Category Archives: Australian politics
Taiwan 2018: A few weeks in …
Taiwan: to mid-February 2018 The Taiwan-China issue remains vibrant and ongoing. There is near-daily comment in the newspapers about the ongoing situation: China asserting pressures and Taiwan attempting to retain its independence (whilst not actually declaring independence). The situation is … Continue reading
Taiwan: a week in …
Since arriving in Taiwan ROC one week ago there has been … four new flight-paths across the Taiwan Strait unilaterally decided upon by China; President Tsai should plan to avoid conflict with China, and has been asked on TV … Continue reading
A volatile combination: Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
Map credit: lahistoriconmaps.com Having just read Pacific Power. Australia’s Strategy in the Pacific Islands, (Author: Joanne Wallis) this book is an excellent read, and anyone interested in International Relations, especially the Asia-Pacific (A-P), should indulge in this succinct and articulate analysis. … Continue reading
What’s really going on?: The reasons the US and North Korea won’t go to war over the Korean Peninsula
Image credit: CBS.news.org Introduction At the end of June 1950, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)— North Korea—through the actions of the North Korean People’s Army embarked on an invasion of South Korea by advancing toward Seoul. This … Continue reading
War with China: Ascending Powers, Expansionism and the Use-of-Force
Introduction There has been some increasing consternation in recent times among commentators that the ‘rise of China’ is mirroring the machinations and complexities of Germany before World War One (WWI)—the era of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Monk points to Germany’s … Continue reading
Out of the frying pan: Should the Australian Army be used against terrorists on Australian soil?
Introduction: Terrorism as a ‘dynamic’ Recently in The Australian, an article entitled ‘We’d be fools not to use the ‘best in the business’’[1] was written suggesting that the Australian Army—specifically TAG East, the special forces team based in Sydney—should … Continue reading
Beyond the Asia-Pacific: China’s Next Geo-Strategic ‘Stepping Stone’
STROBE DRIVER, JUN 4 2016, 3587 VIEWS Image by U.S. Pacific Command China in recent times has begun to drastically alter its role in the Asia-Pacific (A-P) region, from that of being a docile observer for many decades to being … Continue reading
