The Turnbull government’s foreign-policy white paper is due any day, and it’s a fair bet it will not recommend what is fashionably called an ‘independent foreign policy’. That is bound to upset many intellectuals, former …
Sea state China’s navy has added a new rescue unit to its South Sea fleet. The move increases the battle-readiness and capability of the fleet, which is ‘carrying out more missions’ in the disputed South …
Ramesh Thakur presents a strong case for challenging the Trump administration’s decision not to recertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). I’m in broad agreement with the points that he makes. His concluding thought …
Early on 2 September 2015, 16 Syrian refugees on a remote Turkish beach hopped onto a small boat built for eight passengers. Each had paid a people smuggler around US$6,000 for passage from Turkey to …
Exactly 75 years ago, Australians dressed in steel helmets and khaki shorts, and often not much else, sat in weapon pits in the Egyptian sun about 120 kilometres west of Alexandria. They were preparing for …
The 23rd ASEAN Transport Ministers meeting on 12 October ended on a high note with the signing of an agreement on cross-border transport of passengers by road vehicles. The pact makes it easier to facilitate …
On 12 October, Mogadishu was rocked by a powerful bomb that killed more than 320 people and injured around 500. Security officials attribute the bombing to al-Shabaab (‘the youth’), although the group has yet to …
Australia spent years saying no to a central role in the mounting crisis in Solomon Islands. Then, in 2003, Canberra did a huge U-turn and led the intervention that ran for 14 years and ended …
The world Islamic State hasn’t claimed responsibility for last weekend’s blast in Mogadishu that killed more than 300 people, dispelling the popular myth that the organisation is willing to claim anything to boost its street …
Reformist, not revolutionary: that will be the tone of the three-way Labour-led governing arrangement announced late on 19 August. Incoming prime minister Jacinda Ardern is 37. For many, she personifies a generational shift, which is …
With the cities of Hawija and Raqqa now under Iraqi government and Syrian Democratic Forces control, the military defeat of Islamic State looks imminent. Six and half million people have been liberated and 80% of …
A growing list of observers contend that North Korea is now out of reach, that its nuclear program is irreversible and that the smart option is to accept this fact and start concentrating on deterrence …
As military cooperation between France and Australia increases, the French Navy is stepping up its presence in the Asia–Pacific region to protect its trade routes and demonstrate the importance it places on international maritime law. …
The beat Afghan police under attack The Taliban have claimed responsibility for an attack on the police headquarters and training college in Gardez, the capital of Afghanistan’s eastern province Paktia. A suicide bomber detonated a …
Since the election of Donald Trump, the calls have raged in some quarters of Australia for Australia to abandon the US alliance. It is an alliance of more than 65 years which has withstood personality …
America, the pundits keep telling us, is failing to exercise leadership in Asia. Crippled by a crisis of confidence and distracted by an erratic and bizarre president, Washington seems adrift and anxious. Add to that …
The last couple of weeks have been big ones for space in the US. Vice President Pence chaired the newly re-formed US National Space Council, the peak body for charting US space policy, which had …
In recent weeks, there has been a debate over the value of military education and training assistance provided to Southeast Asian states. The debate follows the UK’s recent suspension of education and training assistance to …
Despite low world prices for the commodities on which they tend to depend, many of the world’s poorest economies have been doing well. Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth has slowed precipitously since 2015, but this reflects …
For the ADF, the goal of carrying out truly ‘joint’ operations must embrace not just the army, navy and air force, but also key non-military agencies and allied forces. The head of the ADF’s Joint …