It’s important not to panic and to jump at ghosts and shadows. But when the facts change, a sane...
China
Beijing tested our defences — Anthony Albanese blew it
For years Australian ministers have said the country faces the most difficult strategic...
China brings its tension & aggression in SE Asia into the peaceful South Pacific
The Chinese military’s no-notice live firing between Australia and New Zealand is bringing...
When the Trump show comes to the Indo Pacific
Donald Trump being willing to negotiate a deal on the war in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin...
A stabilised relationship? Xi Jinping wants submission from Australia, not stability.
Beijing uses its military forces to send what diplomats call “signals” or, in plainer language,...
Australia’s vulnerable homeland: fixing critical Defence and national infrastructure weaknesses
As we see China's PLA-Navy warships firing live weapons in the waters between Australia and New...
Trump 2.0: new deals on AUKUS and defence spending
In his second incarnation as US President, Donald Trump will be more certain of his own instincts...
This will be a year of living with danger
If you thought 2024 was hard for defence and security, the outlook at the beginning of 2025...
Drug lords’ long range narco subs show what Australian Navy needs
‘Narco-subs’ are semi-submersible vessels drug lords have used for at least a decade to smuggle...
Job done for China’s ambassador — but 2025 will be much harder
China’s ambassador Xiao Qian has replaced wolf warrior language with silken tofu. According to his...
Varghese review will kill off fair, open policy debate
It seems the Albanese government is happy with, but not proud of, Peter Varghese’s “Independent...
When free trade ain’t free: Xi Jinping plays pretend with our enthusiastic prime minister
Back in 2017, early into Donald Trump’s first term as US President, China’s Communist Party leader...
PM’s precarious US-China juggling is about to reach its use by date
Anthony Albanese described his dialogue with Xi Jinping in Brazil last Monday as “crucial” and his...
PM’s secret think tank review: minimising discomfort for ministers & mandarins?
It’s time for the government to spill a secret: whatever happened to its ‘independent review’ of...
Australian defence policy under a Trump world order
Most commentary thus far has been on how the Australian government will handle a Trump...