Programs & Projects

The International Security Program

The International Security Program

The International Security Program looks at strategic dynamics and security risks globally, with an emphasis on Australia's region of Indo-Pacific Asia. Its research spans strategic competition and the risks of conflict in Asia, security implications of the rise of China and India, maritime security, nuclear arms control, Australian defence policy and the changing character of conflict. The Program draws on a network of experts in Australia, Asia and globally, and is supported by diverse funding sources including grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. It convenes international policy dialogues such as the 2017 Australia-ROK Emerging Leaders International Security Forum and has a record of producing leading-edge, influential reports.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Ruling says no state is an island
Commentary
Ruling says no state is an island
Originally published in The Australian Financial Review.Euan Graham
An inevitable precedent: Where states stand on the South China Sea ruling
By Nicholas Welsh, an intern in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program. As the dust begins to settle after the Permanent Court of Arbitration's landmark ruling…
Greens defence policy would leave us exposed in a perilous world
Commentary
Greens defence policy would leave us exposed in a perilous world
This article was originally published in The Australian.Alan Dupont
The lion and the kangaroo
Commentary
The lion and the kangaroo
This opinion piece was originally published in the Straits Times.Euan Graham
The lion and the kangaroo: Australia’s strategic partnership with Singapore
Analyses
The lion and the kangaroo: Australia’s strategic partnership with Singapore
While Canberra is enhancing its economic access to Southeast Asia in return for granting Singapore greater access to military training areas in Australia, Singapore’s strategic…
US Navy carries out third FONOP in South China Sea
The US Navy has carried out another freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. According to defence sources, it was conducted, on the morning of 10 May, by the…
Myths surface over new submarines deal
Commentary
Myths surface over new submarines deal
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald.Euan Graham
China’s new tactic: playing by the rules at sea
Commentary
China’s new tactic: playing by the rules at sea
Originally published in The AustralianAshley Townshend , Rory Medcalf
Quick comment: Beijing's 'passive assertiveness' in the South China Sea
The Lowy Institute has published a major new report on China's behaviour in the South China Sea. 'Shifting Waters: China's New Passive Assertiveness Asian Maritime Security' finds…
Shifting waters: China’s new passive assertiveness in Asian maritime security
Reports
Shifting waters: China’s new passive assertiveness in Asian maritime security
In this Report, Ashley Townshend and Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow Professor Rory Medcalf examine China’s evolving maritime security conduct. They argue that China’s less…