Testing the limits of international society? Trust, AUKUS and Indo-Pacific security

When Australia reneged on a AUD$90 billion submarine contract with France in 2021 as it joined AUKUS, a new trilateral military partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, it was accused of lying and breaching France\u27s trust. This perceived act of betrayal not only led to a deterioration in the diplomatic relationship between Australia and France, but it also drew attention to the consequences of violating the norm of pacta sunt servanda—agreements must be kept. Although it is recognized that breaches of trust undermine relationships, what has been underexplored is how a violation of norms can also undermine the presumption of trust in international society more broadly. Focusing on how Australia broke its contract with France after it joined AUKUS, this article argues that Australia\u27s conduct not only harmed its relationship with France, but it also led the European Union (EU) to raise questions about how much to trust AUKUS partners as it engages in the Indo-Pacific region. It posits that adherence to international norms is important for developing trust between states in international society and has the potential to facilitate cooperation and enhance security in the complex Indo-Pacific region and beyond

History and root causes of terrorism in Africa

The aim of this paper is fourfold. First, it explains briefly why it is difficult to find a universally acceptable definition of terrorism. Second, it describes how history is crucial to any explanation and understanding of terrorism in Africa. Third, it discusses how and why socio-economic factors, lack of social justice, porous borders and poor governance mechanisms and structures have triggered , and could still trigger, disaffection that could lead to terrorism in some parts of the continent. Fourth, it suggests three ways of responding to the threats of terrorism in Africa, bearing in mind the primary responsibility to protect the people and preserve their values, norms and institutions

The Howard government and the United Nations

Use of the term \u27unreasonable veto\u27 and Howard\u27s support for pre-emptive military action demonstrate a form of revisionism that will engender instability, unpredictability, and uncertainty in the world. The author argues that Australia and its pro-war coalition have introduced a new element in the UN debate and speculates that Howard\u27s pursuit of a war against Iraq and his apparent disregard for international norms and rules will probably harm Australia\u27s chances of serving on the Security Council in the near future

Domestic terrorism in Asia and lessons for Africa

The purpose of this article is to examine the nature of terrorism in Asia and explore if there are lessons that African states and societies can learn from the Asian experience. The paper focuses on South-east Asia, in particular Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. It also refers to the role that Australia has played since 2001 to try to help South-east Asian states deal with terrorism

Hedley Bull and international security

Hedley Bull made a significant contribution to international security studies, but his role as a security theorist remains largely unexplored. This paper argues that Bull’s ideas went beyond the traditional international security agenda and helped establish the foundation for critical security theory. Although Bull did not describe himself as a critical security theorist, his work indirectly provided a basis on which the assumptions underpinning the traditional international security assumptions could be challenged. Bull was a trans-paradigm theorist who utilised realism, pluralism, classical solidarism and cosmopolitan solidarism not only to shed significant light on the traditional international security perspective, but also to lay the foundation for critical security theory. In his early work, Bull used realism and pluralism to address the traditional international security agenda, with its emphasis on threats to the states, power politics, and the use of military force. Classical solidarism provided a framework through which he explored ideas about collective security and the ability of the United Nations to deal with common threats to international order and security. Through cosmopolitan solidarism, Bull explained the need for international society and world society to deal with poverty and injustice in the world. It is through cosmopolitan solidarist ideas that Bull can be portrayed as a critical security theorist