In early 2017, with the world still reeling from the unexpected election of Donald Trump as US president, China’s President Xi Jinping appeared before a World Economic Forum audience so disoriented that it was wondering …
In late 2017, the revival of an idea over a decade old—the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—created a wave of debate, concern and anticipation across the world. The Quad, as it is commonly referred to—or, more precisely, …
Over the last six years, the hopes of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru have been sacrificed by an Australian government policy designed to prevent broader loss of life and maintain the sovereignty of …
WPS on the agenda at the United Nations Women, peace and security was in focus at the United Nations in January, with a number of high-profile events and new developments. The UN Security Council held …
Since 2013, the Heritage Foundation, together with ASPI and think tanks in India (Vivikananda International Foundation) and Japan (first the Tokyo Foundation, and now the Japan Institute of International Affairs), has hosted a discussion called …
Paul Dibb, in his recent Strategist post, writes that America’s strategic position in Asia would be fatally undermined if it didn’t go to war with China if China attacked Taiwan, and that Australia’s alliance with …
The choice of venue for the second meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, scheduled for 27–28 February 2019, is about more than convenience of distance, familiarity (Trump visited Vietnam in 2017) and diplomatic facilities. …
Sea state Yesterday, Australia and France signed an A$50 billion contract for Australia’s fleet of 12 new submarines after a stalemate over the length of warranty periods and possible technology transfers delayed the negotiations. French …
If the past year is any indication of the year ahead, US policy in Asia will be erratic and self-serving. The beginnings of an Indo-Pacific strategy notwithstanding, the Trump administration continues to work out its issues with …
In a recent Strategist article, Malcolm Davis asked an interesting question: should Australia take a cue from Japan and deploy F-35Bs (the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the joint strike fighter) at sea? …
The proper use of military force in international relations is the indispensable subject of strategic policy. The national interests that could be promoted, protected or secured by the use or threat of military force, and …
On the first anniversary of the Chibok girls’ kidnapping, Nigerian activist Hamsatu Allamin told the UN Security Council that efforts to prevent violent extremism will not succeed without women’s participation. She said women in northeast …
In October 1996, only 10 days after the fall of the Afghan capital Kabul to the extremist Taliban movement, an article appeared in the Washington Post titled ‘Afghanistan: time to reengage’. The writer, an Afghanistan-born senior strategist at …
As alcohol is an operational fluid of defence and diplomacy, it’s natural that this Wednesday’s debate on new cold war versus hot peace is a champagne challenge (the winner buys the champagne). At the Canberra …
The world President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address stole the limelight this week. This short piece from CNN summarises the highlights, and the Financial Review argues that the speech was a sign of …
After foreshadowing the move late last year, President Donald Trump confirmed on 1 February that the US was leaving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The 1987 agreement banned the US and Russia from having …
In early January, Indonesian finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati inaugurated the new Tawiri Ambon naval base near Ambon Bay with direct access to the Banda Sea. The base will support the navy’s major warships and …
The human cost of illicit drug use in Australia—whether from heroin overdoses in the 1990s or, more recently, from methamphetamine (ice) and MDMA (the main ingredient in ecstasy)—makes the headlines because it personalises the issue. …
Australian policymakers’ attitude to the role of northern Australia in the nation’s defence mimics a cicada’s life cycle. For a brief period, it’s out in the world, flying around and making a huge amount of …
The beat Encryption laws already yielding results The Australian Federal Police says that criminal suspects are already feeling the effects of new encryption laws, despite continuing controversy over their implementation. Under the new laws, people …