'Today, Afghanistan is once again trapped in a cycle of geopolitical tensions. Shifting alliances and rivalries evoke the old game, but with some new players,' writes Masoom Stanekzai.

'Indonesia may be reluctant to follow the Philippines’ path due to its economic relations with China,' writes Aristyo Rizka Darmawan.

'In mining, the task is to build resilience and redundancy—not exclusion—reducing our dependency far enough so it cannot be weaponised,' write Justin Bassi, James Corera and Tilla Hoja.

'Looking ahead, Southeast Asia’s long-term gains from the critical minerals boom will depend on investment, good governance and effective management of geopolitical competition,' writes Alice Wai.

'While his digital policy sits quietly behind populist social programs of free nutritious meals for students and healthcare vouchers for the poor, it’s no less impactful,' write Fitriani and Jascha Ramba Santoso.

'For German civil power to retain its influence, its liberal-institutionalist core must be complemented by harder, more realist components,' writes Christian Rieck.

🚨 COMING SOON 🚨 ASPI’s 2025 Critical Technology Tracker update will be released in November. Featuring updated 2024 datasets, global country rankings, talent flows and expanded coverage to 74 critical technologies. 👉 Sign up here for updates: bit.ly/3JNlNe8

'The real question isn’t who built the system; it’s who controls it when control matters most,' write Jason Van der Schyff and James Corera.

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 In ‘Mapping Indo-Pacific security approaches to foreign owned, controlled or influenced technology’, @bassijustin.bsky.social, Simeon Gilding, Angela Suriyasenee et al examine how 🇦🇺🇮🇳🇯🇵🇸🇬🇰🇷 are managing foreign ownership, control and influence risks in tech providers. 🔖: bit.ly/4orVU2E

'Canberra has done the right thing by issuing a formal statement through the Department of Defence, reaffirming that all Australian Defence Force activities follow international law despite China’s Ministry of Defence claiming otherwise,' write Fitriani and Astrid Young.

'What’s happening in Honduras is a reminder that influence built in haste can fade just as fast and that for countries such as Australia, credibility remains the strongest form of power,' writes Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos.

'A partnership between the two countries could merge Seoul’s manufacturing precision with Canberra’s experimentation, producing cost-effective, interoperable systems tailored to Indo-Pacific conditions,' writes Jihoon Yu.

NEW PODCAST 🎤 In the latest episode of the Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, David Wroe speaks to @anduriltech.bsky.social Co-Founder and CEO Brian Schimpf about building defence capabilities quickly and affordably, deterrence lessons from Ukraine and Taiwan, and autonomy and AI. 🎧: bit.ly/49Fzzdo

'In considering an air defence role, the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat must be the starting point of establishing a drone wall unique to Australia’s operational circumstances,' writes Malcolm Davis.

'While new books offer topicality, occasionally it pays to revisit the classics for a reality check on the essentials of continuity and change. Published 60 years ago, TB Millar’s Australia’s Defence is one such seminal classic of Australian strategic thinking,' writes Euan Graham.

🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 We are delighted to announce that Gerald Mullally, CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits, will speak at #TheSydneyDialogue on 4-5 December! This year's event will examine the technologies poised to shift the world's strategic balance. 🎟️ Register ➡️ bit.ly/47EQqdE

'Hyperscale cloud infrastructure has become as critical to operations as fuel or communications. It is the digital backbone of modern deterrence,' writes Jason Van der Schyff.

🔔 FINAL REMINDER 🔔 Join us today for a special event with Belarusian democracy advocate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and ASPI Executive Director @bassijustin.bsky.social exploring the realities of sustaining political resistance and civil society under repression. ✍️ Register here: bit.ly/4ov7El1

'Japan’s readiness to step up on defence, technology and supply-chain resilience signals that the era of US primacy supported by mostly passive partners is ending,' writes Simran Walia.

🚨 NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🚨 We’re thrilled to announce that Atsuyoshi Koike, Miriam Howe and Jamil Anderlini will join the speaker lineup for #TheSydneyDialogue on 4–5 December — bringing global insights on tech, security and geopolitics. 🎟️ Register now 👉 bit.ly/47EQqdE

'Australia must establish a National Civil Defence Agency: a federal statutory authority empowered to coordinate state and territory civil defence directorates under a unified, strategic national headquarters,' writes Marc Ablong.

'Despite multiple purges and institutional reforms, recurring instability in the personnel system raises questions about the real combat readiness and cohesion of China’s armed forces,' writes Ying Yu Lin.

🎙️ The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions are back! In the lead-up to ASPI's major tech and security conference, David Wroe speaks with AI expert Dan Hendrycks on the risks of artificial intelligence, superintelligence and what happens if AI starts setting its own goals and values. 🎧: bit.ly/3JFFJQa

'Australia has closed a critical gap in national security legislation to ensure the government can designate foreign state entities as sponsors of terrorism and criminalise support for them,' write Chris Taylor, John Coyne and Justin Bassi.

'With a robust threat assessment, Australia can then identify and assess risks. It can determine required capabilities and activities, build and sustain those capabilities, develop preparedness plans, and conduct exercises and simulations to identify gaps,' writes Gary Waters.

ICYMI 🎤 In the latest episode of Stop the World, Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of Estonia's Foreign Affairs Committee, joins David Wroe to discuss how authoritarians exploit polarisation in democracies, the need for democratic solidarity and why Russia must be defeated. 🎧 Listen now 👉 bit.ly/4oovSxo

'Since 2017, Australia’s defence relationship with the Philippines has evolved considerably to become Manila’s closest security relationship after that with the United States, which has also recently revitalised its bilateral treaty alliance with the Philippines,' writes Euan Graham.

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 In ‘Allies entwined: Australia’s strategic convergence with the Philippines’, Dr Euan Graham urges Australia and the Philippines to capitalise on their growing strategic alignment and move quickly to institutionalise bilateral defence cooperation. 🔖 Read it now ➡️ bit.ly/3JzMO4E

'The impulse to harmonise reality until it flatters doctrine has transformed information into affirmation—smooth, uniform and useless. When every report confirms success, the system loses its ability to register pain,' writes Henry Hopwood-Phillips.

'Australia’s community organisations could draw on Taiwan’s experience and expertise in areas of common concern, including in traditional and non-traditional security areas,' writes John Fitzgerald.

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 In ‘Australian public and institutional responses to Taiwan Strait crises’, Mark Harrison, Mei-fen Kuo, John Fitzgerald, Nathan Attrill & Marc Ablong PSM provide vital insights into how Australians understand & are likely to respond to crises in the Taiwan Strait. 🔖 : bit.ly/43BHggS

'The Netherlands’ effort to defend its sovereignty has, paradoxically, exposed its dependence. Nexperia joins a growing list of examples showing liberal democracies have been too complacent in dealing with China,' write Fitriani and Bart Hogeveen.

🚨 NEW SPEAKERS 🚨 We're delighted to announce that Airis Rikveilis, Andrew Shearer, Jhalak M. Kakkar and Laurel E. Miller will speak at #TheSydneyDialogue on 4-5 December! Don't miss the Indo-Pacific's premier policy summit on critical, emerging and cyber technologies. 🎟️ Register 👉 bit.ly/46PM2Z9

'Artificial Intelligence is not simply another technological tool; it’s a transformative force reshaping the foundations of intelligence and national security,' writes Chris Taylor.

'This is the time to coordinate a national upgrade, not only because parts of the system are already strained, but because positioning for the next decade requires preparation now,' write James Corera and Jason Van der Schyff.

🗓️ EVENT ALERT 🗓️ Join ASPI on 6 November for a special in-conversation event with Belarusian democracy advocate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. This event will explore the realities of sustaining political resistance and civil society under extreme repression. 🔗 Secure your ticket 👉 bit.ly/4oeis77

'She was told it was complex. That geopolitics had shifted. That priorities were evolving. But she had heard those excuses before. Complexity, she’d learned, was often just another way to justify inertia,' writes Emily Cooper.

🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨 ASPI is proud to release 'The Women, Peace and Security agenda at 25: Views from The Strategist' — a special compendium marking 25 years since UN Security Council Resolution 1325, exploring its achievements, challenges and future direction. 📚 Read more: bit.ly/3Wph6Kr

'While we don’t yet know the full reasoning behind the military purge, one thing is clear: the military will remain in turmoil after the Fourth Plenum,' writes Masaaki Yatsuzuka.

'Since different aircraft may have varying maintenance and spare parts requirements, particularly if they are from different countries, Indonesia’s air force would need to maintain as many as six different maintenance ecosystems,' write Alfin Febrian Basundoro and Trystanto Sanjaya.

'A simple runway-free aircraft that's effective in air combat and strike could be what’s needed to make sure that a Western Pacific allied force survives on the ground,' writes @valkstrategy.bsky.social.

'The inadequacy of Australia’s defence funding and the urgency of its need for IAMD capability together heighten the need for excellent value for money. Israeli IAMD systems seem to offer it,' writes Sam Goldsmith.

NEW PODCAST 🎙️ On this week's episode of Stop the World, @bassijustin.bsky.social and David Wroe unpack the week's biggest stories, from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with President Donald Trump, to Trump’s upcoming APEC talks with Xi Jinping and new 🇺🇸 sanctions on 🇷🇺. 📺: bit.ly/4hnOfQ9

'Frederick saw that he did not need to defeat his enemies and win the war decisively. Success required merely that he did not lose. Stalemate and negotiation on favourable terms was enough,' writes Iain MacGillivray.

🗓️ EVENT REMINDER 🗓️ Don’t miss the ASPI Women in Defence and Security Network’s Gala Dinner on 12 November in Canberra! Join us for an evening of live music, engaging discussions and to connect with peers from across the defence and security community. 🎟️ Secure your ticket ➡️ bit.ly/48JRpLU

'Women-led organisations’ deep understanding of oppression and discrimination is important for promoting peacebuilding and reducing the chances of future violence,' writes Humanitarian Advisory Group.

'Australia’s research funding remains strong across quantum, AI, hypersonics and autonomy. But without a consistent way to assess progress, ideas stall,' write Jason Van der Schyff and Alok Patel.

🗓️ INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY 🗓️ Applications are now open for ASPI's 2026 Research Internship Program! If you're a recent graduate eager to contribute to 🇦🇺’s future in defence, foreign policy and national security, we want to hear from you. 📩 Apply now: bit.ly/3WXmd4x

ICYMI 🎙️ In the latest episode of Stop the World, Natalia Solieva, an expert on Russian information operations, unpacks 🇷🇺’s use of cognitive warfare, the state of the global information environment and how to defend against disinformation. 📺 Watch here: bit.ly/3L6BQnE

'To move forward, the government needs a pragmatic recalibration of its tobacco control and enforcement strategy,' writes @johncoyne14.bsky.social.