In April 2016, in Basilan, Islamic militants gathered to mount an attack on the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The attack they launched killed 18 soldiers and injured more than 50 others. The small island …
Late last week a US drone killed Maulana Fazlullah, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban—known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province. This is a serious body blow to the TTP, which had …
With Australia’s 2017–18 natural disaster season over, it’s timely to acknowledge the superlative capabilities of our emergency service agencies, planners and support staff, whether working full-time or volunteering, who were on-call during the season. …
In May 2016, Rodrigo Duterte, the long-term mayor of Davao City, won a resounding victory in the Philippines national presidential election. He has since set in train a highly populist agenda that has seen internal …
Once again we’re embarked on an endeavour to defuse the Korean peninsula as the perennial flashpoint in Asia. We’ve been here before—notably during the 2003–05 six-party talks—so we know most of the important bits of …
The China relationship is both a complex and crucial one. Politically and culturally, China and Australia are very different countries, and in such complex relationships, differences of approach, objective and opinion will inevitably arise. …
Sea state Australia is set to enhance its submarine capability through sonar upgrades to all six Collins-class boats. The $230 million contract with Thales is part of a bigger $542 million project to upgrade the …
It is frequently said that we are experiencing an information revolution. But what does that mean, and where is the revolution taking us? Information revolutions are not new. In 1439, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press launched …
As Defence embarks on a series of massive and complex building programs, the department’s secretary, Greg Moriarty, has warned that it needs to become more effective at managing projects. ‘A lot of very good work …
US President Donald Trump returned from his short summit meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in an exultant mood. ‘Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office’, Trump …
The news that China has deployed bombers and cruise missiles to contested reefs and islands in the South China Sea has caused significant concern. The move allows Beijing to target ships in disputed waters with …
Gender equality offers a sizeable economic opportunity for any country. A government that hopes to achieve strong growth without tapping into women’s full potential is essentially fighting with one hand tied behind its back. In …
Two coming elections will have massive implications for Australia’s external relations. The outcome of the US 2018 mid-term elections will determine the course of the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidential term. The result …
The review of Australia’s media reach in the Asia–Pacific is an orphan inquiry that has the chance to do great work. The responsible adults didn’t want the orphan, but they really need it. The Coalition …
As millions around the globe contemplated New Year resolutions on 31 December 2017, Israel’s ruling Likud party came up with one of its own. Its Central Committee overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution seeking to extend Israel’s legal jurisdiction …
The world This week, the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong‑un overwhelmingly captured the world’s attention. The two leaders signed a joint statement, President Trump followed with a lengthy press conference and The …
This is a superb book. John Lewis Gaddis is a distinguished academic at Yale University, occupying the Robert A. Lovett Professorship of History. He’s a strategic thinker of the first order, having won the Pulitzer …
The Australian government will soon announce its decision on whether to allow Huawei to participate in Australia’s 5G network. It’s one of the most important policy decisions the prime minister will make this year. And it’s …
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has spoken out against China’s strategy of ‘intimidation and coercion’ in the South China Sea, including the deployment of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jammers, and, more recently, the …
The summit in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong‑un finished with photo‑op fanfare and well-meaning handshakes and smiles. However, the Singapore declaration between Trump and Kim gives little confidence that a …