Australia and France have made significant strides towards repairing their diplomatic relationship in the nearly two years since Australia’s cancellation of its submarine contract with French company Naval Group. Technically, they are close neighbours, sharing …
The western Indian Ocean—home to the island states of Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles and Comoros, as well as the French territories of La Reunion and Mayotte—occupies little space in Canberra’s strategic imagination. But it still has …
Bureaucracy is boring. But it also matters. Complex public projects don’t just happen—they demand the dedication of public servants and effective organisational structures. With the nuclear-powered submarines to be acquired under the AUKUS partnership, Australia …
The issue of foreign judges sitting on Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal was raised again recently, when a former president of the UK Supreme Court, Brenda Hale, said: ‘There’s going to come a stage …
Recency bias should caution us against attributing too much weight to current events relative to historic ones. But even accounting for this cognitive distortion, it’s a fair assessment that the past five years constitute a …
Australian foreign policy is characterised by the perpetual dilemma of grand strategy: aligning lofty aspirations (shaping the Indo-Pacific) with limited resources (a population of 26 million and relative economic decline). If Australia is to meet …
Accusations of backstabbing. Cancelled meetings. Ambassadors recalled. You’d be forgiven for thinking Australia had committed a mortal sin against France. In reality, despite the characteristic French bluster, the change of direction on Australia’s submarines reflects …
