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
China pressures Singapore with seizure of military hardware
Commentary
China pressures Singapore with seizure of military hardware
Euan Graham writes in the Nikkei Asian Review on the seizure of several Singaporean armoured vehicles being shipped through Hong Kong. Euan Graham
National Interests and the Role of Major and Middle Powers in the South China Sea: Australia’s Cautiously Calibrated Approach
Journal Articles
National Interests and the Role of Major and Middle Powers in the South China Sea: Australia’s Cautiously Calibrated Approach
In this National Asian Security Studies Program Issue Brief (published by UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy), Euan Graham examines Australia's approach to…
Neil, an Australian terrorist
Neil, an Australian terrorist
The detention of Neil Prakash is of significant interest to Australia but perhaps less so for other countries. At this point, so little is known among open sources about the…
Trump and the Iran nuclear deal
Trump and the Iran nuclear deal
The election of Donald Trump raises many uncertainties about the future direction of US foreign policy, including nuclear weapons and nuclear non-proliferation. A major…
The risks and ramifications of Trump's impulsive adventurism
Commentary
The risks and ramifications of Trump's impulsive adventurism
'The prospect of a game of nuclear chicken between two cocksure hustlers like Kim Jong-un and Trump is deeply unsettling; more so if it comes at the front end of Trump’s learning…
More Indonesian maritime co-operation remains an elusive goal
Commentary
More Indonesian maritime co-operation remains an elusive goal
Jakarta is only very slowly responding to Canberra's overtures for more joint security at sea. We have no choice but to persevere, writes Euan Graham. Originally published in The…
Dominoes in the South China Sea
Commentary
Dominoes in the South China Sea
First the Philippines, now Malaysia is being drawn deeper into China's orbit. Are dominoes teetering again in Southeast Asia? The limitations of that metaphor were clear in the…
Law of the sea: Activist judges open a pandora's box
Law of the sea: Activist judges open a pandora's box
The recent judgement by the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the nature of the features in the South China…
What the Philippines and Australia can learn from Vietnam about living with China
What the Philippines and Australia can learn from Vietnam about living with China
It is early days, granted, but the Philippines' crude and crass new president Rodrigo Duterte appears increasingly intent on reversing his predecessor's plucky South China Sea…
Tactical nuclear weapons in the modern nuclear era
Analyses
Tactical nuclear weapons in the modern nuclear era
In this Lowy Institute Analysis, Brendan Thomas-Noone argues that advances in technology are making tactical nuclear weapons more precise and potentially more usable. He argues…