Geography influences the strategic choices of all countries, but Vietnam is an interesting case of a ‘swing’ state in comparative grand-strategy terms. The country occupies the eastern part of the Indochinese Peninsula, with an elongated …
Vast and, more often than not, hidden supply and value chains underpin modern Australian life. We’ve become accustomed to, if not overly confident in, the ability of markets to meet our every need and want. …
The rapidly changing strategic environment is prompting reassessments of Australia’s defence posture and capability. Rather than simply reviewing equipment purchases and stepping up training schedules, there’s cause for a deeper re-evaluation of the strategic logic …
Marine safety and sea transport are major concerns for the Pacific islands region. The island states have a high level of dependence on inter-island transport for the movement of both goods and people. All Pacific …
Russia’s war in Ukraine is the most disruptive conflict that Europe has seen since 1945. While many in the West see a war of choice by Russian President Vladimir Putin, he says that NATO’s 2008 …
The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to influence public discourse in Solomon Islands through coordinated information operations that spread false narratives and suppress information contradictory to the party’s message. Since November 2021 when anti-Beijing riots …
I’ve often thought that Australia’s submarine transition is a wicked problem, perhaps one of the most wicked in the public policy arena. A wicked problem is one that is difficult or even impossible to solve …
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been called the most dangerous man in the world. How did he manage to rise from a communal apartment in suburban Leningrad and a mediocre early career in the KGB …
In July, CIA Director William Burns gave a 45-minute interview at the Aspen Security Forum. Only at the very end, following questions about the Russia–Ukraine war, China, Taiwan, Iran and Afghanistan, was Burns asked what …
‘A great deal of the history of our world is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific over the coming years and decades. And the Pacific Islands are a critical voice in shaping that future. …
Today, President Joe Biden released the United States’ Pacific partnership strategy. Although it bears some resemblance to the Pacific engagement strategy that was drafted by the Asia–Pacific Security Affairs Subcommittee of the Biden Defense Working …
Few international relationships are as under-recognised as that between Korea and Australia. Many in each country know little of the important role Australia played supporting the fledgling Republic of Korea (ROK) during its 1950–1953 war …
‘Do not miss a single family in each village, do not miss a single man in each family’ (村不漏姓，姓不漏人). This is the aim of the China-wide male family screening system project (男性家族排查系统项目), according to official …
With the Ukrainian breadbasket’s link to global markets disrupted by the ongoing Russian invasion, global food security has been unusually prominent in the news cycle. Shortly after the invasion began, some analysts were quick to …
The Strategist has been defence-review-heavy recently. Much of the conversation has centred on conventional land forces and armour in particular. This has been couched in terms of generic land combat rather than in the context …
Coal accounted for half the growth in global power generation last year, and further increases are likely this year as European nations restart mothballed coal-fired power stations. For the first time since 2013, the increase …
Last week’s Optus data breach exposed the personally identifiable information of up to 9.8 million customers and former customers in Australia, including sensitive identity document details, with records going as far back as 2017. Although …
The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation is again under threat. This time it’s not from gunmen during civil unrest but from a prime minister who appears to want to turn it into a government mouthpiece. Twenty …
The terms of reference for the defence strategic review provided by the government to the independent leads are just short of two pages long. The length of this document doesn’t do justice to all that …
On 27 September 1991, US President George H.W. Bush addressed the nation to announce a milestone in nuclear disarmament, which included the full withdrawal of shorter-range nuclear weapons—so-called tactical, theatre or non-strategic weapons—from US Navy …