The political and military environment in Afghanistan remains extremely challenging. While recent international attention has been drawn to the rise of the ‘Islamic State’ group in Iraq and Syria and by the Greek financial crisis, …
Last week, negotiators attempted a final push for a nuclear agreement with Iran. While points of disagreement remained, both sides haven’t walked away from the negotiations. But what happens once both sides agree to a …
On 15 December last year The Daily Telegraph produced a special lunchtime edition that featured the front-page headline: ‘Death Cult CBD Attack: IS takes 13 hostages in city cafe siege’. The edition generated complaints to …
At the ASPI land power conference a few weeks ago, the PM promised an enterprise-level naval shipbuilding plan based around a rolling-build program. This will bring joy to the hearts of the burghers of South …
China’s economy may be facing its 1929 moment. Or this may be only the painful burst of a big bubble. Will it become a cascading catastrophe or just a crashing correction? Pay your money and …
This week’s best reads, podcasts and videos starting in 3, 2 … Where did the idea for the Japanese submarine option (aka ‘Option J’) come from? Rex Patrick draws up a speculative history of the origins …
I read David Connery’s recent Strategist contribution, ‘Adding to the picture: The UK’s serious and organised crime threat assessment’, with much interest. David made some excellent points in relation to the post prosecution management of …
Developments in the South China Sea (SCS) have significant implications for India’s strategic interests and its role in the Indo-Pacific. Yet New Delhi has traditionally maintained a safe distance from direct commentary on issues like …
Getting China right is a key challenge for Australian foreign policy. It’s not easy to do given our tendency to scare ourselves witless with overblown assessments of Chinese power. Foreign observers who know China well …
The Beat Mafia influencing Australian business and politics: part 2 The ABC/Fairfax investigation into organised crime in Australia has hit the international news, with Italian prosecutor Nicola Gratteri warning that increased focus on terrorism allows …
ASPI’s recent report, Gen Y Jihadists: Preventing Radicalisation in Australia, recommends engaging schools in a practical discussion about Middle Eastern politics, terrorism and counter-radicalisation. This follows news that the federal government is considering a deradicalisation …
Trilateralism is on the rise across the Asia–Pacific as states seek safety in numbers, diversifying their relations in response to an increasingly uncertain regional security environment. On 8 June 2015, senior foreign affairs officials from Australia, …
In the Islamic State (ISIS), we face a determined enemy melding terrorism and guerrilla warfare with an expansionist, state-building agenda and a mastery of online propaganda. And no country has yet mustered the political will …
Cyber security has impacted on the US Presidential race this week, with Hillary Clinton condemning Chinese hacking at a campaign event. Her commentary—that the Chinese are ‘trying to hack into anything that doesn’t move’—was part …
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has just released their 2015 serious and organised crime risk assessment. With a few exceptions, you could be reading its Australian counterpart, which was released last month by the …
During Asia-Pacific security dialogues such as the Shangri-La Dialogue and ASPI’s recent Northeast Asian Forum, the lack of trust between major players is commonly identified as a reason for limited regional cooperation on strategic and defence …
Last week there was a real flurry in the press and the blogosphere about the performance of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Or, more accurately, about the lack of manoeuvre performance in a trial against …
Sea State The two-week long Talisman Sabre exercise began on Sunday, with 40 Japanese personnel joining Australian, New Zealand and American forces for the first time. John Lee, a China specialist from the University of …
Recent postings on The Strategist by Mark Thomson (AWD Program) and by Charles Carnegie (Leadership Risk) cast a bright light on the present record of program management failure in Australian Naval Shipbuilding, and on the …
Australia’s leading academic researcher on public opinion has produced a fascinating study that draws together public surveys of defence and national security attitudes. The report by ANU’s Ian McAllister is part of a public consultation …