The anti-government protests that have been raging in Iraq and Lebanon for the past several weeks have sent two strong messages. First, the average citizen is fed up with corrupt ruling elites that engage in …
Until China’s emergence as a genuine military great power, conventional military threats to Australia were considered remote, yet there had to be some rationale for developing strategic policy. In practice, the Australian Defence Force prepared …
Australia needs to consider its options for projecting greater military power in an age where we can’t assume that we’ll get assistance from the US whenever and wherever we need it. In my recent Strategist …
Since it was announced in August, Indonesia’s plan to relocate its capital to East Kalimantan in Borneo has engendered much debate, but few have examined the potential military and strategic implications of the move. The …
Compared with the rich trove of memoirs from American practitioners, Australia has far too few accounts from our diplomats, members of the armed forces and intelligence officers about the practical processes of Australian engagement with …
The Kremlin is on a roll. Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has replaced the United States in Syria, continues to intervene in Eastern Ukraine, and recently hosted an African summit in Sochi. Appearances, however, can …
The public debate about moving full-cycle dockings of the Collins-class submarines to Western Australia has been overwhelmingly political. The vital point has so far been ignored: industry is engaged to support the navy, not the …
Countries across the Middle East are facing a bleak future of declining rainfall, diminishing surface- and groundwater supplies, and increasing desertification. Since 1998, the region has faced the worst drought conditions in 900 years; it …
Sea state Australia and South Korea have held their annual joint naval exercise. Code-named ‘Haedori-Wallaby’, the drills included joint manoeuvres and firing exercises, and involved six ships, six aircraft and a submarine on the Korean …
Huge amounts of time, effort and frustration have gone into negotiating the terms of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. And with the UK set to hold a crucial parliamentary election on 12 …
We’ve known for a while that SEA 1000, the Defence Department’s future submarine program, is going to cost a lot of money—we just haven’t known exactly how much. But as time moves on and Defence …
Those of us older than a certain age will recall an excellent British television series, Yes, Minister, and its successor, Yes, Prime Minister: they were required viewing for young and enthusiastic public servants in Canberra. …
Having read the article last month by Antony Funnell for ‘Future Tense’ and published on ABC News Online, I felt there was a need to respond. The article specifically targets the equipment being used by …
After the collapse of communism in Europe in 1989, many dreamed of building a united and free continent with the European Union at its core. But 30 years later, Europeans have awoken to a new …
Australia gropes and stutters towards a renewed embrace of international broadcasting—the vital need to ‘speak for ourselves’ in the Asia–Pacific. The latest lurch towards fresh understanding is the silent release of the review of Australia’s …
The world The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is likely to take centre stage at the ASEAN+ leaders’ summit underway in Bangkok today, in which leaders from the 10 ASEAN member states and eight other countries, …
As in 1848, 1968, 1989, and 2010–2012, a wave of popular protests has taken the world by surprise. Ongoing mass revolts—in Beirut, Santiago, Hong Kong, Algiers, Baghdad and other cities—are gaining strength and wrongfooting governments. …
Three summers ago, I was walking with my husband along a South Coast beach when we noticed a woman diving into the surf with her two teenage children. From where we stood, it was obvious …
Luke Gosling’s recent Strategist post, mooting Darwin as a forward operating location for Australia’s submarines, sparked a few thoughts. First and foremost, it is refreshing to see Australian MPs sticking their necks out, thinking strategically …
China’s dominance of the rare-earths industry is the result of a 40-year campaign by the Chinese state that has given it a market share of between 80% and 90% of the mining, processing and manufacturing …