Mr Greg Sheridan, Foreign Editor of The Australian

ASPI-UNISYS Defence and Security Luncheons 13 March, 2008

The Boathouse by the Lake

Greg Sheridan outlined his perspective on the major foreign policy challenges and strategic issues facing Australia.  The overarching message was one of continuity in world order and growing synergies between regional and global decision making.  Mr Sheridan spoke to eight trends that will influence Australia’s future and of a need to develop a broader strategic perspective that previous doctrines have advocated.  Mr Sheridan emphasised the significance of the September 11 on the global strategic environment and the continued pre-eminence of the United States in regional and global order building.  He noted a long-term threat posed by Islamist inspired terrorism and was pessimistic about any future solution to the instability in the Middle East and concerned by Iran’s trajectory.  On a more positive note, Mr Sheridan applauded the evolution of Southeast Asian politics in creating a more stable regional environment - emphasising recent trends in Indonesia - and he spoke highly of India’s emergence and its future importance to Australia’s strategic calculations. This was tempered with some reservations about long-term stability in China and future Sino-Indian strategic competition.  Questions from the audience broached a range of subjects, including: the future design of the Australian Defence Force and definition of national security, population growth requirements for Australia, Australia’s perspective on the European Union, Australia’s policy for the Pacific, Australian diplomatic missions and Uranium policy.

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