When Italy’s president recently vetoed the appointment of the Eurosceptic Paolo Savona as finance minister in the government proposed by the Five Star Movement–League party alliance, did he safeguard or undermine his country’s democracy? Beyond …
This is the 16th in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference. As recently as last Thursday, a post on The Strategist claimed, ‘Like Australia, no country in Southeast …
Sea state Australia has handed over command of Combined Task Force 150 to the United Kingdom. CTF150 is a multinational naval task force established to disrupt terrorist organisations’ drug smuggling operations in the Horn of …
Donald Trump’s ‘Iran strategy’, summarised in a White House media release on 8 May and fleshed out by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a speech in Washington on 21 May, has significant direct and indirect policy …
‘When the balance of power changes, it is not the power we lose, but the balance.’ Florence Parly, French Minister for the Armed Forces, Singapore, 3 June 2018 The power balance wobbles and lots of …
It’s a public holiday today in most parts of Australia for the Queen’s birthday. The Strategist will be back tomorrow to bring you more analysis of Australia’s foreign policy, defence and security concerns. The Editors
The 12 June summit between Kim Jong‑un and Donald Trump is almost upon us, and already some pretty fundamental shifts have occurred in the US negotiating position. Previously the US has sought to apply ‘maximum pressure’ through …
It should be the keen hope of everyone that Donald Trump’s engagement with Kim Jong-un in Singapore leads to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. If Trump can untangle one of the world’s most obdurate security …
The world First up this week, an unusual coalition of far-right and anti-establishment parties has been sworn into office in Italy. For a comprehensive understanding of how social media propelled the populists to the political …
‘They are trying to stop us with the usual blackmail of rising spreads, falling stock markets and European threats,’ wrote Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s League party, on his Facebook page. ‘This time,’ Salvini insisted, …
This is the 15th in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference. Recent years have seen an explosion of optimism around our ability to reach and exploit space, with …
At the 17th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) last weekend, the ‘Indo-Pacific’ was the leitmotif. From Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi and US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to the defence ministers of Japan, Australia and France, all …
Europe’s problems just seem to grow worse. The huge and continuing dislocation caused by Brexit is bad enough, but the news is also disturbing on several other fronts. The continued weakening of Germany’s (and its …
The beat #SpyCops Cosmetics brand Lush has faced heavy criticism for a new campaign attacking police in the window displays of its UK stores. The campaign, using the #SpyCops hashtag, features a ‘model whose face …
This is the 14th in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference. A sustainable sovereign launch capability is essential for a strong and vibrant space industry. Without it, Australia …
Twelve months ago, it would have been inconceivable to contemplate Donald Trump gearing up to meet, face to face, with his political nemesis, North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un. And yet, here we are today doing …
Something interesting happened at the Department of Defence’s Senate estimates hearing last week. Buried among the largely predictable and interminable questions about how much Defence pays eminent persons in advisory and advocacy positions were a …
This is the 13th in our series ‘Australia in Space’ leading up to ASPI’s Building Australia’s Strategy for Space conference. With the announcement of the Australian Space Agency, our space industry can start to focus on the …
In the second decade of the modern age of terrorism, it’s a cliché to say that the struggle will last decades. But even if a cliché is stale, it can express a major truth. So …
Australians love a flutter and nowhere is there a bigger gamble right now than the US–North Korea summit, due to take place in Singapore on Tuesday, 12 June. Wise punters need a form guide, so we …