Aukus Alliance News & Analysis
Jakarta’s Courtesy Calls to Pyongyang: A Risk Worth Taking?
Indonesia’s outreach to North Korea represents a classic middle-power play: carve out a niche as an honest broker, even if the broker occasionally makes uncomfortable allies.
What Trump’s Kuala Lumpur Turn Teaches the West About Southeast Asia
Trump’s Kuala Lumpur gambit was a reminder that power still matters in the Indo-Pacific. But power without predictable politics is a brittle foundation.
Australia US State Visit: Hard Lessons in Soft Power
A US state visit by Australia’s prime minister highlights the challenges of maintaining democratic integrity while advancing national interests as a middle power — a balancing act of dignity and practicality in an era where performance politics has genuine policy implications.
Talisman Sabre 25: More Than Just an Exercise
Talisman Sabre 25, the largest joint military exercise between the United States and Australia, represents a powerful signal of allied readiness, technological advancement, and deterrence in the critical theater of the Indo-Pacific.
AUKUS and France as an Indo-Pacific Power
The AUKUS alliance has chipped away at the pillars holding up French power projection in the Indo-Pacific.
AUKUS and Its Implications on Maritime Security
The AUKUS deal between Australia, UK, and US highlights the growing weight of geopolitical issues in maritime security.
Greek Frigate Deal Eases AUKUS Fallout for France
Newly-announced $5 billion frigate deal doesn’t recoup Australia losses, but it does send all the right signals so far as Paris is concerned.
Is the Australia-UK-USA Trilateral Security Partnership (AUKUS) a Gamechanger?
The AUKUS pact is notable in its shift from style to substance in US-led efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.
Predicting Australia’s Next Defense White Paper
Geopolitical strategy has never been any easier for Canberra. Previous defense white papers have promised a lot, but have rarely delivered. If there is a dramatic shift in the regional balance of power or another incident on the magnitude of 9/11, then Canberra will have to go back to the drawing board.
Australia’s Response to a Rising China
Over the past two hundred years, Australia has grappled with the concern that its geographical location places it too far from its allies in terms of their potential support. Thus, as a large continent, Australia has tended to ally itself with the dominant naval power in the Asia Pacific region – first Britain and now the United States. However, the rise of China is challenging this historical basis of Australia’s defence policy.