In more normal times, when nuclear-powered submarines and multibillion-dollar contact cancellations didn’t dominate the news, plans to increase the US military presence operating out of Australia would be big news. It was swamped by the …
Two recent foreign policy developments in Canberra are shaping Australia’s 21st-century national security agenda. The first is the AUKUS agreement, which has at its core a deep and strategically courageous commitment to deterring China’s malign, …
In the debate about what AUKUS is and what it might become, much has been made of the idea that in an era of heightened geopolitical competition, Australia possesses some of the Indo-Pacific’s most valuable …
Many observers have long assumed that the future of geopolitics will be decided in a sea battle over the Taiwan Strait or some rocky outcrop or atoll in the South China Sea. Yet we could …
The Australian government recently published its updated guidelines to counter foreign interference in the university sector, declaring that ‘All universities are subject to foreign interference risks’. And last month, at ASPI’s inaugural Sydney Dialogue, Prime …
First, ditch the notion of building in Adelaide. Construction in Australia is the single factor that cripples Australia’s plan to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines. It’s the sole reason why delivery of the first …
Sea state German frigate FGS Bayern joined Japan’s annual large-scale joint exercise alongside vessels from the Australian, Canadian and US navies, marking Germany’s first exercise in the Indo-Pacific in two decades. During Australia’s last maritime …
Think tanks are a familiar feature of the public-policy landscape in Australia, along with television epidemiologists and dyspeptic former prime ministers. But the idea of an independent, non-government institution, established specifically to study a particular …
The vastness of Eurasia is becoming bracketed by belligerence. On the western front, Russia has deployed a growing number of military units to the regions near its border with Ukraine, inviting a flurry of speculation …
Hugh White seems seized by anxiety in his latest and arguably most pessimistic assessment of US–China tensions over Taiwan and the strategic choices facing Australia. White argues that the risk of war between the US …
While environmentalists have welcomed the Australian government’s decision to abandon the Davis aerodrome project in Antarctica, China is likely now drafting its own year-round aviation plans for the site. Canberra had already completed much of …
After eight weeks of negotiations, Germany has a new government. For the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who succeeds Angela Merkel as chancellor, the much-anticipated coalition agreement augurs nothing less than a revitalised progressive Mitte, or …
Echoes and omens abound as Australia steps in to stop riot, arson and looting in a South Pacific capital. Honiara offers a reprise of previous tragedy that’s a grim foretaste of the future facing Melanesia. …
The Chinese Communist Party’s foreign influence work is not reduced to one single dedicated organ; instead, state, party and military agencies have fronts that engage in influence operations and are led by CCP’s top leadership. …
Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s National Press Club address is more easily understood when considered in the context of Australia’s 2020 defence strategic update and the accompanying force structure plan rather than under the fierce spotlight …
A significant rise in Indonesian illegal fishing in Australia’s northern waters highlights a significant maritime security threat, and our border enforcement agencies can’t afford to drop the ball. Over the past six months, Australian authorities …
However relaxed and comfortable Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto might be about Australia’s plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs), the visit to Jakarta of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has probably validated the very …
Karl Marx claimed, ‘History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce’, suggesting that failing to learn from experience tells something about those in power. At the first repeat, all the ensuing misfortunes are tragic …
Information and communications technology, encompassing digital services and infrastructure, cybersecurity and software, is ubiquitous throughout the economy and society. As the digital transformation gathers pace, the number and complexity of ICT services is accelerating. The …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. Australia built a triangular security relationship with Japan and the US in the first decade of …