Bethany Allen is Head of China Investigations and Analysis. Prior to joining ASPI, Bethany was the China reporter for Axios, where she published numerous ground-breaking investigations about China and how it projects power around the world. She is also the author of “Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World,” named by the Financial Times as a Best Book of 2023.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is a defence and strategic policy think tank based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, founded by the Australian government, and funded by the Australian Department of Defence along with overseas governments, and defence and technology companies
Anyway, for you thinktank watchers out there, ASPI currently fighting with the Australian government, here’s a whiny article
For China watchers, there’s a grim irony contained in the 14 principles that former senior official Peter Varghese recommends in his long-awaited review into national security think tanks, released last week.
Fourteen was also the number of grievances the Chinese embassy notoriously unveiled in 2020 and that Beijing expected to be addressed if diplomatic relations were to improve – the 10th of which was defunding the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
We are recognised globally for our groundbreaking work on China—none of which is convenient to the government’s narrative of diplomatic stability with Beijing.
Finally, there is the shutting of support for ASPI’s Washington office. Here, Varghese appears simply not to understand the role of think tanks’ overseas offices—saying it’s a problem ‘having ASPI freelance’.
Even more than most, ASPI I just a nakedly evil, warmonging US front for the weapons industry. Obviously it’s whole purpose is to try and ignite a war with China, but it also helps with whatever evil propaganda the US needs it for. Remember the detailed BBC ‘fact check’ and investigation into Israel’s first bombing of a hospital that basically bent over backwards to accommodate Israel’s bullshit about it being a Hama rocket? Their “independent” rocket expect was an ASPI ghoul.
I haven’t been following their falling out with the Australian government, but I’m guessing it’s partly because more and more they’ve been showing their true face as a US velvet gloved fist and local politicians don’t like being blackmailed by these yank ghouls. 20 years or so ago it was pretty much 100% Australian government funded. Now in both funding and form it’s pretty much entirely the US government (some from Taiwan, lol) and Yank (& Brit, our hands are dirty as fuck too) weapons/surveillance contractors including Lockheed, Raytheon, BAE, Thales, Northrop, Microsoft, Google, & that old CIA firm Oracle.
Anyway, for you thinktank watchers out there, ASPI currently fighting with the Australian government, here’s a whiny article
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/varghese-review-will-undermine-think-tank-independence/
Even more than most, ASPI I just a nakedly evil, warmonging US front for the weapons industry. Obviously it’s whole purpose is to try and ignite a war with China, but it also helps with whatever evil propaganda the US needs it for. Remember the detailed BBC ‘fact check’ and investigation into Israel’s first bombing of a hospital that basically bent over backwards to accommodate Israel’s bullshit about it being a Hama rocket? Their “independent” rocket expect was an ASPI ghoul.
I haven’t been following their falling out with the Australian government, but I’m guessing it’s partly because more and more they’ve been showing their true face as a US velvet gloved fist and local politicians don’t like being blackmailed by these yank ghouls. 20 years or so ago it was pretty much 100% Australian government funded. Now in both funding and form it’s pretty much entirely the US government (some from Taiwan, lol) and Yank (& Brit, our hands are dirty as fuck too) weapons/surveillance contractors including Lockheed, Raytheon, BAE, Thales, Northrop, Microsoft, Google, & that old CIA firm Oracle.