New governments always rethink the machinery of state. The main aim is to make better decisions than the last lot—if only principally to retain government at the next election! So, in the field of national …
Of late, there’s been a positive narrative from the international community surrounding the growing security in Somalia, which had for over 20 years been considered largely a failed state. The European Union, with the UK …
The origins and purposes of the violence in the city of Zamboanga, on the Philippines southern province of Mindanao, are somewhat obscure—but the immediate effects are brutal and apparent. The violence started on September 9 …
This post coincides with Friday’s release of an ASPI Insight paper by Lydia Khalil entitled Trends in a tumultuous region: Middle East after the Arab Awakening. The Middle East has seen its share of troubles, but this …
We were taken by the remarks of Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett at the recent Africa DownUnder (ADU) Conference in Perth. This was a rich and informed dinner talk at the ADU event, far from …
In one of his first comments as the Defence Minister in Tony Abbott’s new government, David Johnston said that the ADF needs to be equipped to help safeguard regional sealanes. It’s easy to see this …
The capabilities and numbers of Australian submarines are bound to be a major issue for the new Defence Minister. One of the major considerations will be the future of American submarine capabilities. And as far …
In my previous post, I reviewed the progressive book, Africa’s Third Liberation. Today I’ll discuss how Australia can help to bring about that liberation in partnership with African professionals. The time for relations based purely …
In 1916, English mathematician (and poet, singer, pioneer aerodynamicist and designer of combustion engines) Frederick Lanchester turned his mind to the subject of aerial warfare. In particular, he realised that the nature of war in …
At some point towards the end of the year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott will face one of the biggest diplomatic tests of his new administration: his government’s first Australia—United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) meeting. These annual …
The fear of attacks on critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants, dams and electricity substations is not new – there has been a decade of commentary about threats to public services emanating from cyberspace. …
Asia’s hearing a great sucking sound as lots of hot money flees the region as the US Fed signals an end to the great monetary easing. India is getting jittery and Indonesia feeling some currency …
In my previous post, I looked at the polarised geopolitical, technological and economic situation that provides the backdrop to ASEAN states’ deliberations on cyberspace. During the course of the ARF meeting there was a focus …
I refer to my time in Cairo during July and August as my ‘summer of enchantment and disenchantment’. I fell in love with Cairo, and then watched it fall apart. I was in Cairo to …
Australia’s approach to France in the South Pacific oscillates between fear and forgetfulness. The fear moments have marked some notable points in Australian history. The fear of what the French were up to in the …
Last week, Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono jumped at the opportunity to offer his country’s finest troops for any UN-backed peacekeeping mission in Syria. It’s part of a growing trend of increased Indonesian involvement in …
China’s new national map re-affirms its historical South China Sea claims and incorporates a tenth ‘dash line’ off Taiwan. It has created a few ripples in Southeast Asia and beyond. Since the tenth dash itself …
Of all the issues facing the new defence minister, the replacement of the Collins class submarines stands out in terms of scale, complexity and difficulty. A critical aspect of this multi-billion dollar program will be …
Since the April 2013 publication of my previous post on Antarctica, two events have added further to the picture of Australia’s strategic interests in Antarctica. The first was the release of a new defence white …
The incoming Australian Attorney-General George Brandis’ top priority is the elimination of what he views as a ‘left-wing control of the human rights debate’. And he plans to conduct a national audit of federal statutes …