Debate: "General"
How to buy a submarine (2021 edition)

I’ll admit to being surprised when Australia announced the termination of the deal with Naval Group to build the Attack-class submarines. Not because I thought that shouldn’t happen—I’m on the record as saying that it …

Australia must work to salvage relations with France

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 …

America’s flawed state-building enterprise

‘Afghanistan was the ultimate nation-building mission’, former US president George W. Bush wrote in his 2010 memoir. ‘We had liberated the country from a primitive dictatorship, and we had a moral obligation to leave behind …

ASPI’s decades: Cybersecurity

ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. In the language of strategy and defence, the information space has become the battle space. Cyberspace …

Australia’s credibility rests on subs success

What a difference a day makes. On Wednesday, Australians wouldn’t agree to host storage facilities for low-grade medical nuclear waste anywhere in their states. On Thursday, they found out they were going to have nuclear reactors based …