Navigating uncertain times: the need for an Australian 'grand strategy'

This paper argues that while the world has enjoyed an absence of violent great power rivalry and widespread conflict since the end of the Second World War, the international system that has overseen this remarkable period of stability is now under threat. It asserts that Australia needs a revised and formal 'grand strategy' to ensure that it can successfully navigate this increasingly uncertain and challenging environment, using all the elements of national power in a sustainable and cogent way to achieve its desired 'ends'.

It contends that this grand strategy must strive to build national power in a way that will allow Australia to positively influence the regional and global environment, consistent with Australia's national interests. The strategy must be proactive, rather than reactive, and its aim should be for Australia to be domestically strong, and to seek and support a stable international system based on the rule of law and an open and free economic trading system. To achieve this grand strategy, the paper proposes a three-pronged approach, based on 'building capacity' (and developing the capacity to build), 'bridging the divide' (and crossing the bridge) and 'balancing the scale' to ensure that Australia is able to support and contribute to the maintenance of the key attributes of the current world order.

This paper was published as part of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Paper series.

Author