Australia
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…
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…
Deterring China’s military violence against Australians
Repeating an aggressive action four times shows intent. In February 2022, a Chinese warship directed a dangerous laser at an Australian Defence Force aircraft. In June 2022, a…
Rare earths vs rarer resources: Global ripples from Australia’s divestment decision
The Australian government has issued a directive for five foreign companies with links to China to divest their stakes in Northern Minerals Limited within two months. The mining…
Malcolm Turnbull makes a call to global leaders with advice on Trump
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told his side of that phone call with Donald Trump before. Don’t give in to a bully is Turnbull’s line. His 2020 memoir goes into some…
Modi 3.0: What India's election means for Australia and the world
This year is monumental for democratic elections around the world. But India’s election is what middle and global powers have been fixated on. The largest ever democratic exercise…
The China alibi
The 2024 Lowy Institute Poll makes fascinating reading, not least for the paradigm shift that it shows in attitudes to China. As recently as 2020, the majority of Australians (55%…
The brakes on Australia’s ambition with India
India dropped six points this year when the Lowy Institute Poll asked, who is “Australia’s best friend in Asia?” With a 10% vote, that places India fifth on a list of six…
Not in the same boat? Perceptions of the Australia-Philippines security partnership
The 2024 Lowy Institute Poll suggests for most Australians, the Philippines does not figure highly as a potential security partner. Only 2% of the respondents chose the…