Populist rule is invariably associated with corruption, nepotism and incompetence. Why, then, do populists appear immune to scandal? Revelations that would have shocked electorates just a few years ago leave nary a mark on populist …
Debate: "General"
It’s now clear that China wants to become the predominant power in Asia. Why should that be a concern? The answer goes to the heart of the intersection of interests and values in foreign policy. …
The World Trade Organization is heading towards an end-of-year train wreck. Next weekend’s G20 leaders’ summit is now one of the last opportunities to switch the points to a safer track. The United States appears …
The beat German police commandos caught funnelling ammunition to doomsday groups In Germany, four special operations police commandos have been arrested for giving ammunition to far-right ‘doomsday prepper’ groups. Prosecutors allege that as long ago …
What do French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have in common? For one thing, they both believe that, by stroking US President Donald Trump’s fragile ego, they can coax him into …
The proximate cause of the recent public protests in Hong Kong, which culminated on 16 June with an unprecedented 2 million people in the streets, was an ill-advised extradition bill to allow the transfer of …
On a five-year timetable, we’re due for another defence white paper (DWP) in 2021. The last one took the best part of two years to prepare, so starting one now would be about right. If …
Managing relations with China is the most challenging foreign and security policy problem facing Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his re-elected government. It will demand a rigorous whole-of-government response coordinated by the prime minister’s department …
During ASPI’s recent panel discussion on the Pacific, Graeme Dobell referred to the Fiji–Australia Vuvale Partnership as an important pointer to Australia’s future ‘step-up’ relations with the Pacific islands region. He had written earlier this …
New Zealand’s Defence capability plan 2019 (DCP ’19), released last week, lays out ways to spend the NZ$20 billion pledged to defence by the coalition government early in its tenure. It clearly knits together future …
Successful defence white papers have to find the right resting place between four sets of demands: politics; strategy and policy; military capability; and money. That’s what makes them so interesting, and also so hard to …
Sea state The Royal Australian Navy’s longest-serving ship docked in Sydney Harbour for the last time on Sunday morning. HMAS Success, known by sailors as the ‘Battle Tanker’, is a fuel-replenishment ship which has carried …