Australia
Rejuvenating DFAT: increasing diversity and becoming less insular
Writing in The Interpreter this month, Justin Brown built the case for rejuvenating the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. While I agree broadly with his diagnosis, I offer…
Why the Middle East matters to Australia
Australian foreign policy has largely been reactive rather than proactive in recent times. The fallout of the AUKUS agreement with France, and the recent Solomon Islands-China…
PNG and the Solomon Islands-China security agreement
Reactions to the security agreement between Solomon Islands and China were swift and relentless. Much of the rhetoric is creating needless anxieties. It demonstrates that an…
A strategy for uncertain times
It seems obvious that the next government will need a national security strategy.
In the election campaign foreign policy debate last week Marise Payne and Penny Wong agreed that…
Looking for a little sizzle from the 2022 election campaign
Bipartisanship no refuge for patriots
It was notable how last Friday’s relatively buttoned-down debate between Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her Labor opponent Penny Wong was…
Getting the most from Australia’s regional engagements
Depending who wins the election this Saturday, either Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese will attend the Quad Summit in Tokyo on 24 May as Australia’s Prime Minister. Prior to…
A required update for the EU-US Trade and Tech Council
The second EU-US Trade and Technology Council meeting took place in Paris at the weekend. An outcome of the EU-US Summit in June 2021, the TTC was established to strengthen and…
What went wrong? How Morrison lost control of the khaki election
Two of the most recognised concepts from the great Prussian philosopher of war, Karl von Clausewitz are friction and chance. Clausewitz noted that friction “includes all those…
No Gas: Lessons from Poland and Bulgaria for the Quad
While Russia’s attempt to blackmail Poland and Bulgaria by cutting off natural gas supplies may seem a distant question for the nations of the Indo-Pacific, we believe it is…
AUKUS: More than meets the eye
The clear intention of AUKUS is to tip the military balance in the Indo-Pacific in favour of the United States. The various initiatives in the pact between Australia, the United…