Defence and Security
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If Penny Wong becomes foreign minister will she repeat the numerous blunders Australia and the US have made in the Pacific?
The discussion of foreign policy is one of the low points in the election. It is hard to be otherwise when both major parties are committed to integrating Australia’s military forces with those of the US. This severely curtails the scope for proposing independent policies and raises expectations ensuring the Government and Opposition contribute forces Continue reading »
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What Ministers in a new Government should do – climate change, China-US relations and our region
Foreign policy must be one of the areas where any government can find itself most constrained by the circumstances it has to deal with—“events, dear boy, events”, as former British Prime Minister Harold McMillan once said. But given that, even in the most pressing state of affairs a government can choose where it directs its Continue reading »
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‘New cold war’ in the South Pacific exposed
Having preened on the global stage for standing up to Beijing, the Morrison government has now been shown to have little influence in the region most crucial to our security. Continue reading »
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Ethics and war: The Ukrainian tragedy
Among the headline grabbing events and the geopolitical speculations of the Ukrainian tragedy the ethical rights and wrongs of the conflict are largely ignored. For his criminal invasion, Putin rightly bears the greatest moral and legal opprobrium for the appalling death toll, atrocities, and widespread levelling of parts of eastern Ukraine. But once the war Continue reading »
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The Solomons have quite simply forgotten their place
The disciplines and sub-disciples of Political Science and International Relations are frequently embarrassed by their collective inabilities to provide comprehensive understandings of events ostensibly within their purview because, as disciplines, they suffer from constrained, even constipated imaginations. Continue reading »
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Keith Mitchelson: Climate change and International security – Why defence is Morrison’s greatest policy failure
Scott Morrison claims to be Australia’s best defender. In reality he is its worst. His government’s subservience to local and international oligarchs has seen it neglect real interest in Australia’s long-term security and wellbeing. Continue reading »
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Mike Gilligan: AUKUS and submarines – a slippery slope
Not much of AUKUS adds up – at once there is too little and too much information. It looks like the bedrock of Australia’s security policy since the war is being swept aside. Continue reading »
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Time to reclaim remembrance
As the nation pauses to honour our war dead on Anzac Day, it is appropriate to reflect on the tainting of genuine commemoration at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) by vested interests. Added to deep concerns about the bitterly controversial $1/2 billion redevelopment, the Memorial is dividing rather than uniting Australians. Continue reading »
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The khaki election this ANZAC Day
The khaki does not primarily represent the defence of Australia. It still represents something close to what Lord Salisbury intended it would be in the first khaki election of 1900: the defence of the empire. Continue reading »
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The fantasy that haunts our cult of the fallen
According to the fantasy, there is a ‘moral obligation’ toward dead Anzacs – but not to democratise the decisions that would throw live Anzacs into war. Continue reading »
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Habitual bipartisanship is toxic to good defence policy
The dominant object of Australia’s capability development program is simply to “continue to deepen Australia’s alliance with the United States”. Politicisation and secrecy has allowed successive governments to exclude voters from defence policy decisions of the utmost importance. Only a radical shift in the portfolio’s governance can restore confidence and integrity to defence policy, and Continue reading »
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‘The standard you walk past’
The Australian Army has failed its own leadership test. Where does the buck stop? Continue reading »
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Derek Woolner & David Glynne Jones – From AUKUS to the Solomon Islands: Australia’s urgent need for a cohesive strategic policy
The major issue for Australia’s program to acquire nuclear propelled submarines has little to do with the vessels. Continue reading »
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Matt Robson: Sleepwalking to war: NZ is back under the nuclear umbrella
As Minister for Disarmament in the 1999-2002 Labour-Alliance Coalition I was authorised to state that we would pursue an independent foreign policy and we would not march off to almost every war launched by Great Britain and then the United States – our “traditional” allies. Continue reading »
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Brett Wilkins: The US arms industry, Ukraine and the media
“The people who have the most interest in influencing the direction of the media coverage of the Ukraine War are weapons-makers.” Continue reading »
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Where are the peacemakers to end the war in Ukraine? ( A repost from 22 March 2022)
We used to have globally respected statesmen, including people like Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Desmond Tutu. Many of them were members of a council of “The Elders” which has tried to provide calm and sensible advice from time to time. Clearly, we seem to lack such distinguished statesmen today. Continue reading »
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Brett Wilkins: Jimmy Carter says that the US is the ‘Most warlike nation in the history of the world’
The only US president to complete his term without war, military attack or occupation has called the United States “the most warlike nation in the history of the world.” Continue reading »
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US-CHINA compromise in the South China Sea could be the basis of a larger strategic framework
China has already proposed “a new model of great power relations” implying equality and shared responsibility in world affairs. To avoid military conflict, the U.S. must accommodate to some extent China’s legitimate interests and aspirations by sharing power—when, on what issues, how, and how much are to be negotiated. Continue reading »
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NATO – Western colonial shadow looms over Asia again
Making Australia an instrument of US/NATO in pursuit of objectives so consciously eschewed by our near neighbours will ultimately undermine both the security and prosperity of Australia. Continue reading »
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Don’t swallow the prunes – ADF’s inter-service rivalry on display
Admiral Prune’s unabashed bid for Navy funding has provided a window in to inter-service rivalry in the ADF. Also, it gives an unfortunate glimpse of the confused thinking infecting Defence. Continue reading »
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Russian and US parallel pathways to a nuclear conflict
Biden escaped rigorous critical scrutiny that is the normal lot of presidential campaigns with the help of major media and Big Tech platforms that despised Trump. The world is now discovering just how grave the real-world consequences can be when reality bites back. Continue reading »
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The war in Ukraine: Nuclear power, weapons and winter
Six weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the death and destruction has been devastating. In addition, the targeting of nuclear power plants by Russia’s military has raised the spectre of a nuclear disaster. Continue reading »
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Margaret Beavis: What really makes Australians more secure?
We are assured nuclear powered submarines and missiles will make us more secure, but with hospitals chronically underfunded and poverty and homelessness on the rise, are they the actually the right choice? Continue reading »
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 4 of 4: People and Process
After thirty years of hand wringing about our deteriorating strategic circumstances, Australians have a right to know from the new government how it will fix Australia’s military weakness, without waiting decades. They must start with “The System”. Continue reading »
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AUKUS in the hypersonic missile wonderland
As this idiotic, servile venture proceeds, Australian territory, sites and facilities will become every more attractive for assault in the fulness of time. Continue reading »
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 3 of 4: What sort of ADF do we need?
Commentators suggest that the Morrison Government is attempting to frame a “khaki election”. It would be far better were it a “blue election” – sea and sky blue. Continue reading »
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Charles Pierson: Biden promised to stop supporting Saudi aggression in Yemen. He lied
Will Biden betray Yemen once again in return for cheaper gas for suburban moms’ SUVs and victory at the polls in November? Continue reading »
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 2 of 4: Are we delivering the ADF we need?
There will probably be more grand announcements in the lead up to the Morrison Government’s attempt to frame a “khaki election”. What we are doing, as opposed to talking about doing, is not reassuring. Continue reading »
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Olayinka Ajala: Russia’s war with Ukraine: Five reasons why many African countries choose to be ‘neutral’
In early March the United Nation’s General Assembly voted on a resolution demanding Russia immediately stop its military operations in Ukraine. Continue reading »
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia. Part 1 of 4: What’s going on?
In the Morrison Government’s attempt to frame a “khaki election”, we have had a flurry of big announcements recently – nuclear powered submarines, new tanks, a new east coast submarine base, more people for the ADF and west coast dockyard infrastructure. What’s really going on? Continue reading »
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