The standard political and military approach to journalists is to use and abuse. The hacks return it with gusto. When things go wrong and the going gets tough, the political/military approach shifts gear to shut …
Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
Southeast Asia is feeling the pressure from Asia’s big beasts. ASEAN, as a middle-power grouping, might be glad of a bit of extra middle-power heft from the likes of Australia and New Zealand. The strategic …
A former Secretary-General of ASEAN, Ong Keng Yong, says ASEAN could create a special category of partnership just for Australia and New Zealand. Ong says Australia and New Zealand are so important to ASEAN’s Community …
Australia’s defence thinkers are ever worried about self-reliance and order. The Rs reign: rules and self-reliance and region. Those themes run through the 40 years from the first Defence White Paper in 1976 to the …
It’s time to look past Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—this is Oz and the Seven White Papers. (No word to hand on the Handsome Prince capability trial or cost blowout in the digital poisoned …
A Defence White Paper is analysis framed by numbers. More than dollars and equipment, the numbers offer meanings and mental maps. Seek the topography from the typography. The crudest measure is to rank countries by …
Releasing the Defence White Paper, the Turnbull government followed the unfortunate precedent set by the Rudd and Gillard governments and ignored Parliament. The snub would perplex and provoke powerful Parliamentarians from Oliver Cromwell to John …
Minder (noun): Body guard; staffer working for a politician/minister. Derived from London West End slang for a muscle man who protects a criminal or shady operator. Minding (verb): The act of working as a Minder, …
You can see the many currents in the Australia–US relationship by using different lenses: war fighting and alliance, strategy, economics and trade. Add filters for surprises and rule writing and ambition and history and the …
The first rule of alliance management is to understand the ally. For a junior ally, that’s core stuff. Read the great and powerful friend. Find the meanings. Relate domestic trends within the ally to international …
The Canberra ministerial adviser—the Minder—was born on 5 December 1972, when Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister. Like much that Whitlam did, the birth was attended by high purpose, low politics and scrambling. The short, tumultuous …
Australia faces two national elections this year—one for our leader and one for our president. Barring a recurrence of recent Canberra bizarreness, the Oz leadership race will be between Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten. The …