Panda huggers and dragon slayers

Dazzled by the prospect of economic opportunities, Australia had high hopes for a closer relationship with China at the start of the ‘Asian Century’ but the reality of China’s oppressive, aggressive intentions has forced all but the most craven China apologists to reassess their views.

Europe at war

The debate about whether we’re in a new cold war has a decisive, brutal answer with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Murder in uniform

Heartbreaking images of Putin’s war in Ukraine are circulating around Russia as well as the rest of the world. If Putin grinds on, the smartphone war may just deliver regime change in Russia rather than Ukraine.

The case for national values

Australia’s leaders need to be idealistic as well as pragmatic in their international dealings, because strong national values are as important as political favours and the economic bottom line.

Kick Russia’s kleptocrats in their wallets

Putin runs a ‘rogue mafia state’, having turned Russia into ‘a gas station with nukes,’ in the words of Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, and so the best way to hit the ruling clique is to seize the money they have looted during their self-serving reign.

Australia in the Pacific

Historian Ian Hoskins’s new book “Australia and the Pacific: a history” offers a sweeping account of Australia’s role in shaping – for good and ill – the current geo-political state of the Pacific.

Follow the money in the South Pacific

Australia’s ‘Pacific Pivot’ looks to counter the increasing economic, diplomatic and military influence of China in the South Pacific.

The peaks and troughs of ANZUS at 70

The defence pact between the USA, Australia and New Zealand will turn 70 this year, but may be more important than ever.

Australia’s evolving guarantee to the South Pacific

Australia is strengthening its security guarantees to the Pacific in the light of Chinese expansion, but the region may be taking this protection for granted in terms of their own policies.

The end of the old order shakes Australia’s grand strategy

The problem for Australian international policy is that the job we’re focused on is shape-shifting at alarming speed.

Government focuses on strategic shaping as DFAT drops soft-power review

Until the last decade, Australia was the pre-eminent international media voice in the South Pacific, but we’re falling behind our allies and competitors.

Turn and face the strange

While some of the worst fears around COVID-19 haven’t come to pass, the world has still been turned upside down over the course of the last year.