Australia started the journalist war with China. Tit-for-tat logic made it inevitable that Australian journalists in China would pay the price. Hard questions should be asked about Canberra’s thinking on the costs and consequences of …
Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
Submarines are so vital to Australia that two of our past prime ministers have publicly pointed to the nuclear-powered option. Shifting from the conventional power of the existing Collins class and the planned Attack class …
On Wednesday, Australia’s South Pacific ‘step-up’ reaches its fourth birthday as an ambitious work in progress. History and geography command commitment. Commitment generates cash. Cash is as vital as vision because neighbourhood needs press. Strategy …
The switch from creating a ‘Son of Collins’ to making a ‘son of Collins’ is a conundrum of Australia’s submarine saga. The Defence Department abandoned the option of building a second generation of the Collins-class …
The idea of morality in US foreign policy is a macabre jest in the age of President Donald Trump. Yet the amorality of a shape-shifting American president emphasises the value of moral compass points. By …
Australia has spent 40 years building its own submarines. For subs (and ships) we do defence as industry policy. Build our own naval muscle and build our economy. Protect sovereignty and protect jobs. The capability …
‘Our submarine capability underpins Australia’s credibility and influence as a modern military power. And let me make that statement again: Our submarine capability underpins Australia’s credibility and influence as a modern military power. This is …
As Australia’s defence minister does her quarterly meetings with the French to push, pummel and pull at the future submarine project, Linda Reynolds is entitled to reflect, ‘How in heavens did we get here?’ Creating …
Malaysia’s attack on journalists employs old methods with nods to current fashion. Clinging to power with a razor-thin majority, the government that snatched office in March brandishes a dictatorial bludgeon to batter the media. The …
Geostrategic competition, climate change and Covid-19 push at the South Pacific, heightening the internal challenges of state security and human security. The South Pacific has weak states and strong societies. As a journalistic recycler, I’ve …
Hopes and fears about the South Pacific drive Australia’s policy ‘step-up’—along with the great needs of Papua New Guinea and the islands. The hopes and needs get talked up while the fears quietly shape policy. …
The 2020 defence strategic update is analysis framed by numbers (and dollars), a melding of meanings and means and mental maps. To follow the strategic accounting, see what the update counts. Find the strategy in …