ASPI’s annual conference takes place on 14–15 September at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. The theme is ‘Disruption and deterrence’. Effective deterrence, built upon a strong Australian Defence Force that works closely with allies …
As Indonesia prepared to play host this week to the various annual ASEAN-centred summits, culminating in the 18th East Asia Summit, President Joko Widodo warned, in terms familiar to ASEAN watchers, against the risk of …
Planet A Climate change is likely to worsen armed conflict in fragile and war-torn states, warns a new report from the International Monetary Fund. While climate shocks don’t cause conflict directly, the report found that …
On Monday, Sato Kilman was voted in as prime minister of Vanuatu for the fifth time, after the country’s Supreme Court upheld a vote of no confidence against former PM Ishmael Kalsakau. Having been in …
The possible outcome of the review of the Royal Australian Navy’s surface combatant fleet has generated a fair amount of public commentary, some of which has focused much too closely on specific solutions. In particular, …
China’s sharp economic slowdown has raised alarm bells around the world. But it has also thrown into relief the rise of another demographic powerhouse next door. The Indian economy grew at an impressive 7.8% annual …
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner private military company, joined the long list of Russian oligarchs who’ve died since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. From ‘tripped while smoking’ to ‘falling from a …
Innovation is the best way to win the TikTok battle. Many liberal democratic states have banned the Chinese-owned platform from government devices, including the members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Despite this, TikTok remains …
Australian Labor Party debates on defence policy are often full of passion and vigour, especially those involving regional security, nuclear issues and the alliance with the United States. A combination of all three has made …
In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit, and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt, the New York …
The first debate between the Republican Party’s candidates for next year’s US presidential election revealed major schisms over foreign policy. While former US Vice President Mike Pence and former US ambassador to the United Nations …
In this episode, ASPI’s executive director, Justin Bassi, speaks with Jason Healey, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs specialising in cyber conflict, competition and cooperation. Jason wrote and …
Elements of society continue to apply subtle and not-so-subtle pressure on boys to be ‘real men’, which can have negative impacts on their development and on social cohesion. Australian researchers who interviewed 1,374 young men …
US President Joe Biden brought the leaders of allies Japan and South Korea to Camp David last month to discuss how to contain China and counter Russia’s influence—for example, in Africa’s Sahel region, which has …
France is facing resistance as it prepares to host a meeting of New Caledonian parties in Paris from 4 September. Independence parties reject the third independence referendum of December 2021. A visit by French President …
Hardly a day had passed after the government unveiled its initial draft of the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill 2023 when critics descended upon it. ‘Hey Peasants, Your Opinions Hell, your facts Are Fake News’, …
On Monday, Terry Gou announced his intention to stand as a candidate in Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election. He joins Vice President Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Hou You-yi from the Kuomintang …
Sea state The Russian and Chinese navies held a joint patrol exercise last month involving manoeuvres near the US Pacific coast. The ships travelled more than 7,000 nautical miles through the Sea of Japan, Sea …
Not so long ago, the consensus around defending democracy on the internet was nearly a settled matter. A sort of de facto understanding held that to fight disinformation and defend democracy, we should resist the …
Vietnam demonstrated its serious commitment to addressing inequities when it adopted the national strategy for gender equality for 2021–2030. The strategy gives Vietnam the potential to become a role model for neighbouring countries such as …