International organisations are currently plagued by allegations of powerful states wielding undue influence over outcomes. These include recent revelations about Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other countries pushing back against the United Nations on climate …
As tensions across the Taiwan Strait rise, pressure is growing on the US administration to deter China more effectively by giving up on strategic ambiguity and moving towards a policy of strategic clarity. Indeed, last …
September was a dizzying month in Australian foreign policy, especially in the Australian–American relationship. In quick succession were the 70th anniversary of ANZUS, the announcement of the new AUKUS defence partnership, the annual AUSMIN consultations …
High school economics taught us that scaling up improves efficiency and reduces costs. There’s intense focus right now in the Northern Territory on tapping into large-scale solar and renewable hydrogen, large-scale gas exports and large-scale …
The United Nations Climate Change Conference better known as COP26 that’s underway in Glasgow might conclude with a big international agreement. But whatever tactical successes are achieved at COP26, the results are likely to mark …
US security agencies have released their first comprehensive public-facing intelligence assessments on the impacts of climate change on US national security—three months after the due date set out in President Joe Biden’s January executive order …
Will soaring prices for coal, oil and gas speed their replacement by renewables or foster a surge of investment in fossil fuels? The new political economy of climate change is facing a head-on collision with …
In a previous article, I talked about Australia’s changed threat environment and recommended that the government produce a national threat assessment with both classified and publicly accessible versions. In this follow-up, I’ll focus on what …
Serious risks are being realised in the Royal Australian Navy’s twin transitions in its surface combatant and submarine fleets. As Australia’s strategic circumstances become more dangerous, Defence needs to adopt hedging measures to actively address …
The recently announced AUKUS technology-sharing pact is about much more than the United Kingdom and United States helping Australia get nuclear-powered submarines; it is an agreement to share platforms and innovation costs for advanced technologies …
The speed of technological change and the deteriorating strategic context are driving transformation of the Australian Army, says Lieutenant General Rick Burr. The army chief acknowledges that technological advances are coming so fast that it’s …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. We cop it from climate change. Now we seek to cope. The job of COP26 in …
A multi-disciplinary taskforce is recruiting ‘Australia’s sharpest minds’ to tackle the herculean task of providing the Royal Australian Navy with eight nuclear-powered submarines, acquiring the technical skills the nation doesn’t yet have to maintain them, …
Proudly non-aligned, Indonesia never loses an opportunity to reiterate that it has no intention of choosing sides in the Indo-Pacific’s evolving great-power contest. But that doesn’t mean it always treats both sides equitably. Take the …
The COP26 climate summit kicks off on Sunday in Glasgow, where it’s expected that leaders will bring bigger commitments to 2030 emissions-reduction targets and outline bolder climate policies. ASPI’s Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas discuss …
The 16th of September 2021 will be remembered as the day Australia’s strategic status changed forever. The AUKUS security partnership and its headline announcement that the United Kingdom and the United States will assist Australia …
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week ordered the expulsion from Turkey of ambassadors of 10 Western countries, including NATO allies such as the United States, for meddling in Turkey’s internal affairs. The envoys had issued …
Most of Defence’s grilling in Senate estimates yesterday was about plans and issues around getting eight nuclear submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. There was forensic questioning about who said what to whom about the …
In September, Chile became the first state in the world to pass legislation regulating the use of neurotechnology. The ‘neuro-rights’ law aims to protect mental privacy, free will of thought and personal identity. The move …
The timely new edition of Allan Gyngell’s Fear of abandonment highlights how Australia’s strategic environment has become decidedly more complex since the first edition was published just four years ago. The book is a masterpiece …
