Programs & Projects

The International Security Program

The International Security Program

The International Security Program looks at strategic dynamics and security risks globally, with an emphasis on Australia's region of Indo-Pacific Asia. Its research spans strategic competition and the risks of conflict in Asia, security implications of the rise of China and India, maritime security, nuclear arms control, Australian defence policy and the changing character of conflict. The Program draws on a network of experts in Australia, Asia and globally, and is supported by diverse funding sources including grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. It convenes international policy dialogues such as the 2017 Australia-ROK Emerging Leaders International Security Forum and has a record of producing leading-edge, influential reports.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
It’s a super call on national security apparatus
Commentary
It’s a super call on national security apparatus
Originally published in The Australian.Alan Dupont
Australia, US and NZ military co-operation augurs well
Australia, US and NZ military co-operation augurs well
Last month a combined force from five allied nations, including a fleet of 33 warships and submarines, over 200 aircraft and more than 33,000 military personnel, defeated an …
Home Affairs change driven by manifest need
Home Affairs change driven by manifest need
Are Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's changes to Australia's intelligence and national security arrangements necessary and genuinely transformational, as he claims? Or are they…
Talisman Sabre 17: The realisation of defence strategy
Talisman Sabre 17: The realisation of defence strategy
It was an Australian Defence Force (ADF) public relation officer’s dream. ABC news footage, delivered directly into the living rooms of Australian families, showed Australian…
The nuclear weapon ban treaty is significant but flawed
The nuclear weapon ban treaty is significant but flawed
On 7 July 2017 a UN negotiating conference adopted a draft treaty banning nuclear weapons – specifically, their development, production, possession, stationing and deployment, use…
Three focus points for Turnbull at G20 summit
Three focus points for Turnbull at G20 summit
You have to hand it to Kim Jung Un. In politics, as in comedy, timing is everything. The launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile two days before the G20 summit ensures…
Lifting the veil on jihad
Lifting the veil on jihad
In April 2015 a fresh-faced Australian-born doctor appeared in a slick Islamic State video extolling the virtues of making hijra to what he portrayed as a utopian Islamic society…
Resilience in the post-RAMSI era
Resilience in the post-RAMSI era
Understanding how and when governments might intervene in failing countries is an art rather than a science. It requires detailed knowledge of the country in question, the…
Australia has outgrown paranoia in its relations with China
Commentary
Australia has outgrown paranoia in its relations with China
Originally published in the Australian Financial Review.Rory Medcalf
Australians view their military as a 'force for good' in the world
Commentary
Australians view their military as a 'force for good' in the world
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Greg Colton