Government-Coalition Deal Secures Sweeping New Regime for Political Donations and Spending

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The Albanese government has secured bipartisan support for a major new regime covering political donations and spending, after making significant concessions. The government agreed to increase the proposed threshold above which donations must be disclosed from AU$1,000 (US$625) to AU$5,000. The present disclosure threshold is AU$16,900. In addition, it hasContinue Reading

With the US in Retreat, a Chance for Australia to Lead

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The decision of the new U.S. administration under President Donald Trump to pause funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and place all direct hire personnel on administrative leave – bar a small number of specific life-saving projects – has implications beyond the operations of American NGOs workingContinue Reading

Trump’s Illegal Gaza Occupation Plan Puts Australia in a Bind

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that “the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip” has sent tremors through the international system, generating a wave of condemnation, raising critical legal questions, and provoking widespread concerns about the potential consequences for regional security. While much of the initial focus has beenContinue Reading

Quad and AUKUS Face an Uncertain Future Under Trump

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The return of Donald Trump as U.S. president marks an important crossroads in the future of two emergent Indo-Pacific security frameworks: the Quad, comprising Australia, India, Japan, and the United States; and AUKUS, the trilateral partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Both institutions played a keyContinue Reading

What Should Australia Do in This Strongman Soft Power Age?

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Earlier this month the United Kingdom government launched an inquiry into the country’s soft power – that is, its tools of attraction and cultural influence. Soft power is an elusive form of influence in international relations, but it can be gained in various degrees through diplomacy, democracy, commitment to internationalContinue Reading

AUKUS in the Age of Trump 2.0

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This week Australia’s Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles had his first phone call with the United States’ newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The call was a conventional formal exchange of pleasantries and an attempt to build a rapport with a counterpart from a newContinue Reading