Yesterday
- Analysis
- ASEAN
Sense of urgency as Australia finds its true international identity
There is a meaning to be extracted from the ASEAN summit for Australia’s international identity.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Vietnam
Comprehensive upgrade puts Australia in Vietnam’s top tier
Diplomatic relations have come a long way from when we opened our first embassy in Hanoi – a bedraggled couple of hotel rooms with lino floors in the war-ravaged city.
- John McCarthy
This Month
- Opinion
- ASEAN
Trust Paul Keating to interrupt ASEAN’s polite summit rhetoric
Labor is confident it can sell greater engagement and business investment with South-East Asia, no matter what the former prime minister thinks of its approach to China.
- Jennifer Hewett
- Analysis
- ASEAN
South-East Asia signals it won’t be picked off by China
A tick of approval from one of Asia’s most respected statesmen for AUKUS was just one positive sign from the ASEAN summit.
- James Curran
- Analysis
- ASEAN
The first day of this summit exposes the gulf at ASEAN
The first day of the ASEAN-Australia summit offered a classic illustration of the existing gulf in regional diplomatic cultures and approaches.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- ASEAN
It’s a mistake to think about ASEAN in binary terms
It is unrealistic to think the outcome of this week’s summit will be the next step in Australia building a broader network of Asian allies against China.
- Updated
- James Curran
Australia can launch a new trade boom with China, Farrell says
The trade minister says that with feuds on wine and lobster exports potentially soon sorted, Australia could aim to stack on another $100 billion in trade.
- Hans van Leeuwen
February
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Philippines partners Australia on peace, stability and success in Asia
President Marcos’s speech is in keeping with the tightening network of Asian nations who are keen to keep the US engaged and are suspicious of Beijing’s intentions.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Keating at 80
Paul Keating’s critics could not be more wrong on AUKUS
It’s the former PM who understands that the world has changed, and we can no longer take American power for granted to keep Asia stable and Australia safe.
- Hugh White
- Opinion
- Defence
Australia’s defence plans are a charade
The announcement on Australia’s new ships doesn’t pass the pub test. Like its predecessors, this government isn’t serious about the threat it consistently talks about.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- NATO
Europe needs to prepare for the end of NATO
Russian aggression and American wavering reveal how ill-equipped Europe is to defend itself.
- The Economist
- Opinion
- Defence
Keating’s strategic illusion dies hard
The former prime minister’s timid isolationism, leaving others to do the heavy lifting, has its roots deep in Labor’s history.
- Alex McDermott
Marles rips into defence ‘culture’
Defence Minister Richard Marles has sharpened criticisms of his own department, arguing there are “issues of culture” which need challenging.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Keating at 80
Keating’s quaint defence of Australia doesn’t grasp regional power politics
Labor has put aside two absurd features of the Keating era: a defence policy designed to deal with direct invasion and the diminution of our US alliance
- Alexander Downer
- Opinion
- Russia-Ukraine war
The sad reality is that Ukraine is outgunned and outmanned
Strategic analysts were adamant either that Ukraine would fall or Russia would buckle. Two years later, neither has happened.
- James Curran
Navy shipbuilder Austal flags settlement to avoid US litigation
The shipbuilder has enlisted the US and Australian defence departments for support in its negotiations with the DOJ and SEC.
- Brad Thompson
- Opinion
- International affairs
What’s Plan B if America never goes back to normal?
Paul Keating has once again asked whether the US alliance shapes Australia’s view of the world more than it should.
- Bec Strating
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Bold navy plan needs backing with hard cash
Australia reaped a resources bonanza from China’s rise as the workshop to the world. Now some of that needs to be redirected as a national security insurance premium.
- The AFR View
- Analysis
- Russia-Ukraine war
Cheap drones are transforming warfare in Ukraine
First-person-view drones have achieved near mythical status on the front lines but need artillery to influence battles.
- The Economist
- Opinion
- Defence
Awakening of a maritime nation 50 years in the making
It is a historic day when the government has finally agreed to support an enhanced surface combatant fleet capability for the Royal Australian Navy.
- Jennifer Parker
