‘Strategy without money is not strategy.’ —Arthur Tange* ‘Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.’ —Carl von Clausewitz* Australian governments are always trying to simplify defence and rein in costs. …
Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
Australia gropes and stutters towards a renewed embrace of international broadcasting—the vital need to ‘speak for ourselves’ in the Asia–Pacific. The latest lurch towards fresh understanding is the silent release of the review of Australia’s …
The prime minister makes a good, glib debating point: nobody is above the law, including journalists. The problem Scott Morrison glides by is a Canberra mindset and a pile of new laws that squeeze our …
The bipartisan tenor of Australia’s foreign policy is being stretched and tested. Scott Morrison’s Coalition government talks tough on international policy. A touch of Donald Trump is trumpeted, as foes are found and lines drawn. …
Bougainville knows far better than Britain that a referendum vote to go or to stay is only the first mountain. Then the second mountain must be climbed—the negotiation to turn the outcome into a reality. …
Is Australia’s Department of Defence one big beast or a herd of beasts? Is the Oz military a single tribe or a bunch of tribes? The questions matter in many ways, not least because the …
All Australian governments come to office with a deep admiration for the Oz military and some apprehension about the Department of Defence. Politicians embrace the uniform but worry about the organisation. After some time in …
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s White House visit crowns a sustained and disciplined execution of the MacArthur manoeuvre on President Donald Trump. Employing the MacArthur method involves embracing the power of America while displaying enthusiasm for …
The Brexit poison in the British polity has also infected Europe. Britain is finished with Europe. Equally, Europe is finished with Britain. The angry British sentiment to get the thing done is matched by an …
With Britain as the mother country and the US as the alliance father, Australia has a dysfunctional family. Mum has gone nuts; dad has gone rogue. The anchors of the Anglosphere are angry and adrift, …
‘Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.’ — Saint Augustine of Hippo Pondering nuclear weapons, Hugh White offers Australia a reverse Augustine: Give me nuclear chastity, until there’s no alternative. The White version of …
Sink the navy and start again. Shrink the army. Double the air force. That’s the military revolution of Hugh White’s How to defend Australia, based on his claim that Australia has spent two decades building …