Flurry of Russian naval activity explained
The past several weeks have seen some extraordinary Russian naval activity.1 On 17 and 18 January 2021, six Russian amphibious warfare ships sortied from...
Why Putin feels so threatened
By Paul Dibb*
Why has Russia’s President Vladimir Putin become so aggressive in his attitude to the US, NATO and Ukraine? In this article, I...
SE Asian maritime order in trouble
By Michael Heazle*
Five and a half years on from the international arbitral tribunal’s rejection of China’s expansive South China Sea claims in July 2016,...
Australia and South China Sea FONOPs
Carl Thayer* looks at Australia's FONOP role
Q1. We have not heard any Australian senior officials ruling out joining U.S. freedom of navigation operational patrols...
Quiet US challenge over South China Sea
By Donald Rothwell and David Letts*
Barely noticed, but nevertheless of some international legal consequence, is the latest effort by the United States to cast...
Understanding Moscow’s agitation
By Clive Williams*
Russia has always had concerns about the security of its borders, so it’s not surprising Moscow is agitated about any prospect of...
AUMIN’s view good for Australia
By Peter Jennings*
The immediate significance of Friday’s AUKMIN gathering in Sydney was that it took place while a Russian military assault on Ukraine is...
Tonga reveals telecommunications vulnerability
In the wake of a violent volcanic eruption in Tonga, much of the communication with residents on the islands remains at a standstill. In...
Whatever happened to soft power?
By Joseph S. Nye*
As 2021 drew to a close, Russia had massed troops near its border with Ukraine, China had flown military jets near Taiwan,...
Irredentist Chinese Maritime Operations 2021–2049?
By Professor Rob McLaughlin*
This article was first published in the Australian Naval Review, 2021, Issue 1, in June 2021.
Introduction
In 2020-2021, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)...