Winston Churchill once famously described the Soviet Union as ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’. Much the same can be said of today’s North Korea, whose leaders are shrouded in mystery and …
AUSMIN 2023 will occur against the backdrop of the largest ever iteration of Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia’s north. Talisman Sabre, a bilateral exercise between the US and Australia, has long been a symbol of …
The Australia–US Ministerial Meeting (AUSMIN), an annual 2+2 meeting between foreign and defence ministers held nearly without fail since 1985, is referred to officially as ‘the primary forum at which Australia and the United States …
Almost exactly 66 years ago, 22 pre-eminent scientists from 10 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, gathered in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, to identify the dangers that nuclear weapons posed and devise peaceful …
Recent strident assertions by former Australian prime minister Paul Keating that NATO has no place in Asia and should limit itself to Europe and the Atlantic and not try to expand into the Asia–Pacific are …
The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of engagement with criminal organisations and proxies to achieve its strategic objectives. This article provides new evidence of the development of a CCP-linked influence-for-hire industry operating in Southeast …
In May, the United States and Australia signed a climate, critical minerals and clean energy transformation compact that establishes a framework for collaboration on climate issues, clean-energy technology and critical-mineral supply chains. It mainly discusses …
Anyone watching some of the recent testimony of the technology companies appearing before Australia’s Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media could be forgiven for thinking Australians and our public discourse are not …
Fifty-four years ago today, American astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, famously declaring: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ Humanity’s first visit to another world shaped expectations for …
A geographic reality for Australia is that almost all physical threats to its sovereignty will first need to compromise the sovereignty of one or more of its northern neighbours. It is perhaps for that reason …
Sea state China’s next-generation frigate, the Type 054B, is under construction at shipyards in Shanghai and Guangzhou, as confirmed by images posted online by Chinese military enthusiasts. The ship’s predecessor, the Type 054A, is still …
The strategic importance of northern Australia was highlighted in the defence strategic review, with $3.8 billion committed to upgrade military installations across the north over the next four years. Defence Minister Richard Marles, who travelled …
Defence Minister Richard Marles called in February for the Australian Defence Force to be capable of ‘impactful projection’. Well, the defence procurement machinery is aiming to achieve that in spades, lining up acquisitions of a …
Strange as it sounds, the European Union’s most successful policy ever has been deeply unpopular in Brussels for the past decade. But now, the view from the bloc’s political and governing institutions is changing. EU …
Like many small and middle powers, Bangladesh is hedging its approach to great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific. Despite the release of its first Indo-Pacific outlook in April, Bangladesh continues to shy away from the traditional …
Australia is facing the largest challenge to its position of strategic primacy in the South Pacific since World War II as China continues to build relationships with Pacific island countries and enter into security agreements …
Terrorism remains a serious threat to global peace and security. No country is immune to it, but nor can any country effectively deal with it alone. The nature, intensity and impact of the terror threats …
The Royal Australian Air Force says it will fly its 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets through to the mid-2030s rather than retiring them by 2027 as had been intended. And it will open up a competition …
The undemocratic reality of Thai politics was on full display at the first joint session of the Thai parliament on 13 July. The charismatic leader of the progressive and pro-democratic Move Forward party, Pita Limjaroenrat, …
The pathway to Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, under Pillar 1 of the AUKUS partnership, assigns a prominent role to the UK, as the designer and co-builder of the future SSN AUKUS for the British and …