Elections are debates in quest of power. But Australia is poorly served by the lack of a formal debate structure during federal elections. The campaign, just done and dusted, was sad proof—yet again—that Australia’s major …
Amid growing concern about potential threats to peace in the Indo-Pacific, a Royal Australian Navy task force has completed a three-month tour of seven key regional nations. Led by the flagship HMAS Canberra, the four …
The world How good are elections? There’s been a lot of voting around the world so we’re dedicating a large part of this week’s ‘Suggests’ to those festivals of democracy. In Australia, Indonesia and India, …
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that more Royal Australian Navy vessels will be built at the Henderson shipyard south of Perth, and the plan appears to have bipartisan support. The 2016 defence white paper …
At the start of 2019, it looked unlikely that Narendra Modi would lead his Bharatiya Janata Party to a win in India’s general election. Economic growth had faltered and promised jobs were not being created. …
In what amounts to a clean sweep, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have won a fresh mandate from the Indian electorate to rule for another five years. There are many factors …
There’s a growing debate in policy circles right now: are cyber technologies good or bad for democracy? Are internet platforms weakening public debate and social cohesion? Will artificial intelligence inevitably favour tyranny? What’s often missing …
The beat Facial recognition challenged in UK court The first test case against the use of facial recognition technology by police in Britain has been launched by Cardiff resident Ed Bridges. He’s arguing that the use …
The need for a strong, unified Europe has never been greater. But enthusiasm for the European project has rarely been so weak, at least among the young. According to a recent poll, about three-quarters of …
Seventy years after the signing of the Geneva Conventions, geopolitics has brought humankind to the brink of another arms race with new weapons and non-human combatants, a senior Red Cross official has warned. Dr Hugo …
The dramatic escalation of tensions between the US and Iran over the past few weeks has significantly changed the dynamic of Washington’s approach to Tehran, increasing the likelihood of military confrontation between the two countries. …
ASEAN, the common refrain goes, moves slowly, especially on sensitive issues that touch on sovereignty and security, where the pace of consensus-forming adjusts to fit the comfort level of the most hesitant member state. Nowhere …
At first thought, the Whitlam Institute on the campus of Western Sydney University is an odd place to have an exhibition supported by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and dedicated to espionage in Australia. After …
After a campaign that was called ‘one of the most divisive election campaigns in Indonesia’s history’, incumbent president Joko Widodo, or ‘Jokowi’, handily won his re-election bid against long-time rival Prabowo Subianto. On 21 May, …
The armistice that ended World War I was signed at around 5 am on 11 November 1918 but didn’t come into force until 11 am. In those six hours, when both sides knew that the war was …
Sea state Two new Chinese warships have been launched at Dalian shipyard in northeastern China. Chinese media say that the new Type 052D guided-missile destroyers bring the country’s total to 20, as the People’s Liberation …
As the European Parliament election approaches, Europe is abuzz with speculation over who will lead the main European Union institutions for the next five years. Among the positions up for grabs are those currently held …
The geopolitical aspects of David Goodhart’s The road to somewhere have been raised by Paul Dibb. The changes taking place in domestic politics and societal norms in Europe and the US are likely to be …
In this episode, we speak to our interns as their time with ASPI comes to an end. Luke Courtois, Mali Walker, Genevieve Feely and Rhys De Wilde speak about their time at ASPI, how their research interests …
Welcome to ‘The Strategist Six’, a feature that provides a glimpse into the thinking of prominent academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. What does Brexit mean for …