On 30 November 2019, with the death of Sir Michael Howard, we in the strategic studies community lost one of our outstanding leaders of the 20th century. Born into a well-connected stratum of British society …
‘Indo-Pacific’ has now become a catchphrase of the times, a reference point in discussing regional politics and security. It is not clear, however, that there’s widespread agreement in the region on its scope or its …
Discussions on technology and strategy in Canberra typically lead down one of three paths. The first is military implications and applications, usually in the context of our relations with the United States. The second is …
In Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on 11 January 2020, Tsai Ing-wen secured a second term as president and her party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), maintained its legislative majority. The elections attracted unprecedented international …
For the first time since 1957, Europe finds itself in a situation where three major powers—the United States, China and Russia—have an interest in weakening it. They may squeeze the European Union in very different …
The future international environment is now coming into focus. It doesn’t look promising. Government approaches to defence and human security will need to undergo a radical reassessment if they are to ameliorate the adverse effects. …
It has been painfully obvious for years that our major ally, the US, major regional partner, Japan, and major market, China, all see more strategic value in northern Australia than successive federal governments and much …
Experience in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) highlights many of the operational challenges in implementing the UN’s agenda of women, peace and security (WPS). As I reflected on my recent UNMISS deployment as …
During the recent flare-up between the United States and Iran, US President Donald Trump tweeted that he was prepared to bomb ‘52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago)’. …
Australia invites itself to America’s wars—Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. A singular purpose runs through them all: the US alliance. Australia invites itself so it can pay its alliance dues. It’s the insurance model Prime …
Every country has its legends. They may be important to national self-esteem, but they’re not necessarily good history. Twenty years after the ballot in which the East Timorese decided their future, it’s time to reflect …
The Australian government’s decision to ban ‘high-risk vendors’ from its 5G network build caused ripples not just through the Five Eyes community but in major markets where those high-risk vendors already have key customers. One …
The world turned a corner in 2019. The problem is that the world order didn’t turn with it. This disconnect could have disastrous consequences. The biggest global power change has been the start of the …
The announcement by France, Germany and the UK that they have triggered the formal dispute-resolution mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program effectively spells the death of the agreement. The …
The news that Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok is not approved for use on devices owned by Australia’s Department of Defence, as the ABC reported today, is hardly a surprise. Defence’s default position on what apps …
Three years, or halfway, into Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, both internal and external security concerns remain prominent in the consciousness of the country’s officials and security experts. Anxiety is particularly acute in the immediate …
The prime minister has announced that the cabinet will consider a royal commission into aspects of the ongoing fire disaster once the bushfires are under control. Some form of national review seems inevitable, given the …
The Australian National Audit Office has just released its latest report on Australia’s $80 billion future submarine capability. It set itself the task of examining ‘the effectiveness of Defence’s administration of the Future Submarine Program …
Russia is not synonymous with President Vladimir Putin, or with his United Russia party, or with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of a private military company carrying out the Kremlin’s wishes in Syria and eastern Ukraine. …
As fire continues to wreak havoc across large parts of the country, online Australia is battling another crisis: the waves of misinformation and disinformation spreading across social media. Much of the media reporting on this …