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ASPI suggests
Posted By The Editors on November 8, 2013 @ 14:50
There’s been a lot of commentary this week on Australia–Indonesia relations. For a seasoned Indonesian perspective, watch this Fairfax interview published today with Lieutenant General (rtd) Agus Widjojo, regarded as one of the post-Suharto era’s more reform-minded generals, on the trust deficit in the relationship.
After the first day of a November 7-8 meeting, they said progress had been made towards an agreement under which the Islamic state would curb some of its nuclear activities in exchange for limited relief from sanctions that are damaging its economy.
What lessons does all this history teach? First, that the negative consequences of defense austerity have been exaggerated…The country did struggle with various problems during these times of budget cuts, of course. But those problems were rarely, or only partly, the result of austerity itself.
The Ford’s power plant generates considerably more electricity, allowing the ships to “grow into” future energy demands. This opens space for the genuinely transformational potential of the Ford class: directed energy weapons that could make cruise and ballistic missiles obsolete, and unmanned aircraft that could rewrite the history of air warfare.
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[1] Image: http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/photo-2-4-L.jpg
[2] Fairfax interview: http://media.smh.com.au/news/federal-politics/trust-deficit-4905867.html
[3] Lieutenant General (rtd) Agus Widjojo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agus_Widjojo
[4] speculation: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/us-iran-nuclear-start-idUSBRE9A60G920131107
[5] this interesting piece: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/11/04/diaoyusenkaku-disputes-a-view-from-china/
[6] this briefing: http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21588873-economic-issues-facing-novembers-plenum-chinese-communist-party-none-looms-larger
[7] budget crises have improved US strategy: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139985/melvyn-p-leffler/defense-on-a-diet
[8] America’s new aircraft carriers: http://thediplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/2013/11/07/whats-so-new-about-americas-new-aircraft-carriers/
[9] Kokoda Next: http://www.kokodafoundation.org/KokodaNext
[10] here: http://www.kokodafoundation.org/Bookings
[11] future of American foreign policy in the Asia Pacific region: http://lowyinstitute.org/events/2013-lowy-institute-owen-harries-lecture-future-american-foreign-policy-asia-pacific-region
[12] ‘Veils, boots and bullets – Australian military nurses’: https://www.rusi.org.au/states/qld/whats_on.php
[13] DFAT: http://gallery.foreignminister.gov.au/Bishop/Bali-Democracy-Forum-November/33278861_LRMMdh#!i=2889790257&k=ZG8CQDQ