Australia’s review of defence strategy and the capabilities that flow from it is almost complete. From the outside, the strategic assessment has to be that China’s power and military reach have grown faster than expected, …
If the Japanese government’s performance in dealing with the threat of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 is any indication, the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games are doomed to fail even before they begin. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe …
Israel’s third electoral showdown in a year was not kind to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even though his right-wing bloc of ultra-Orthodox and nationalist parties won more seats in parliament than the centre-left bloc headed …
‘A path can be charted between conflict and capitulation. The future is not solely in the hands of an authoritarian China or an unpredictable, self-centred America. In the end, the Indo-Pacific is both a region …
Amid much uncertainty about the spread and lethality of the novel coronavirus Covid-19, national security planners everywhere will be applying tough-minded geopolitical analysis to anticipate what worst-case scenarios for the virus might mean for the …
Australia’s commitment to women, peace and security in review A report by Louise Allen for ASPI has shown that, while Australia understands the importance of the WPS agenda to global security, the government has yet …
Lowell Dittmer’s book on the strategic geometry of power relationships in Asia comes at a critical time when regional actors are facing the urgent challenge of shaping their responses to China’s rising power and influence. …
When you stop and think about it for any length of time, it seems a miracle that the global economy spins on as well as it does. As the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19 has …
Online radicalisation has been a significant point of focus for the national security community in recent years. Much of this attention has been directed, rightly, at the risks posed by Islamic extremism, far-right extremism and …
The twists and turns of the Syrian conflict over the past eight years are already legendary, but the latest lurch into chaos has been described by the normally measured UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, as ‘one …
It may seem preposterous to suggest that the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Covid-19, has imperilled the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, especially at a time when the government’s aggressive containment efforts seem to …
The beat UK police prepare for coronavirus hit The UK government is poised to implement a number of measures if the country experiences a serious Covid-19 crisis. At the peak of such a crisis, it’s …
After the gains made by former US vice president Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries on Super Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders is slightly behind but still a frontrunner for the party’s nomination to face President …
In my previous article, I looked at classic deterrence theory, which distinguishes between deterrence by punishment and deterrence by denial. The latter is more direct and arguably more effective when the measure of effectiveness is …
The US and Australian share markets were touching record highs until 21 February, when they woke up to the possibility that the novel coronavirus—which had by that stage infected 78,000 people and killed nearly 2,400—would …
The Chinese government was likely well aware of Australia’s plans to significantly enhance the Royal Australian Air Force base at Tindal in the Northern Territory before it was announced last month. Nonetheless, the government’s decision …
After nearly two decades, 2,400 American soldiers killed, another 20,000 wounded and as much as US$2 trillion spent, the United States is understandably eager to withdraw from Afghanistan. President Donald Trump wants to be able …
Last year, as part of the broader discussion about a Plan B for Australia’s defence strategy, I started a series looking at Australia’s options to project military power in an age in which we could …
In a piece titled ‘The think-tank behind Australia’s changing view of China’, the Australian Financial Review recently gave prominence to a few critics of ASPI’s China research. But instead of engaging with the research and …
Sea state The US Navy says one of its P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was hit by a laser fired from a Chinese destroyer in international waters about 610 kilometres west of Guam. The US …