Anthony Albanese last week successfully passed what has become a foreign policy initiation for new Australian prime ministers: he established a good working relationship with his Indonesian counterpart. Whether Albanese’s business-like exchanges with Joko Widodo …
In November 2021, almost one year after he had posted a computer-generated image on Twitter of a grinning Australian soldier appearing to slit the throat of an Afghan child, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian …
In the broader discussion about Russia’s war on Ukraine, an important but overlooked element is the exodus of Russians from their homeland. Though it’s impossible to determine the scale of this phenomenon, we can expect …
A small proof that Australians live in interesting times (to borrow that apocryphal Chinese curse) is the interest directed at their country during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit. On his first trip as deputy prime …
The US and China came to Singapore’s Shangri-La security dialogue to argue and score points, to talk and to taunt. The face-off presented as drama and fight. As the reigning champ, the US got to …
The first Shangri-La Dialogue since 2019 is a chance for world leaders and ministers to discuss urgent and long-term international security questions, including a focus on whether rules and sovereignty matter anymore. The answer has …
The annual Shangri-La Dialogue is a key moment to hear how major powers see the world and each other. This one is more key than ‘normal’—because the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that the dialogue was …
This week, ASPI released the 21st edition of its annual Cost of Defence budget brief, Australia’s most comprehensive analysis of defence spending. In this podcast episode, ASPI’s defence, strategy and national security program director Michael …
After nearly four years, the new government has reinstalled a dedicated minister for cybersecurity. Clare O’Neil will hold the reins, as well as running the (now slightly shrunk) mega-portfolio of Home Affairs. During the period cybersecurity has …
Sea state Australia has delivered a Guardian-class patrol boat to Cook Islands to replace its Pacific-class patrol boat. The handover is the 15th Guardian vessel supplied through the Pacific patrol boat replacement program and follows …
The death, destruction and disruption caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine suggest that short-term savings achieved by running down defence capabilities in peacetime can incur huge costs in the longer run. The cost of investing …
The more India’s economic weight, geopolitical clout, diplomatic heft and global profile grow, the more domestic events will attract outside attention and have international consequences. The latest example of this is Islamophobic comments made by …
As Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its fourth month, the endgame remains murky. But one thing is clear: Russia’s military has taken a beating from Ukrainian forces that, at the start of the conflict, were …
As we reflect on the 100-day mark of the Russo-Ukrainian war and what we’ve learned, we need to understand that the West has fundamentally misunderstood Russia and continues to do so, argues Kyle Wilson, visiting …
Northern Australia has always been a big place, with much of its diverse social and economic activity unseen from the outside. Even before the ink was dry on Australia’s constitution, translating policy developed in the …
The war in Ukraine has reasserted the relevance of nuclear weapons as a major deterrent in global conflicts. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, a great power has publicly threatened …
In March, shortly before federal election, the Coalition government released a defence budget that continued its record of delivering the funding it promised in the 2016 defence white paper and 2020 defence strategic update. For …
Anthony Albanese’s first state visit to Indonesia as prime minister saw economics and investment at the top of the agenda, subjects of particular interest to President Joko Widodo. Considering that digital technology is becoming an …
Enabled by digital technologies and fuelled by geopolitical competition, hybrid threats in the Indo-Pacific are increasing in breadth, application and intensity. Hybrid threats are a mix of military, non-military, covert and overt activities by state …
With the announcement that Defence Space Command operations have kicked off, it’s unsurprising that Australia’s defence and national security experts are increasingly talking about space. In March, then defence minister and now opposition leader Peter …
