Australian Naval Institute – Guided by Geoffrey Till’s emphasis on naval balance and freedom of navigation^[i], this essay argues that China’s expanding naval posture near Australia signals a contested transition from Pax Americana to a prospective Pax Sinica. The analysis evaluates the broader implications for Canberra’s alliances, strategic autonomy, and regional security and considered whether these developments represent a natural recalibration of great-power behaviour or a deliberate challenge to Australia’s sovereignty.

The Guardian – The “shadow fleet” used by Russia, Iran and Venezuela to avoid western sanctions and ship cargo to customers including China and India is “exploding” in its scale and scope, and there are concerns that efforts to counter it are drawing closer to dangerous military confrontations.

War on the Rocks – Understanding how Venezuela might respond to U.S. military action requires an accurate assessment of the capabilities, readiness, and doctrinal approach to external intervention of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana). The country’s government under President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) adopted that name to honor Simón Bolivar, the 19th-century liberator who fought for South American independence and whose ideals form the basis for modern Venezuelan nationalism, known as Bolivarianism, linking the military to his revolutionary legacy.