Australia’s four foreign policy white papers are windows on their moments, offering a 20-year narrative of shifting times. The arc is across four stepping stones aligned in purpose but beset by swift tides. The white …
The world This week marked the 18th school shooting of 2018 in the US. The Daily Beast discusses how the perpetrator trained with Republic of Florida, a white supremacist separatist group, from which he acquired firearms. …
Following Richard Menhinick’s post about Australia needing a more potent and lethal navy, it’s worth thinking about why we have a navy and what role it would play in a regional conflict. From my reading, …
The government will soon announce the successful bidder to replace the Army’s ASLAV armoured cavalry vehicles under project Land 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs). My new ASPI Strategic Insights paper can be found …
The first step in solving a problem is recognising that there is one. When it comes to tackling cybercrime, it’s time to admit our approach isn’t working. Our failure is staring us in the face. …
Commentary on the character of our security relationship with the US rarely examines what type of ally Australia is. We first, and often exclusively, focus on what type of ally the US is. However, the …
The beat Netanyahu in trouble Following a year-long investigation, Israeli police have recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be charged with bribery. Netanyahu has been under investigation for accepting gifts worth more than AU$356,000 from …
When I joined the Australian Army in the early 1990s, we used the latest binocular technology—electric binoculars that also provided GPS coordinates. These allowed us to see for kilometres, obtain coordinates and plan approaches. Today, …
Current perceptions of Russia as a power factor in the Indo-Asia–Pacific (IndAsPac) geopolitical system are very much influenced by established post–Cold War assumptions that Moscow is no longer able to influence the regional geostrategic landscape …
For well over three years now the ADF has been engaged in operations in the Middle East in the fight against Daesh. Our forces have acquitted themselves exceptionally well. The strike component of the Air …
‘Indonesia is one of the most dynamic economies in the region and is poised to become one of the region’s largest and most vibrant digital economies.’ That was Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s message to the …
For over 15 years now, there’s been an ASPI presentation on the defence budget at the Australian Defence Magazine’s annual defence industry conference. Mark Thomson did the lion’s share of them, but I’ve been the …
A couple of months ago Andrew Davies offered some comments on the pump-jet propulsion system that’s proposed as a key feature of the Shortfin Barracuda. As he observed, there seems a clear case for propellers …
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s efforts to form a new government following the September 2017 federal election have clearly taken a toll on her. Voters share her frustration. Almost five months on, Germany still has no government, …
Sea state The Indonesian navy has seized one tonne of the drug ice from the Singaporean-flagged vessel Sunrise Glory. The methamphetamine was found hidden in 41 sacks buried among food supplies. The Indonesian navy says …
The recent discovery of India has been a positive development in Australian foreign policy. While Australia has been able to develop a highly lucrative economic partnership with Asia’s other behemoth, the burgeoning relationship with India …
President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is driven by two main considerations. First, Xi recognises that the Chinese Communist Party’s survival is dependent on China’s ability to continue to serve as the world’s …
The White House announcement that Admiral Harry B. Harris, the current commander of the US Pacific Command, is President Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to Australia is unambiguously good news for our alliance relationship. The …
The evidence is clear. Donald Trump’s presidency has eroded America’s soft power. Only 30% of people recently polled by Gallup in 134 countries held a favourable view of the United States under Trump’s leadership, a …
‘Politics stops at the seaboard and anybody who denies that postulate is a son of a bitch and a crook and not a true patriot.’—Dean Acheson, US Secretary of State Acheson, a wry moustachioed warrior …