Meeting the Challenges of the Return of Direct Defense in Europe

08/11/2022
Since 2014 with Russia seizing the Crimea, it is clear that President Putin has an agenda to expand Russia. The current Ukrainian-Russian war is in the next step. How can Europe and NATO best meet this challenge? BG (Retired) Preziosa ended our conversation by discussing the nature of the challenges…

The Evolving Japanese-Australian Defense Relationship: The Contribution of Abe

08/10/2022
By Thomas Wilkins On 8 July, the world was stunned by the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe during a campaigning speech in the city of Nara two days before elections were to take place. While domestic debates about improved security for politicians continue in Japan, it’s also…

The War in Ukraine, Multinationals and Risk Management

08/05/2022
By Paul Bracken While media attention focuses on the military and humanitarian aspects of the war in Ukraine the huge implications for multinational corporations get very little attention. Two major themes stand out here. First, many companies will be swept up in the impassioned media stories of the war and…

The Chief of the UK General Staff’s Perspective on the European Defense Challenge

08/01/2022
By William Leben The British Army’s main effort is now mobilisation to deter Russian aggression, and it must accept ‘ruthless prioritisation’ to this end, General Sir Patrick Sanders has said. Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute’s Land Warfare Conference in London, the British Chief of the General Staff (CGS) articulated his army’s…

The Evolving Japanese-Australian Defense Relationship

07/03/2022
By Graeme Dobell Australia is removing the qualifications from its quasi-alliance with Japan. The visit to Japan by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles is another step in the fading of the qualifiers: ‘quasi alliance’, ‘small “a” ally’ and ‘alliance lite’. The qualifiers apply because this is a pact without a treaty—no formal pledge…

Why Prime Minister Albanese Must be Careful About NATO Commitments

06/27/2022
By Paul Dibb Prime Minister Albanese is attending the NATO Summit in Madrid on 28 June, along with the leaders of Japan and South Korea and representatives from Sweden and Finland. President Zelensky has also invited him to visit Ukraine after the NATO leader’s summit. There will clearly be expectations…

The 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War: ‘Global’ Britain and Reality

06/22/2022
By Kenneth Maxwell On 14 June 2022, the UK remembered the 40 year anniversary of the Falklands War. Looking back provides insights as well with regard to the state of "global" Britain. In the age of the Brexiters self-proclaimed “global Britain’ two very distinguished British historians, the late Michael Howard…

China’s Informal Empire in Latin America: The Challenge for the Biden Administration

06/18/2022
China has focused under the regime of President Xi on building out its global informal empire. By trade and investment, China has become a key player in Africa and Latin America. Its practices in doing so have a number of questionable dimensions, but instead of highlighting the reality of Chinese…