Welcome to ‘The Strategist Six’, a feature providing a glimpse into the thinking of prominent academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. What are the lessons from the …
The world Starting with bleak news, the crises in Afrin and Eastern Ghouta show no signs of relenting as we enter the eighth year of the Syrian civil war. Al Jazeera looks at seven documentaries …
This article is the fourth 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. In Australia, civil society organisations (CSOs) and individuals …
US President Donald Trump’s bark on trade policy has so far been far worse than his bite. But this may be changing. In January, he raised tariffs on imported washing machines and solar cells. Now, …
The People’s Republic of China seeks to contest information dominance (制信息权) and discursive dominance (话语权) in cyberspace. For the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), cybersecurity is integral to comprehensive state security (国家安全). That’s distinct from ‘national’ …
Theresa May has provided a clear basis for the UK government’s conclusion that former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia. As Prime …
The beat Complaints unanswered Due to a lack of funding, NSW’s Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) has been unable to pursue multiple allegations of misconduct. The LECC’s chief commissioner revealed in a parliamentary submission that a …
Deep in our Australian collective psyche is a fundamental belief that we’re ‘the lucky country’. You can’t blame us because even our national anthem says ‘our land abounds in nature’s gifts, of beauty rich and …
This article is the third 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. Both of us entered politics to shape public …
This weekend Malcolm Turnbull will host the leaders of the ASEAN countries attending the ASEAN–Australia Special Summit. The summit draws from the 2016 Defence White Paper and the 2017 foreign policy white paper, both which …
The government has made its long-awaited decision on the first phase of LAND 400, Defence’s megaproject to acquire new armoured combat vehicles. And the even bigger decision on the future frigate is likely soon …
The 2018 Timor Sea Treaty signed in New York between Australia and Timor-Leste on 6 March 2018 is a landmark agreement between the two countries and provides a pathway for the final settlement of the …
A surprised world learned last week that Donald Trump had agreed to meet Kim Jong-Un. The unprecedented situation of two South Korean intelligence officials on the White House driveway telling the world that the American …
This week in Sydney, Standards Australia, the peak national standards development body, will host over 100 leading security experts from 45 countries. The security and resilience conference aims to make progress on standards to reduce …
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 1 March 2018 speech to the Russian parliament wasn’t about new nuclear weapons or about the United States. I know that sounds remarkable given international reporting on it. Putin certainly spent …
The Australian Defence Department has banned staff and serving personnel from downloading the Chinese social media and messaging app WeChat onto their work phones. ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre staff sat down today to discuss …
Sea state A report produced by the Singapore government has revealed the cause of a deadly collision between an American warship and an oil tanker in August last year. The report says the collision was …
When then Prime Minister Paul Keating visited Vietnam in 1994—a year before Vietnam normalised relations with the US and joined ASEAN—he came home convinced that this Southeast Asian nation would gain strategic weight. Today …
Malaysia is just a few months or even weeks away from its most contentious election in decades. Mahathir Mohamad—Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, whose rule ended in 2003—is, at 92, working with opposition figures he once …
ASEAN comes to Sydney this week. The harbour city hosts Southeast Asia as Malcolm Turnbull does summitry with ASEAN’s leaders. Just back from the Washington DC celebration of 100 years of US–Australia mateship, the prime …