Andrew Carr calls for a more active debate on defence in Australia, claiming that bipartisanship will not serve us well in the current uncertain strategic environment. I agree with Andrew and I see it this …
Perhaps the West’s greatest contribution to politics is the concept of contested and limited governance—from Greek and Roman republicanism, which balanced the elites and the masses, through to the parliaments of the British Westminster systems …
New Caledonia is preparing to hold an independence referendum by the November 2018 deadline. The stakes are high, as the outcome could redefine France’s status in our region. All parties have a lot to do …
‘Poland has not yet perished … we shall prevail’—the most prominent lines of Poland’s national anthem—roared from thousands of throats during protests in the central European country in July. They capture well the motivation behind …
The late Des Ball once described the joint military facilities that Australia hosts for the United States as constituting the ‘strategic essence’ of the Australian–American relationship. When he offered that observation, the three facilities he …
On the morning of 31 May 2017, a 1,500-kilogram truck bomb was detonated outside the German Embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul, only streets away from the US and Australian missions. Windows were smashed …
Sea state The relative lull in the South China Sea disputes has been broken. A small flotilla of Chinese ships is reportedly blocking access to Sandy Cay, a small group of sand bars near Philippine-occupied …
‘I am not afraid’, chanted the crowd that took to the streets in Barcelona after a van was driven into pedestrians on the Las Ramblas promenade, killing at least 14 people and injuring some 130 …
In previous posts I looked at the major structural reforms recommended in the recent intelligence review and at the legislative changes that will be required to implement them. Today I look at the oversight of …
Forty-four years after Australian troops came home from Indochina, the Australian Defence Force will help Vietnam deploy a peacekeeping contingent to South Sudan. During a visit to Hanoi last Friday, Defence Minister Marise Payne agreed …
On Sunday 20 August as the world was coming to grips with the Barcelona terror attacks, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull unveiled Australia’s first national strategy for protecting crowded places from terrorism. According to the PM, …
Graeme Dunk’s recent post described challenges to Australia’s submarines in correctly classifying and discriminating between friendly and potential adversary submarines of similar design, such as the Kilo-class submarines operated by Russia, China, Indonesia, India and …
To see Australia’s $2 billion intelligence community, come for a stroll around Canberra’s parliamentary triangle. The expansion of bureaucratic empires is always expressed in concrete and marble, so there’s much to observe. Your tour guide …
It’s been a busy week for editors googling pictures of Terminators (as in the Schwarzenegger variety). The main driver has been reportage on an open letter to the UN, signed by 116 tech industry leaders …
China is a relative new player down south. It joined the Antarctic Treaty in 1983 and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in 2007. A recent ASPI Special Report, China’s expanding …
This week, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute turned 16. Happy birthday! Yet once more this seems a birthday in relative isolation. The institute itself remains keen to communicate, but increasingly I worry that few are …
There are few strategic policy issues as intractable as those appending to North Korea. A war would result in millions of Korean casualties and in the destruction of essential infrastructure, industrial capacity and urban habitation …
The beat ADF training for Tassie police Tasmania’s police special response teams will receive intensive counterterrorism training as part of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s response to the threat of domestic terrorism, which will involve training …
The developing economies of East Asia have enjoyed more than 40 years of growth, except for a brief crisis at the end of the last century. But the single-minded pursuit of economic growth at all …
August has been replete with praise for ASEAN as it celebrates 50 years on the job. It is worth reflecting on the impact ASEAN has had on Australia and its place in our future. First, …