Brokering Democracy: United States Policy toward Chile from Nixon to Bush Sr. (September 1973-December 1989). Australia's capacity to interpret and engage its regional and global environment is more dependent on thorough anaysis of American foreign policy than ever before. Distinguishing between US and Ausralian national interests is vital to avoid making commitments that prove harmful to Australia's best interests and its international standing. The way in which the US resolved the tensions bee ....Brokering Democracy: United States Policy toward Chile from Nixon to Bush Sr. (September 1973-December 1989). Australia's capacity to interpret and engage its regional and global environment is more dependent on thorough anaysis of American foreign policy than ever before. Distinguishing between US and Ausralian national interests is vital to avoid making commitments that prove harmful to Australia's best interests and its international standing. The way in which the US resolved the tensions been national interest and democracy promotion in Chile provides a key reference point for subsequent US interventions in the Third World up to the present. Public discussion about contemporary US foreign policy will be encouraged via newspaper articles, media interviews, and a companion website to the monographRead moreRead less
LANGUAGES OF SECURITY IN THE ASIAN REGION AND AUSTRALIA. Recognising that the challenge of 'safeguarding Australia' must take account of Australia's regional environment, the project will explore the different vocabulary, concepts, axioms and norms relating to security issues in Asian societies and Australia. It will consider the way different security understandings can help to explain divergent state and non-state action in approaches to defence matters as well as terrorism and transnational ....LANGUAGES OF SECURITY IN THE ASIAN REGION AND AUSTRALIA. Recognising that the challenge of 'safeguarding Australia' must take account of Australia's regional environment, the project will explore the different vocabulary, concepts, axioms and norms relating to security issues in Asian societies and Australia. It will consider the way different security understandings can help to explain divergent state and non-state action in approaches to defence matters as well as terrorism and transnational crime. Collaboration with the Industry Partner will assist the Project to be developed (e.g. in the identification of key concepts) and communicated in a way that will be of maximum use to Australian government and its agencies.Read moreRead less
Impediments to Security Sector Reform in Southeast Asia. This project investigates the impediments to security sector reform in Southeast Asia. It applies an original framework of analysis that identifies five types of impediment to security reform in four critically important regional case studies: Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Because effectively implemented security sector reform will enhance regional peace and security by creating armed forces that are democratically con ....Impediments to Security Sector Reform in Southeast Asia. This project investigates the impediments to security sector reform in Southeast Asia. It applies an original framework of analysis that identifies five types of impediment to security reform in four critically important regional case studies: Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Because effectively implemented security sector reform will enhance regional peace and security by creating armed forces that are democratically controlled, transparent and professional, understanding the impediments to reform has the potential to significantly enhance Australia's domestic and international security position. This research will provide the first theoretically informed empirical analysis of security sector reform in Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less
The corruption-organised crime nexus in four European states, with particular reference to people smuggling. Considering its importance to Australia, too little research is being done here on Europe. The EU alone accounts for c.40% of Australia's trade. Yet most research on Europe undertaken here is either historical (pre-1945) and/or of individual countries. Relatively little is in the social sciences. One benefit of this project is that it ensures that comparative social science research o ....The corruption-organised crime nexus in four European states, with particular reference to people smuggling. Considering its importance to Australia, too little research is being done here on Europe. The EU alone accounts for c.40% of Australia's trade. Yet most research on Europe undertaken here is either historical (pre-1945) and/or of individual countries. Relatively little is in the social sciences. One benefit of this project is that it ensures that comparative social science research on Europe is conducted in Australia. Second, Australia experiences many problems facing European states, albeit usually on a smaller scale. The potential benefits of learning vicariously from others' experiences are obvious. Third, this will enhance this country's expertise in this strategically important area. Read moreRead less
From Emergence to Demise: Examining the Dynamic Life Cycle of Terrorist Campaigns. Australia has made a long term commitment to the global campaign against terrorism, under the sound premise that it will take a persistent investment of energy and resources to succeed, and the notion that success in this struggle will be contingent on the depth of our knowledge about the nature of the threat. This project will contribute to this effort by enhancing global understanding of the different stages of ....From Emergence to Demise: Examining the Dynamic Life Cycle of Terrorist Campaigns. Australia has made a long term commitment to the global campaign against terrorism, under the sound premise that it will take a persistent investment of energy and resources to succeed, and the notion that success in this struggle will be contingent on the depth of our knowledge about the nature of the threat. This project will contribute to this effort by enhancing global understanding of the different stages of the dynamic life cycle of terrorist campaigns, and by formulating empirically based policy recommendations that will move beyond flawed quick-fix solutions, toward the building of a consistent long-term incremental strategy for managing a threat that will never fully disappear.Read moreRead less
Agriculture, politics and trade: Understanding Japan's reform processes and prospects. Japan's continuing agricultural trade liberalisation is essential to Australia's future export prospects in Asia because Japan is Australia's largest export market for agricultural products. By assessing the nature and strength of key domestic factors encouraging reform of Japan's agricultural trade policy, the research will advance knowledge about an area of Japanese political economy that directly affects Au ....Agriculture, politics and trade: Understanding Japan's reform processes and prospects. Japan's continuing agricultural trade liberalisation is essential to Australia's future export prospects in Asia because Japan is Australia's largest export market for agricultural products. By assessing the nature and strength of key domestic factors encouraging reform of Japan's agricultural trade policy, the research will advance knowledge about an area of Japanese political economy that directly affects Australia's trade position and commercial policy. This knowledge will provide intellectual support to the design of current and future Australian multilateral and bilateral trade bargaining strategies at the World Trade Organization and in relation to the Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement respectively. Read moreRead less
Islam, Nationalism and Secession in Aceh, Indonesia. This project will produce the first in-depth analysis of the secessionist movement in Aceh, Indonesia, and of attempts to resolve the long-running violent conflict in that territory. By doing so, it will contribute to our understanding of processes of national disintegration and reintegration in Indonesia. The project will also contribute to broader theoretical debates in political science and related disciplines about the genesis and developm ....Islam, Nationalism and Secession in Aceh, Indonesia. This project will produce the first in-depth analysis of the secessionist movement in Aceh, Indonesia, and of attempts to resolve the long-running violent conflict in that territory. By doing so, it will contribute to our understanding of processes of national disintegration and reintegration in Indonesia. The project will also contribute to broader theoretical debates in political science and related disciplines about the genesis and development of nationalism, especially in Islamic societies, and on how national identity and violent separatist conflicts may be transformed by peace processes and autonomy arrangements.Read moreRead less
Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-prolifer ....Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-proliferation regime will enable Australian policy-makers to better calibrate the costs and benefits of potential policy changes across these strategic, regime and market realms of Australia's nuclear interests.Read moreRead less
Globalization and New Wars: The War in Chechnya. Identifying the causes of conflict has practical applications for Australian security policy formulation, since an area of instability exists within our region. A finding that causes of war arise either from complex domestic political struggles, or processes of globalization, has implications for which strategic posture Australia should adopt in responding to crises. The project falls within Research Priority 4: 'Safeguarding Australia'. By addres ....Globalization and New Wars: The War in Chechnya. Identifying the causes of conflict has practical applications for Australian security policy formulation, since an area of instability exists within our region. A finding that causes of war arise either from complex domestic political struggles, or processes of globalization, has implications for which strategic posture Australia should adopt in responding to crises. The project falls within Research Priority 4: 'Safeguarding Australia'. By addressing the need to better understand causes of war, it assists Australian policymakers to better understand and manage potential threats. Greater knowledge of war likewise assists defence policy planners to maintain an operational advantage for Australia's defence forces.Read moreRead less
Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expandi ....Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expanding Australian expertise in border studies. This project will provide the intellectual environment and collaborative networks necessary to establish the first dedicated Centre for Border Studies in Australia.Read moreRead less