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 …
In late 2014, Australia was engaged in a vigorous national debate about whether 12 new submarines should be imported directly from Japan in a ‘captain’s pick’ or built here after some form of tender process. …
The Covid-19 crisis heralds a decade of strategic volatility. Now that the virus has emerged from China, societies, governments and international institutions must brace for contagion of all kinds—health, environmental, financial, cyber and the risk …
Forced labour and the abusive practices of the ‘re-education camps’ in China’s Xinjiang region are being exported to major factories across the country, implicating both global brands and the hundreds of millions of consumers (including …
‘I’m also very confident in terms of the methodologies that have been developed and refined over the course of many of these projects and I’m very confident in the fidelity of the data that we …
The death of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on 27 February brought the number of Turkish fatalities in Syria to around 50 for the month. It appears likely that …
The Indo-Pacific is an idea with a crucial purpose: avoid war. It’s a lot to ask of a geographic construct that barely existed a decade ago. ‘Indo-Pacific’ has shifted from a way to look at …
The period from the Tet offensive of early 1968 to the Moratorium demonstration of May 1970 was the turning point in the most important battlefield of the Vietnam War—the battle for American public opinion. To …
The world Some interesting analysis on the coronavirus has emerged this week looking at its impact on technology, economies and society. Foreign Policy has an interesting piece on the impact religious cults and conservatives have …
While Australians are often hawkish about community safety and border security, they’re far less accepting of their security agencies being given new domestic surveillance powers without government making a strong case for their use. You …