Ahead of a high-level countering violent extremism (CVE) meeting planned for the margins of the United Nations General Assembly next month, our Strategic Insights paper released today, Security through aid, argues that CVE and terrorism …
With Indonesia’s annual growth rate now heading below 5%, President Joko Widodo’s cabinet reshuffle may have been mainly designed to revitalise the country’s flagging economy. But the political changes and what lay behind them also …
As a member of the Defence Minister’s White Paper panel, I’ve had many discussions about issues that paper will wrestle with (and a few that it certainly won’t, but that’s a post for another time). …
From an inauspicious and somewhat controversial start, the CEP has leapt into pride of place as the ‘process of choice’ for the Government when considering large maritime defence projects. Not only has it been used …
The Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, Zheng Zeguang, set the tone for the recent ARF Cyber Workshop in Beijing when he said there should be three priorities for the nations gathered in the room. First, that …
Australia is re-embracing the Indo–Pacific as the defining geographic expression of defence strategy. The Indo–Pacific was the big new theme of Labor’s 2013 Defence White Paper, and it’ll have the same status in the Coalition’s …
Stuck without a good read for over the weekend? Look no further than this week’s ASPI suggests, brought to you all the way from balmy Canberra. The Iran Deal is certainly the flavour of the month. Bound …
There is little to argue with in Beyond 2017: The Australian Defence Force and Amphibious Warfare by Ken Gleiman and Peter J Dean. It’s soundly thought out, well written, and concludes with a number of …
Australia’s public policy debate on irregular migration and border security has become bogged down in a polarised ideological war characterised by poisonous politics. This ideological war has done little to innovate border security migration policies …
The plethora of commentary on parliamentarians’ entitlements has pointed to systemic failure (a lack of clear guidance and rules) as a more fundamental cause of the problem than simple venality and carelessness on the part …
Australia is about to be taken out of its international comfort zone. Over the next 20 years we will face the biggest changes to our strategic environment since the arrival of the First Fleet. The …
The Beat Threats to reporters of organised crime While links between organised criminals have been investigated extensively here in Australia, it’s troubling to hear that increased intimidation and violence has been used against journalists investigating …
This year marks the 15th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security (WPS), which provides an opportunity to reflect on its progress. The realisation of the WPS agenda …
Washington is abuzz with the Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was agreed upon last month between the P5, Germany and the EU on the one side, and …
Policy reform in Australia has slowed so much that institutional causes should be considered. The effectiveness of the political adviser needs some thought because they touch most of the messages, reactions, decisions, budgets, policies and …
Indonesia’s Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto has foreshadowed the introduction of new cyber security legislation, stating that new cyber laws will be released by President Joko Widodo in October. He also confirmed earlier reports that Indonesia …
It’s time for Australians to come to grips with their more troubling security outlook and debate how best to strengthen their deterrence and defensive capabilities. That’s the core message in my essay Game Plan: The …
In Australia, we typically don’t consider trade relationships and trade agreements as contributing to national security. Yet, there’s an important strategic economic dimension. If two or more economies are prospering because all are able to …
With the minimum of fanfare, the US Army has made an announcement that challenges a long-standing prohibition in international humanitarian law: the banning of ‘expanding’ or hollow point ammunition from the battlefield. The announcement came …
Sea State Last week Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced a new $89 billion domestic shipbuilding program, which includes the continuous build of surface warships in Adelaide. Here on The Strategist, Andrew Davies and Mark Thomson …