We recently discussed the impact of organised crime on Australians’ daily activities and on Australia’s national interests. But organised crime also has the potential to adversely affect Australia’s financial interests too. With the mining boom …
The executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will leave most Australians dismayed by President Joko Widodo’s refusal of clemency, angered by the clumsy, ugly execution process and jaundiced by the attitudes of a number …
Across much of the globe, the First World War—‘the war to end all wars’—still exercises a fierce hold on popular imagination. And many aspects of the war remain a subject of debate, more so than …
Sea State Earlier this week, tensions between the US and Iran in the Gulf of Aden eased when Iranian vessels suspected of carrying arms for the Houthi rebels in Yemen began a slow retreat towards …
In his latest book Henry Kissinger anticipated China’s initiative to create the first new international organisation of the 21st century. He didn’t foresee the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as such, but argued that as …
The news that Australia has done a deal to exchange intelligence with Iran generated some fierce criticism from independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who described the arrangement as ‘complete and utter madness from a security point of …
Thanks to Andrew Kwon for his reflections on the piece Natalie Sambhi and I wrote recently, in which we considered the future of America’s Asia–Pacific rebalance should Hillary Rodham Clinton make it to the White …
The Army has shouldered the bulk of the Australian Defence Force’s operational workload and casualties over the last decade or so. While there has been a range of equipment acquisitions which has left Army far …
Malcolm Fraser’s greatest contribution to foreign policy was the new consensus on Asia that he embraced, fostered and cemented. Fraser’s Asia policy drew large elements of continuity from the Whitlam government that Fraser blasted from …
‘Tell the colonel the damn fools have landed us a mile too far north,’ yelled Royal Navy commander, Charles Dix, at dawn on 25 April 1915, as the first Australian troops jumped ashore at Anzac …
For all your international security and defence reading, look no further than ASPI Suggests! Tomorrow’s ANZAC Day (25 April) will mark the 100th anniversary of the first major military action fought at Gallipoli by Australian and New …
The First Principles Review of Defence called for abolition of the Capability Development Group (CDG) and Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO). The review recommended a new oversight structure for Defence capital equipment procurement and sustainment, but …
The strategic origins of the Gallipoli operation are to be found in the determination of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to use the navy decisively to influence the war on land, in …
Andrew Davies: It’s been a few weeks since the release of the First Principles Review into Defence. Yesterday ASPI released its ‘review of the Review’, and it’s now time to think about what comes next—implementation …
Confronted with the First Principles Review’s 70 recommendations, it’s easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Viewed from arm’s length, the two most important outcomes aren’t actual recommendations but the decisions—one explicit, …
This week in The Beat, alarming rates of corporate corruption in Australia, the UN Crime Congress in Doha, and the Boston bomber’s guilty verdict. And this week in CT Scan, terrorism cheat sheets, Saddam’s ties to …
In their recent piece on The Strategist, Natalie Sambhi and David Lang suggested that the US rebalance to the Asia–Pacific will be ‘saved’ by Hillary Clinton should she win the US presidency. While I don’t …
Hands up if you agree that Anzac encapsulates ‘the unique qualities that gave birth to our national identity: courage, mateship, sacrifice, generosity, freedom and a fair go for all’. I can see almost all hands …
When Charles Bean first envisaged his plan to build a memorial to commemorate the commitment and sacrifice of Australia’s servicemen and servicewomen, he wanted to ensure that the people making the decisions to send Australians …
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s recent announcement of a National Ice Task Force is long overdue given the reported severity and significance of the problem. The task force will have the colossal task of examining all …