When governments send their militaries into conflicts, the forces usually suffer combat losses—deaths of people and destruction of machines. Between East Timor in 1999 and now, though, there have been (only) 60 deaths as a …
On 20 September, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to win an overwhelming victory over long-time rival Shigeru Ishiba in his bid for a third three-year term as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic …
Labour advocates have long complained that international trade agreements are driven by corporate agendas and pay little attention to the interests of working people. The preamble of the World Trade Organization agreement mentions the objective …
The Australian government’s approach to the US under President Donald Trump is deeply pragmatic: hold tight to what we’ve got, get what we can, and don’t anger Trump. Loudly love the alliance. And if you …
The new cold war is being fought in cyberspace on a continuing basis and with ever more sophisticated technologies. The Western powers, principally the United States and its allies, confront growing intrusions from adversaries ranging …
The world Ten years ago, the Lehman Brothers collapse was the final catalyst for the global financial crisis that sent economies across the world spiralling into the recession. The crisis had been brewing for at …
Between 1950 and 1972, the Malay Peninsula was a lynchpin of Australia’s defence policy. Then, as today, the international order was in a state of flux, a function of the complex interaction between post-colonial nationalism …
Taiwan is a country under siege as it faces the prospect of eventual reunification with China, on China’s terms, and potentially as soon as 2021—the centenary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. From …
In this podcast our strategists discuss the expansion of the PLA’s capabilities, concerns about the Chinese surveillance state, the continuing rise of right-wing extremism in Europe and some good news from India. You can view links …
Focused on big events and inconsequential forms of entertainment, the West’s news media have never been good at reading international trends—still less in this age of presidential tweets and micro attention spans. And Africa fares …
The beat Post-Brexit contingency plan leaked A leaked document from the UK’s National Police Coordination Centre has revealed that police are drafting plans to cope with possible riots and an increase in crime in the …
The Russian Federation is undertaking the biggest military exercise in its history, Vostok 2018 (East 2018). These large exercises are held each year, focusing on one region in the country. Last year’s Zapad (West) war …
Since late August, Chinese telecom firm Huawei, along with another Chinese telecom, ZTE, has been banned from providing 5G equipment to Australia. The Australian government didn’t directly name the companies, but said that ‘the involvement …
One of the drawbacks of amassing untrammelled power, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might ruefully reflect, is that he’s saddled with every decision and blamed for every crisis. After finally ascending to one-man rule in …
At last week’s Land Forces 2018 expo in Adelaide, Strategist defence editor Brendan Nicholson interviewed some of the speakers, including Katja Theodorakis from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the ANU, Kate Louis of the Australian Industry Group, …
Looked at from overseas, the past decade of Australian political history might appear almost recklessly self-indulgent. How could a country boasting 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth also witness no fewer than six changes of …
Each year the World Bank tackles critical development issues in its world development report. For 2016, it chose the topic of ‘digital dividends’. The researchers concluded that digital technologies have spread rapidly in much of …
It can be hard to grasp the fundamental concepts of evolution because of the vast timeframes involved. But there are dedicated scientists who, after years of study in the Galapagos Islands, have actually observed evolution …
Sea state The British amphibious vessel HMS Albion became involved in a minor confrontation with a Chinese frigate and two PLAN helicopters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea late last month. China …
Al-Qaeda’s destruction of the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001 brought the wrath of the world’s greatest military force and its allies down on the perpetrators, their sponsors and supporters, and any fraternal organisations or …