In July 2017, North Korea tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles that it claims can deliver a nuclear payload anywhere in the world. Pyongyang tends to exaggerate its military capabilities, but its nuclear and missile programs …
I agree with Peter Jennings’ assessment that the 2017 Independent Intelligence Review seems to have been almost overshadowed by the Turnbull government’s announcement of the new Home Affairs portfolio. The 23 major recommendations of the …
The more power China has accumulated, the more it has attempted to achieve its foreign-policy objectives with bluff, bluster, and bullying. But, as its Himalayan border standoff with India’s military continues, the limits of this …
The snow on the Brindabella Range was icing Canberra’s wind as I slipped into Old Parliament House to take the temperature of Oz international policy and check the strategic weather forecasts. The prophets of the …
Welcome back, dear readers, for another ‘ASPI suggests’ full of ‘fire, fury and, frankly, power’. And a big thanks to M’sieur James Mugg for diligently shepherding this feature for the past couple of weeks … …
China looks set to add a ‘Space Silk Road’ to its proposed land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, expanding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI; formerly known as One Belt, …
When cyber-security professionals were polled recently at their annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, 60% said they expected the United States to suffer a successful attack against its critical infrastructure in the next two …
At the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting last week, Vietnam attracted international media attention for its struggle to insert strong language on the South China Sea into the ministers’ joint communiqué. The episode highlights an enormous …
The Sino-Indian standoff in the Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) region of the Himalayas where the borders of China, India and Bhutan converge is now nearly two months old. The dispute arose in mid-June when China …
The beat Oui, oui: French–Australian drugs ops From theoretical cooperation to practice: After the French Navy seized almost 1.5 tonnes of cocaine from a vessel in the South Pacific—presumably heading to Australia—the Australian Criminal Intelligence …
North Korea’s nuclear weapon and long-range missile programs are gathering momentum, according to a US Defense Intelligence Agency report, commented on by the Washington Post. The Post story suggests that North Korea has successfully produced …
A fortnight ago, while most Australians were safely tucked into bed, America’s Twitter-happy president took to his favourite platform to tap out another policy announcement. You never know what you’re going to get from @realDonaldTrump, …
With President Trump’s latest comments that North Korea is facing a response of ‘fire and fury’ if it endangers the US, it’s clear that the US president is at least thinking about a pre-emptive strike …
The full transcript of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s now infamous phone call with President Donald Trump seems to offer something for everyone. Coverage and analysis has ranged from describing the call as one of Turnbull’s …
Don’t say stupid things online It’s been a big week for advocates of online OPSEC. On Monday, a Google employee suffered a high-profile firing after he circulated a ‘manifesto’ railing against Google’s institutional ‘political bias’ …
During his visit to Hue, Vietnam’s former royal capital, earlier this year, Japanese Emperor Akihito and his entourage were reminded of their country’s longstanding cultural connections with Vietnam. In the eighth century, Phat Triet, a …
On 30 June 2017, the Turnbull Government made two key announcements to enhance Australia’s cyber security posture—in both war fighting and law enforcement. In the first of these, the government announced a new Information Warfare …
Democratic elections, through history, have never been perfect in function or outcome. The August polls in Kenya, Rwanda and Angola are sure to be imperfect, in their own ways. Much ink will be spilled on …
Sea state Russia has laid down the hulls for two new diesel-electric submarines to be deployed in the Pacific. The Varshavyanka-class subs, due to be completed in November 2019, are ‘primarily designed for anti-submarine and …
As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations marks its 50th anniversary today, its 10 leaders should pause from the inevitable self-congratulation to reflect on the organisation’s failings as well as its successes. ASEAN has notched …