Acquiring a new submarine fleet has been a persistent problem for Australia’s defense strategy for almost two decades. In 2009, the government of Kevin Rudd commissioned a white paper on defense which recognized the need for Australia to replace its aging Collins-class submarines and expand its fleet from six to 12 boats. What followed was a chaos of indecision, changes of plans and wasted opportunities. All of this has left the maritime nation, heavily dependent on Indo-Pacific sea lines of communication, without adequate equipment to defend its own interests. From initial negotiations with Japan to build a new fleet, to…
Author: Frank M. Everett
Chinese President Xi Jinping used his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week to reiterate that Taiwan remains the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations, and analysts told Radio Free Asia that the Taiwan issue would be at the forefront under Beijing’s latest five-year plan.During discussions in Beijing, Xi warned Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “clashes or even conflicts” and urged Washington to “exercise greater caution” regarding arms sales to Taiwan, according to Chinese state media and media following the summit.Xi’s statements, combined with concepts laid out in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, released in March,…
There are two things you need to know about Donald Trump’s support of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate Republican primary runoff before we talk about how the move helps Democrats. Senate Republicans didn’t want Trump to support Paxton because they think the Texas attorney general would put the seat in danger. Senate Republicans have been pressuring Trump for months to support incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who is doing much better with Texas moderate voters and would have been a tough match for Democratic candidate James Talarico. Trump has likely thrown his support in now, as internal polling shows Paxton…
When something is unpopular, Donald Trump has a habit of throwing his vice president in front of the cameras to take the bullet.A day after Trump’s DOJ announced a slush fund to pay supporters of the president who engaged in or were investigated for criminal activity, Vice President JD Vance stood at the podium in the Brady Briefing Room and answered questions from reporters about Trump’s taxpayer-funded slush fund.Vance was asked:Coming back to the price of this DOJ fund, $1.8 billion. There are people who cannot afford to do their shopping. Gas is high. People are making sacrifices in their…
During a series of interviews in April this year, Purna Bhandari repeatedly returned to the same concern: that the psychological strain of living in hiding after his deportation from the United States was beginning to affect his memory and general well-being. Speaking from temporary hideouts near the India-Nepal border, Bhandari said the constant fear, instability and isolation had begun to take a toll on his mental health. “The level of stress I endure on a daily basis is immense,” Bhandari said. “I started forgetting things I never thought I’d lose track of.” Bhandari shared that his son in the United…
On May 19, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae met in Lee’s hometown of Andong as part of their shuttle diplomacy. This marks their fourth meeting in just six months. The two leaders had already met last January in Nara, Takaichi’s hometown. On average, they have met once every two months since Lee’s inauguration. The frequency of these meetings, combined with the visibly warm relationship between Lee and Takaichiis in itself promising for bilateral relations. Despite early concerns about the ideological distance between them, Lee and Takaichi maintained a relationship particularly cordial and cooperative relationship.…
At the recently concluded China-US summit in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”, which would provide a “strategic direction” for bilateral relations “for the next three years and beyond”. Washington responded positively to this wording, with the White House statement confirming that the two sides had agreed to build a “constructive relationship of strategic stability on the basis of equity and reciprocity.” So, what exactly is a “constructive strategic stability relationship” and what are its implications for India, which sees itself as a key player in shaping the emerging global order?…
Earlier this month, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on the status of assistance provided to the Freely Associated States (FAS) of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau. The report found that the Trump administration failed to properly staff necessary – and legally required – positions in a timely manner, preventing FAS from meeting its own reporting obligations. Actions speak louder than words, and the administration’s actions — or lack thereof — in its dealings with the FAS undermine U.S. interest in a region that the…
The informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) detained In Turkestan, Kazakhstan on May 15 offered a revealing insight into how Astana envisions the future of Turkish cooperation. Outside observers have often viewed the OTS from two narrow perspectives: either as a symbolic cultural project built around a shared linguistic identity, or as the early foundations of a more geopolitical pan-Turkish bloc led by Turkiye. Both interpretations are increasingly incomplete. The Turkistan summit suggested that something much more pragmatic was taking shape, and Kazakhstan is seeking to play a central role in defining it. Hosted Under the theme…
Indonesia’s currency fell to a new record low yesterday, as the country’s stock index fell and global oil prices hit their highest level in two weeks. According to a Bloomberg report, the rupee fell 1.2 percent against the US dollar, briefly touching a record low of 17,670 before recovering somewhat before the markets closed. The decline came as trading resumed after a four-day holiday weekend. Jakarta’s main stock index also fell more than 4 percent, after global index provider MSCI removed six companies from its Indonesian index and removed 13 other companies from its small-cap index list. In January, MSCI…