Keynote Address to the Engage2
Why is Democracy being Disrupted?
Governing in the 21st Century”
Dr. Alan Dupont
CEO, The Cognoscenti Group
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A Foreign Affair: North Korea, Syria, Hungary and France
Gorana Grgic, Alan Dupont, and Jonathan Pearlman join Geraldine Doogue to discuss the developments and set backs in foreign affairs for the month of April.
Topics covered are the North Korea Summit’s, the Syrian airstrikes; the Hungarian election and French President Emmanuel Macron addressing the European Parliament. Read more
Korean summit between Kim and Moon crucial to peace
The next act in the immensely consequential decades-long Korean nuclear drama takes place on Friday, when the two Koreas launch their much-anticipated summit in the tiny Potemkin village of Panmunjom that straddles the demarcation line separating the divided nation.
The stakes could not be higher. A successful Korean summit is an essential prerequisite and road map for an even more important summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. Read more
Australia Week in China won’t be affected by Canberra-Beijing tensions, officials say
New legislation in Australia aimed at curbing foreign interference in domestic affairs may be a sign of growing anxiety about China’s political influence in the country, but officials said it will not jeopardise a planned business event between the two nations.
“The timing of the next Australia Week in China is being discussed between the Australian and Chinese governments,” a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said. Read more
Australia is the meat in the US-China trade war sandwich
US President Donald Trump has brought the world closer to a trade war that could plunge the rules-based global order into an existential crisis. The imposition of tariffs on imported steel and aluminium last month were the opening shots in Trump’s campaign “to level the playing field” for US firms. But his threat to impose punitive tariffs on China, including $US100 billion ($130bn) of additional tariffs on Thursday, risks triggering a serious confrontation with global implications that would be bad news for Australia. Read more
Entrenched Islamic State ‘caliphate’ in Philippines could bring chemical, suicide attacks to Australian cities
There are growing signs that Islamic State cells are preparing for violent insurgencies in southern Philippines to build a prized so-called caliphate on Australia’s backdoor.
The establishment of an entrenched caliphate in the Philippines, at worst, brings the risk of suicide bombers and chemical weapons attacks in Australian cities, a leading Australian expert has warned. Read more
Entrenched Islamic State ‘caliphate’ in Philippines could bring chemical, suicide attacks to Australian cities
There are growing signs that Islamic State cells are preparing for violent insurgencies in southern Philippines to build a prized so-called caliphate on Australia’s backdoor.
The establishment of an entrenched caliphate in the Philippines, at worst, brings the risk of suicide bombers and chemical weapons attacks in Australian cities, a leading Australian expert has warned. Read more
Hackers see democracy as a weakness ripe for exploitation
The US Justice Department’s indictment of Russian interference in the 2016 US election makes for sobering reading and has direct implications for Australia.
Its 37 pages forensically detail the audacious tactics employed by Russia to undermine the electoral processes of a sovereign state, our ally and fellow democracy, raising the question of whether the integrity of our own elections also may be compromised one day. Read more
Journalists don’t grasp extent of foreign spying: ex-intelligence chief
The national security establishment believes the media doesn’t appreciate the extent of Chinese, Russian and other nations’ intelligence operations in Australia and wants more press coverage of the problem, according to a former senior intelligence official.
Speaking amid a backlash from media companies and journalists towards tough new laws governing intelligence leaks, Ross Babbage, a former head of strategic analysis at the Office of National Assessments, said security officials did not want to limit press freedoms, which they saw as aiding the fight against foreign spy agencies. Read more
New world order: momentum is shifting in favour of dictators
Are Russia and China deliberately undermining democracies in order to replace the Western-led liberal international order with their own authoritarian model? This is the central claim by the recently released US defence strategy, the most important in a generation. And it’s a belief that is driving the Turnbull government’s tougher response to foreign interference. Read more