30 Apr 2020
The missing piece in the debate about the future regional order
While all attention has been on the US and China, countries of the region themselves might have a say.
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29 Apr 2020
The black, white and grey in defining the “rules-based order”
Testing the debate with some opening assumptions about an increasingly common phrase that still fails to resonate. -
29 Apr 2020
Beyond the buzz: A primer on swarms
Militarised and ready for battle, artificial intelligence could bring new numbers of drones to the fight – eventually. -
27 Apr 2020
Troubled waters: China’s sovereign ambition in the shadows of Covid-19
While the US is busy containing the coronavirus, Beijing stakes its claims in the South China Sea. -
27 Apr 2020
Islands of ire: The South Korea–Japan dispute
The Dokdo/Takeshima islands are a flashpoint for memories of exploitation – a hostility that won’t soon be resolved. -
21 Apr 2020
If this is war, that Zoom call is part of the battle
If this is war, military planning says we’re all combatants, our mission is broad, and the battle is just beginning. -
20 Apr 2020
Safety of life at sea: Covid‑19 and naval operations
Naval exercises are heavily affected by the pandemic, with crews even more vulnerable than people on a cruise liner. -
14 Apr 2020
Covid-19 ceasefire unlikely to hasten peace in Thailand’s south
The tempo of violence in the long-running insurgency has slowed for years, yet the virus may not stop it altogether. -
8 Apr 2020
Fighting corona will strain US military capacity in the Indo-Pacific
With outbreaks in the ranks and resources directed home, America’s commitments abroad will be challenged. -
7 Apr 2020
A French perspective on Australia’s role in the Indian Ocean
Looking towards a post–Covid-19 world, France views Australia as a key strategic partner in the region. -
1 Apr 2020
Beyond Covid, Australia’s big stake in India’s military reorganisation
It’s easy to imagine a distracted United States could leave Australia even more reliant on regional security partners. -
20 Feb 2020
Power and legitimacy go hand in hand
Whatever America’s flaws and crimes – and there are many – it is a free and open democracy. China is not. -
20 Feb 2020
Being one of the boys in the military
Advancement in women’s participation in the armed forces is oversimplifying the way we see diversity. -
19 Feb 2020
Australia can’t continue to divide the Indian Ocean in two
We’re approaching an Indo-Pacific strategy with a glass half-full – best to fill it up entirely. -
18 Feb 2020
Pushing the Philippines‑US alliance over the cliff
Trump may have shrugged, yet Duterte’s move marks a serious blow to US power and the maritime order in Southeast Asia. -
5 Feb 2020
US-China competition in Asia: Who risks wins
Victory in great power games have rested on military might far more than the attractiveness of a leadership model. -
16 Jan 2020
The impact of accuracy
Iran’s demonstration in last’s week strike at US bases will have effects around the world. -
13 Jan 2020
Australia’s new strategic geography
The “sea-air gap” has collapsed amid the proliferation of technologies that are agnostic about distance and domain. -
17 Dec 2019
Learning from Clive James on the language of strategy
In a “complex” and “fragile” world, if everything is “versatile” and “resilient”, is anything really? -
12 Dec 2019
Strength in numbers in the eastern Indian Ocean
India has compelling reasons to expand its presence in east waters – and Australia has broader reasons to help. -
11 Dec 2019
Australia’s stance on Diego Garcia dispute is increasingly untenable
A window is fast closing to resolve Mauritian claims to the Chagos archipelago and secure a crucial US base. -
9 Dec 2019
Plus ça change – NATO summitry in the age of Trump
A septuagenarian alliance still struggles to find common voice in what it aspires to be. -
5 Dec 2019
Diego Garcia: The costs of defending an Indian Ocean outpost
Australian support for Britain’s contentious Chagos sovereignty claim risks delegitimising its South China Sea policy. -
25 Nov 2019
When our security makes the neighbours feel vulnerable
Talk of new bombers ignores one important fact about the region: Australia is not in charge anymore. -
11 Nov 2019
Australia’s F-35s: Lessons from a problematic purchase
The rush nearly 20 years ago to buy the fighter of the future exposed fundamental shortcomings in defence acquisitions. -
25 Oct 2019
Finally, some plain talk on the Quad
The US Secretary of State dropped a fig leaf: Washington thinks the Quad can help put China back in its “proper place”. -
27 Sep 2019
A US view on Australia’s role in the Indian Ocean
Canberra’s diplomatic, legal, and military approaches to management of the Indian Ocean will be vital for US interests. -
25 Sep 2019
The sharp sword: China and the drone threat to Australia
Combat drones could loiter over targets for hours longer than a crewed aircraft, posing a very different type of threat. -
30 Aug 2019
Secrets and laws
Finding the balance between national security and press freedom means acknowledging real threats exist. -
29 Aug 2019
Gender-based violence and the Arms Trade Treaty
The danger to women from small arms and light weapons should be at the centre of military export controls. -
27 Aug 2019
Australia in the Gulf: Will we make a difference?
Coalition ships and aircraft may escort ships through the strait but legally they cannot patrol in or over the strait. -
21 Aug 2019
The reluctant coalition
Australia will back the US and join a maritime force in the Persian Gulf, but with no rush to deploy – which is telling. -
6 Aug 2019
US foreign policy: restraint without retrenchment
Can the US escape a “law of the hammer”, where the deployment of American troops abroad offers a temptation to use them? -
30 Jul 2019
Gender: workforce transformation in Defence
A greater proportion of women in key leadership roles is critical in meaningful and enduring change. -
29 Jul 2019
The trouble in the air on a tense Tuesday in Northeast Asia
The ruckus after South Korea fired warning shots at a nosy Russian spy plane marks a significant rise in tensions. -
17 Jul 2019
Australia’s alliance with the US is defined by more than one President
The Lowy poll shows deep appreciation for the contribution ties to the US make to Australia’s prosperity and security. -
12 Jul 2019
Professor White, the bomb can endanger but not defend Australia
Nuclear weapons have dubious operational utility and discarding treaty obligations would leave the stench of hypocrisy. -
12 Jul 2019
Paying a blood price: understanding the casualty cost of intensive war
Modern war is seen as a managed risk, but how would Australians cope in a conflict with thousands of soldiers killed? -
9 Jul 2019
Women yet to smash glass ceiling in Australian diplomacy and security
A new Lowy Institute study reveals a few trailblazers doesn’t necessarily reflect progress in fixing a gender imbalance. -
5 Jul 2019
The burden of friendship: Germany, Trump and NATO
Germany earns a special ire in the President’s complaints, but Berlin sees less challenge in dollars and more in trust. -
5 Jul 2019
First salvo: missile tests mark intensified US-China competition
This exercise signals a step-change in Beijing’s response to the US and allied military presence in China’s near seas. -
5 Jul 2019
Cambodia: the regime’s base survival instinct on display
A decision to reject a US offer to refurbish Ream Naval Base might hint at China’s influence but also domestic concerns. -
2 Jul 2019
Book review: Hugh White’s How to Defend Australia
This quietly radical book calls on Australia to plan as if our US alliance will diminish to the point of vanishing. -
28 Jun 2019
National security: Australians and their elites
A tour through this year’s Lowy Institute Poll to see where the public differs from political leaders. -
21 Jun 2019
Five factors will decide the survival of the US-led alliance system
In the Asia-Pacific, we know the questions asked of the San Francisco System. We just don’t know the answers. -
14 Jun 2019
Baby milk and tantrums after Chinese ships show the flag in Sydney
Plenty of real tensions exist in Australia-China relations and media myth-making doesn’t help escape misunderstanding. -
13 Jun 2019
Maybe Australia should donate a warship to Sri Lanka
Far from surplus or scrap, the navy’s last Adelaide Class frigates are strategic assets that can still serve a mission. -
13 Jun 2019
The “khaki cavalcade” dilemma when soldiers become public servants
A second career for professional military veterans is not antithetical to the idea of civilian control of defence. -
7 Jun 2019
Fierravanti-Wells’ outburst tells more than just a China story
A Liberal senator’s spectacular break with party discipline shows differences on Beijing cut across partisan lines. -
6 Jun 2019
A sea ride with Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour
<p>Floating a different brand of diplomacy has plenty of attraction but still finds some choppy regional waters.</p>