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  • 4 Dec 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • China's Military
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security
    • International law

    How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident

    Collin Koh
    A regional deal to close a loophole relating to the use of sonar in international law could be a good place to start.
  • 1 Dec 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • France
    • Climate change
    • Pacific Islands

    France as a convening power in the Pacific: The Nouméa SPDMM

    Céline Pajon
    A little known regional dialogue offers France and other countries a chance to contribute to the “Pacific way”.
  • 27 Nov 2023
    • North Korea
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia

    Russia-North Korea: Closer, but not too close

    Ian Hill
    Gushing portrayals of a revived relationship should be treated with caution.
  • 20 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Sonar reports much more than a blip in Australia’s relations with China

    Rahman Yaacob
    The latest incident, the first to injure Australian military personnel, appears to signal China’s willingness to test the red line.
  • 18 Nov 2023
    • China
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security

    China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will

    Sam Roggeveen
    Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right.
  • 26 Oct 2023
    • Southeast Asia
    • Defence & Security

    Not only the dragon: Understanding Southeast Asia’s complex security landscape

    Rahman Yaacob
    Yes, US-China rivalry creates unease. But so do more pressing threats closer to home.
  • 25 Oct 2023
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea

    Peter Layton
    The Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times is already forecasting “more serious collisions”.
  • 25 Oct 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom
    • Technology
    • United States

    AUKUS as Big Science?

    Marigold Black
    With all the focus on nuclear-powered submarines, are we missing a chance to achieve something truly transformative?
  • 24 Oct 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Technology
    • Türkiye

    The dual-use conundrum

    Brendan Walker-Munro
    Restrictions on technology with both a civilian and military application are too often worthless without better coordination.
  • 23 Oct 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy

    A sign of the times: the resurgence of pacts, treaties, and alliances

    David M. Andrews
    Once dismissed as a “scrap of paper”, the vogue for written pledges has returned.
  • 13 Oct 2023
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines

    Jennifer Parker
    Australia “recommitted” two months ago. The Philippines is waiting, China is watching – and so is the region.
  • 28 Sep 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australia-United States Relations
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security
    • Review

    AUKUS: A debate after the fact is still worth having

    Georgina Downer
    Can Australia’s statecraft and alliances offer alternative security options in the Indo-Pacific?
  • 26 Sep 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security

    ASEAN’s first joint military exercise

    Rahman Yaacob
    A pyrrhic military cooperation or building capability for future contingency?
  • 19 Sep 2023
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia

    No neutrality in espionage: Why is Malaysia tangled up in a spying case in Norway?

    Munira Mustaffa
    Asking the Kremlin would be a good start.
  • 15 Sep 2023
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Defence & Security
    • Energy
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Beijing’s plan for Taiwan challenges its offshore wind push

    Joseph Webster , Zoe Leung
    Fujian’s coast hasn’t kept up with wind power in other provinces – and military strategy seems to be blowing the other direction.
  • 5 Sep 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Technology

    Danger Will Robinson: Warfighting robots fast approaching

    Peter Layton
    A swarm of angry Australian-made cardboard attack drones sets the scene for all future conflicts.
  • 29 Aug 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Review

    A compelling voice for rethinking Australia’s national security

    Gareth Evans
    Sam Roggeveen’s Echidna Strategy rightly challenges Australia to act as a diplomatic powerhouse, not a military one.
  • 25 Aug 2023
    • Australia
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

    The social licence for AUKUS has not yet been earned

    Peter K. Lee , Alice Nason , Sophie Mayo
    Convincing Australians that nuclear-powered subs are needed, and worth the $368 billion price tag, is a hard sell.
  • 23 Aug 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Cracking the code: How intelligence and cyber reshaped Australian statecraft

    John Blaxland
    A richer story is told by placing signals intelligence in historical and contemporary context.
  • 17 Aug 2023
    • China
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • South Korea
    • Defence & Security
    • United States

    Bridging the divide: the significance of the US-South Korea-Japan trilateral

    Daniel R. DePetris
    The Biden administration sees the upcoming summit as historic – China and North Korea may also, for different reasons.
  • 15 Aug 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Quad

    Don’t conflate the Quad and Malabar

    Patrick Triglavcanin
    As Indo-Pacific defence postures pivot to the maritime, there’s no need to muddy the waters between hard and soft power.
  • 11 Aug 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Review

    Learning Cold War lessons of espionage anew

    Ben Scott
    The ever-present threat of spies can lead to the greater danger – ourselves.
  • 7 Aug 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Global Issues

    Why universities are still at risk for foreign interference

    Brendan Walker-Munro
    Australian universities are vulnerable as open and collaborative institutions. With more sensitive research underway, they are also part of the solution.
  • 28 Jul 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands: Invest in people and police before military

    Alan C. Tidwell , Meg Keen , Anna Powles , Jose Sousa-Santos , Anouk Ride
    Australia and foreign partners should work with existing institutions. A new military capability could make matters worse.
  • 27 Jul 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States

    An agenda for the AUSMIN talks

    Sam Roggeveen
    Australia should spend less time worrying about American strength – and more time thinking about its resolve.
  • 25 Jul 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law

    Cluster munitions: A necessary defensive strategy for Ukraine

    Munira Mustaffa
    It is Russia, not Ukraine, abusing international principles. The law must not obstruct Ukraine to fight back.
  • 25 Jul 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Beyond “the Brisbane Line”: Why Queensland is crucial to Australia’s national security

    Danielle Ireland-Piper , Sue Thompson
    The state-federal divisions can’t stand in the way of a unified approach.
  • 20 Jul 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    The north’s defence of Australia

    Luke Gosling
    Northern Australia has long been viewed as a strategic vulnerability. The latest Defence review socialises a different idea.
  • 7 Jul 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Solomon Islands

    Geopolitical duel in the Pacific: Solomon Islands security at risk as Australia and China compete

    Anna Powles
    Honiara has successfully leveraged strategic competition to meet its security interests but there are worrying signs of friction.
  • 5 Jul 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Papua New Guinea
    • United States

    The downsides for Australia from the US‑PNG defence agreement

    Henry Storey
    Sovereignty concerns about the American deal will create additional hurdles for Australia-PNG Defence Treaty currently under negotiation.
  • 21 Jun 2023
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security
    • Public Opinion

    The “somewhat” conundrum: Lack of communication bedevils AUKUS support

    David Vallance
    The latest Lowy Institute Poll reveals Australians are no more convinced about the merits of the subs deal than last year.
  • 19 Jun 2023
    • Asean
    • India
    • India's Navy
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN

    Moksh Suri
    Strengthening defence ties is smooth sailing compared to wider regional integration efforts by New Delhi with Southeast Asia.
  • 16 Jun 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Energy

    Finding opportunity in Australia’s liquid fuel security challenge

    Heidi Hauf , Christian Bennett
    Sustainable Aviation Fuel – whether for Defence or commercial aviation requirements – can help fix a national problem.
  • 13 Jun 2023
    • China
    • Defence & Security
    • United States

    Shangri-La: A missed chance for US–China dialogue

    Cherry Hitkari
    But at least both sides recognised that the outbreak of a conflict would be “unbearable”.
  • 6 Jun 2023
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Defence & Security
    • International law
    • United States

    US-China: A Cold War lesson to apply “rules of the road” at sea

    Donald R Rothwell
    Soviet and American warships had a code to prevent dangerous encounters and the US and China should have the same.
  • 5 Jun 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • International law
    • War Crimes
    • United States

    Lessons from history: Comparing Australia’s response to war crimes with the United States

    Daniel Flitton
    The fallout from the Ben Roberts-Smith case is only the beginning of a reckoning about justice in war.
  • 18 May 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • New Zealand

    Remembering Australia’s “other” alliance

    Joanne Wallis , Anna Powles
    New Zealand has dropped off the radar in modern strategic discussions despite the long history of trans-Tasman ties.
  • 12 May 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Australia’s future security: Where the Defence Strategic Review falls short

    Bec Strating , Joanne Wallis
    An integrated National Security Strategy could consider all the tools of statecraft rather than a defensive mindset.
  • 5 May 2023
    • Japan
    • Defence & Security

    Japan’s Article 9: Pacifism and protests as defence budget doubles

    Donna Weeks
    In the rush to applaud increased military ties between Japan and Australia, resistance to the idea is often overlooked.
  • 4 May 2023
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Defence & Security
    • Pacific Islands

    The case for opening the ADF to citizens of Pacific Islands nations

    David Van
    The potential benefits in a contested region extend far beyond a military need.
  • 1 May 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • New Zealand

    AUKUS + NZ = win-win

    Reuben Steff
    New Zealand can make creative contributions to the technology sides of the partnership – and greatly benefit, too.
  • 28 Apr 2023
    • Philippines
    • Defence & Security
    • United States

    Marcos has turned the Philippines towards America – not without risks

    Andrea Chloe Wong
    An expanded US military presence will benefit efforts to stand up to China. But Filipinos are wary of the social cost.
  • 24 Apr 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Defence Review: DFAT gets a boost

    Melissa Conley Tyler , Hugh Piper
    For the first time, a major Defence policy statement recommends more diplomatic funding.
  • 24 Apr 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Defence Strategic Review: Strong chords, with one jarring note

    Sam Roggeveen
    A promising strategy, but is there tension with AUKUS?
  • 21 Apr 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Strategic divergence with Indonesia: an Australian perspective

    Susannah Patton
    Despite expected differences with Indonesia, Australia also underplays how fast its regional approach has changed in just a decade.
  • 20 Apr 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Embracing the different ways Indonesia and Australia view the region

    Evan A Laksmana
    It would be a mistake to assume enhanced defence cooperation means the two countries share a strategic outlook.
  • 17 Apr 2023
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament

    AUKUS: What to do with nuclear waste?

    Maria Rost Rublee
    Only by investing in community consent – “social licence” – can the government be certain about long-term storage plans.
  • 14 Apr 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • Europe

    No Albo at NATO, no worries

    Patrick Triglavcanin
    Australia’s diplomatic effort has been in overdrive. That doesn’t change by not sending a minister to Vilnius.
  • 6 Apr 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Review

    What “Utopia” got wrong about China and defence policy

    Sam Roggeveen
    If Australia didn’t have a Defence Force, would China have turned to force rather than economic coercion?
  • 6 Apr 2023
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Philippines
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    China is its own worst enemy

    Daniel R. DePetris
    Xi’s belligerence prompts classic balancing, an alignment among smaller states that would alone struggle to compete.
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