Massacre a sign of increased trouble in Papua

The Indonesian government’s long and difficult task of developing Papua just got a lot harder after Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebels slaughtered at least 16 construction workers who were building a 4,320-kilometre highway that will …

Privatising visa processing is the only practical option

In May 2016, the Turnbull government announced plans to overhaul and automate Australia’s visa-processing system. The initiative involves creating a new digital platform using artificial intelligence and big data technologies. The Department of Home Affairs, …

The future of police command

Critical incidents, such as the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney, evolve rapidly, are inherently ambiguous and may be challenging to define. When they include significant novel aspects (in their scale, complexity or unprecedented nature), …

When night becomes day: F-35s join the RAAF

The arrival today of the first two operational joint strike fighters will strengthen the deterrent effect of the whole Australian Defence Force, says Air Marshal Leo Davies. The Royal Australian Air Force chief tells The …

The new era of great-power competition

The first strategic priority for Australia in the Indo-Pacific is to manage great-power competition. And the central trend of that competition is the challenge to US dominance. So says Australia’s defence minister. Here’s Christopher Pyne …

Defence policy in an era of disruption

The editors of The Strategist are pleased to present this extract from the first issue of a new ASPI publication series, ‘The Strategist Selections’, released today. Issue 1, ‘Kim Beazley on the US alliance and …

Policy, Guns and Money: Episode 9

In this podcast, Tom Uren talks to Anne Lyons about her report on Australia’s national digital identity, Brendan Nicholson interviews Dr Robert Glasser, the former special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, …

A new dawn for Ethiopia?

In the month before Abiy Ahmed was sworn in as the new prime minister in April 2018, Ethiopia was on the brink of civil war and inching further into the unknown. Unrest led by the …

Is fake news here to stay?

The term ‘fake news’ has become an epithet that US President Donald Trump attaches to any unfavourable story. But it is also an analytical term that describes deliberate disinformation presented in the form of a …

ANZUS in the age of disruption

The network of US alliances built in the early years of the Cold War has proven remarkably resilient. Nowadays, it’s easy—and wrong—to take that resilience for granted. Back in 1997, Stephen Walt, analysing alliance durability, …

Encryption deal done, but more work needed

Yesterday the government and opposition came to an agreement to pass the Assistance and Access Bill 2018 just before parliament rises. The bill rocketed towards the top of the political agenda when the government demanded …