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Maritime boardingsand international law:The Venezuela context
9 January 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in The Lowy Institute's The Interpreter on 9 January 2025 Image: US European Command Twitter Recent US boardings of oil tankers linked to Venezuela have prompted claims of piracy and illegality under international law. In reality, many of these boardings rest on a sound legal basis. Boarding vessels at sea is a routine naval activity permitted in limited circumstances under international law. This explainer outlines the i
What Venezuela tells us about Australia’s security
5 January 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 5 January 2026 Image: Operation Absolute Resolve ( White House Twitter Account ). The image was confronting: Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro , handcuffed aboard a United States warship, the USS Iwo Jima . It was a moment that made clear 2026 will be no calmer than the year before. From Australia, this may appear a distant drama in the Americas, tied to Washington’s long-running effort
NATO’s 5% of GDP defence target ramps up pressure on Australia to spend vastly more
27 June 25 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Conversation on 27 June 2025. Image: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, meets with Minister of National Defence of Canada David McGuinty at the 2025 NATO Leaders’ Summit. (Defence Images) After lobbying by US President Donald Trump, NATO leaders have promised to boost annual defence spending to 5% of their countries’ gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035. A NATO statement releas
Would Iran Blockade the Strait of Hormuz?
25 June 25 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 24 June 2025 Image: Strait of Hormuz. Google Maps In...
US strikes on Iran warn adversaries, re-establish deterrence
22 June 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Australian 22 June 2025 Image: US State Department. US press conference...
Australia’s plan for acquiring nuclear-submarines is on track
2 April 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 2 April 2025 Rather than repeatedly...
Trump’s rocked the boat, but now’s not the time to bail on AUKUS
14 March 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 14 March 2025 I mage: Virginia-class submarine USS...
Next AUSMIN needs to turn alignment into outcomes
Jennifer Parker | 9 August 2024 *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 9 August 2024 2024 AUSMIN moved away from...
There is no catastrophic failure of AUKUS Plan A
4 July 2024 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on Friday 5 July The “optimal pathway” may not run...
Here are the facts about Australia’s nuclear submarine program
28 May | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 28 May 2024 It is not an alliance of mutual...
No gift: Indo-Pacific access is worth its weight in gold
9 May 2024 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Council on Geostrategy's blog Britain's World Image: AUKUS Meeting - President...