Dealing with China since its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001 has been a case of dewy-eyed optimism laced with frustration. The US reaction to this is starting to be clear under President …
The world Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have dominated headlines as the US president is poised to hit China with new trade penalties. A podcast by Brookings claims that these tariffs will backfire, harming US …
I’ve previously written about how elections consist of both the procedural and technical processes to collect and tally votes, and the arena of ideas where policies, platforms and promises are debated and discussed. Of the …
This article is the sixth in a series on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ that The Strategist will publish over coming weeks in recognition of International Women’s Day 2018. Eds. One of the key challenges when working in …
The ASEAN–Australia Special Summit attracted bipartisan Australian support, and was a success. We saw Malcolm Turnbull, in his carefully worded commentary and body language, engaging effectively with our neighbours. He understood the rhetorical need to …
Cyril Ramaphosa, the newly elected president of South Africa, likes to describe himself as an enigma. A carefully cultivated aura of mystery surrounds his political beliefs and policy preferences. Ramaphosa’s life is beset by paradox. …
The beat State of emergency lifted Sri Lanka has lifted a nationwide state of emergency that President Maithripala Sirisena had imposed on 6 March to quell anti-Muslim violence in the Buddhist majority country. Tensions boiled …
After the deaths of Osama bin Laden and several other leaders in 2011 and 2012, followed by the rise of Islamic State, many considered al-Qaeda ‘a spent force’. But in an important brief, (with an …
In 1965, Henry Kissinger wrote a book called The troubled partnership, in which he examined the tensions affecting the transatlantic alliance during the Cold War. A stable international order, he argued, demanded the leadership of …
In the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian, Conan laments ‘Crom is strong! If I die, I have to go before him, and he will ask me, “What is the riddle of steel?” If I don’t …
As international concern mounts about North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, recent events suggest a Pyongyang strongly interested in a new round of talks—or at least in talks with South Korea and the US, if …
Australia will have to respond to a formal complaint at the United Nations that procedures followed by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) breached obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. …
This article is the fifth in a series on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ that The Strategist will publish over coming weeks in recognition of International Women’s Day 2018. Eds. According to the UNHCR, women and girls make …
By my count this is my 285th contribution to The Strategist, and it’s my last in my time at ASPI. (But don’t breathe too big a sigh of relief—I intend to blight its virtual pages …
President Donald Trump has stunned allies and adversaries alike by accepting North Korean President Kim Jong-un’s invitation to meet with him in May to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The speed with which he …
Sea state The Japanese coast guard has recommended charging a US Navy officer with negligent homicide. The recommendation comes 8 months after a collision at sea between USS Fitzgerald and container ship ACX Crystal in …
As nations in the Indo-Pacific become stronger economically and militarily, Australia needs a potent air force with a sharp-enough technical and tactical edge and ‘information warfare’ skills to defeat potential adversaries, air force chief Leo …
For nearly 70 years, nothing has interrupted North Korea’s fierce and often savage belligerence towards the South and its superpower ally, the United States. Now President Donald Trump has spontaneously accepted an invitation to meet …
The past couple of weeks have been a case of ‘good news and bad news’ for customers of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. As a country about to commit to the bulk of its currently …
The world’s digital heritage is in danger, with serious gaps in in its protection, particularly during times of war or conflict. The concept of destroying cultural assets isn’t new. Throughout history, warfare has damaged and …