Australia in the World
What if Trump wins again?
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has seen a return to the political alignments of the 20th century, with the United States as the leader of a grouping of democracies against a…
Keeping Australian uranium out of Russian hands – and bombs
“If you’ve looked on the TV into Vladimir Putin’s eyes – he is one tough son of a gun and I don’t think that he cares about what we think.”
Such was the verdict by one Australian…
China’s grey zone tactics amount to far more than just laser games
Just after lunchtime Thursday 17 February, China for the first time undertook grey zone actions in the seas close to Australia. There have been many earlier cyber intrusions…
Economic diplomacy: Slow dividends for Australia from ASEAN spending
Wooing the neighbours
The Morrison government has committed almost $700 million to new non-Covid initiatives in Southeast Asia over the past two years, seeking to rebuild…
Russia-Ukraine: Lessons for Australia’s defence
Lesson 1: The era of state-on-state conflict is still with us
The idea that war between nations has become an anachronism over the last 40 years has some statistical…
Transforming Australian diplomacy for climate leadership
One of the former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials involved with a new group “Diplomats for Climate Action Now” recently voiced regret that during his decades…
A global Australia needs to be a confident Australia
Australia’s foreign and security policy successes, stretching back to its first days as a Commonweath, are few and far between. More often, it has been a bit player, bumptious and…
Is bipartisanship on national security a good thing?
In the mass of commentary on the Morrison government’s feverish attempts to paint Labor as “weak” on national security and not to be trusted with China policy, one word has been…
The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug superhighway
The illicit drugs trade in the Pacific Islands continues to evolve despite Covid-19 border closures. The seizure of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in Papua New Guinea in 2020…
Beyond the Quad: Fostering stronger India-Australia ties
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s visit last week to Australia – his first as India’s External Affairs minister – provides a fillip to the bilateral relationship. Jaishankar's main reason…