This paper examines the ongoing clash in the Philippines between government officials who favour appeasement, on the one hand, and those pushing for a policy of constrainment towards China in the South China Sea on the other – and how Australia can help tip the...

Australia’s current South China Sea policies are under strain from two sides. This briefing argues that Australia should advocate for regular Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) Leaders’ Summits and inclusion of China’s unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea on the agenda.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing has been described as the leading maritime security threat and the Chinese distant water fishing fleet is likely to be the world’s leading perpetrator. While Beijing has taken steps to address wrongdoing in the Chinese fishing industry, it might continue...

At a time of geopolitical uncertainty and with multilateralism under pressure, this conference brought together diverse actors to explore the evolving role of international law on critical security and economic issues in the Asia-Pacific.

This narrative focuses on the Timor Sea and the sovereignty issue over the part of the continental shelf that is adjacent to Australia’s northern coast and which has been coveted by both Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

The management, governance and control of the world’s oceans have become major policy and research agendas. Nowhere is this more the case than in the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest ocean.

The ‘grey zone’ has received much publicity in recent years as certain nation-states have employed indirect methods to achieve advantage over their opponents without recourse to open kinetic warfare.

After a decade of dedicated attention to Somali piracy in the Horn of Africa, the international community is focussing increasingly on the rising challenges of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. This includes Denmark. Recent Danish engagement in maritime security in the Global south...

In this Centre of Gravity paper, Christopher B. Roberts, Director of the National Asian Studies Centre at the University of Canberra and a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, argues that Francis Fukuyama’s famous ‘end of history’ thesis is being challenged by...

This report argues that over the past five years, there’s been an increase in coastguard and maritime border response capabilities across much of ASEAN. The report highlights an opportunity for Australia to cooperate and collaborate with partners across the region on surveillance, maritime domain awareness...

This guide provides statistics on the number of boats that have been ‘turned back’ since the practice of removing unauthorised maritime arrivals in Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEVs) from Australian waters was introduced by the Howard Government (from 2001–2003) and reintroduced by the Abbott Government...

For the first time, Australia and Timor-Leste have agreed upon a permanent maritime boundary.

The proposed Quadrilateral Security Initiative 2.0 is an informal maritime alliance of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, which primarily involves co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.

A surprise agreement in the Timor Sea boundary dispute vindicates Timor-Leste’s strategy. Michael Leach explains.

This paper discusses Australia’s position on the 2016 arbitral ruling in the South China Sea Arbitration (The Republic of the Philippines v The People’s Republic of China). Australia’s Foreign Minister has stated that this was an important test-case for how the East Asian region can...

This guide provides statistics on the number of boats that have been ‘turned back’ since the practice of removing unauthorised maritime arrivals in Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEVs) from Australian waters was introduced by the Howard Government (from 2001–2003) and reintroduced by the Abbott Government...

This paper seeks to explore the significance of maritime piracy and kidnapping in the Philippines, the emergence and significance of the ASG within the tri-border area, the Philippines government response to maritime piracy and kidnapping and the future implications and opportunities for the broader Indo-Pacific...

With billions of dollars’ worth of natural gas and oil on its doorstep, Timor-Leste needs to successfully utilise those resources and invest in sustainable economic growth if it is to continue development in the medium- to long-term future.

Life came from the ocean. Without the ocean, life on Earth is not possible. The ocean produces and regulates much of the planet’s oxygen and water, provides substantial amounts of its nutrient and carbon cycling and supports most of its biological diversity. Fish feed over...

While Indonesia under Jokowi can be expected to continue to take unilateral action to reinforce the Indonesian position around the Natuna Islands, Jokowi has not played an active diplomatic role on the broader South China Sea issue. In the longer term, Indonesia is better off...