ASPI suggests

The world The 70‑year‑long conflict between Israel and Palestine flared up again this week. Sixty Palestinians were killed, the highest fatality toll since the 2014 war. Gazans have been protesting for weeks, demanding the right to …

Shipbuilding—making it up as we go along

In its 50‑page review of the implementation of Australia’s naval shipbuilding program, the Australian National Audit Office managed to avoid using the word ‘shambles’. That’s more than I can manage. We’re only at the starting …

The art of the backflip

  Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump May 13 President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China …

The gift that keeps on giving—to China

All bad management, a business guru once remarked, is taught by example. Donald Trump is teaching a master class on how not to serve as America’s chief executive. By abandoning the thoughtful policymaking of his …

Brent Clark: The long, stealthy voyage has begun

The company building the Navy’s 12 new submarines says they’ll be the world’s first conventional boats big enough to effectively use the company’s pump jet propulsion system. French Naval Group Australia says that its propulsor will …

Liberal democracy: just one option among many

The increase in authoritarianism and illiberal democracy is a concern for those who see an indissoluble bond between capitalism and democracy. And it’s a worry for those who believe that international liberalism is required to …

My way: Trump withdraws from the Iran nuclear deal

Frank Sinatra popularised ‘My Way’ in the late 1960s. Last week Donald Trump performed his own version by announcing his unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). It struck a very unpopular chord—especially among …

Trump’s war of choice

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was not his first departure from a key international agreement. From the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the Paris climate accord, tearing …

North Korea and ‘the Libyan model’

With the location and date of the forthcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong‑un now fixed, speculation has turned to what sort of agreement might be achievable. US National Security Advisor John Bolton recently …

President dangerously Trumps good sense

Donald Trump has just unshackled Iran from its commitment to mothball most of its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. He has wilfully unravelled a historic diplomatic triumph and arms control milestone—which …

The annual geoeconomic statement

Australian defence white papers come along occasionally and foreign policy papers are rare, but each year Canberra produces a geoeconomic report card. Although the federal budget is an intensely domestic creature, the Treasury documents always …