Mark Thomson’s account of Australia–New Zealand defence differences prompts an impolite question: quite what is the point of these trans-Tasman comparisons? The intellectual answer is that we want an accurate account of the world around …
With the death of Des Ball, the global community of security specialists has lost a leading thinker. Des, from his early graduate student days, focused on strategic issues. His initial steps were guided by his …
Des Ball was an extraordinary Oz strategist in range and depth. Des, who died last week, was a virtuoso on global strategy, Asia–Pacific security and Australian defence policy. He worked at the highest level on …
Professor Desmond Ball AO, a towering figure of issues strategic and defence, passed away on Wednesday after a long illness. While Graeme Dobell will reflect on Des’ enormous impact in his Monday column, a few …
Our thinking about Australia’s strategic geography is being revolutionised. Having historically embraced an Asia-Pacific understanding of our region from the 1970s, many policy-makers and commentators now increasingly imagine an Indo-Pacific future for Australia. Despite this …