International security



Report

Mixed report card: China’s influence at the United Nations

This report contextualises China’s growing presence at the United Nations by examining publicly available data on four metrics that gauge Beijing’s success in steering the global governance agenda.
Report

'An incomplete project': Australians' views of the US alliance

The alliance with the United States remains the single most important element in Australia’s approach to managing strategic change in the Indo-Pacific. The authors of this report argue that as Australia adapts to an altered security landscape, it is more important than ever to look...
Briefing paper

China and the challenge to global order

The authors of this paper argue that while China poses a modest security threat to the United States, it does pose a major challenge to the overall global economic and political order.
Report

Many hands: Australia-US contributions to Southeast Asian maritime security resilience

This report brings together four leading experts from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, to explore what role Australia and the United States could play in supporting more robust maritime security capabilities with their countries.
Report

The geopolitical implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The policy background to this assessment is that Russia’s outright invasion of Ukraine is an extremely dangerous moment for global security because Europe’s security order is now being fundamentally challenged with the real risk of escalation into a major war involving Russia and the United...
Report

Australia in the Middle East: enduring risks, interests, and opportunities

Despite ending its 20-year military operations in the Middle East, Australia’s equities in the region are now more substantial than ever, writes Rodger Shanahan.
Report

Japan’s security strategy

This report demonstrates the extraordinary proactivity of Japan towards issues of regional order-building, security and defence policy, and military capability development, and teases out the implications for Australia as a closely aligned partner.
Policy report

Rudiments of a space security policy framework

This paper scopes out the broader challenges to space exploration security that have galvanised as a result of space privatisation and fledgling space-based public-private partnerships.
Report

A fight for survival: tackling the climate crisis is key to security in the Blue Pacific

This report argues that to earn the trust of the rest of the region, Australia will need to show Pacific countries that it is serious about climate action. The window to avoid catastrophic impacts is closing fast. Global emissions must be halved by 2030, which...
Report

Australia and the Pacific: shaping a shared future

The Pacific will always be an area of great strategic significance for Australia. Peace and stability in Pacific island countries goes to the heart of Australia’s security, prosperity and national interest. This report suggests the need for Australian policy-makers to think big to achieve a...
Briefing paper

The first space-cyber war and the need for new regimes and policies

This policy brief makes the case that states should adopt national policies to defend against threats to space-based assets and applications, such as communications satellites, that are both vital to national security and economic security and increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Briefing paper

Taiwan and the dangerous illogic of deterrence by denial

The author of this paper argues that although there are many compelling reasons to prefer that Taiwan remain democratic and retain its affinity with the West, these outcomes are not so vital as to merit a strategy for which the immediate consequence of failure is...
Report

PNG voices: listening to Australia's closest neighbour

This report outlines findings from the first major study of the attitudes of Papua New Guinean citizens toward PNG society and the bilateral relationship with Australia. The research captures a wide cross-section of perspectives and experiences from ordinary PNG citizens, including those living in a...
Briefing paper

Navigating emerging technology and evolving threats in the U.S.-Australia alliance

This briefing paper argues that the U.S.-Australia alliance has an important role to play in contributing to both strategic stability and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, but realising this goal will require risk acceptance as part of future policy and strategy.
Report

UK, Australia and ASEAN cooperation for safer seas

A safe and secure Indo-Pacific maritime domain is vital to the UK, Australia and Southeast Asian states for their national prosperity. This report recommends UK–Australia–ASEAN cooperation to elevate and further explore the cyber–maritime security nexus.
Report

The two technospheres

The divergence of the Western and Chinese technospheres is a critical driver of cybersecurity concerns requiring the attention of both governments and the private sector around the world. This report provides a set of recommendations for action to mitigate the growing cybersecurity risks posed by...
Report

State of the United States: Biden's agenda in the balance

A year after what many considered one of the darkest periods in American history sees the United States experiencing the worst inflation in 40 years, more deaths from COVID-19 occurring during the Biden Administration than the Trump Administration, and its closest allies experiencing 'American-style' protests...
Book

The geopolitics of climate and security in the Indo-Pacific

Climate change is much more than an environmental crisis—it’s a systemic crisis that will transform the geopolitical landscape. In this publication, leading experts explore the impacts of this rapidly emerging climate threat on regional systems by interrogating a 1.5°C 2035 climate change scenario developed by...
Report

Meeting Antarctica’s diplomatic challenges: joint approaches for Australia and the United States

This report describes current security and environmental policy challenges related to Antarctica and proposes options for Australia and the United States to address them. It assesses the current and potential future actions of strategic competitors like China and Russia, and proposes policy responses.
Briefing paper

What to expect from the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy

This policy brief looks back at what has happened since President Obama first announced the 'pivot' to Asia ten years ago in Canberra. It also examines the emerging contours of Biden’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific, and outlines what outstanding questions have yet to be addressed.
Policy report

Digital Southeast Asia

This report recommends Australia and India leverage their bilateral partnership in cyber and critical technologies to support inclusive digital development in Southeast Asia, and strengthen the foundations of Southeast Asia’s digital economy.
Policy report

Dealing with the security crisis in Burkina Faso: development and civil society perspectives on crisis prevention

This paper seeks to explore the perspectives of actors affected by the current security crisis in Burkina Faso and by development and humanitarian interventions.
Report

Between geography and history: Delhi and Canberra in Indo-Pacific security

This paper is an attempt to understand the new context of the India-Australia relationship and how it provides a fresh basis — rooted in both geography and history — for a durable security partnership between Delhi and Canberra.
Report

Myanmar’s coup, ASEAN’s crisis and the implications for Australia

In this report, the authors assess the security situation in Myanmar, ASEAN’s collective response and the individual roles of key ASEAN member states in the mediating process. The report concludes with some policy implications for the wider region, particularly Australia.
Briefing paper

Integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific: advancing the Australia-United States alliance

This briefing paper examines the evolution and requirements of regional security interoperability among the United States and its regional partners in the Indo-Pacific. It also assesses the evolving state of defence integration between the United States and Australia.