This paper contends that India is re-emerging as a major regional power. Its greater influence and security responsibilities in the Indo-Pacific region have led Australia to seek ways to enhance its defence relationship with India. While noting that positive outcomes are already being achieved as a…

This paper asserts that the large size of Tonga's exclusive economic zone poses challenging problems for the government in managing the area's maritime resources and providing effective security of the region. It also notes that Tonga's geographic isolation, sparse population and weak economy make…

This paper examines the potential for Australia and France to develop closer defence engagement. It contends that both have similar strategic interests, equally focused on regional stability and the rule of law, and that they have similar policy positions for how to achieve these goals. It also…

This paper addresses the question of whether China's assertiveness in the South China Sea is likely to affect Australia's national interests over the next ten years. It notes that China has been demonstrating increasingly-assertive behaviour in the South China Sea, which has the potential to affect…

This paper addresses the issue of methamphetamine supply into Australia, aiming to identify viable options to reduce the amount of the drug and its chemical precursors that enter the country, particularly originating from China. It contends that the situation in Australia is quite drastic,…

This paper by Group Captain Mark Green analyses the capabilities that India's military modernisation program intends to acquire by 2025, and assesses the impact of these options on Australia's security interests in the Indian Ocean. It contends that a number of scenarios are possible for the use…

This paper examines why Afghanistan is important to Australia, and what Australia can do to address the causes of instability in that country. It argues that Afghanistan is a key element of the regional security dynamic of South Asia, and that it has the potential to adversely affect the security…

This paper addresses the question of whether jihadist-salafism, an extreme and violent wing of militant Sunni Islam, will present a security challenge to law and order in Indonesia in the next ten years. It acknowledges that the Indonesian government has made great strides against jihadi-salafists…

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…

This paper examines Salafi-jihadism as a strategic issue driving the threat of Sunni Islamic terrorism globally. By tracing the genealogy of Salafism from the early centuries of Islam to the rise of Salafi-jihadism in the 1980s, it debunks the rejection of Salafi-jihadists' claims to legitimacy as…

This paper by Air Commodore Philip Tammen assesses if the energy policy options currently being considered in Japan are likely to deliver energy security in the period to 2030. It examines the resource geography of Japan, contrasting it with the economic activity on which the nation relies. It…

This paper examines the various policy options that Australia could pursue to reduce tensions and work towards stabilisation and ultimate resolution of the ongoing disputes in the South China Sea. It argues that the South China Sea is a region of considerable importance to Australia's national…

This paper argues that the lack of reconciliation between Japan and its neighbours, particularly China and South Korea, is an issue of increasing significance in today's changing geostrategic environment. It asserts that Japan's recent decision to adopt collective self defence in specific…

This paper presents a policy approach designed to mitigate the threat from Salafi-jihadi ideology in Australia. Instead of the traditional policy approach of targeting adults who may be vulnerable, or seeking to correct Salafi ideology at a late stage, it argues that policy-makers should complement…

This paper examines the evolution of jihadist-Salafism, an extreme and violent variant of militant Sunni Islamism, in Indonesia, Malaysia and The Philippines. The paper contends that while these three countries have made great strides against jihadi-Salafists since the September 2001 attacks in the…

In the past 30 to 40 years, several Western militaries have undergone substantial joint reforms. Joint operations and permanent joint organisations have become the norm. Joint professional military education courses are now common and joint doctrine has proliferated. Yet underlying these and other…

This paper by Linda McCann addresses the future of Australia's Pacific Patrol Boat Program, which has been successful in providing Pacific island nations with a means of patrolling their own exclusive economic zones. It asserts that the program has provided an effective means of countering illegal…

This paper addresses the future of the security relationship between Singapore and Australia. It notes that while there are obvious differences in physical geography, as well as identity and culture, the strategic partnership between the two countries—based on a shared history, common interests in…

The fifth issue of The Listening Post, reviews the world's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and provides a comprehensive list of resources and experts to follow for news and analysis. Authors also look at consider the implications of recent ballistic missile testing by the Democratic…

This paper by Group Captain Stephen Meredith analyses Iran's nuclear program. It contends that while the Iranian regime has the ability to develop a nuclear weapons capability, the international community's strategy to contain its nuclear program is not working and is unlikely to produce a stable…

This paper examines the foreign policies of the US and China from the perspective of their respective militaries and economies. It addresses the options for future Sino-US relations in the Asia-Pacific region, in the context of preventing their rivalry from escalating into conflict, with a…

This paper examines the challenge that the rise of China presents for Australian defence planning, especially in the context of the Australia‐US alliance. It argues that the changing Asia‐Pacific security environment, represented by the rise of China, its rapid military modernisation and its…

This paper examines the likely impact of any constitutional change by Japan on its relations with China, particularly in the context of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute. It notes that while several policy options have been canvassed as potential solutions to the dispute, none is seemingly…

This paper examines the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea with a view to identifying opportunities for ASEAN to enhance its policies in order to achieve resolution. It notes that China's longstanding dispute with a number of coastal states has resulted in an environment that is far from…

This paper analyses and compares elements of the political, economic and socio-cultural environments of Scotland and Bougainville as they relate to their respective self-determination movements. While the geographic and socio-economic environments of the two are literally a world apart, the paper…

This paper examines how Australia might build trust and cooperation with China while strengthening its ties with Japan. It identifies the particular challenge for Australia, as a middle power, of preserving its significant economic interests with Northeast Asia, as well as its strategic interests…

This paper addresses the detection, intervention and prevention of so-called 'lone wolf' and 'fixated person' violent attacks in Australia. It argues that while the threat of terrorism may vary over time, the increase in lone wolf terrorism over the past decade requires a more focused approach to…

This paper examines the policy options for Australia in dealing with a nuclear-armed North Korea. It notes that over the past two decades, North Korea has become an ever-increasing threat to regional security, and that it continues to develop and test nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile systems.…

This paper examines why Australia's future submarine project has not progressed as expected since its announcement as a major capability priority in the 2009 Defence White Paper. It contends that six years later, key questions remain unanswered, such as why Australia needs submarines, how many we…

This paper addresses the question of whether Islamic extremism in Indonesia will affect Australia's security in the next ten years. It notes that in the world's most populous Islamic country, there are numerous Islamic extremist groups mutating and splintering at a frenetic rate, with the January…