In the turbulent landscape of contemporary global politics, few phenomena are as rare or as psychologically compelling as the successful comeback after political disgrace. Yet our current historical moment has produced one of the most extraordinary coincidences in modern democratic history: two septuagenarian leaders, Donald Trump and Luiz Inácio Lula…
President Lula's recent decision to station Brazilian general officers permanently in Beijing marks a potential inflection point in Brazil's defense partnerships, one that could jeopardize billions of dollars in established defense industrial relationships and undermine decades of successful technology transfer programs. While proponents frame this as a move toward "strategic…
By Robbin Laird Australia stands at a strategic crossroads. The Pentagon's last-minute withdrawal from the Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue in Canberra, coupled with the Trump administration's review of AUKUS and escalating trade tensions, has crystallized a fundamental challenge for Australian strategists: how to maintain essential alliance relationships while building the strategic…
Australia faces one of the world's most daunting maritime surveillance challenges. With responsibility for approximately 10 percent of the world's ocean surface and 59,700 kilometers of coastline, the Australian Maritime Border Command (MBC) has long struggled with the fundamental problem of insufficient assets and manpower personnel to effectively monitor such…
By Robbin Laird The Philippines is pioneering a revolutionary "porcupine defense" strategy that uses distributed maritime autonomous systems to create defensive geometries that complicate adversary attack profiles while providing multiple axis points for disruption — proving that innovative, cost-effective platforms can effectively challenge traditional maritime power projection. A New Paradigm…
By Robbin Laird In combat, reliability isn't just important. It's everything. Seconds count and missions hang in the balance. So it’s good news that Congress just made a $160 million investment in combat readiness with the Osprey Nacelle Improvement Program, which will keep America's most versatile aircraft in the fight.…
When Putin decided upon a "special operation" in Ukraine, his focus was on Europe and his way ahead in his effort to emulate Catherine the Great. Only it has not turned out that way. The conflict has enhanced pressure on the multipolar authoritarian world which had been making significant gains…
By Robbin Laird The challenge facing every historian is deceptively simple yet profoundly difficult: How do we understand people from the past without either excusing their actions or condemning them by today's standards? This methodological dilemma sits at the heart of historical scholarship, determining whether we produce genuine insight or…
