There have been a number of well-argued suggestions that Australia should introduce nuclear powered submarines (SSN) and, more recently, an emotive argument that a conventional submarine is not up to the task required by Australia’s …
It was hard to overstate the shock in Washington and here in New York the day after the US election. But now it’s time for sober analysis of Trump’s possible foreign and defence policy, and …
Last week progress was made on three initiatives announced in April’s Cyber Security Strategy. First up, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Minister Assisting the PM for Cyber Security Dan Tehan announced last Thursday that ICPC’s …
With the Trump presidency comes the prospect of the irretrievable loss of some things the strategic pundits thought would persist. Sticking to the old narrative of the US position in the world won’t serve. To …
I spoke on the subject of the deterrent value of submarines at the Submarine Institute of Australia annual conference yesterday. I was preaching to the choir with that crowd, but I’m often asked at public …
Speculation regarding the implications of Donald Trump’s win for Asia has been, to be charitable, all over the map. Some argue that Trump’s victory is a win for China because he’ll seek to cut deals …
Sea State South Korea launched its newest submarine—the Lee Beom-seok—at a ceremony last week. Named after a famous Korean resistance fighter, the Lee Beom-seok is the eighth of a planned nine Son-Won-II-class diesel electric submarines. …
Late last month, the United Nations Security Council held their annual open debate on women, peace and security (WPS). 80 representatives spoke, 72 of whom were representatives of member states. The president of the Security …
Alone again. Since World War II’s end, Europe has looked at the world through a transatlantic lens. There have been ups and downs in the alliance with the United States, but it was a family …
Donald J. Trump is president-elect of the United States. What are the consequences for Australia? Following a 15 minute phone call with Mr Trump, Prime Minister Turnbull moved to reassure a shell-shocked public that it’s …
On 20 January 2017, Donald Trump will be sworn in as America’s 45th president. I’m not expecting an immediate revolution in strategic affairs; his priorities will be unashamedly domestic. Indeed, like most politicians—who campaign in …
Whether or not US President-elect Donald Trump behaves better once in office than he did on the campaign trail, America’s global authority has already taken a battering, not least among its allies and partners in …
When you think of American and Soviet Cold War nuclear arsenals, the descriptor ‘huge’ automatically comes to mind. One technological innovation in the 1970s contributed more than any other factor to the creation of those …
Five years ago this week, Barack Obama launched the Pivot. Thus, on its fifth birthday, the Pivot expires. This is an epitaph. The American people have decided and the Pivot is Trumped. Asia confronts Amexit: …
It’s Remembrance Day today, when, at 11am, Australians took a moment to remember those who died or suffered for their country in conflict and war. Today we commemorated 11am on 11 November 1918, when ‘the …
So much for the end of history. Twenty-seven years to the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall heralded the collapse of communism in Europe, Donald Trump’s election as US president endangers the liberal …
The election of Donald Trump is the political equivalent of a nuclear bomb, an explosion that not only destroys the immediate environment but also scatters radioactive fallout far away, with damage that can last for …
If Heath Ledger could comment on the outcome of the US Presidential contest, he might suggest that, in politics and human commerce more generally, life imitates art. His portrayal of anarchy and disruption in The …
During his campaign, US President-elect Donald Trump questioned the alliances and institutions that undergird the liberal world order, but he spelled out few specific policies. Perhaps the most important question raised by his victory is …
The Beat Jakarta unrest Violence erupted in Jakarta last Friday night resulting in one death (from asthma-related complications) and dozens injured as police attempted to control mass protests. A 150,000 strong rally took to the …