A partisan contest about military ties between Russia and Indonesia leaves Australians none the wiser.

Australia's intelligence review puts a premium on ensuring policymakers have the right information to understand the security implications of decisions.

Caught in a political storm, most claims about the mission of the Tan Suo Yi Hao don’t hold water.

The Five Power Defence Arrangements makes for a case in point.

Whoever wins the coming Australian election will do well to listen, consult, and show up in the region it calls home.

Sharing secrets is an effort to influence as much as inform – a point that even close friends must remember.

The new US tariffs are so high and wide-ranging that they represent an economic experiment.

Four issues to watch in how each party would approach the region, and how countries could react.

The budget was a missed opportunity to tackle the technology transformation dilemma presented by AI.

In a world no longer divided neatly into allies and adversaries, the next government must find a strategy to navigate the new world order.

Australia fears abandonment, but when it happens, Australia copes remarkably well. It can do so again in an era of fading American influence in Asia.

Online platforms reveal a fervent nationalism that has repercussions for the future of the region.

Party preferences extend abroad.

For all the talk of alignment, Australia has no influence with North Korea, and South Korea has different interests with China.

The local debates are only just starting about responding to dramatic global shifts.

Economic Diplomacy: Doing the sums for a tight federal election and a Trump trade revolution all at once was bound to be challenging.

Export credit agencies face hurdles in mobilising finance for renewable energy.

China wasn't making a legal point. This was a show of force.

For Australia, walking the talk will be critical to a sustainable strategic relationship that benefits both nations.

The opposition leader is betting that the public will see his style of leadership as necessary for the times.

Political inertia threatens Australia’s ability to adapt to a changing relationship.

In the region to our north, the risks of playing out operational concepts on a map devoid of politics are manifold.

A housing crisis might seem like a domestic problem, but there are significant foreign policy wins on offer.

PNG’s sovereignty need not come at the cost of the safety and well-being of its own people.

With the right strategies, AI and clean energy can work in harmony, driving progress without compromising the planet.

Strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will be good not just for the region but for global security and trade.

Australia needs to respond with urgency to the second Trump administration, but framing the conversation around the idea of a Plan B is self-defeating.

A great question has Penny Wong waxing philosophically about the state of the world.

With US aid disappearing, a new report shows Australia has a chance to align development cooperation with the region’s challenges and Australia’s strengths.

From defended assets to arsenal ships, armed merchant vessels offer opportunities for Canberra.

Australian soldiers are tough, well equipped, well trained and well led. But this would be a mission like no other.

With countries each following their own procedures, a diplomatic initiative would be to work towards international agreement on the minimum notice required for live-fire exercises.

Australia needs to be prepared not just for the missile power of China's fleet today, but how it will look in a decade.

With political disillusionment at all-time highs, how we speak about purpose in the world matters.

Neighbours often have more complications than distant friends.

To dismiss the parallels of voter dissatisfaction in Australia outright would be a mistake.

Economists prefer pricing approaches, but restricting choice through regulatory requirements is far more common – and carries a cost.

Trump’s position is built more on ambiguity than fact and that is where Australia must hone its argument.

Australia’s interests won’t be served by letting vital multilateral anchors of the “rules-based order” wither, decay and collapse.

And getting far more than change in return.

The new International Gender Equality Strategy is an important marker – with much work to be done.

A workable and sustainable internationalism will need to grapple with questions of diversity and multipolarity.

The US alliance is far shallower and more transactional than its Australian supporters like to believe.

International partners, including Australia and India, are well placed to counter the scourge.

“National interest” needn’t be a banned phrase, and acknowledgement can help make aid partnerships more honest.

It’s possible to trade and compete with China at the same time.

The intentional killing of prisoners of war is a war crime that can be prosecuted under Australian law.

Australia should have a treaty as strong as the NATO treaty.

Regional clout for one thing.

Putting fear into the bureaucracy is not a way to encourage better results.