Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has come a long way in a short time in its embrace of digital tools and technology. DFAT, and most of our embassies around the world, now have …
China is determined to be a leading space power, able to influence events from above in the 21st century. Part 1 of this two-part series examined the importance of military space capabilities to the People’s …
Lou Jiwei may not be a household name in the West, but the former Chinese finance minister is well known and highly respected among financiers and economic policymakers. Yet, earlier this month, China’s government announced …
In December 2018, former Israel Defense Forces chief Benny Gantz established Hosen L’Yisrael (Israel Resilience Party) and rocked the Israeli political landscape when many started seeing him as a viable replacement for Benjamin Netanyahu. Gantz …
Huawei is perhaps the most enigmatic company on the planet. The Chinese communications firm is not publicly listed, and despite being one of the world’s largest firms, basic information about its structure, ownership and business …
When Joko Widodo came to power in 2014, he promised as Indonesia’s seventh president to usher in a different style of politics to anything the country had seen before. He exuded humility. The son of …
Sea state Chinese media have reported that the People’s Liberation Army Navy is testing a tactical laser system similar to the US Navy’s laser weapon system. They say that the weapon will be deployed on …
It was John Nance Garner, Franklin Roosevelt’s first vice president, who characterised his office most pithily and dismissively. The formidable Texas Democrat, ‘cactus Jack’, declared that the vice presidency of the United States was ‘not …
In my initial analysis of the 2019–20 Defence budget, I suggested that in the four budgets since the 2016 defence white paper, the actual funding that the government has provided to Defence has come remarkably …
Since the days of Jiang Zemin, Chinese military-strategic guidelines have emphasised the requirement for the People’s Liberation Army to focus on ‘informatisation’ as a key component of its modernisation efforts. The essential requirement for informatisation …
Days out from the world’s biggest single-day elections and the polls in Indonesia show President Joko Widodo holding an almost unassailable lead over challenger Prabowo Subianto, in contrast to the surprisingly tight contest the same …
On 4 April, a group of international buyers’ associations from the garment, footwear, sporting and travel goods industries sent a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to express their concerns over abusive labour practices …
The federal election on 18 May will decide political power, and open or close Canberra doors on many other dimensions of power. The broad consensus on foreign policy and defence between the Liberal–National coalition and …
The $3.9 billion emergency response fund announced in the Morrison government’s pre-election budget will resonate with the tens of thousands of Australians who, over recent months, have suffered terribly from record-setting droughts, floods and bushfires. …
In this episode we talk about the likelihood and dangers of interference in the Australian election with the head of ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre, Fergus Hanson. After that our two grumpy strategists, Michael Shoebridge …
The world Australia’s phoney election campaign has finally turned into the real thing. Voters will head to the polls on 18 May—joining the citizens of a number of countries that are holding elections now or …
Mention the term ‘space coast’ and the image of launch pads and gantries at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida come to mind. It’s a true spaceport that not only launches rockets but …
This article is part of a series on women, peace and security that The Strategist is publishing in recognition of International Women’s Day. Diseases don’t know borders. That maxim is often invoked to remind countries of their …
For more than a year, debate has raged over allegations that the Chinese military is taking advantage of Google’s research and expansion into China. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, …
As though Afghanistan’s problems couldn’t get any worse, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s most recent Afghanistan opium survey (released in November last year) was a stark reminder of the challenges facing the war-torn …