Globalisation and war

Will globalisation reduce the chances of war in the Asia-Pacific? The numbers say we can’t be sure. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that 2014 is the centenary of the outbreak of …

ASPI suggests

We’re kicking off this week with a suggestion to look at the testimonies of a range of US Asia experts for the US–China Economic and Security Review Commission. Of interest to Strategist readers are testimonies …

Tony Abbott goes north

Tony Abbott’s first trip to North Asia as Prime Minister will have a strong business and trade flavour. He will be accompanied by a phalanx of business heavies and state and territory leaders. The business …

Jokowi and the defence realm

No doubt by now most Australian readers would have heard that the popular Jakarta governor, Joko Widodo, also known as ‘Jokowi’, is the frontrunner for Indonesia’s upcoming presidential election. His meteoric rise from humble furniture …

Stingers, round two?

It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall at the meeting last Friday between US President Obama and Saudi King Abdullah. With reports emerging that Obama is again considering the possibility …

Cyber wrap

First up, a haiku on the Internet from the New York Times haiku generator: The Internet is // emotionally a very // flat experience. Many Turkish citizens would agree with that sentiment this week as they found …

A new kind of drone war: UCAV vs UCLASS

The Australian government recently approved the acquisition of a fleet of US Navy Triton surveillance drones to patrol our oceans. Australia has mostly used Israeli drones to date, such as the Herons in Afghanistan. So as …