News
Tony Abbott's Most Expensive Three-Word Slogan: '2 per cent' of GDP on Defence
Under the Abbott government, the Defence Department was the focus of two 'three-word slogans'. The first was helping Immigration to 'stop the boats'. The second was a promise to put defence spending...
Sea folly and US-China relations
After months of increasing concerns about China's land reclamation in the South China Sea, going back to at least May, the United States decision to conduct a patrol within 12 nautical miles of...
Taiwan's election result could push US and China closer to conflict
With tensions over Taiwan rising, Australia might have to ask itself a tough question. Read Taiwan's election result could push US and China closer to conflict.
Where is MIKTA heading next?
With a relatively small amount of media coverage, foreign ministers of five nations—Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia—met in New York last week for the sixth MIKTA ministerial...
The Protest Years
A visit by former Yugoslavian president Dzemal Bijedic to Australia in March 1973 came with a great deal of fuss attached.A few days before he was scheduled to arrive, a squad of Commonwealth Police...
Why the PLA is a paper tiger
It’s becoming commonplace to drum up the military threat from China and belittle America’s military capabilities. Much of this commentary reminds me of statements in the mid-1980s that the former...
Defence consulted over Chinese company's Landbridge 99-year port deal, Chief Minister Adam Giles says
The NT Government has moved to allay any concerns about Chinese interests taking a 99-year lease over Darwin’s port, as military tensions increase between the US and China. » Read...
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...
Reflections on East Timor
A new book on Australia’s involvement in East Timor offers a multitude of views on the 1999 intervention. In September 1999, as East Timor’s move for independence from Indonesia threatened to spiral...
Control and command
Growing wealth and rivalry has turned Asia into a great arms bazaar, with an increased likelihood of maritime conflict. How can we ensure peace prevails? Michael Wesley writes. In Asia, where the...
