John Mearsheimer’s and Stephen Walt’s recent Foreign Affairs article advocating a return to offshore balancing is certainly generating a debate amongst the doyens of US foreign policy. Tom Switzer, for example, clearly likes their arguments. …
In the early 1960s, former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson famously quipped that the United Kingdom had lost an empire, and not yet found a role. Afterwards, successive British leaders tried to change that, …
With Sunday marking the 28th International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and the federal election drawing ever nearer, it’s worth reflecting on what Australia’s next government ought to be thinking about when it …
The Brexit vote was a triple protest: against surging immigration, City of London bankers, and European Union institutions, in that order. It will have major consequences. Donald Trump’s campaign for the US presidency will receive …
Shifting dynamics in the Middle East may have presented a rare opportunity to establish the groundwork for a lasting, regionally-backed peace between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and their Arab neighbours. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …
Deep into the Press Club foreign affairs debate a faint ticking started—the hint of a time-bomb in Australia–Indonesia relations. The Indonesia time-bomb wasn’t directly mentioned, just hinted. That is apt because Australia’s international relations have …
Welcome back, and vale Great Britain. More to follow… First up this week, two choice pieces that paint an increasingly dire image of US foreign policy, regardless of who moves into the Oval Office. This …
It’s almost 20 years since Cambodia’s last military coup, but the country’s domestic security situation remains fragile. Over the last two years a number of events hint that the political and security situation in this Mekong …
For the third time this year, the Indonesian navy has faced off against Chinese fishing vessels trawling within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding the Natuna Islands. The latest incident occurred on 17 June when …
Raghuram Rajan’s decision not to seek a second term as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI, India’s central bank) was met with shock from those of us who’ve been cheering on the Indian …
‘If you aren’t talking dollars, you aren’t talking strategy.’ While that well-known Arthur Tange saying is often used in the context of defence budgets, it can also be applied to alliance management. One of the …
Welcome to The Strategist Six, a feature that provides a glimpse into the thinking of prominent academics, analysts, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. Japan will head to …
To Brexit, or not to Brexit—that is the question. The answer will have seismic ramifications for the future of democracy, sovereignty and freedom. Notwithstanding the potentially significant short-term transaction costs of Brexit, there’s a strong …
The Beat The most corrupt city in the world goes to… Which are the most corrupt cities in the world? A new article from The Guardian has suggested that it depends on how urban corruption …
A cold war is taking place in a very hot place. A key component of the sectarian competition between Shia and Sunni Islam in the Middle East is geopolitical, with Iran facing off against Saudi …
Britain will today vote to leave the European Union or not. In November the United States will vote to have Donald Trump as President or not. Either would send global shockwaves. A rocky two years …
During the Cold War, we were good allies to the Americans. Our presence in Korea and Vietnam was testament to our bona fides. But prime ministers Whitlam, Fraser, Keating and Hawke all had security policy …
The second annual Sino–US High-Level Dialogue on Cybercrime and Related Issues was held last Wednesday in Beijing. According to a Department of Homeland Security press release the ministerial-level meeting agreed on several new initiatives including …
The journalist questions in the Oz election debate on foreign policy started with the South China Sea and ended on China’s suppression of internal dissent. As with the defence debate last week, China throbs. In …
As we saw in part one of this series, this year’s UN Security Council (UNSC) elections are earlier than usual (28 June), candidates have presented their platforms in historic public debates, and two of the …