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ASEAN and Australia beyond 50
ASEAN has achieved much in its 50 years, but it is currently perceived as underperforming and facing difficult challenges ahead. Australia, as ASEAN’s longest-standing partner, should support its...
Do the lessons of Thucydides apply to Singapore?
Recently the Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, Kishore Mahbubani, dropped a bombshell. He declared that Qatar’s experience of being embargoed by its neighbouring states...
Why Moriarty is a good choice for Defence Secretary
Pundits were surprised and eyebrows raised late last week when the news broke that Greg Moriarty had been selected as the replacement for Dennis Richardson as Secretary of the Department of Defence...
Empty US threats over North Korea are serving Beijing’s interests
When North Korea tested a ballistic missile back in February, the Trump administration threatened military action. They did the same thing when Pyongyang tested again on 4 July. But each time, after...
US–China cooperation on North Korea remains critical
China is under pressure to deliver a solution to the increasingly dangerous North Korean crisis. Following North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), US President Donald...
New home affairs department seems to be more about politics than reform
It is difficult not to give in to cynical impulses over Tuesday’s announcement that the government will create a department of home affairs. Described as a “federation of border and security...
Vietnam is a Promising Partner for the Trump Administration
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was the first Southeast Asian head of state — and the third from Asia (after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping) — to meet...
Missile defence for Australia? Expensive and probably not wise
Following the most recent tests by North Korea of a missile that might be able to hit Alaska, the prospect of a direct threat to Australia from the Kim regime is exciting the Australian defence...
How popular culture gets Australian spy work wrong
The cloak-and-dagger exploits of characters like James Bond and Jason Bourne have shaped our cultural idea of spy work. But these films, made mostly in the US and UK, have little to do with the...
Trump—channelling George Kennan, eight decades on
In his blustering, bumbling way, Trump may be fulfilling the long held ambition of George Kennan on the world order. And while the transition is risky, it may ultimately be for the best. To see why,...
