Programs & Projects

The International Security Program

The International Security Program

The International Security Program looks at strategic dynamics and security risks globally, with an emphasis on Australia's region of Indo-Pacific Asia. Its research spans strategic competition and the risks of conflict in Asia, security implications of the rise of China and India, maritime security, nuclear arms control, Australian defence policy and the changing character of conflict. The Program draws on a network of experts in Australia, Asia and globally, and is supported by diverse funding sources including grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. It convenes international policy dialogues such as the 2017 Australia-ROK Emerging Leaders International Security Forum and has a record of producing leading-edge, influential reports.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
India-Japan ties in the face of a rising China
Commentary
India-Japan ties in the face of a rising China
India-Japan ties in the face of a rising ChinaDanielle RajendramChina-India Brief # 20Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy28 January 2014Please click here for the full online text…
Sea change of China power
Commentary
Sea change of China power
In this op-ed for The Australian, Rory Medcalf and C Raja Mohan look at the strategic implications of China's naval foray into the waters between Indonesia and…
Military & strategy links: Low-cost war, Mearsheimer, UK cuts, NATO and more
Micah Zenko argues that technological and organisational changes have permanently lowered the costs of using force faced by US presidents. Does the decline in British military…
Reading Abe's national security strategy
On 17 December the Japanese government issued three national security documents: the first-ever National Security Strategy (which explains overall foreign policy strategy), the…
Military & strategy links: Defence innovation, lasers, stealth, anti-access and more
Will military cuts in the US and elsewhere force innovation? Michael Horowitz demurs. Concerns about 'anti-access' strategy have a long pedigree. In the latest issue of the US…
Japan is back: Unbundling Abe’s grand strategy
Analyses
Japan is back: Unbundling Abe’s grand strategy
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is determined to keep Japan a tier-one power in Asia and the world. Through strengthening the economy and reforming national security institutions, as…
India links: Tehelka, state elections, Modi in 2014, Samanth Subramanian and more
The results are in from India’s recent state elections. Ashutosh Varshney asks whether it’s all over for the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, Sagarika Ghose argues that the Aam Aadmi Party…
The big question: Which country will emerge as the leading power?
Commentary
The big question: Which country will emerge as the leading power?
In this special issue of the World Politics Review, Face Off: China/India, Rory Medcalf and other experts debate whether China or India will emerge as the leading power.Rory…
The Tejas: Not quite a coming-of-age for India's indigenous defence industry
On 20 December the Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct the country's first indigenous fighter jet, the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), in Bangalore. The Tejas has been many…
Military & strategy links: RQ-180, sub-launched drones, Kayani, Dr Strangelove and more
Should the US focus on creating flotillas of smaller vessels rather than large capital ships? Putin signals that a focus on conventional precision weapons may substitute for part…