The Home Affairs Department’s secretary-designate, Mike Pezzullo, provided an explanation of the ‘philosophical context’ behind the new institution in a recent presentation. Even allowing for the public nature of the event and the need to …
Debate: "General"
The right-wing and populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained 12.6% of the votes in Germany’s federal election, but much of the party’s euphoria evaporated within a day. Frauke Petry, the AfD’s co-leader, surprised both party …
Welcome to The Strategist Six, a feature that provides a glimpse into the thinking of prominent academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. As chairman and chief executive of …
The Turnbull government’s foreign-policy white paper is due any day, and it’s a fair bet it will not recommend what is fashionably called an ‘independent foreign policy’. That is bound to upset many intellectuals, former …
Sea state China’s navy has added a new rescue unit to its South Sea fleet. The move increases the battle-readiness and capability of the fleet, which is ‘carrying out more missions’ in the disputed South …
Ramesh Thakur presents a strong case for challenging the Trump administration’s decision not to recertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). I’m in broad agreement with the points that he makes. His concluding thought …
Early on 2 September 2015, 16 Syrian refugees on a remote Turkish beach hopped onto a small boat built for eight passengers. Each had paid a people smuggler around US$6,000 for passage from Turkey to …
Exactly 75 years ago, Australians dressed in steel helmets and khaki shorts, and often not much else, sat in weapon pits in the Egyptian sun about 120 kilometres west of Alexandria. They were preparing for …
The 23rd ASEAN Transport Ministers meeting on 12 October ended on a high note with the signing of an agreement on cross-border transport of passengers by road vehicles. The pact makes it easier to facilitate …
On 12 October, Mogadishu was rocked by a powerful bomb that killed more than 320 people and injured around 500. Security officials attribute the bombing to al-Shabaab (‘the youth’), although the group has yet to …
Australia spent years saying no to a central role in the mounting crisis in Solomon Islands. Then, in 2003, Canberra did a huge U-turn and led the intervention that ran for 14 years and ended …
The world Islamic State hasn’t claimed responsibility for last weekend’s blast in Mogadishu that killed more than 300 people, dispelling the popular myth that the organisation is willing to claim anything to boost its street …