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 …
The beat Police drone partnership Drones continue to proliferate among US police forces. Drone manufacturer DJI has partnered with Axon, maker of police body cameras, to sell drones directly to police departments. Under the partnership, Phantom 4 Pro …
President Donald Trump’s meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong‑un—in addition to being a diplomatic extravaganza—has produced a document that will continue to be debated for months. While Trump supporters will tout it as a …
This is the 18th and final article in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference, which begins today. When I was the deputy secretary for strategy in the Defence …
Advances in science made the Trump–Kim Summit possible. North Korean scientists’ achievements with nuclear bombs and intercontinental missiles played a part, but the unsung scientific masters were the Singaporeans. They seem to have perfected a …
There’s a line in Taoist philosophy that says, ‘The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.’ It’s a cautionary principle that should underpin one’s reading of the final joint declaration from the …
Allegations of appalling behaviour by a small number of Australian special forces soldiers accused of killing unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan were serious enough to prompt commanders to question whether it would be safe to deploy …
Rumours abound about Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ ill health following repeated hospital stays. With Abbas in his 80s, the end of his leadership is fast approaching. Key questions are who will replace him …
This is the 17th in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference, which begins tomorrow. Every day space provides essential data for banking, TV, internet access and GPS. Space …
When Italy’s president recently vetoed the appointment of the Eurosceptic Paolo Savona as finance minister in the government proposed by the Five Star Movement–League party alliance, did he safeguard or undermine his country’s democracy? Beyond …
This is the 16th in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference. As recently as last Thursday, a post on The Strategist claimed, ‘Like Australia, no country in Southeast …