As the West throws the whole shebang at Moscow, the world’s largest country faces a moment of truth. Predicting the course of political events during particularly volatile periods, such as the one we entered a year ago, is a thankless and meaningless endeavour. Yet in such times, there’s both a need and an opportunity to Continue reading »
Defence and Security
In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a “special military operation” in Ukraine, Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, have been reevaluating their foreign policy. These nations are seeking to strike a balance between their relationship with Russia and their engagement with other countries and international organisations. Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, have Continue reading »
It is self evident that the US: China relationship – with Taiwan at its core – will be the most pressing strategic issue for Australia in 2023. But the volumes of military planning effort, think tank hours, media commentary and the like have added to the uncertainty rather than clarified the scene – beyond a Continue reading »
War is an ugly part of the human experience. Everything about it is hideous. War is most obviously the act of invasion and the brutality that goes along with its operations. No war is precise; every war hurts civilians. Each act of bombardment sends a neurological shudder through society. World War II demonstrated this ugliness Continue reading »
We are now at the most dangerous moment in history. We face multiple existential crises that are not under control, but growing more acute, while failures of leadership become more damning. We have no time to lose. Yesterday, in Washington DC, the international scientific and policy experts of the Science and Security Board of the Continue reading »
There is hectic media attention to the pressure on Germany to allow a few of its Leopard 2 tanks to be given to Ukraine by countries that have bought them from Germany. The words “self-deception and fantasy” come to mind. But it does make clear Ukraine’s underlying logistical problem. 18, All warfare is based on Continue reading »
Nuclear weapons are deadly, indiscriminate, and have the potential to wipe out life on earth. But they are still held by a handful of states who believe that they bring security and who are so wedded to them that they cannot see what is in front of their noses. Not all states think that their Continue reading »
US mission creep in Ukraine follows in the fatal footsteps of ultimately failed war campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since the failures of the US military missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq – and many other Muslim nations like Libya – critics of the US mission in the “global war on terrorism” have lamented Continue reading »
Currently Australia has 6 Collins Class submarines in service all of which are approaching end of service life. If they are to remain safe and operational a major and expensive refit will be required. Australia no longer has Collins Class replacement submarines planned, after the demise of the program to build 12 French designed Barracuda Continue reading »
Ukrainians have become cannon fodder for the US geopolitical goals, just as the South Vietnamese were. In April 1965, U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) explained why he was escalating US involvement in Vietnam. With an Orwellian touch, he titled the speech “Peace without Conquest” as he announced the beginning of US air attacks on Continue reading »