Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
The promises of Australia’s pivot to India

Vital new dimensions overtake the ‘C’ cliches of Australia’s old relationship with India—cricket, curry and Commonwealth. The new C words are community and commerce and contest in the Indo-Pacific—and China. Community is a concept broad …

Loads and laments of the South Pacific leader

Australia sees itself as the natural leader of the South Pacific. The preferred senior-partner synonyms these days are ‘partner of choice’ and ‘principal security partner’. Australian leadership ambition has a deep-seated strategic denial instinct, the …

The statecraft and strategy of the Albanese government

At the mid-point of Labor’s three-year term, the international strategy and statecraft of the new government is more fully formed than its domestic identity. Global turmoil—the polycrisis—has quickly tested and tempered the government’s world view. Whatever …

Thirty years of APEC summits

The APEC summit in San Francisco this week offers poignant echoes and painful contrasts with the first summit in Seattle 30 years ago. Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation is always ‘four adjectives in search of a noun’, …

The dysfunctional US as great and powerful friend

The phrase ‘great and powerful friend’ is a totem of Australian defence, setting strategy since federation. The totem’s purpose is to make and manage The Alliance—capitalise and underline it as crucial and central. The search …

Disruption, deterrence and dollars

‘Strategy without money is just hot air.’ — Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles speaking at ASPI’s 2023 conference, 14 September, Canberra At ASPI’s national conference, the deputy PM and defence minister was …