Australia
The north’s defence of Australia
One of the key elements of Australia’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR), publicly released in April this year, was the recasting of the Australian Defence Force’s thinking on…
The emergence of “collective strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan
Since terminating its formal alliance with Taiwan in 1979, the United States has adhered to a policy known as “strategic ambiguity”. The Taiwan Relations Act, which Congress…
Australia and Southeast Asia: Driving EV collaboration across borders
“All countries deserve to process their natural resources, all countries deserve to make their people prosperous, and other countries must respect this right.” These words from…
The Quad: Tackling the spider, not cobwebs, in cyberspace
The Quad – the strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States – is accustomed to dealing with threats to international security, including those…
Geopolitical duel in the Pacific: Solomon Islands security at risk as Australia and China compete
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles landed in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, last week for talks on the future of Australia’s defence and policing presence…
Economic diplomacy: Power shifts with Jakarta
Trading places
It’s now half a century since Australia and Indonesia signed a bilateral investment agreement leading to serial government initiatives mostly on the Australian…
Australia’s absent ambassador must return to Ukraine
When NATO leaders gather in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, Ukraine will dominate discussions.
Australia is not a NATO member. We have been invited to this and previous NATO…
Stumped by the cricket controversy? Here’s how sport and politics collide
It’s been a good week for one-eyed Australian cricket fans, first watching the England men’s team self-destruct and then the English cricketing establishment forfeiting any claim…
The downsides for Australia from the US‑PNG defence agreement
In May, the United States and Papua New Guinea signed off on a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA). While the deal has clear benefits for PNG and potentially Australia, it is…
Suspicious minds: Will closer Australia‑Indonesia engagement yield greater trust?
During Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Australia this week, all eyes have been on government efforts to improve economic and security ties. Jokowi, as the President is…