In this episode, Brendan Nicholson, Anastasia Kapetas and Jack Norton of The Strategist discuss some of the latest developments in the vexed Australia–China relationship. Next, Michael Shoebridge and John Coyne from ASPI’s defence, strategy and …
The detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei by authorities in Beijing, and its timing, sit within the Chinese government’s larger strategy to expand its international influence and power over others. But it also shows the …
Belarusian university students marked the start of the academic year on 1 September by announcing a strike. They planned to gather in Victory Square and then march to the Ministry of Education, where they would …
After the historic election in 2018 ended the six-decade-long rule of coalitions led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and the return of 92-year-old Mahathir Mohammad as prime minister, many hoped for a new …
Four of Australia’s national security and intelligence agencies—the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre—still lack formal oversight by the Office …
This month marks five years since Russia launched its well-publicised airborne intervention in Syria’s civil war. The first sparks of Syria’s unrest arose from civilian protests against President Bashar al-Assad, but the conflict morphed into …
Welcome to the first edition of ‘The threat spectrum’, a twice-monthly update focusing on non-traditional security threats. It’s divided into five sections covering climate change (Planet A), trends in democracy and authoritarianism (Democracy watch), mis- …
As the United States enters the home stretch of the 2020 presidential election campaign, and with neither party’s nominating convention featuring much discussion of foreign policy, the contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden …
No one denies the need for a capable, well-resourced Australian Defence Force. The federal government has responded to Australia’s changing strategic circumstances in part by providing the Defence Department with an additional $270 billion over …
Covid-19 has not deterred regional actors and major powers from maintaining, and in some cases enhancing, their geostrategic competitions in many hotspots around the globe. An emerging flashpoint is that between two old rivals, Turkey …
Australia’s 2020 cybersecurity strategy says the government will publicly call out, when it is in the nation’s interests to do so, countries responsible for unacceptable intrusions or activity. It’s appropriate for the world’s 13th largest …
Things are not going Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s way. Since the fraudulent presidential election on 9 August, the security services have been trying to carry out Lukashenko’s order to end the peaceful protests against his …
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg ended the prospects of Japan’s Kirin group selling its $600 million Australian Lion Dairy and Drinks business to Chinese dairy firm Mengniu when he gave his preliminary view that the sale ‘would be …
Northern Australia can expect to see more visits from US forces, which will create both economic and strategic benefits for Australia. Two recent US government decisions are set to change how the US military, and …
Sea state The 2020 iteration of the biennial Exercise Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, has just concluded. Ten nations (Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and the US) …
We are all grappling with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it could not have come at a worse time for people already made extremely vulnerable by warfare. In places such as Afghanistan, Libya, …
Norwegian salmon, South Korean celebrities, Canadian pork and, most recently, Australian wine—the Chinese Communist Party’s coercive diplomacy over the past few years has spanned commodities and continents. However, countries’ responses have remained largely short-sighted and …
The 2019 movie Ad Astra had a US military base on the moon and a memorable battle scene involving a moon rover, implying that by late this century the moon will be heavily militarised. A …
Brexit is simultaneously reshaping the United Kingdom’s constitutional order and transforming its place in Europe and the world. It is a monumental project which, despite Britain’s formal departure from the European Union at the end …
Shinzo Abe’s sudden resignation on health grounds ends the tenure of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. The country’s most internationally recognised statesman since 1945, Abe has been, among other things, the world leader most keen on …