“A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia”. The S.T. LEE Distinguished Annual Lecture by Professor Aaron L. Friedberg,6 January 2012.
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Hello again America, it’s just like you never left
“So I don’t think there is any doubt, if there were when this administration began, that the United States is back in Asia. But I want to underscore that we are back to stay.” Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, January 12, 2010. Read more
Syria’s Interlocking Conflicts
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces last Friday announced the commencement of an operation to conquer the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. The operation was designated ‘Euphrates Wrath.’ Read more
The New Battlefield – Talking Point with Prof. Alan Dupont
Security is no longer just about bombs, tanks and fighting wars, according to Professor Alan Dupont, Director of UNSW’s new Centre for International Security and Development. Read more
Let’s end muddled thinking on China
ESCALATING tensions between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours over disputed islands in the South China Sea are the latest, worrying sign that China’s rise is ushering in a new era of strategic volatility and geo-political competition in Asia, that will be at its most dangerous in the Western Pacific. Read more
Australian defence strategy dubbed ‘out of touch’
Professor Alan Dupont from the University of Sydney comments on a report that says Australia’s military strategy is out of touch with regional security risks.
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U.S. Security Interests: Aims and Challenges in an Evolving Asia
Sustaining Stability, Coping with Conflict, Building Cooperation?
Except for the problem of North Korea, East Asia has been a region of comparative stability. U.S.-PRC relations have continued a long period of stability despite the frictions that have accompanied China’s rise. Cross-Strait relations have warmed rapidly. U.S.-Japan security ties have remained strong, underpinned by common regional interests and concerns.
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Youthquake in the Middle East
They are called shabab — the youth. This young Arab generation, much like the West’s protest generation of the 1960s, will change not just the politics but the entire culture and outlook of the Middle East.
But whereas the baby boomers appropriated the rhetoric of revolution, the shabab are rising up against real authoritarian governments, not just parental tyranny. They fought and won two revolutions, and counting.
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Battle for Power: Iran vs. Turkey in northern Iraq
The Iraqi special forces have now entered the first neighborhoods of the city of Mosul. Captured by the Islamic State in the summer of 2014, the city constitutes the jewel in the crown of the Sunni jihadis’ Iraqi holdings. It may be assumed that they will fight with determination to hold it. Read more
No ‘Typical’ Profile
There is no question that the predominant terrorism threat facing the United States is al Qaeda-inspired terrorism based on a corrupted interpretation of Islam. Because of this, it may seem obvious for counterterrorism efforts to narrow their focus on Muslims and immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries. If it were only that simple.
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