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What North Korea and Syria tell us about US primacy: It's over
In the course of the last three weeks, we have probably witnessed the end of the defining feature of the post-Cold War era: unrivaled American power. For all the back and forth between commentators...
Lebanon's fragile stability
Image: Flickr/World Bank/Dominic Chavez I arrived in Lebanon in early June this year and was immediately struck by the calm mood of the people. Since 2015 fear of an ISIS invasion had receded, in...
However annoying, failure to engage Russia is not an option
Negotiations to end civil war in Syria, which has left 250,000 dead, and forced more than 10 million to flee their homes, are set to resume February 25. Syrian troops, aided by Russian airstrikes,...
Russia, IS and the future of NATO
The years 2014-15 were a watershed for European security. The hope that NATO could enjoy a strategic pause and peace dividend after the end of its operation in Afghanistan has been dashed, as direct...
New Horizons
From recruiting terrorists online to using memes to insult Islamic State, the digital realm is rapidly reshaping politics and power in the 21st century. With many more examples like the above, the...
Dr John Blaxland warns against Australia sending troops into Syria
As France launched a second round of air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, one of Australia’s leading defence experts has warned against deploying Aussie troops on the ground. Dr John Blaxland...
We asked an expert why Australia has stopped bombing Syria
It was revealed earlier this week that Australian forces haven't flown a mission in Syria since the Russians arrived. On Thursday the Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral David Johnston downplayed...
Struggling to govern: Afghanistan's National Unity Government one year on
A year into the power-sharing arrangement between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s National Unity Government (NUG) is struggling.The...
Australia’s anti-Islamic State pushback must be made to work
Former diplomat and essayist Owen Harries once bemoaned our tendency to be blinkered by our “parochialism of the present”. He described it as the tendency to believe that what is happening now, and...
