Commentary

Other peoples’ air power: Air superiority without fast jets

PETER LAYTON | Say ‘air superiority’ and people instinctively think of highly manoeuvrable aircraft, silk-scarfed fighter pilots, the Battle of Britain and perhaps Top… Read More

Commercial drones: Privatising air power

PETER LAYTON | In irregular wars, the state has traditionally had a monopoly on the use of air power. This has now been overturned. With the… Read More

Doklam, the diplomacy of anger, and the Sino-Indian standoff

IAN HALL | The ten-week standoff between Chinese and Indian troops in Doklam, in territory disputed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Bhutan,… Read More

A Contested Asia: What comes after US strategic predominance?

2017 Griffith Asia Lecture by Mr Peter Varghese AO, Chancellor, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 6 September 2017… Read More

Australia–Philippines strategic relations: taking the long view

The Philippines is poised to become strategically more important to Australia, leading to opportunities for intensified defence cooperation. At a recent dialogue held in Manila… Read More

Five Eyes and the perils of an asymmetric alliance

Five Eyes is the oldest and most prominent intelligence alliance in the world. But does Australia’s membership in the alliance expose it to undue influence… Read More

Australia’s defence strategy: Evaluating alternatives for a contested Asia

PETER LAYTON | Many books on Australian defence simply repeat old beliefs. This valuable new work does not, instead breaking new ground in proposing a… Read More

Contested Multilateralism 2.0 and Asia-Pacific security

After the 2008-2009 GFC, major powers (including the United States and China) were either reinvigorating existing institutions or initiating new institutions in the region, a… Read More

America’s new alliance management

PETER LAYTON | The Trump administration has embraced a new, reductionist approach to managing its alliances. James Mattis, on his first visit to Europe as… Read More

Trade, security ties and engaging the Indonesian diaspora – what you need to know about Widodo’s Australia visit

Officials from both Canberra and Jakarta must have been privately relieved last night. The first official visit to Australia by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (“Jokowi”)… Read More