The Western allies of the US as vassal states
A vassal state is one that retains some autonomy at home but is effectively dominated by another power in its foreign affairs.
Recent articles in Defence
2 July 2025
How spending more on defence harms the nation
Anthony Albanese is taking a battering from ill-informed commentators for thinking Australia can be defended by spending a little over 2% of GDP on its military forces.
1 July 2025
AUKUS project has worsened Australia’s ties with China
I have argued elsewhere (Asia Sentinel, 24/5/2025) that five factors could throw the US$245 billion AUKUS deal off balance following the recent decision by Washington to review the deal.
29 June 2025
Why Asia-Pacific should be rooting for Iran
Setting aside any thoughts I may have about theocratic rulers (whether they be in Tel Aviv or Tehran), I am personally glad that Iran was able to hold out against the US-Israeli attacks this month.
26 June 2025
Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?
In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet blackout, with local service providers — including mobile services — repeatedly going offline. Iran’s Government has cited cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown.
24 June 2025
Is Albo reverting to compulsive secrecy?
Anthony Albanese is falling back into the sort of bad habits that could bring him down as Labor leader.
21 June 2025
AUKUS submarines would be obsolete before Australia gets them
Before the drawings have been completed, new detection technology has already made RN SSN AUKUS obsolete.
20 June 2025
Strategic security partnerships in the region
In reading analyses of how we can develop the seemingly logical argument by Paul Keating and others that Australia should be seeking its security in Asia rather than from Asia, the issue of official and personal contact in building such ties always seems to be neglected.
19 June 2025
Goodbye to all that? Rethinking Australia’s alliance with Trump’s America
Even the most ardent supporters of the alliance with the United States — the notional foundation of Australian security for more than 70 years — must be having some misgivings about the second coming of Donald Trump.
19 June 2025
Not yet born: America at the crossroads
On a threatening June evening, America’s army turned 250 and put on a show that revealed more than it intended.
18 June 2025
Australia: A sovereign continent not for Marles to gift away
Yesterday’s statement by Defence Minister Richard Marles that Australia’s geography and continent would be crucial to any United States prosecution of a war against China will go down as a dark moment in Australia’s history.
18 June 2025
Hugh White: Why the AUKUS ‘dream’ was never realistic and is likely to die
The first clear sign the Trump administration was taking a long hard look at AUKUS came two weeks ago, when US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth gave his first major speech on US strategic policy in Asia at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
17 June 2025
The illegal attack on Iran
Israel’s consistent attacks on Iran since 2023 have all been illegal, violations of the United Nations Charter (1945).
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More from Defence
27 April 2025
A minority Labor Government's policy agenda – Part 1
