Even before the outbreak of Covid-19, the level of global debt was high by historic standards. According to the Institute of International Finance, by late 2019 global debt (including private and public debt) was more …
Debate: "General"
For defence officials and diplomats, digital media, and specifically social media, have become an unavoidable aspect of their operations, communications and strategic international engagement. But the use of those media isn’t always understood or appreciated by …
In the first post in this series, I noted that, so far, the government remains committed to the 10-year defence funding line it presented in the 2016 defence white paper. That funding line is likely …
As China’s communist leaders prepare to impose a draconian new national security law on supposedly autonomous Hong Kong, officials in Beijing and locally are trying to assure the city’s anxious and angry residents that nothing …
The social isolation driven by the worldwide pandemic is providing opportunities to think, not just about Covid-19, how we got here or even why people hoarded toilet paper. While some have helped to put the …
The thought bubble of a travel bubble for Australia and New Zealand is transforming from bubble into action. The official title is ‘a trans-Tasman Covid-safe travel zone’ but it’s gotta be the ‘travel bubble’. Bubbles …
In late October, the Australian Defence Force carried out a trial to assess its ability to help should a natural disaster strike a state or territory. Thirty men and women, reservists from the three services, …
In this episode, marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Lisa Sharland, head of ASPI’s international program, speaks to the force commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Major General Cheryl Pearce, about …
As the world remains focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has set about boiling two frogs. Beijing has turned up the heat on Hong Kong. It’s also stepping up its attempts to …
This article is part of ASPI’s 2020 series on women, peace and security. It’s complicated. Over the past several years, many countries have worked hard to get more women involved in their militaries, and the …
One of Covid-19’s paradoxes has been the way in which some wealthy, high-capacity countries (particularly the United States and the United Kingdom) failed to contain the virus, while some poorer countries and regions with less …
Thailand’s opposition parties are using the government’s pandemic response as an opportunity to further contest Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s legitimacy. While social discontent with the government will continue to grow, the immediate threat to Thailand’s …