The US has been pregnant with recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital at least since 1995, when Congress endorsed the position that ‘since 1950, the city of Jerusalem has been the capital of the State …
Last weekend, Air Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto became the new Indonesian military (TNI) commander. It was one of the fastest confirmation processes in recent memory—Tjahjanto was nominated by President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on 4 December and …
For outsiders, even governments, e-diasporas are a new and much-needed channel for communication with migrant groups and their nations of origin. E-diasporas present risks and opportunities for migration management, workforce planning, diplomacy, political engagement and …
A revolution is needed in how the Australian Federal Police fights crime as increasingly tech-savvy criminals and terrorists outstrip the skills of law enforcement agencies, says the force’s commissioner, Andrew Colvin. ‘The environment is changing …
The tragedy of Donald Trump’s announcement of US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is that it didn’t go far enough. It could, and should, have been a package along these lines: The US recognises …
Sea state Japan and China have agreed to implement a ‘hotline’ to avoid clashes in the East China Sea. No official agreement on the details of the mechanism has yet been reached, but the Japan …
As Tokyo—and towns and cities across Japan—look ahead to 2018, they are dusting off long-neglected civil-defence infrastructure and nuclear-attack procedures. Schoolchildren are practising the kinds of nuclear-safety drills that I endured during my childhood, at …
What are the mega-trends across the cyber landscape in the Asia–Pacific? The ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre’s new report, Cyber maturity in the Asia–Pacific region 2017, distils the major trends from a year’s worth of …
In the last year, the single most pointless wound inflicted by the US on Asia, not to mention itself, was its abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In one fell swoop, the once great free-trading nation …
Trouble is returning to the island of Bougainville and Australia must be prepared. With the 2019 independence referendum looming, Australia will be called on to help support the peace process, whatever the referendum’s outcome. Australia …
A couple of counter-espionage videos published as part of an online course on state security for China’s primary and secondary school students caught the attention of the international media last month. One video focuses on …
In offering security and economic integration to the South Pacific, Australia is starting gently with small steps. The soft-and-slow approach to integration has the best chance of success, because South Pacific states will embrace the …
Paul Dibb and Richard Brabin-Smith recently opined that our strategic situation has changed for the worse and that the warning time clock is ticking. I think they’re right. We were able to cruise through the …
The world Donald Trump doesn’t let a week slip by without throwing a spanner in the works. His decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital overturned more than two decades of US foreign policy in …
Australia’s 2017 white paper on foreign policy is necessarily a sweeping ranking of priorities and partners. Not unexpectedly, the paper renews our commitment to our major partner, the United States, while foreshadowing a nuanced relationship …
The 2017 foreign policy white paper reiterated the need for Australia to ‘advance our values and our national interests’ and to deepen ties with the US. The revived Friends of Australia Congressional Caucus in Washington …
When North Korea launched its Hwasong-15 ICBM last week, Donald Trump responded with the words, ‘We will take care of it’, later adding, ‘It is a situation we will handle.’ The latest missile launch followed what …
North Korea recently tested its Hwasong-15 ballistic missile, reaching an altitude of 2,780 miles (4,475 kilometers) during its 53-minute flight. Using a flatter trajectory could provide Kim Jong-un’s regime with the capability of hitting the …
The beat Andromeda defeated A collaboration between the FBI, various European crime and cyber crime investigators, Europol, Eurojust and private-sector partners has ‘dismantled one of the longest running malware families in existence’, the Andromeda botnet. …
Some watershed changes have been announced across our national security domain this year. A home affairs department is being established to act as a ‘portfolio agency’ for ASIO, the AFP, the Australian Border Force, the …