FEATURED ARTICLES
The legalities and politics of the Sumud Flotilla to Gaza
by Greg Rose | Oct 13, 2025
In the Mediterranean Sea, on Thursday 2 October 2025, the Israeli Navy intercepted a 45-boat ‘Sumud Flotilla’ that sailed from Spain intending to breach Israel’s blockade on Hamas in Gaza. The flotilla was an expensive expression of confrontational...
Having finally signed treaty, Australia must strengthen PNG defences
by Anthony Bergin | Oct 9, 2025
Recruitment in the region sits comfortably with the goal of security integration with Canberra, at a pace and scale welcomed by Pacific Island countries. on Monday, Anthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape will sign amutual defence...
Sovereignty costs. If you won’t pay for it, you don’t have it
by Graeme Dunk | Sep 29, 2025
Sovereignty was once, fleetingly, the poster child of Australian defence policy and pronouncements. While it continues to be mentioned, it’s now in such a vague and superficial way that it has been emptied of meaning. This is a mistake. Sovereignty...
Albanese-Trump meeting: PM advised to lead with fact we are a strong and capable military ally
by Peter Jennings | Sep 29, 2025
If Anthony Albanese wants to avoid being berated by Donald Trump or JD Vance about how little Australia spends on defence, he should go to Washington with a list of proposals to expand alliance co-operation. President Donald Trump has emerged the...
Episode 50: With friends like this…& Why spend real money on defence when you can just seem to?
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Sep 24, 2025
Episode 50: With friends like this...& Why spend r | RSS.com Marcus is back from Australia's croc-filled Outback. He catches up with Michael on global events: America's end to a Baltic states security initiative and the Trump Administrations' prep...
Beijing is running rings around us in Pacific
by Peter Jennings | Sep 21, 2025
The Albanese government’s failure to conclude security treaties with Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu shows the hollowness of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific. Not finalising these deals is the result of insufficient diplomatic engagement, a lack...
The Trump-Albanese meeting: Good news – he’s just not that into us
by Michael Shoebridge | Sep 19, 2025
In the beating heart of this nation’s capital, Canberra, many of us have been thinking and rethinking about the Australia-US alliance and the AUKUS sub deal that is now so central to it. We’re reaching a crescendo as the long-awaited, much...
The contribution to peace Albanese could make at the UN
by Mike Kelly and Anthony Bergin | Sep 19, 2025
Anthony Albanese will be in New York next week to participate in a high-level meeting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the UN. One of those sessions will be dedicated to the “Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State...
Team Albanese works hard to make Australia’s Defence budget LOOK ‘bigglier’
by Michael Shoebridge | Sep 15, 2025
Mr Albanese has two choices on Australian defence spending as he prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in New York (hopefully, perhaps). He can increase Australia’s defence budget from its current 2 per cent share of GDP to somewhere...
The Age of Impunity: unilateral use of force damages us all
by Michael Shoebridge | Sep 10, 2025
Anyone thinking the Israeli government’s strike on senior Hamas personnel in Qatar or the American government’s strike on a boat carrying 11 alleged Venezuelan drug runners in recent days is good news needs to think again. We have now...
Questions for the federal government about ISIS brides’ return
by Peter Jennings | Sep 8, 2025
Anthony Albanese is hiding his government’s involvement to return the third group of so-called “jihadi brides” to Australia, apparently before Christmas. These are women who are currently in refugee camps in northern Syria, who travelled to that...
Pacific leaders’ Ocean of Peace is disturbed by pushy Beijing rule maker
by Richard Herr and Anthony Bergin | Sep 8, 2025
As Prime Minister Albanese heads to Honiara for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting this week he won’t find one big happy family. Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele, may well have undermined efforts by the Forum leaders to manage...
Xi Jinping’s parade: strongmen, hubris and overreach
by Michael Shoebridge | Sep 8, 2025
Back in the days of the Roman Empire, during parades in their honour Roman commanders used to have someone standing behind them whispering ‘Remember you are mortal’ to prevent the pomp and pageantry going to their heads. So, as Xi Jinping...
Europe’s lessons in dealing with unreliability, extended deterrence for Aussie streets & lost luggage
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Sep 1, 2025
Europe's lessons in dealing with unreliability, ex | RSS.com In Episode 49, Marcus and Michael go over the lessons for Australia from Europe's approach to dealing with an unreliable US over the war in Ukraine. They discuss the now disturbing...
Close Encounters of the Superficial Kind: Mr Marles goes to Washington
by Peter Jennings | Aug 29, 2025
What’s the rush, Richard Marles, sorry, Deputy Prime Minister? You and your government have been telling us for months that the Trump administration’s review of AUKUS is nothing to worry about. Now we have a trip organised so hastily that you missed...
Micronesia’s strategic significance is rising
by Anthony Bergin | Aug 25, 2025
China is trying to change the Pacific Islands architecture by demanding the island nations amend what it says is an “erroneous” 33-year-old communique declaring Taiwan a Pacific Island Forum development partner, with participation...
Not too late for Anthony Albanese and Benjamin Netanyahu to repair valuable bilateral relationship
by Peter Jennings | Aug 25, 2025
Anthony Albanese says Australians want to see two things happen on the conflict in Gaza: “One, they want people to stop killing each other … Second thing that they want is for conflict to not be brought here.” On both counts the Prime Minister will...
Peace requires real action, not gestures
by Anthony Bergin | Aug 25, 2025
The Australian Government's planned recognition of Palestine outside negotiations with Israel seriously impedes Australia's ability to engage with and influence the Jewish state, a state we helped found. It gives us the appearance of clueless...
The Ambassador Series: a grumpy strategist meets a high energy Ukrainian Ambassador
by Vasyl Myroshnychenko and Michael Shoebridge | Aug 19, 2025
The Ambassadors Series - a Grumpy Strategist meets | RSS.com Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko speaks with a grumpy strategist about his path from business to diplomacy, & the surreal experience of families - including his - like fighting...
Episode 48: Grumpy But Grand Strategy – Australia’s Two Pillars are both in trouble
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Aug 12, 2025
Episode 48: Grumpy But Grand Strategy - Australia' | RSS.com Before Dr Hellyer jets off to Samoa, the Grumpy Strategists go Grand - Australian grand strategy looked at through its two enduring pillars of: 1. economic prosperity by mainlining into...
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