Planet A In response to rising sea levels, 10 Pacific nations are mapping their remote island territories to secure permanent rights to exclusive economic zones (EEZs). These small island states, including Fiji, Tuvalu and Kiribati, …
Former US president Donald Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran utterly failed to enhance regional or global security. His successor, Joe Biden, must not make the same mistake. The centrepiece of Trump’s Iran policy was …
In 2018, the Australia–Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership recognised a ‘proximity advantage’ between eastern Indonesia and northern Australia offering ripe opportunities for development, growth and cooperation. Yet, despite the Australian government’s reported enthusiasm over decades to …
In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Democracy Index published in early February, the world’s top five democracies are Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada. North Korea sits triumphantly at the bottom. India is classified …
‘In the decade ahead, the UK will deepen our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, establishing a greater and more persistent presence than any other European country.’ Those are the words of the British government’s long-awaited integrated …
With ‘vaccine nationalism’ intensifying by the day, the global effort to end the Covid-19 pandemic is at risk of faltering. As of mid-March, the coronavirus has infected approximately 120 million people globally, causing around 2.6 …
It’s always risky to proffer an opinion on the probable impact of a new technology, especially if you aren’t entirely convinced that a much-touted ‘game-changer’ is quite as significant as its proponents would have you …
Last week’s meetings in Alaska constituted phase two in high-level US–China contact under the Biden administration. And it was consistent with phase one—Joe Biden’s phone call with Xi Jinping in February. Beyond the histrionics are …
Israelis will go to the polls on Tuesday for the fourth time in two years, with the future of their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hanging in the balance. Public opposition to Netanyahu has only intensified …
Maritime law enforcement (MLE) vessels are non-naval vessels employed on maritime law enforcement duties, primarily coastguard vessels, but also vessels of other MLE agencies, such as marine police and fisheries protection services. The growth of …
The 2021 ‘State of Southeast Asia’ survey report by Singapore-based think tank ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute reveals some hard realities about Indonesians’ attitudes towards Australia. The survey exposes the limited impact of Australia’s soft-power …
It’s 1988 and Australia has only a handful of women ambassadors, with just four women serving as heads of mission. Making a program on the emerging feminine side of Oz diplomacy 33 years ago, 60 …
In this episode, ASPI visiting fellow Robert Glasser speaks with climate expert Frank Jotzo, professor at the Australian National University and director of the ANU’s Centre for Climate and Energy Policy. They discuss the global …
This week saw two significant developments in Australian counterterrorism. Victoria Police arrested two young men and a boy in Melbourne, and charged the two men with planning a terrorist act and one with being a …
In 2007, I was invited by the United Nations to address a regional conference on multilateral cooperation in Pacific Rim ocean governance. The conference was hosted by the Admiral Nevelskoy State Maritime University in Russia’s …
Beijing has long understood that China has a water-security problem that could pose an existential threat. In 2005, China’s minister for water resources reportedly said, ‘To fight for every drop of water or die: that …
This month in Beijing, the so-called two sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference convened to formalise a range of policy goals for China’s economic development, environmental management, law, …
Turkish and Iranian interests coincide in the fields of energy and trade, especially because of Turkey’s dependence on Iranian oil and gas and Iran’s imports of Turkish goods. The two countries also align in their …
The past year has seen major progress in increasing the Northern Territory’s fuel storage capacity and fuel stockholdings—and there’s more to come. The expansion is spread across airfields and ports and comprises different fuel types, …
The hack of Microsoft’s Exchange server software, which centrally manages email and calendars for businesses, threatens to be a bonanza for cybercriminals and may alter the course of US–China relations under the Biden administration. State-based …