Articles by Shiro Armstrong (6 total)
Australia and Japan need a new compact for comprehensive security
The Australia–Japan relationship is critical to energy, economic and regional security, and must be strengthened to respond to a more fragmented and uncertain global order.
Why Australia’s pro-globalisation consensus endures
Australia’s post-pandemic politics may look more divided, but fears of a rising populist backlash are overstated. Demographics, institutions and economic geography still anchor the nation’s long-standing consensus in favour of openness, migration and global integration.
ASEAN leads response to the threat of global economic disorder
Malaysia and ASEAN’s leadership in response to rising protectionism and the threat to ASEAN and global prosperity and security has so far been a masterclass, punctuated by the convening of a Leaders’ Meeting for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on 27 October 2025.
The economics of Indonesia’s discontent
Economic discontent erupted in protests across Indonesia in late August 2025. The trigger was the proposal to give generous housing allowances to members of parliament, but unrest had been bubbling since early in the year.
RCEP can aid in battle against global protectionism
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, created to promote open trade and regional integration, offers a powerful platform to resist rising global protectionism.
Australia’s economic security depends crucially on working with Asia
Australia has unveiled a new National Interest Framework which integrates security considerations into domestic economic policy, aiming to secure economic resilience and security amidst changing global power structures and increasing geopolitical tensions. But Australia has not yet placed strategic economic diplomacy at the forefront of the framework. Managing Australia's security environment requires emphasising the importance of maintaining reliable international and domestic supply chains, managing foreign investment, and adapting to significant influences such as rising powers like China and the accelerating impacts of climate change.