The prospect that the Australian Financial Review’s Mike Smith and the ABC’s Bill Birtles were going to spend months in China’s notorious black jails, being interrogated and having no access to lawyers, drove them to …
Women building peace during Covid-19 and beyond A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies looks at the role of women peacebuilders and peacekeepers in educating local communities on responding to and …
Social media is a factor, for better or worse, in dealing with any crisis today. Facebook’s crisis-response hub, for example, relaunched in 2017, has become an important information medium for disaster-struck populations. Unfortunately, social media …
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s announcement that he is standing down for health reasons is worrying many across the Indo-Pacific. The US, Australia and Southeast Asia have grown accustomed to Japan’s stronger and ‘sturdier’ leadership …
China’s export machine has shifted up a gear, with global sales close to a record levels in July and August as its manufacturers respond to the demand generated by Covid-19 stimulus programs in Europe and …
If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s that Australia needs to link long-term planning with emergency and operational coordination. Our future prosperity depends on governments thinking in terms of rolling and concurrent crises, ensuring solutions …
The same deep tension lies at the heart of the fight against Covid-19 and climate change, particularly in democracies. In each case, the measures necessary to save everyone entail costs that widen existing inequalities. At …
The rapidly deteriorating state of Papua New Guinea’s economy is presenting serious challenges for the PNG government, which is already struggling to finance its 2020 budget. But another factor looms as an equal, if not …
The mantra of Australia’s 2020 defence strategic update is ‘shape, deter and respond’ with a renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Unfortunately, this policy will face challenges in delivery. Shaping, deterring and responding demand understanding, …
With November approaching, I’m becoming ever more nervous about the US presidential election. While my American friends focus on Joe Biden’s lead over Donald Trump in opinion polls, believing deeply in US democracy’s capacity for …
On Wednesday, Australia’s South Pacific ‘step-up’ reaches its fourth birthday as an ambitious work in progress. History and geography command commitment. Commitment generates cash. Cash is as vital as vision because neighbourhood needs press. Strategy …
In this episode, Brendan Nicholson, Anastasia Kapetas and Jack Norton of The Strategist discuss some of the latest developments in the vexed Australia–China relationship. Next, Michael Shoebridge and John Coyne from ASPI’s defence, strategy and …
The detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei by authorities in Beijing, and its timing, sit within the Chinese government’s larger strategy to expand its international influence and power over others. But it also shows the …
Belarusian university students marked the start of the academic year on 1 September by announcing a strike. They planned to gather in Victory Square and then march to the Ministry of Education, where they would …
After the historic election in 2018 ended the six-decade-long rule of coalitions led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and the return of 92-year-old Mahathir Mohammad as prime minister, many hoped for a new …
Four of Australia’s national security and intelligence agencies—the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre—still lack formal oversight by the Office …
This month marks five years since Russia launched its well-publicised airborne intervention in Syria’s civil war. The first sparks of Syria’s unrest arose from civilian protests against President Bashar al-Assad, but the conflict morphed into …
Welcome to the first edition of ‘The threat spectrum’, a twice-monthly update focusing on non-traditional security threats. It’s divided into five sections covering climate change (Planet A), trends in democracy and authoritarianism (Democracy watch), mis- …
As the United States enters the home stretch of the 2020 presidential election campaign, and with neither party’s nominating convention featuring much discussion of foreign policy, the contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden …
No one denies the need for a capable, well-resourced Australian Defence Force. The federal government has responded to Australia’s changing strategic circumstances in part by providing the Defence Department with an additional $270 billion over …