Ukraine
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…
Putin seeks to rewrite history
Vladimir Putin has confirmed the grim news that Russian troops are readying to roll across the border into eastern Ukraine.
But the sight of massive military convoys and changing…
Putin’s choice
Whatever steps Vladimir Putin takes over coming days will be deeply consequential for the security of both Russia and Europe.
What does Putin want?
Firstly, he wants to bring…
Military operations in a more transparent world
In the past eight years, little short of a revolution has occurred in the world of “OSINT” – that is, Open Source Intelligence, information gathered from publicly accessible data …
Europe can’t pass the buck on Ukraine
In President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration speech in 2000 he stated that Russia must “defend Russian citizens everywhere” and create a country which is “respected in the world”…
Can the new German foreign minister make a difference?
It is less than two months since Angela Merkel stood down as chancellor of Germany, and a “traffic light” coalition government comprising the Social Democrats, Greens and Free…
Why Ukraine and Russia can’t agree on autonomy for the Donbas
Last week, the United States and NATO predictably rejected Russia’s demands of never allowing former Soviet countries, namely Ukraine and Georgia, to join the alliance.
In this…
2022 is not 2014: What holds back Russia from Ukraine
The first round of Russia-United States-Europe strategic consultations, held between 10 and 13 January, finished without firm commitments, fuelling ongoing speculation about an…
European security: Putin ups the ante with NATO
Not content with sabre-rattling amid a menacing large troop build-up around Ukraine’s borders, Russia last week issued sweeping demands for legally binding new security…
Russia, more than China, leaves India with a dilemma
Ukraine and Taiwan are now the major focal points in the geopolitical arena, testing the diplomacy of the United States but also other nations – India as much as any. Where India…