Programs & Projects

Australia's Security and the Rules-Based Order

Australia's Security and the Rules-Based Order

The 2016 Defence White Paper describes a rules-based global order as a “fundamental strategic interest”. 

This project, supported by the Department of Defence’s Strategic Policy Grants Program, aims to lead a national debate on the rules-based order and its implications for Australian security and defence. It will connect the legal, political, and historical debates about the nature of the global order with the practical realities of Australia’s strategic environment. It will address how the order can evolve to meet new technological challenges and modes of warfare, including grey zone operations.

Cover image: Official U.S. Navy / Flickr

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
In Conversation: Kurt Campbell, White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator
Speeches
In Conversation: Kurt Campbell, White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator
The White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell spoke to Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove on the first day of the digital conference 'The Indo-Pacific…
The Indo-Pacific Operating System: How can America shore up the regional order?
Interactives
The Indo-Pacific Operating System: How can America shore up the regional order?
Five essays from experts from, or based in, Southeast Asia provide a sense of the region’s complexity and the nuance with which any effort to shore up – or rebuild – regional…
Arms control is not just about arms
Arms control is not just about arms
Relations between Russian and the United States have been rocky since the 2014 Crimean crisis. Washington imposed various sanctions on the Kremlin in the aftermath of the…
Rules Based Audio (Episode 3): In Conversation with Hilary Charlesworth
Podcasts
Rules Based Audio (Episode 3): In Conversation with Hilary Charlesworth
In this episode of Rules Based Audio, Ben Scott talks to Professor Hilary Charlesworth
An opening on the ICJ and an opportunity for renewal
An opening on the ICJ and an opportunity for renewal
In the early 20th century, the Peace Palace in The Hague – seat of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) since 1946 – was envisioned as “a sort of holy place”, “prized … by…
An arms control stocktake
An arms control stocktake
Nuclear politics and nuclear policy shifts get plenty of coverage – atomic-powered submarines for Australia, China’s missile silo fields, North Korea’s enrichment activities in…
Rules Based Audio (Episode 2): In Conversation with Shirley Scott
Podcasts
Rules Based Audio (Episode 2): In Conversation with Shirley Scott
In this episode of Rules Based Audio, Ben Scott talks to Professor Shirley Scott, Professor of International Law and International Relations at UNSW, Canberra.
This is America’s new foreign policy on show
Commentary
This is America’s new foreign policy on show
The abandoning of Afghanistan is all about a shift to diplomacy and deal-making, not firepower and force. Originally published in the Australian Financial Review.
How Biden's China doctrine can swing the pendulum back
Commentary
How Biden's China doctrine can swing the pendulum back
A shift toward the center is more likely in coming months. Originally published in Nikkei Asia Review.
The trouble with Washington’s ‘Rules-Based Order’ gambit
Commentary
The trouble with Washington’s ‘Rules-Based Order’ gambit
Improved U.S. compliance with international norms would greatly enhance U.S. defense of the rules-based international order. Originally published in The Diplomat.