What does it take, one wonders, for ASEAN to take action against one of its member states? Not genocide, it seems, or a military coup, or the gunning down of peaceful protesters. According to ASEAN’s …
Sea state China’s assertive maritime policies and naval ambitions are being met with an increased European presence in the Indo-Pacific. This year, the UK’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will transit the South China …
Prime Minister Scott Morrison may be forecasting ‘a new dawn in the Indo-Pacific’ with the arrival of the Quad meeting of Australian, Japanese, Indian and US leaders, but we would do well to remember the …
The Quad is back in action. Australia, India, Japan and the US formed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in 2007 in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, but it foundered in 2008 due to lack …
Economic nationalism is already threatening to derail the headline commitment of last weekend’s Quad leaders’ summit to manufacture and distribute 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to poorer nations, which is intended to counter China’s …
What keeps Taiwan independent? Ambiguous alliances and regular weapons purchases have so far acted as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s desire to finally annex Taiwan into the People’s Republic of China. But Taiwan has another …
The protracted Afghanistan conflict and lack of progress in the intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha have prompted President Joe Biden’s administration to get tough with the Afghan government and pressure the Taliban to reach a …
Sometimes what appears to be a mistake is just prescience waiting for events to catch up. This may be the case with the ‘slip of the pen’ in the Federated States of Micronesia’s note verbale …
Today is tagged, by some who give historical events a beginning and an end, as the 10th anniversary of the start of the war in Syria. It is, in fact, one of several days, over …
The Northern Territory government has set ambitious plans for economic and social prosperity. Its catchily named ‘Terabit Territory’ initiative, which aims to position the NT to become a leader in telecommunications across Southeast Asia, is …
On 9 March, the European Commission presented its vision for a European ‘digital decade’. With policy targets for 2030 focusing on the four cardinal issues of skills, infrastructure and capacities, public services, and the digitalisation …
‘We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion.’ — Quad leaders’ joint statement, ‘The spirit of the Quad’, 13 March 2021 The leaders’ meeting of …
In May last year, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade adopted an inquiry into the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. Committee chair and Liberal senator David Fawcett joins The Strategist’s Brendan …
Last month, Taiwan’s government announced several personnel changes in leadership positions in its defence and security team, including the key posts of defence minister and National Security Bureau director. While at least one of these …
As countries scramble to secure Covid-19 vaccines, ugly expressions like ‘vaccine race’ and ‘vaccine nationalism’ have entered the global lexicon. But, at a time when global cooperation in sharing vaccines is minimal, and the World …
In January 2019, ASPI established its ‘North and Australia’s Security’ program to provide a sustained research focus on the security of northern Australia and its critical role in broader security—and for a good reason, as …
There’s one thing we’re all getting wrong about TikTok: it’s not really a social media app. As TikTok Australia’s general manager told the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media in September last …
Four years ago, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue was something only officials, not ministers, could engage in and there were studious denials that the grouping had anything to do with China’s use of power and economic …
On 26 February, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a 39-country anti–money laundering and counter–terrorism financing watchdog, decided to yet again keep Pakistan on the ‘grey list’ for failing to complete the last three …
North Korea’s recent public displays of new intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles have raised fresh concerns about the risks the regime in Pyongyang poses to the US mainland. As President Joe Biden’s administration reviews US …