‘Indonesia is one of the most dynamic economies in the region and is poised to become one of the region’s largest and most vibrant digital economies.’ That was Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s message to the …
Debate: "General"
For over 15 years now, there’s been an ASPI presentation on the defence budget at the Australian Defence Magazine’s annual defence industry conference. Mark Thomson did the lion’s share of them, but I’ve been the …
A couple of months ago Andrew Davies offered some comments on the pump-jet propulsion system that’s proposed as a key feature of the Shortfin Barracuda. As he observed, there seems a clear case for propellers …
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s efforts to form a new government following the September 2017 federal election have clearly taken a toll on her. Voters share her frustration. Almost five months on, Germany still has no government, …
Sea state The Indonesian navy has seized one tonne of the drug ice from the Singaporean-flagged vessel Sunrise Glory. The methamphetamine was found hidden in 41 sacks buried among food supplies. The Indonesian navy says …
The recent discovery of India has been a positive development in Australian foreign policy. While Australia has been able to develop a highly lucrative economic partnership with Asia’s other behemoth, the burgeoning relationship with India …
President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is driven by two main considerations. First, Xi recognises that the Chinese Communist Party’s survival is dependent on China’s ability to continue to serve as the world’s …
The White House announcement that Admiral Harry B. Harris, the current commander of the US Pacific Command, is President Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to Australia is unambiguously good news for our alliance relationship. The …
The evidence is clear. Donald Trump’s presidency has eroded America’s soft power. Only 30% of people recently polled by Gallup in 134 countries held a favourable view of the United States under Trump’s leadership, a …
‘Politics stops at the seaboard and anybody who denies that postulate is a son of a bitch and a crook and not a true patriot.’—Dean Acheson, US Secretary of State Acheson, a wry moustachioed warrior …
As we look at the foreign policy white paper published in late 2017, it echoes some of the remarks in the 2016 defence white paper about the importance of the rules-based global order. Indeed, the …
The world Today, the Olympic Winter Games kick off in Pyeongchang, South Korea. North Korea’s Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, along with Kim Jong-un’s sister, will attend. They’ll be …