A tumultuous two weeks in South Africa have propelled corruption into international headlines after the country’s Constitutional Court jailed former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. On 7 July, Zuma, a man known for …
Darwin Harbour and the port facilities along its eastern arm have a long history of disregard, disrepair and haphazard investment and control by successive governments dating back to the close of World War II. There has …
More than 30 countries across Europe, North America and Asia yesterday joined in revealing and condemning the Chinese government’s Ministry of State Security’s work with Chinese cyber hackers and cybercriminals to hack companies, governments and …
The French government’s decision to hold New Caledonia’s third independence referendum in December this year signals the early termination of the Noumea Accord, the last of the pacts that have underpinned stability in Australia’s near …
The Northern Territory’s geostrategic importance has never been clearer as longstanding tensions in the Indo-Pacific are exacerbated by the dislocating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The United States has foreshadowed an increased military presence in …
When Zhou Enlai, China’s newly appointed premier and foreign minister, in November 1949 addressed the initial recruits for China’s Foreign Ministry, few of the 170 assembled graduates, local administrators and peasant revolutionaries spoke a foreign …
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, the myGov website was overwhelmed when worried Australians attempted to access the service. In 2016, the online census system was taken offline on census night after problems arising from a …
Encrypted messaging has become a very difficult business. Despite their reach, it’s hard to make money from messaging apps. And their key service—encryption—is under constant attack from actors across the political spectrum. Authoritarian governments are …
US government releases first report on WPS strategy The Biden administration has released its first public report evaluating the implementation of the 2019 United States strategy on women, peace, and security in the departments of …
On 11 July, billionaire Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed test flight to space. Billionaire Jeff Bezos will soon follow suit on the first Blue Origin crewed flight on 20 July. ASPI’s Malcolm …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. ‘Strategy without money is not strategy.’ — Arthur Tange, Secretary of the Department of Defence, 1970–1979* …
Since Washington’s February 2020 agreement with the Taliban to withdraw from Afghanistan, some commentators have suggested that China may step into the vacuum. Beijing may be watching recent events with some apprehension, but it will …
Planet A The Australian government says it will appeal a federal court declaration that the environment minister has a duty of care to protect young people from harm associated with the impacts of climate change …
The current debate in Australia about visas for Afghans who worked with Australian forces poses questions about the sort of people we are. Australia has historically veered between kindness to strangers and insularity tinged with …
As Germany prepares for its federal elections in September, many are wondering what will come next. Under outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany has become an ‘indispensable nation’ in Europe and within the broader rules-based international …
The Royal Australian Navy is in the early stages of a long transition that is notable for its strategic risk. Both its core surface and subsurface combat fleets are ageing but are planned to be …
Iran and Israel have been at loggerheads since the transformation of Iran into an Islamic republic more than four decades ago and each has persistently viewed the other as a major threat to its national …
Afghanistan is on the brink of catastrophe, and it is US President Joe Biden’s fault. By overruling America’s top generals and ordering the hasty withdrawal of US troops, Biden opened the way for Taliban terrorists …
Ransomware attacks are now a global epidemic and Australia is a prime target. That’s because ransomware is scalable, ransomware attacks can be commoditised and ransomware criminals are essentially ‘guns for hire’. Bringing a huge organisation …
In part 1 of this series, we talked about Australia’s rapidly changing strategic environment. In this follow-up, we focus on ways that Australia’s foreign policy funding models should adapt to accommodate to this new environment. …