In a recent speech outlining his government’s national defense and regional strategy, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison emphasized the need to “prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous, and that is more disorderly.” But the coronavirus pandemic is not the only challenge confronting Australia. A rising China appears increasingly willing and able to project power in East Asia and the South Pacific. Meanwhile, as President Donald Trump’s administration has shown, Australia may not always be able to rely on its No. 1 ally for support.
For this week’s interview on Trend Lines, WPR’s Elliot Waldman is joined by Sam Roggeveen, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Australia, for a conversation about the emerging challenges that are shaping Australia’s military and national security posture. Click here to read a transcript of an excerpt from the interview.
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Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.
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