Election campaigns involve loud argument and quiet consensus—and then there are the silences. Silences point to hard stuff just offstage: no-go, too dangerous. For political parties, breaking the silence introduces complexity that tends towards tangled …
The world The latest UN climate change report contains some distressing facts and figures. See the media release here which provides the main points. Vox dives in on the most worrying conclusion of the report—that …
Iran and the US are engaged in a strategic race with opposing objectives, but a common deadline—the US presidential election in November 2020. For Iran, it’s a race for survival of the regime, to ensure …
Boeing’s ‘loyal wingman’ unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) is a fine example of Australian industry and defence cooperation, and its promoted ability to project power and keep manned platforms out of harm’s way is seductive. …
Humanity is on the cusp of a new age in space, with the rapid development of technology including much cheaper, and reusable, launch vehicles and smaller, more versatile satellites. The ‘Space 2.0’ approach brings transformational …
In an article about the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in February, I shared the sentiment that Trump needed to allow his administration to prepare more …
Nuclear deterrence rests on the ability of strategic assets to survive an enemy’s first strike and to retaliate, ensuring mutually assured destruction. Nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines (SSBNs) are considered to be the most survivable of all …
US President Donald Trump’s administration has shown little interest in public diplomacy. And yet this form of diplomacy—a government’s efforts to communicate directly with other countries’ publics—is one of the key instruments policymakers use to …
Sea state The Indian and French navies have begun the 17th iteration of their annual bilateral naval war exercise off Goa. Varuna 19.1/19.2 features two aircraft carriers, FNS Charles de Gaulle and INS Vikramaditya, plus …
Thailand is already almost halfway through its ASEAN chairmanship in what has been a rather low-profile period considering political developments. In the lead-up to Thailand’s elections on 24 March, the country’s political energy was directed inwards. …
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. It appears that the United …
Australia’s new South Pacific policy is set in place, no matter which side wins the election on 18 May. Labor and the Coalition entered the election with a unity ticket on Papua New Guinea, the …
