The Future of the Australian-U.S. Security Relationship

Australia is an increasingly important ally for the United States. It is willing to be part of challenging global missions, and its strong economy and growing self-confi dence suggest a more prominent role in both global and regional affairs. Moreover, its government has worked hard to strengthen the link between Canberra and Washington. Political and strategic affi nities between the two countries have been refl ected in--and complemented by--practiced military interoperability, as the two allies have sustained a pattern of security cooperation in relation to East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq in the last 4 years. This growing collaboration between the two countries suggests that a reinvention of the traditional bilateral security relationship is taking place. At the core of this process lies an agreement about the need for engaging in more proactive strategic behavior in the changing global security environment, and a mutual acceptance of looming military and technological interdependence. But this new alliance relationship is already testing the boundaries of bipartisan support for security policy within Australia. Issues of strategic doctrine, defense planning, and procurement are becoming topics of fi erce policy debate. Such discussion is likely to be sharpened in the years ahead as Australia’s security relationship with the United States settles into a new framework.

Taming the tigers? Reforming the security sector in Southeast Asia

Despite global trends towards military reform characterized by processes of professionalization and democratization, militaries in Southeast Asia have continued to play prominent roles in domestic politics since 11 September. This suggests that wider patterns of global military reform have not had as great an impact on the control, capacity and cooperative functions of armed forces in Southeast Asia as they may have elsewhere. In order to explore why the security sector reform agenda has had so little impact in the region, we investigate recent patterns of civil-military relations in Southeast Asia by focusing on the experiences of four of the region's militaries: Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. We argue that the security sector reform agenda is informed by a predominantly North American approach to civil-military relations based on a number of core assumptions that do not reflect Southeast Asian experiences. Hence, we ask whether the reform agenda itself could be modified to better suit the Southeast Asian context. We suggest that although the regional military sector has not reformed along a 'Western' path it is nonetheless possible to see other types of, and potential for, reform.

Ballistic missile defence: An Australian perspective

The University of Queensland's School of Political Science and International Studies organised a round table in Canberra on 27 June 2001 that brought together a select group of government policy-makers and academic specialists to discuss the issue of ballistic missile defence (BMD). The round table provided useful insights into Australian thinking on the issue. This report seeks to summarise the essence of those discussions in order to contribute to the broader national debate.(1)

The K5 gamble: National defence and nation building under the People's Republic of Kampuchea

The K5 Plan for the defence of the Cambodian-Thai border was the response of the People's Republic of Kampuchea and its Vietnamese mentors to the threat posed by the resistance forces, particularly the Khmer Rouge, to its efforts to rebuild the nation and consolidate its administration. The very real defence gains, however, were made at the cost of bitter popular resentment over the way those gains were made.

Asian perceptions of BMD: Defence or disequilibrium?

As geopolitical competition between the United States and China intensifies, East Asian policy-makers are apprehensive about the Bush Administration's plans to develop ballistic missle defence (BMD). Missile defence threatens to undermine other fundamental assumptions aout nuclear weapons politics and arms control.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit Annual Report

Welcome to the 2002 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit Annual Report. This report is a brief summary of Unit activities during the 2002 calendar year. The Unit provides personal and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and specifically aims to increase the recruitment, retention, academic performance and graduation rates of Indigenous students. The Unit also administers schemes to help Indigenous students gain access to, and receive support in, tertiary studies such as the Alternative Entry scheme and the federally funded Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ATAS). The Unit is also the focus for teaching and research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at the University of Queensland.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit Annual Report 2003

Welcome to the 2003 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit Annual Report. This report is a brief summary of Unit activities during the 2003 calendar year. The Unit provides personal and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and specifically aims to increase the recruitment, retention, academic performance and graduation rates of Indigenous students. The Unit also administers schemes to help Indigenous students gain access to, and receive support in, tertiary studies such as the Alternative Entry scheme and the federally funded Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ATAS). The Unit is also the focus for teaching and research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at the University of Queensland.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit Annual Report 2005

Welcome to the 2005 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit Annual Report. This report is a brief summary of Unit activities during the 2005 calendar year. The Unit provides personal and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and specifically aims to increase the recruitment, retention, academic performance and graduation rates of Indigenous students. The Unit also administers schemes to help Indigenous students gain access to, and receive support in, tertiary studies such as the Alternative Entry scheme and the federally-funded Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS). The Unit is also the focus for teaching and research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at the University of Queensland.