Tomorrow, Singaporeans will be among the first citizens to vote in a national election during the global Covid-19 pandemic. The general election campaign has been short and without the traditional rallies. Only on 23 June …
The beat Police enforce Beijing’s national security law in Hong Kong Beijing has opened a security office in Hong Kong for intelligence agents from mainland China, who now have the power to investigate Hongkongers for …
Some of the Chinese government’s recent policies seem to make little practical sense and the decision to impose its national security law on Hong Kong is a prime example. The law’s rushed enactment by China’s …
Prime Minister Scott Morrison released the 2020 defence strategic update to define Australia’s evolving challenges and provide guidance on defence policy, capability and force structure. The new strategic objectives are to ‘shape’, ‘deter’ and ‘respond’. …
At first blush, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s speech releasing the defence strategic update last week was more than a little startling. Its language and tone were blunt to a degree that would have seemed unthinkable …
Gender, conflict and climate change A new UN report explores the latest research on the compounding effects of crises caused by conflicts, climate change and pandemics, and how they affect people differently based on gender …
‘It is extremely dubious whether uncritical, loyal support for a bad, failed American policy will have enhanced our standing as an ally in the long run. A reputation for being dumb but loyal and eager …
Many analysts argue that the liberal international order ended with the rise of China and the election of US President Donald Trump. But if Democratic challenger Joe Biden defeats Trump in November’s election, should he …
Last month, the US Department of Defense released the unclassified summary of a new strategy to help the US Space Force and other branches of the military ensure that the US can compete, deter and …
China’s Communist Party leaders have long understood the potency of symbols and the power to write history. It’s why Hong Kong protesters defacing the Chinese emblem with black paint and throwing a Chinese flag into …
Sea state Australia’s defence strategic update and new force structure plan include funding for advanced sea mines, patrol vessels, an undersea surveillance system, and research on uncrewed vessels. Those capabilities will complement the warships already …
This article concludes ASPI’s 2020 series on women, peace and security. As we celebrate 20 years of the women, peace and security agenda, many—if not most—of the conversations I have with practitioners, advocates and activists …
The ongoing standoff between Chinese and Indian forces along the two countries’ disputed Himalayan border recently resulted in the first troop casualties there in decades, with some Indian soldiers killed in particularly brutal fashion. The …
Occasionally Australian strategic defence policy has moments of enlightenment when it breaks free from the evasions, platitudes and niceties of normal diplomatic discourse. Such a moment occurred last week when Prime Minister Scott Morrison released …
Australia’s defence strategic update is not recommended reading for the faint-hearted. It depicts a starkly divided world in which the prospects of conflict are growing. In this post, I’ll explore only one small part of …
China is expressing an interest in joining the updated Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, which was originally designed as the centrepiece of the Obama administration’s ‘pivot to Asia’, intended to cement a non-Chinese Asian regional group. …
Regional flashpoints are heating up, as we’ve seen with the fatal clash in Ladakh on the India–China border, the protests in Hong Kong and provocative sorties in the airspace over Taiwan and Japan. But the …
As a foreign affairs intellectual, Owen Harries was an idea-slinger with a measured draw and a true aim. A well-argued stoush suited this man from South Wales who embraced Washington and adopted Australia. Harries knew …
In this episode, ASPI’s Genevieve Feely speaks to gender equality and social inclusion expert Amy Haddad about multilateralism to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN. They discuss the challenges the organisation faces, opportunities for …
‘To annex or not to annex’ sums up the dilemma facing the Israeli prime minister. US President Donald Trump’s Middle East ‘peace plan’ has given Benjamin Netanyahu the green light to annex around 30% of …