10 Nov 2022
Nationalist propaganda at a screen near you
Recent cinematic offerings from the United States, China and India are straight out of the central casting handbook.
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9 Nov 2022
Countdown to Asia’s summit season
Conflict in Myanmar and Ukraine against a backdrop of US‑China tension – a crowded agenda will unfold in coming weeks. -
4 Nov 2022
Solutions to the North Korea issue no longer include denuclearisation
A minimalist approach based on arms control, risk reduction and deterrence is what’s needed right now on the Peninsula. -
4 Nov 2022
The real message B‑52s send from northern Australia
Given distances and demands on crew and aircraft, a US bomber fleet near Darwin amounts to only modest change. -
2 Nov 2022
B-52 bombers only part of a very long Australian story
A revamp of RAAF Tindal for the nuclear-capable aircraft creates opportunities well beyond military confidence building. -
27 Oct 2022
The remote Marshall Islands complicate US Pacific policy
A sand-rimmed paradise with a long nuclear history has a surprising amount of clout in the Washington vs Beijing game. -
24 Oct 2022
Where the chips fall: in containing China, the US can leave Australia out
Australia’s interest won’t be served by supporting US efforts to build a high fence around China’s technology industry. -
24 Oct 2022
US midterms: How Republican wins (or losses) could shape Asia policy
A form guide to the key races that will determine what role Republicans play in the US approach to regional challenges. -
20 Oct 2022
Supporting democracy without fighting autocracies
A binary Australian foreign policy isn’t on the cards. Engagement is still the best way to support regional democracy. -
19 Oct 2022
Competing and cooperating: the paradox in US strategy
The new National Security Strategy at least acknowledges the shape of the problem even if not yet providing an answer. -
11 Oct 2022
The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?
A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer. -
5 Oct 2022
Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance
Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent. -
3 Oct 2022
“See it through my lens”: the optics of fashion diplomacy
Sunglasses are a staple in the US President’s diplomatic style but not every leader can share the benefit. -
26 Sep 2022
Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win
The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that. -
20 Sep 2022
What does Biden mean on Taiwan?
When Washington doesn’t speak with one voice, its powers of strategic ambiguity are slowly chipped away. -
13 Sep 2022
The Quad needs a stronger economic message
Trade is the path to regional prosperity, but the four partners stand divided on how this can be achieved. -
9 Sep 2022
US-China rivalry in Southeast Asia need not be a zero-sum game
The big powers should pay more attention to the cooperative instincts of regional partners. -
1 Sep 2022
Downer, Turnbull, Trump and a poke in the Five Eyes
Just a diplomat doing his job? A new book puts the spotlight back on Australia, Russia and interference in the US election. -
24 Aug 2022
What are the prospects for stability across the Taiwan Strait?
A democratic Taiwan has considerable agency and capacity to affect the dynamics of power in East Asia. -
20 Aug 2022
Next steps for American engagement with the Pacific Islands
Stronger local ties will help the United States play catch-up in its quest to effectively compete with China. -
19 Aug 2022
The social media spectacle of China’s Taiwan military exercises
The whole world’s a stage when it comes to promoting the power behind the “one China” narrative. -
16 Aug 2022
What the Philippines has at stake in Taiwan
Strategic choices by Manila will matter to Washington and Beijing. -
9 Aug 2022
When serious, careful US management of China–Taiwan policies … isn’t
The status quo in the Strait has changed. But is anyone really tuning in as the drama unfolds? -
5 Aug 2022
Koreas: The hidden risk of the “kill chain”
South Korea's threat to pre-emptively decapitate the leadership in Pyongyang may drag the United States into a conflict. -
2 Aug 2022
Will Pelosi’s trip trigger the next Taiwan crisis?
The speaker has a long history of standing against Beijing. But Asia’s balance of military power has changed. -
1 Aug 2022
US abortion bans unleash state-sanctioned violence against women
The Australian anti-abortion movement wants to learn from and replicate the campaign to overturn Roe vs Wade. -
27 Jul 2022
The Quad needs a futures focus
A better – and public – understanding is needed of the cascading effects of regional challenges. -
27 Jul 2022
France can help Albanese fix AUKUS
Labor faces a dilemma over nuclear-powered subs and the non-proliferation regime. An old partner might offer an answer. -
28 Jun 2022
Could NATO cope without the United States?
No one living in a country that calls itself an American ally can ignore the perilous state of America’s social fabric. -
28 Jun 2022
Contingency plans: South Korea and cross-Strait security
Seoul’s new administration faces critical choices over Taiwan and its relationships with Washington and Beijing. -
28 Jun 2022
The political courage of the January 6th investigation
The hearings may not persuade Trump’s most ardent supporters. But they might allow enough Republicans to break away. -
27 Jun 2022
Why Australia shouldn’t put all its eggs in the Quad basket
The regional security pact is yet to prove its worth. Options must be kept open, with minilaterals top of the list. -
27 Jun 2022
An Australia-America-Pacific partnership – for and with the region
Support through consensus and the shared Pacific value system will ensure island nations get what they need most. -
8 Jun 2022
The Pyongyang problem for the Quad
North Korea poses a challenge for regional security, and so often China has stood to benefit from such instability. -
26 May 2022
“Black ships”, the Quad and space
Satellite technology underpins the attempt to tackle China’s illegal fishing. -
26 May 2022
Albanese steps cautiously through the Quad wrangle
Japan’s media enthusiastically covered the “diplomatic debut” of Australia’s new PM, expecting continuity over change. -
18 May 2022
A required update for the EU-US Trade and Tech Council
As authoritarian challenges loom, more transatlantic cooperation on technology should be welcome news for Australia. -
17 May 2022
No Gas: Lessons from Poland and Bulgaria for the Quad
The risk of disrupted energy supplies is not only in Europe but a danger in the Indo-Pacific, too. -
17 May 2022
AUKUS: More than meets the eye
A series of small, overlapping initiatives are combining to bolster the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific. -
16 May 2022
Scoring Biden’s ASEAN summit
Good for ties with Southeast Asia, but a so-so agenda suggests US influence in the region will continue to decline. -
13 May 2022
China and the West: It’s about understanding each other
The former Australian prime minister offers indispensable insights into how to go back to relationship basics. -
10 May 2022
Saudi Arabia and China: a blossoming friendship
Relations are cosy for now. But is Saudi Arabia hedging its bets between Beijing and Washington? -
6 May 2022
Iran applies its own maximum pressure in nuclear talks
With negotiations seemingly deadlocked, the Biden administration’s hopes for a major foreign policy win appear dashed. -
6 May 2022
Understanding the rise of Trump – and how it might happen again
Fixing America’s broken electoral system means understanding how elites crafted self-serving rules and procedures. -
26 Apr 2022
Vietnam’s “Four No’s” of defence policy are being tested
The war in Ukraine has forced Hanoi into a delicate dance between Russia and the United States. -
4 Apr 2022
AUKUS can be a good platform for cooperation with India
And it wouldn’t be the first time the partners had worked together, either. -
24 Mar 2022
Madeleine Albright: “I have come a long way, so I must be frank”
The first woman to serve as US Secretary of State also inspired the first woman to be Australia’s Foreign Minister. -
24 Mar 2022
Economic diplomacy: Cryptocurrency (quietly) joins a new world order
From Bitcoin to the greenback, beyond Ukraine a battle is also underway in global finance. -
22 Mar 2022
Zelensky’s direct plea to America
For Congress to play an activist role in managing the US response to a hot war would break with modern precedent. -
22 Mar 2022
Waiting for North Korea to escalate
With Pyongyang ramping up its missile testing, it’s unclear whether they’re looking for a deal or a provocation.