The beat Lockdown demonstrations on the rise In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, police forces around the globe have been monitoring lockdown demonstrations, in countries as widely scattered as the United States, Chile, Russia …
The Covid-19 pandemic, much like a major war, is a defining moment for the world—one that demands major reforms of international institutions. The World Health Organization, whose credibility has taken a severe beating, is a …
The Covid-19 pandemic has given new and sharper emphasis to questions that were already being raised in the public debate. Why are Australians losing trust in public institutions? Are our security organisations striking the right …
Covid-19 is a crisis of globalisation, propagated by around 800,000 international flights carrying over 100 million people across borders every week, along with the cruise liners carrying half a million or so tourists in any …
International humanitarian law is designed for the exceptional situation of armed conflict. It remains relevant even in the face of this exceptional pandemic. In March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for a global ceasefire because …
During this pandemic, much of the world’s attention has been focused on China and on how Covid-19 outbreaks are being handled in various countries, notably Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, South …
There have been claims in the media and by various commentators that the cost of Australia’s future submarine program has gone up. The Defence Department insists that it hasn’t. So, who’s right? Unfortunately, nothing is …
The coronavirus pandemic will affect the power of countries in different ways. The biggest impact will be reductions in the economic, and therefore military, strength and relative power of competing major states. The American historian …
Sea state Naval Group has reportedly refused requests from an independent senator to access documents that would show if it is honouring the terms of its contract for Australia’s $80 billion submarine fleet. Centre Alliance’s …
The history of coronaviruses is littered with environmental degradation, superstition, rampant illegal trading in wildlife, and complacency. Earlier this century, a global panic was triggered by one such virus, SARS, and there were what look …
In a break from the usual content of the daily White House press briefings on Covid-19, on 1 April the US defence secretary, Mark Esper, announced an increase in military assets assigned to US Southern …
As policymakers globally are preoccupied with managing the devasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a perfect storm of events appears to be coalescing around the Iran nuclear issue. Although both the US and Iran stepped …
In Thailand, harsh laws, military-backed governments, rewritten constitutions, flawed electoral processes and controls on public expression have long restricted citizens from engaging in meaningful political discourse. General Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power in a military coup …
Long before people and goods were traversing the globe non-stop, pandemics were already an inescapable feature of human civilisation. And the tragedy they bring has tended to have a silver lining: perceived as mysterious, meta-historical …
Cyclone Harold crashed through the South Pacific. Covid-19 creeps towards the islands. Pandemic and cyclone should sharpen Australia’s thinking about what it can and must do in the South Pacific. My single most important suggestion: …
The global economy may be in hibernation, but geopolitics is thriving and sprinting towards a potential crisis at the end of this year or early in 2021. The immediate and understandable focus is on fighting …
In this episode, ASPI’s Lisa Sharland speaks to Anna Powles of Massey University in New Zealand for an update on the impact Covid-19 is having on the Pacific. Senior ASPI analyst Huong Le Thu then …
This article is part of ASPI’s 2020 series on women, peace and security. In 2018, New Zealand Defence Minister Ron Mark encouraged countries in the Asia–Pacific to ‘identify their strengths and champion areas of expertise’. …
As the number of coronavirus victims mounts, making Iran one of the pandemic’s epicentres, the ruling ayatollahs have spotted an opportunity. They are driving an international campaign to have international sanctions lifted. Their main target …
Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on accountabilities and practices in the international cruise ship industry. Until now, the developed world has been in love with the industry, which has been growing at 15% per year, …