Change—but no change. John Key’s sudden resignation as Prime Minister has changed the political game in New Zealand but his successor is unlikely to signal a significant shift in foreign and defence policy. National party …
The seven decades since the end of World War II were an era of trade agreements. The world’s major economies were in a perpetual state of trade negotiations, concluding two major global multilateral deals: the …
On 10 November the government announced the appointment of Australia’s first ambassador for cyber affairs, ASPI’s Toby Feakin. A key role for Toby and his team over the next 12 months will be to help …
President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning phone call with Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen has overturned decades of US diplomatic protocol when it comes to the thorny cross-Strait issue. The reaction of many analysts and media commentators has …
The Beat Non-‘Accra’-dited US Embassy A fake US embassy in Ghana which operated for about a decade has been shut down. The US State Department confirmed raids in Accra in which 150 passports from 10 …
Of all the eccentric conversations President-elect Trump has had with foreign heads of state and government since winning the election, the one he had last week with Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, ranks as …
As we wrote back in March, the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee held an inquiry into Australia’s acquisition of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The election campaign in the middle of the …
The infamous botnet infrastructure ‘Avalanche’ used by cyber crooks to launch their malware campaigns and phishing attacks was taken down last week in a historic victory for international cooperation against cybercrime. After four years of …
We’ll have to wait to see what Donald Trump’s election means for Europe. Immediate responses have predicted a boost for right wing populist political parties in Europe. The presence and popularity of Eurosceptic and nationalist …
In early November, US President Barack Obama reportedly contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin personally to warn against cyber attacks aimed at the American presidential election. The previous month, the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, …
Since Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last month, the volume of discussion about Australia’s relationship with the US and our region has increased sharply. Politicians, officials, think-tankers and journalists have all weighed …
Sea State Starting off Down Under, the Australian government released a request for tender (RFT) for 12 new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) last week. In a statement released by Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne, …
In the face of an increasingly contested international order, the European Union is strengthening its security and defence capacities. In June, the 28 Leaders of the European Union welcomed the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy that was presented …
The world has moved on but most South China Sea strategies are stuck in the past. For example, Australia’s policies have changed very little from 2011 to today. So instead, let’s think about strategies for …
Australia’s newest interlocutor for strategic policy in the White House is Michael T. Flynn, the retired US Army lieutenant general who is expected to be Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser. In his 2016 book, The …
Now the TPP’s as good as dead, the Chinese-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a possible Plan B for Vietnam. RCEP doesn’t have the US as a member and has previously been seen as a …
To see what Donald Trump will do to the future of the Oz-US alliance, ponder the lessons of the foundation legends. Start with the Labor Party’s creation saga: John Curtin’s turn to the US. The …
Hello, comrades. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released a sobering report (PDF) this week about the incidence of suicide among serving and ex-serving ADF personnel. The report, said to be the first comprehensive …
One of the hallmarks of a presidential transition in the United States is a comprehensive policy review, aimed at determining which policies to retain and which to eliminate or change. As President-elect Donald Trump moves …
In my talks with Australian politicians, leaders, policymakers, academics and NGOs, one thing is clear: Indonesia is strategically and economically important for Australia. However, not much has been said about the importance of Australia for …