China’s deepening geopolitical hole

The United Kingdom’s decision to ban Huawei from its 5G networks has dealt a painful blow to China. Until recently, Beijing was still counting on the UK government to stick to its earlier decision to …

The politics of a Covid-19 vaccine

The global toll of the Covid-19 pandemic is enormous: more than half a million lives lost, hundreds of millions out of work and trillions of dollars of wealth destroyed. And the disease has by no …

A doomed Israeli–Palestinian peace

Twenty years ago this month, US President Bill Clinton invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat to a peace summit at Camp David, in a bold effort to resolve …

Lessons from the Polish opposition

Although Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski did not come out on top in Poland’s presidential election, the result represents a turning point in European politics. The nationalist–populist tide has peaked. To paraphrase Winston Churchill’s famous quip …

Papua New Guinea sides with China on Hong Kong

The United Nations Human Rights Council recently voted on a resolution supporting China’s draconian national security law that has effectively crushed free speech and freedom of assembly in Hong Kong. The resolution was carried with …

Australia should beware of space industry subsidies

Australia should be careful to avoid the negative consequences of subsidising its space sector as it channels millions of dollars to spur development in space-related industries. This approach is both promising and dangerous—promising because it …

Australia’s strategic update by the numbers

The 2020 defence strategic update is analysis framed by numbers (and dollars), a melding of meanings and means and mental maps. To follow the strategic accounting, see what the update counts. Find the strategy in …