The advantage historians have over journalists is that the passage of time offers them a perspective not available to those with immediate deadlines. But the year is about to end, which constitutes a firm deadline …
As 2023 draws to a close, how should we assess progress on the government’s stated objective of ‘stabilisation’ in Australia–China relations? On the face of it, the Australian government has built significant momentum this year …
As the strategic environment continues to darken, the defence force built by Australia in the decades after the Vietnam War is being completely reconfigured. Long gone is the reliance on light infantry combat capabilities that …
There’s growing awareness that Australia’s international development program is one of the tools of national power that Australia can use to shape the world around it. The danger is that if ‘influence’ becomes an unstated …
Houthi forces based in Yemen are engaged in what resembles an unhinged, turbocharged form of piracy in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where disruption and destruction have supplanted the traditional motivation of material …
After 40 years of reform experimentation that has seriously weakened the Australian Defence Force, it’s time for the government to bring the defence bureaucracy back onto the rails. Australians are becoming increasingly anxious about Australia’s …
Last week, in a major political victory for embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the European Council decided to open accession talks with his country. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it was …
China’s high youth unemployment rate and increasingly disillusioned young people—many of whom are ‘giving up’ on work—have attracted much attention from global media outlets and Chinese policymakers. The standard narrative is to associate the problem …
The 2023 defence strategic review noted that Australia’s economy had become more interconnected with the Indo-Pacific and the world, and that brought a fundamental interest in protecting the rules-based order upon which international trade depends. …
After 40 years in national security in Australia, I find myself agreeing with Danielle Cave’s view that the national security architecture is not quite right and merits fixing. I also agree that there’s a need …
The AUKUS pact promises to provide Australia with the first of its nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) in the 2030s. But how will those boats, and the AUKUS SSNs to be delivered in the 2040s, fare in …
In his annual press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear that he will be ready for a peace settlement with Ukraine only after he has achieved his goals, which haven’t changed since he …
As the Israel–Hamas war rages, the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza is grabbing headlines—as well it should. But another armed conflict, in Myanmar, is also causing mass suffering, with more than two million people internally …
The establishment by Australia and its AUKUS partners, the United States and the United Kingdom, of a deep space advanced radar capability (DARC) will help them respond to the threat of attacks on their satellites …
The fact that convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika is being released from jail should be of concern to all Australians. Alarmingly, it’s happening without the court system even being asked to consider a continuing detention …
If we can predict an adversary’s next move, we already have an advantage. Over millennia, those analysing warfare have identified rules, moves and countermoves, but also strengths and weaknesses on both sides. While sovereign capability …
Australia’s commitment to supporting education initiatives in Africa has long been a cornerstone of its diplomatic approach to the continent. Over the years, Australians have pioneered several programs and partnerships aimed at fostering education and …
Australia faces a deteriorating geostrategic environment, and the recent defence strategic review has found that the military’s force structure is not fit for purpose. In line with the review’s recommendations, the government has adopted the …
As we lament the state of Australia’s capability to engage with Asia, we should pay heed to one indispensable means of acquiring it: good, factual news reporting on our region, easily accessible to any interested …
Following the recent AI Safety Summit hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, ASPI’s Bart Hogeveen speaks with the European Union’s Senior Envoy for Digital to the United States Gerard de Graaf. They discuss the …