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
Reader ripostes: Iraq, 10 years on
Two reader responses to Sam Roggeveen's call for retrospectives on the Iraq war. Below, Daniel Woker. But first, Kien Choong: From memory, I was somewhat sympathetic to the war…
Tweets and tanks
Commentary
Tweets and tanks
In this opinion piece in American Review magazine, Rory Medcalf explores the effect that social media has had on interstate tensions in Indo-Pacific Asia and beyond.Rory Medcalf
The promise and peril of India's youth bulge
Commentary
The promise and peril of India's youth bulge
In this article on The Diplomat, Danielle Rajendram examines the opportunities and challenges presented by the growing youth segment of India's population.Danielle Rajendram
In defence of the UK Justice and Security Bill
Paul Madden is the British High Commissioner to Australia. Cynthia Banham's Interpreter article yesterday about the UK's Justice and Security Bill was rather one-sided. It's…
A nuclear pivot to Asia?
Commentary
A nuclear pivot to Asia?
In this article on The Diplomat's Flashpoints blog, Rory Medcalf asks whether Asia's growing strategic uncertainty will affect President Obama's push for nuclear…
Joe Lieberman at the Lowy Institute
The Lowy Institute was honoured to host former US Senator and vice-presidential nominee Joseph Lieberman during his visit to Australia.  Following a boardroom lunch with…
Counter-terrorism: After the 9/11 decade
Cynthia Banham is a former diplomatic correspondent for Fairfax and a PhD candidate at the Regulatory Institutions Network, ANU. The Open Society Foundation's recent report…
Cyber espionage: China at the forefront
James Lewis is Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at CSIS, Washington, DC. This is the fourth of a five-part series on Asia in the age of cyber threats. Part 1;…
The man who saved the world
Last week, former Soviet air defence commander Stanislav Petrov was awarded the Dresden Prize for preventing a nuclear war. Back in 1983, he determined that warnings of an…
Fragile gains: Women in Afghanistan
Last night I was fortunate enough to join an Amnesty International panel discussing the future of women's rights in Afghanistan. Amnesty had brought prominent Afghan activist (and…