on the United States were a horrific shock. Images of trapped victims leaping from the Twin Towers are indelible, and the intrusive security measures introduced in the wake …
The 1999 withdrawal of Indonesia and its military from East Timor eventually ushered in a Timorese- and United Nations–mandated truth and reconciliation process. In 2005, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation reported on its …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. In October 2013, seven weeks after Australia’s federal election, the new prime minister and new opposition …