Regionalism and community: Australia’s options in the Asia-Pacific

This report explores the challenges of building a stronger community in the Asia-Pacific.  It does so by using a ‘comparative regionalism’ approach, drawing upon the lessons of region-building efforts elsewhere. 

Philomena argues in this paper for a greater emphasis in Australian foreign policy on community building in Asia.

She outlines five strategies for policymakers: that Australia should re-position itself as a ‘fore-runner state’ in Asia, promote mediation and reconciliation in the region’s long-running conflicts, develop its soft-power and educational exchanges across the region, promote sound design principles for the future of regional architecture, and build a consensus among regional states about the difficult issues of membership and mandate for future regional institutions.

Those strategies would be a longer-term recipe for better, more effective, regional institutions.

The QDR: a future of hybrid warfare?

The latest formal statement of US defence policy, the QDR (Quadrennial Defense Review), plays down sweeping ambition in order to remain focused on the tasks immediately at hand—Iraq and above all, Afghanistan.  And it sees a future of ‘hybrid’ warfare, likely to involve a diversity of actors and to blur the traditional distinction between inter-state conflict and protracted counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations.  It suggests the US will be looking for more from its allies, including Australia.

A delicate issue: Asia’s nuclear future

The world stands on the cusp of a new era in nuclear relations—one in which Asia is likely to become the dominant influence on global nuclear arrangements. The old, bilateral nuclear symmetry of the Cold War is giving way to new multiplayer, asymmetric nuclear relationships. And it is doing so at a time when power balances are shifting across Asia, when pressures for proliferation are returning to the regional agenda, and when non-state actors are an increasingly worrying part of the Asian nuclear equation.

The paper, authored by Rod Lyon, argues that Australia’s own policy options will be profoundly shaped by how Asia’s nuclear future unfolds. It looks at how Australia can assist with redesigning nuclear order in a cooperative Asia but notes a darker, more competitive Asian nuclear future would confront Australian policymakers with difficult choices, of hedging rather than ordering.

The report concludes that Australian strategic policy should retain the flexibility to accommodate a range of possible Asian nuclear futures, striking a balance between its ordering and hedging strategies during a possible turbulent era in regional security.

The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence Budget Brief 2009-2010

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This report, prepared by Mark Thomson, gives interested readers greater access to the complex workings of the Defence Budget and promotes informed debate on Defence budget issues.

The Obama administration and US strategic policy

This Policy Analysis, authored by Rod Lyon and Kellie Kayser, assesses how much change we are seeing in US strategic policy under the new administration in Washington.

President Obama has already begun a campaign to ‘renew’ American global leadership after the Bush years. He has been explicit in marking out his strategic style from Bush’s, emphasising that his presidency will be characterised by partnerships, diplomacy and engagement. But actual US strategic priorities have changed little: the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan remain at the centre of US interest—alongside a rapidly-escalating global economic crisis.

Many of the issues of concern to Obama are also of concern to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, although Canberra probably places a higher priority on Asian security concerns. The forthcoming meeting between the two leaders in Washington provides an opportunity to explore just how much ‘resetting’ of the relationship will occur on Obama’s watch.

Australian Defence Almanac 2008-2009

The Almanac is a unique publication that brings together a wealth of information across the full-range of Defence activity in a single, easy-to-use reference source.

It is an up-to-date, fact-filled resource that places otherwise difficult to find Defence information at the reader’s fingertips and presents it in a transparent, highly readable form.

Chapters cover:

  • Defence and strategy looking at the constitutional and legislative basis for Defence, the military justice system, Australian strategic policy and Australia’s place in the world.
  • Australian Defence Force which covers ADF command arrangements, order of battle, equipment, arms and weapons, ordnance, platform activity levels, comparative military strength, Defence facilities, establishments and bases.
  • Department of Defence which looks at the organisation, outcomes and ouputs and management information systems.
  • People which covers personnel issues such as personnel numbers, ranks, recruiting activity, enlistments, Reserve, separations and salaries.
  • Money provides Defence outlays, comparative regional defence spending, comparative Commonwealth spending, top 30 Defence projects and top 30 Defence contractors.
  • Australia and the world considers significant treaties, conventions and agreements, Australian membership of intergovernmental bodies and international organisations.
  • Counter-terrorism covers counter-terrorism arrangements, governance structures for counter-terrorism, national terrorist situation, budget appropriations for agencies, agencies’ CT roles, terrorist organisations in Australia and terrorist incidents.

Special Report Issue 16 – Public opinion in Australia towards defence, security and terrorism

This paper traces the public’s changing views of the main issues relating to defence and security over an extended period. Authored by Professor Ian McAllister, it identifies three key views of the public on defence and security. ASPI contributors include Carl Ungerer, Rod Lyon and Andrew Davies.

The paper builds on previous ASPI publications Attitude Matters: Public opinion in Australia towards defence and security and Representative Views: Mass and elite opinion on Australian security also authored by Ian McAllister.

The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence budget brief 2008-2009

This report gives interested readers greater access to the complex workings of the Defence Budget and promotes informed debate on Defence budget issues.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: An Australian response

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the first multinational security body outside the US orbit to emerge since the Cold War’s end. This Policy Analysis outlines the SCO’s origins and development, analyses the group’s internal dynamics and offers an Australian policy response.

The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence budget brief 2007-2008

This report gives interested readers greater access to the complex workings of the Defence Budget and promotes informed debate on Defence budget issues.