Donald Trump is now expected to hold a summit meeting with Vladimir Putin possibly as early as next month. His self-assessment of the success of his meeting with Kim Jung-un is probably a factor. President …
The beat At what point does law enforcement breach privacy? The Carpenter case in the US Supreme Court has reignited debate about to what extent law enforcement agencies should have access to information on mobile …
The US Navy had a horror year in 2017 with tragic accidents and a major corruption scandal. While the cause may have been mainly budgetary, with inadequate resources allowed the navy, deeper cultural issues might …
In a 2017 poll conducted by the Chinese newspaper Global Times, Australia had the dubious honour of being voted ‘least friendly country to China’. In the same Chinese Communist Party–linked newspaper, a recent editorial argued …
What do President Donald Trump and ‘America First’ mean for AUSMIN—the upcoming annual meeting between Australian and US defence ministers Marise Payne and Jim Mattis, and foreign ministers Julie Bishop and Mike Pompeo? What should …
China is actively seeking to lead in setting technical standards across a range of emerging industries, from ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission to artificial intelligence. Developing homegrown standards and internationalising them can enable Chinese companies to …
Divisions within Germany’s ruling coalition over refugees have started to jeopardise Chancellor Angela Merkel’s control of the government. To put down a rebellion launched by her own interior minister, Horst Seehofer of the Bavaria-based Christian …
The Australian National Audit Office’s public assessments of the health of major Department of Defence projects are invaluable—but the fact that the ANAO isn’t yet reporting on the $80-billion future submarine program or the $35-billion …
Fifteen months ago, I wrote an ASPI Strategist article setting out four scenarios for the future of the Trump administration based on how Trump might handle two driving factors. The first factor was whether the …
Sea state The German Navy frigate FGS Sashen has been damaged in a failed missile launch. During drills off the Norwegian coast, a missile didn’t emerge from the cell in front of the bridge and …
If you wanted to sum up America’s (and its allies’) military-strategic posture towards China in Asia today in a sentence, you’d say that we aim to deter China from using force in situations like Taiwan …
Q: How many of our politicians have you taken over [to Huawei’s Shenzhen headquarters]? Huawei Australia chairman John Lord: I personally have taken about a dozen over the last seven years. Q: And it’s all …
When one thinks of conflict in the Middle East, religious factors are probably among the first that come to mind. But, nowadays, competing strategic interests and imperial ambitions play a much larger role than religious …
The rise of protectionism is very threatening in the world today. What’s your prognosis on this for the next few years? Do you think that we’re really in for a bad time with trade wars? …
The old joke that it’s easy to have an open mind if you’ve got an empty mind has a Canberra version. The rejigged jibe judges that it’s simpler to run an inquiry if the policy …
What are the biggest current issues in Australian foreign policy? The government’s foreign policy white paper laid out the key challenges: firstly, a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific and secondly, the work that we do …
The world The United States this week withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council. Vox provides a clear picture of the situation while CNN discusses reactions to the move. This CFR piece investigates how prospects …
In April this year, Australia hosted the inaugural ASEAN–Australia women, peace and security (WPS) dialogue, an initiative born out of the ASEAN–Australia special summit in March. Although Australia has been involved in regional peacekeeping operations …
Australia’s special forces have been in the news due to allegations ranging from poor culture to potential war crimes, including arbitrary executions. These allegations have led to a number of Defence-initiated reviews and investigations. Much …
Back in 2005, when I was the United States’ lead negotiator at the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, I looked at the instructions I received for my first meeting, a Chinese-hosted banquet that …