Australia in the World
Australians get the benefits of migration, even the doubters
Australians are back to thinking about migration in a fashion similar to how the country approached the issue before the borders closed for the Covid pandemic. Attitudes might be…
Gas and the difficult path to net zero
The role of gas in Australia’s energy transition is fraught. Domestically, the tension is between purist greens and renewable realists. But another key issue lies overseas: 80 per…
Analyses
Deterring at a distance: The strategic logic of AUKUS
With regional security anxieties rising, nuclear-powered submarines are the optimal deterrence machines.
A Prabowo presidency will be good for Australian interests
The world’s largest single-day elections, held in February 2024, granted Prabowo Subianto his long-held dream of becoming Indonesian president. Having served as Indonesian defence…
Nuclear subs, nuclear power … could nuclear weapons be next?
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has today nominated seven sites where he says a future Coalition government would construct nuclear power plants. For the benefit of international…
Is a new Australian police program what the Pacific needs?
Australia is preparing to establish a new training centre for Pacific police, described as a centrepiece for a new Pacific Policing Initiative with an estimated budget of more…
Byte-sized diplomacy: Should Australia ban TikTok?
This is the first edition of “Byte-sized diplomacy” as a new column featuring on The Interpreter. I spent much of my 17-year government career looking at how emerging threats and…
Bonjour Bill? The endless speculation about political postings
As opposition leader a decade ago, Bill Shorten took off for his first official overseas visit. His destination left Labor hardheads privately bemused.Shorten chose to jet off to…
Halfway, right: Australia’s approach to the Indian Ocean
The waters of the Indian Ocean lap on the shores of Western Australia all the way across to Africa. But how far Australia’s defence and foreign policy interests extend into this…
Penny Wong defines Australia’s “national interests”
Political leaders, on all sides of politics, invoke “national interest” to justify any number of policies. The phrase is especially common in discussions about foreign affairs. As…