23 Nov 2020
The submarine capability gap
The life-of-type extension project is a major, complex and high-risk undertaking of critical importance.
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20 Nov 2020
Australia’s mission in Afghanistan – what was it again?
Nothing can reduce the responsibility of individuals. But the political context for a “forever war” is relevant, too. -
20 Nov 2020
India heads towards economic autarky
A telling speech foreshadows an India more focused on domestic markets and one with less clout in the region. -
20 Nov 2020
Indonesian cleric re-enters the fray
Amid a changed political landscape – and a pandemic – Rizieq Shihab’s return from Saudi Arabia raises much speculation. -
20 Nov 2020
Back to the future: Will Biden’s Asia policy come full circle?
Hopes might be high for a new US administration. But polls show views on regional challenges have changed markedly, too. -
19 Nov 2020
Economic diplomacy: Navigating Asia’s trade tangle and a NSW “step-up”
Plus, revisiting assumptions that China would be reluctant to interfere with South China Sea trade routes. -
19 Nov 2020
Beijing’s bad books: Australia can learn from Norway and South Korea
China’s coercive diplomacy is not new. Other countries have managed to repair ties after a perceived slight. -
19 Nov 2020
A firebrand cleric’s return boosts Islamist politics
Habib Rizieq Shihab can wield a potent influence, but even those welcoming him home from exile are wary of being burned. -
19 Nov 2020
Nagorno-Karabakh: Peace – for now
Anger and humiliation at their defeat means Armenia will see this conflict very much as unfinished business. -
18 Nov 2020
Putting the caste system in its place
Recent events have brought renewed attention to the injustices of India’s social hierarchy, and similar codes elsewhere. -
18 Nov 2020
The Democrats’ voter problem
Scraping through what should have been an easy win highlights systemic issues. -
18 Nov 2020
Gauge-changing train is no game changer for China
The recently launched high-speed rail adaptable to different track widths is unlikely to jump the hurdles of the BRI. -
17 Nov 2020
RCEP revives the art of the deal
A regional agreement might actually be a small step towards something even greater. -
17 Nov 2020
Why Russia will not return the Kuril Islands to Japan
More than 60 years of stubborn diplomatic stalemate stemming from the Second World War doesn’t appear likely to end. -
17 Nov 2020
The G20’s existential crisis
The group’s expanded mandate, including into women’s empowerment, puts its relevance and its values under a microscope. -
16 Nov 2020
End of the road for Hong Kong’s opposition camp?
A gesture of solidarity, yes. But the mass resignation by 15 pro-democracy lawmakers was also an admission of defeat. -
16 Nov 2020
Reality bites: Budget, personalities and politics put Marape on notice
PNG’s prime minister must face down a no-confidence motion everyone knew was coming yet still caused a surprise. -
16 Nov 2020
Putting real Australian money on the table to help Indonesia
An outright loan for A$1.5 billion won’t meet all Indonesia’s needs – but it’s a very welcome start. -
16 Nov 2020
India: Trolls from a Hindu nationalist fringe with a majority complex
Online outrage over a jewellery TV ad underlined a majoritarian drift in debating Indian identity. -
13 Nov 2020
Biden’s clean energy plan versus China’s green tech dominance
The US might be able to construct a clean-energy supply chain without relying on China, but it won’t be easy. -
13 Nov 2020
Jihadist attacks in Nice: The Tunisian connection
Hopes have been dashed for moderate Islamism to undercut dictatorships, eliminate terrorism and strengthen human rights. -
13 Nov 2020
The evolving threat from chemical weapons
Emerging technologies pose new challenges to the already fragile norms of chemical weapons control. -
12 Nov 2020
Japan-Australia: The chance to sweeten the deal
Scott Morrison’s trip to Tokyo should move beyond a narrow focus on defence to secure the living environment. -
12 Nov 2020
China: World’s biggest polluter ... and climate activist?
Its greenhouse gas emissions are more than the US and EU combined, but China has big ambitions for carbon neutrality. -
12 Nov 2020
In post-Covid recovery, hidden costs of going green
An environmentally sustainable recovery from the pandemic’s economic damage shouldn’t disadvantage developing countries. -
11 Nov 2020
America’s divisions are real, and not going away
Yes, Joe Biden won the election. But Donald Trump got 71 million votes, this time running on his record. -
11 Nov 2020
Leading by example: Two different responses to China’s rise
South Korea and Australia share many traits but differ in one important respect – their responses to a rising China. -
11 Nov 2020
Biden’s comfortable style of diplomacy will be welcome for Japan
Fear within Tokyo circles that the US will become “too soft” on China missed the nuance a new administration will adopt. -
10 Nov 2020
Small hope for justice in Mexico’s deadly “war on drugs”
Outrage over the 2014 disappearance of 43 students and the demand for national reckoning has far-reaching implications. -
10 Nov 2020
What does a Biden administration herald for New Zealand?
More congenial relations, certainly, but a competitive diplomatic marketplace in Washington should temper expectations. -
10 Nov 2020
A chance for the US to change its tune on justice
Will American hostility to the International Criminal Court, and exception from it, shift under a Biden administration? -
9 Nov 2020
Joe Biden: Big questions and great expectations
Will the world be receptive to a US attempt to reassert global leadership after the crassness of Trump’s America First? -
9 Nov 2020
Can Trumpism live without Trump?
Might a more competent Republican leader turn this movement into a far more powerful force? Or will the bloc splinter? -
9 Nov 2020
The safeguards in Australia’s intelligence ecosystem
Robert Hope laid out down operating principles to ensure the intelligence community is properly managed and accountable. -
8 Nov 2020
Can Joe Biden set the stage for a renewal of American leadership?
Much depends how he adjudicates a growing intra-centrist debate within the Democratic Party on the state of the world. -
6 Nov 2020
Iran’s year of reckoning
The #MeToo movement is gaining traction in Iran, but its impact is unlikely to alter the status quo in the short term. -
6 Nov 2020
Next steps in advocating for the Pacific Islands Forum
The island nations must get out to “sell a story and ideas” in Washington, and beyond. -
6 Nov 2020
China’s problematic lending comes home to roost
Pressure is mounting for China to join international debt-management initiatives. -
5 Nov 2020
Economic diplomacy: A headless WTO, selling the Asian farm
The US blocks a consensus candidate at WTO, Australian businesses offloading in Asia and the Ant float banned. -
5 Nov 2020
A Trump legacy?
Trump or Biden, it’s clear there are far bigger foreign policy contests still to be settled. -
5 Nov 2020
A backlash against the Women, Peace and Security agenda?
Power politics overshadow progress at the UN Security Council as Resolution 1325 celebrates its 20th anniversary. -
4 Nov 2020
Is China speeding up military modernisation? It may, but not yet
A new communique was quickly read as a signal Beijing was shifting forward its 2035 target but the evidence isn’t there. -
4 Nov 2020
Book review: The China bubble that never pops
Against the odds, the Chinese economy has navigated multiple crises, but the future may be more problematic. -
4 Nov 2020
Coming soon: A neutral South Korea?
South Korea has transformed drastically over the last 20 years, and strategic change on the peninsula will be via Seoul. -
3 Nov 2020
Blurring fact and fiction in the US election
Much of the chaos expected in the coming days and weeks can be tied to the commander in chief’s rhetoric. -
3 Nov 2020
Peace Prize to WFP: A win for international cooperation
The success of the World Food Program shows the global system can work with good leadership and strong support. -
3 Nov 2020
Taking China seriously: A review of Geoff Raby’s “grand strategy”
Jumping at shadows is no basis for Australian foreign policy. Common sense must prevail. -
2 Nov 2020
But what does “rules-based order” mean?
For Australia to shape the future order, it will have to get more specific about what it wants. -
2 Nov 2020
Taiwan: Rising stakes for Australia
America’s policy of “strategic ambiguity” is being hotly contested, but multilateralism might offer a fresh approach. -
2 Nov 2020
Nuclear Ban Treaty: Wishful thinking over realism
Lacking enforcement mechanisms or a practical path to elimination, the treaty has little chance of being effective.