The downsides of hydropower

The era of cheap oil and gas is over. Russia’s war in Ukraine—or, more specifically, Europe’s ambitious effort to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels at a time when international supplies are already tight—is driving …

How the Chinese foreign minister shut down Pacific media

Media coverage of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to the South Pacific was effectively silenced, highlighting the fragility of a free media in the region. Most journalists, especially those working for international outlets, …

Does Australia need an ASEAN special envoy?

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is visiting Vietnam and Malaysia this week on her second trip to Southeast Asia since taking office in late May. In opposition, Labor committed to deepening Australia’s engagement with Southeast Asia, …

The US front in the global war on women

The political ructions unleashed in the United States by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision establishing a federal right to abortion, have been immediate and furious. But less …

Would Russia use bioweapons in Ukraine?

In March, not long after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, claims from the Kremlin of a US-funded bioweapon program in Ukraine flooded global media. Those reports were amplified by China and picked up by conservative …

More than subs: an undersea warfare system for the RAN

The hottest topic in Australia’s defence community right now is how to develop the Royal Australian Navy’s submarine capability. The decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) under the AUKUS partnership and cancel the acquisition of …

Will the Quad deliver on its promises?

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue met in Tokyo late last month to affirm the continued cooperation between the United States, Australia, Japan and India to promote regional stability in the Indo-Pacific. But the leaders left the …

Outcry for Assange oddly absent for those held by China

As the Julian Assange extradition case proceeds through Britain’s justice system, the publicity of his supporters is constant and loud with its demand the Australian government intervene in another democratic country’s legal process. The hypocrisy is …