Right now the main focus of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) mission in Afghanistan is to raise the effectiveness of an Afghan National Army brigade so it can assume primary responsibility for security in Oruzgan Province, thereby creating the conditions for a withdrawal of Australian forces over the medium term. This effort is critical to...

This paper examines the strategic challenges posed by Burma's increasing cooperation with North Korea, including recent claims of a secret nuclear weapons program.

This report warns that as a result of climate change, disasters are likely to become larger, more complex, occur simultaneously and in regions that have either not experienced the natural hazard previously or at the same intensity or frequency. The report recommends that emergency services will need to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the impact...

This report explores the issue of energy security in the context of a growing dependence of the energy-hungry Asian economies on Middle Eastern supplies. While some might believe that the world is fast running out of oil, in truth the main threats to energy security are geopolitical rather than physical. For the next 30-50 years...

This paper examines the shifting patterns of leadership and patronage in Jemaah Islamiyah. It argues that leadership tensions and recent prison releases raise the possibility that splinter groups might now seek to re-energise the movement through violent attacks.