Debate: "General"
Cold winds of the fifth China–Oz icy age

As China and Australia are demonstrating, icy periods between nations are difficult and challenging. Even dangerous. Yet along with the perils of thrills and spills, chills are illuminating. The icy age disrupts the usual rhythms. …

The US needs a Syria strategy

US President Donald Trump lauded the missile strikes by the United States, France and the United Kingdom on Syrian military installations—carried out in retaliation for a chemical-weapon attack allegedly perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad’s regime—as a …

Indonesia and the threat of violent extremism

Bruce Hoffman, a premier terrorism scholar, has suggested that there are around 3,000 al-Qaeda members in Indonesia. The number of Daesh supporters, sympathisers and followers remains unknown. That estimate—it’s unclear how Hoffman arrived at his figure—should …

ASPI suggests

The world Although French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to be on his best behaviour during his visit to Washington, his speech to Congress demonstrated that the Franco–American partnership will undoubtedly be tested. Carnegie offers a …

The Australian Space Agency: rhetoric and reality

This is the fifth in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference in June. In September 2017, the Minister for Education and Science, Senator Simon Birmingham, announced that the Australian …

Grand strategy: all along the polar silk road

Under Xi Jinping, China has a grand strategy to reshape the current geopolitical landscape. Xi has set out an integrated and coherent set of ideas about China’s ultimate objectives in the international system, and how …

Has India blinked?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that he plans to visit China for an ‘informal summit’ with President Xi Jinping is part of a ‘reset’ strategy vis-à-vis Beijing that New Delhi has embarked upon in …

Should Australia use blockchain in delivering humanitarian aid?

Australia, like many countries, provides overseas humanitarian assistance in times of humanitarian crises. As part of DFAT’s humanitarian strategy, Australia transfers money to Australian non-governmental organisations, international humanitarian agencies and UN agencies, which then provide supplies …