Defending Australia
“Whether we like it or not, the challenge of defending Australia will become much harder in the twenty-first century. We are no longer a strategic backwater.” MICHAEL WESLEY
The fourth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines the challenge of defending Australia at a time of regional uncertainty and fast-changing military technology. It explores the nation’s main vulnerabilities and the capabilities needed to secure against them, including the consequences of a nuclear arms race in Asia.
- Michael Wesley examines the state of Australia’s security as Asia’s power balance shifts.
- Patrick Walters probes the overhaul of Australia’s expanding intelligence agencies.
- John Birmingham analyses Australia’s weapons capabilities as the military expands its reach.
- Stephan Frühling explores Australia’s options for developing nuclear weapons to protect its maritime approaches.
- Jane Perlez discusses the West’s misjudgement of Xi Jinping, China’s leader for life.
- Matthew Thompson examines Rodrigo Duterte’s murderous rule in the Philippines.
- Tess Newton Cain reports on mining in the Pacific region.
PLUS Correspondence from Philips Vermonte, John McCarthy, Andrew MacIntyre and more.
A first-rate contribution to these necessary public debates. The highlights are Michael Wesley on the erosion of our strategic security; Patrick Walters’s incisive overview of how and why the Australian intelligence community is being reshaped; and Stephan Fruhling’s reflection on the ‘unthinkable’ proposition that Australia should acquire nuclear weapons.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Jonathan Pearlman is the editor of Australian Foreign Affairs and the world editor of The Saturday Paper. He previously worked at The Sydney Morning Herald, covering foreign affairs and politics from Canberra and Sydney. He has worked as a correspondent in the Middle East, and has covered various international stories, including the 2008 US election and the violence in eastern Congo. He is a correspondent for The Straits Times newspaper (Singapore) and was Australia–Pacific correspondent for The Telegraph (UK). His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Diplomat, Good Weekend magazine and Australian Book Review, and he has been a Walkley Award finalist and a United Nations Media Award winner. He was born in Sydney and studied at the University of New South Wales and Oxford University.
Australia is increasingly affected by events beyond its borders, especially as global power and wealth shifts towards Asia. The challenges facing Australia and the region are varied and complex, but they are also fascinating. There is a strong need and appetite for a publication that explores these challenges and debates the ways Australia should respond.
— Jonathan Pearlman, Editor, Australian Foreign Affairs
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