With Australia and the Republic of Korea celebrating the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, this year’s 2+2 foreign and defence ministers’ meeting held on Monday in Seoul reflects an expanding security agenda between the …
The Strategist on: "North of 26° south"
The 1999 withdrawal of Indonesia and its military from East Timor eventually ushered in a Timorese- and United Nations–mandated truth and reconciliation process. In 2005, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation reported on its …
Australia’s strategic value to Japan can be summed up in three points. Australia is Japan’s partner in bearing the torch of democracy, a quasi-ally with which Japan will work to maintain the Indo-Pacific as a …
Indonesia appears to be persevering with plans for its grand infrastructure rollout, likely to cost over US$400 billion, despite the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the archipelagic nation. Australian businesses can join this endeavour through the …
US President Joe Biden’s pivot to the Indo-Pacific region has brought announcements of big defence spending by the United States in northern Australia. The US force posture initiatives in the north will involve total spending …
Despite the concerns about Australia’s dependency on others when it comes to rare-earth elements, we’re failing to search creatively for a solution. Australia has long been dependent on goods manufactured overseas, but we continue to …
In December 2020, Indonesia’s President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo offered West Papua’s Biak island as a satellite launch site for Elon Musk’s SpaceX program. Jokowi was courting the entrepreneur after deciding that investment and technology exchange …
Darwin Harbour and the port facilities along its eastern arm have a long history of disregard, disrepair and haphazard investment and control by successive governments dating back to the close of World War II. There has …
The Northern Territory’s geostrategic importance has never been clearer as longstanding tensions in the Indo-Pacific are exacerbated by the dislocating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The United States has foreshadowed an increased military presence in …
Australia has a huge amount to gain from taking advantage of its natural abundance of critical minerals and positioning itself as a world leader in their production. But the federal government hasn’t yet landed on …
Finding a path out of the economic ashes of the Covid-19 pandemic while addressing growing tensions in our region has forced Australia to reassess its defence objectives and shift its national goal of ‘sovereign capability’ …
Now more than ever Australia needs to be innovative, and our science and technology base is the key to driving national innovation. While our Covid-19 experience has reminded decision-makers to value and trust expert scientific …