Jemma Tan | China Fellow Image sourced from The White House via Flickr . In his polemic address  at the Shangri-La Dialogue in May 2025, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed a long-dominant Western framework for perceiving China in opining “the threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent”. Evolving from anti-communist sentiment during the Cold War, the 'China Threat' co...

Christopher Hogan Image sourced from Janina M Pawlez via Flickr Introduction Timor-Leste’s ascension to ASEAN is a major milestone and time for celebration in the young nation’s history. For Australia, it represents a welcome added voice for democratic values and peace in the region and a valuable collaborator coming into its own. For a historically contentious bilateral relatio...

Piper Stock | Indo-Pacific Fellow Image sourced from ASEAN 2026 Host Media via Wikimedia Common s When the United States (US) Supreme Court struck down many of Donald Trump’s 2025 “Liberation Day” tariffs , Southeast Asia appeared to catch a rare break. The ruling invalidated sweeping reciprocal duties that had targeted some of the region’s most export-dependent economies. Yet, ...

Max Martin | Australia Foreign Policy Fellow Image sourced from OrbitalVoid49 via WikiCommons . The global level of democracy is at its lowest since 1996, according to the V-Dem Institute’s  2025 Democracy Report . This trend coincides with signs of fragmentation in Australia’s political system, particularly the splintering of the conservative flank. Understanding the sources ...

Johan van der Merwe | Africa Fellow Image sourced from The International Institute for Environment and Development via Flickr . Governments around the world are intensifying efforts to secure critical mineral (CM) supplies, given their significance to clean energy technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), national security, and modern electronics. To achieve net zero emissions...