United States
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…
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…
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…
China’s double wedge against efforts to foster Vietnam-US relations
The USS Ronald Reagan sailed into Vietnam this week, only the third visit by an American aircraft carrier since the Vietnam war ended in 1975. The visit marks the growing strength…
Will Modi charm again in Washington?
It seems like just a minute ago that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Australia, hugging his counterpart Anthony Albanese in front of a crowd of 20,000 ecstatic…
Is US industrial policy headed in the wrong direction?
The Biden administration’s “modern American industrial strategy” marks a striking departure from prevailing economic orthodoxy. The United States is now championing muscular…
Washington’s difficult dance in the Middle East
The recent initiative by Beijing to get Riyadh and Tehran talking has caused much hullabaloo in Washington. But diplomacy, let alone conflict, has proved difficult in deserts, and…
It’s time for South Korea to refocus on multilateral diplomacy
A “Global Pivotal State Contributing to Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity”. This is how the South Korean National Security Strategy published last week describes the country –…
Shangri-La: A missed chance for US–China dialogue
The speech by China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu’s at the latest Shangri-La Dialogue has caused a further stir in regional relations, with commentaries in China hailing Li for…
Economic diplomacy: Duelling D-words to delineate China
Risky business
For the leader-in-waiting from a small, risk averse country, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was remarkably quick last month to smack down the…