The US intervention in Venezuela and its withdrawal from dozens of multilateral bodies are reminders that President Donald Trump will exercise power as he sees fit, with scant regard for international law or norms. Even …
The Strategist on: "ASPI staff"
A Bondi royal commission would let the intelligence community speak, and expose some polite fictions
As the first public figure to call for a royal commission into the Bondi atrocity, I initially thought making that case was redundant. Surely the federal government would act quickly along those lines? After all, …
Australia should consider implementing a wall of drones to its north, to enhance its strategy of denial, consistent with its unique strategic and operational circumstances. Such a drone wall would contribute to the Australian Defence …
In 1940, with much of Europe under fascist domination, US president Franklin Roosevelt declared that the United States must become ‘the great arsenal of democracy’. US industry mobilised, producing ships, aircraft and ammunition on an …
Autonomous submarines that Australia has launched into production are likely to relieve operational pressure on the country’s crewed submarines, undertake the most dangerous undersea missions, and present an enemy with greater risk of detection and …
Don’t give up on the Quad. The current tensions between its four members won’t overcome the underlying strengths of their relationships and lead to permanent breakdowns.
Editors’ picks for 2025: ‘Australia: a wealthy country in gentle decline, exposing itself to danger’
Australia’s three-decade run of uninterrupted economic growth up to 2020 became a pillar of national identity, and proof of resilience, prudence and global relevance. But that story is now showing cracks.
The current debate on Defence funding, sparked by our 29 May report The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence budget brief 2025–2026, and a subsequent US request for Australia to spend more, has swung between a …
Editors’ picks for 2025: ‘Europe’s lesson for Australia: invest in defence now, or spend more later’
Instead of learning from Europe’s mistakes in the decade leading into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—underinvesting in defence, increasing trade with a strategic adversary and expecting the United States to disproportionately carry the security burden—Australia …
A major British research university’s joint venture campus in China maintains partnerships and close links with entities sanctioned by Britain, the US, EU and others for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and assisting China’s military …
Taiwan has an inadvertent, rarely acknowledged role in global affairs: it’s a kind of sponge, soaking up much of China’s political, military and diplomatic efforts. Taiwan absorbs Chinese power of persuasion and coercion that won’t …
Elbridge Colby’s senate confirmation hearing in early March holds more important implications for US partners than most observers in Canberra, Wellington or Suva realise. As President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defence for …