Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Bec Strating
Greater Sunrise: the questions Woodside’s exit leaves unanswered
Woodside Energy will exit the Greater Sunrise oil and gas project in the Timor Sea – a surprising announcement after a 25-year involvement in the development plans and recent positive signals in the press about progress. It leaves many questions, not least for Australia. Greater Sunrise has long fuelled tensions with its neighbour Timor-Leste, from espionage claims and international court cases to the standoff about whether the gas should be processed in Timor, Australia or a floating platform.
China pushes harder in South China Sea – as attention drifts away | The Strategist
In the South China Sea, China is expanding its presence in disputed waters and adopting increasingly dangerous tactics against neighbouring states. At the same time, it is challenging the centrality of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the foundation of global order at sea, a decade after an arbitral tribunal rejected Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims.
Education is Australia’s strategic edge
Like other countries, Australia is being forced to consider how to navigate an increasingly contested, competitive and fragmented international environment. While it boasts the world’s 13th largest economy, 17th strongest military and 15th largest defence expenditure, it remains a middle power, unable to compete with great powers on military strength or economic might. But a clear comparative advantage that Australia can leverage is its education sector. And it can do so as a world leader.
The security gap Australia can’t afford to ignore
The ANU National Security College has released findings from a major national survey of more than 18,000 Australians on attitudes to national security. Among its most striking insights is a persistent and revealing gender gap – not only in how Australians understand security, but in who feels entitled to speak about it. Some of the findings align with familiar patterns.
The Wrong Time for a Collective Defence Pact in Asia
Trump’s unpredictability is already an obstacle. And diverse interests make bilateral flexibility better than rigid military blocs. In a newly published Foreign Affairs essay, former Biden administration assistant secretary of Defence Ely Ratner has proposed an Asian collective defence pact between the United States, Japan, Philippines, and Australia. This is an idea that has emerged at precisely the wrong moment. It rests on dubious assumptions about both American reliability and regional dynamics.
The Wrong Time for a Collective Defence Pact in Asia
The Wrong Time for a Collective Defence Pact in Asia Trump’s unpredictability is already an obstacle. And diverse interests make bilateral flexibility better than rigid military blocs.
The wrong time for a collective defence pact in Asia
In a newly published Foreign Affairs essay, former Biden administration assistant secretary of Defence Ely Ratner has proposed an Asian collective defence pact between the United States, Japan, Philippines, and Australia. This is an idea that has emerged at precisely the wrong moment. It rests on dubious assumptions about both American reliability and regional dynamics.
Understanding Doubts Over U.S. Extended Nuclear Deterrence in Asia
Understanding Doubts Over U.S. Extended Nuclear Deterrence in Asia The tenuous logic of trading Seattle for Seoul is being further tested by Trump administration
Understanding Doubts Over U.S. Extended Nuclear Deterrence in Asia
The tenuous logic of trading Seattle for Seoul is being further tested by Trump administration. It is a difficult time to be a U.S. ally. While nebulous and difficult to measure, credibility is a key component of functioning alliances. An ally must be viewed as having both resolve and capacity to fulfil their commitments. This is especially important for “junior” alliance partners.
Understanding doubts over US extended nuclear deterrence in Asia
It is a difficult time to be a US ally. While nebulous and difficult to measure, credibility is a key component of functioning alliances. An ally must be viewed as having both resolve and capacity to fulfil their commitments. This is especially important for “junior” alliance partners. The difficulty with the Trump administration is that possibilities that once seemed remote are now on the table and must be factored into the security calculations of friends and foes alike.
Territorialization and the South China Sea
Skip to content In this video, Bec Strating, Director of La Trobe Asia, examines China’s territorialization of the South China Sea, both as a defensive response against the perception of encirclement and as a way to extend its control and authority over maritime areas. She describes the four main strategies that China is pursuing in order to achieve the territorialization of the South China Sea.
Cambodia makes new friends on the international stage
2023 marked a critical turning point in Cambodia’s contemporary political landscape as the reins of leadership passed from former prime minister Hun Sen to his eldest son, Hun Manet, in a once in three-decade premiership change. Cambodia’s leadership reshuffle has heralded a significant transformation with a younger generation of leaders pledging to steer the country towards greater growth, peace and stability.
Why Is U.S. Foreign Policy So Foreign?
Why Is U.S. Foreign Policy So Foreign? Video Credit: Rumble - Published 7 minutes ago Why Is U.S. Foreign Policy So Foreign? You Might Like Related news from verified sources Related videos from verified sources Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer expressed gratitude to India for increasing essential supplies exports despite diplomatic tensions. This gesture, shared on social media, highlights enduring..
ASEAN’s got a friend in Australia
The 2024 ASEAN–Australia special summit held in Melbourne in March 2024 celebrates 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner. This was the biggest foreign policy event of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government held on Australian soil to date, reflecting the importance the government places on enhancing relations with Southeast Asia.
Remember Lot’s wife.
When you ask people about their favourite hero in the Bible, they will usually say King David, Joseph, or another obedient hero. David was an adulterer, a murderer among many things. He was also a man after God’s own heart when he followed the instructions. Many unnamed heroes were good, helped the cause, and villains who did the most vile and evil things. Delilah, Jezebel, and the woman at the well were not honourable women.
Small changes, big impact.
School fees, stationery, pencils on paper, leaving long, relaxing days and for Math, verbs and that mean teacher can stress anyone out. Is it too early to think about going back to school? Never. I used to be excited for the new school year, every year. Why? The holidays aren’t just holidays, it is working, serving customers, chores, chores, and then a bit of holiday and back to work. Also, reuniting with my friends was a big part of my excitement, along with the smell of fresh books and new pens.
China threat emerging as the main talking point
Taiwan is gearing up for important presidential and legislative elections next month. How to manage “cross-strait” relations with China is not surprisingly emerging as the critical issue of the campaigns. Taiwan first held competitive presidential elections in 1996. Democracy has proven popular with the people. In the 2020 elections, voter turnout was nearly 75%, which is high for a system with non-compulsory voting.
Maritime Governance Policy and Priorities in Southeast Asia
Maritime governance – much like its closely associated term “maritime security” – is increasingly becoming an unescapable buzzword, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. In Southeast Asia, states are engrossed with the day-to-day challenges of identifying and deterring crimes as necessary to enforce laws and regulations in their maritime jurisdictions.
The Fix: Your weekly foreign policy watch list
Anyone who followed the captivating Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial will enjoy journalist Nick McKenzie’s Crossing the Line, which provides an insiders take on the accusations against the former SAS solider, the high-profile trial, and the pressures of conducting investigative journalism in Australia.
Australia’s future security: Where the Defence Strategic Review falls short
Australia’s recent Defence Strategic Review (DSR) was described by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles as “the blueprint for defence thinking for decades to come”. But no one has asked: was the DSR the best way for the Albanese government to start planning Australia’s future security? This may be because the answer seems self-evident: the global strategic environment is in flux, so surely we need to rethink Australia’s approach to defence? Yes, we do.
A jurisdiction over the high seas
During a summer break, The Interpreter will feature selected articles each day from throughout the past year. Normal publishing will resume 15 January, 2024. This article first appeared on 15 March, 2023. After nearly two decades of discussion and negotiation, on 5 March the United Nations announced a new agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
PacNet #5 - Australia’s Maritime Border Command: Grappling with the Quad to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific
As the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (“Quad”) work to determine how the arrangement might best contribute to Indo-Pacific security, coast guard collaboration could be a key tool. Australia can play a role in focusing the Quad on the delivery of public goods in maritime security, but it will require significant reorientation of its own maritime security organizations. Australia is a vast maritime state.
What a Marcos Jr presidency in the Philippines means for geopolitics
The offspring of strongmen were the clear winners in last Monday’s Philippine national election. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is set to follow in the footsteps of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and expected to be sworn in as President in July. Next to him will be the new Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of departing president Rodrigo Duterte, whose championing of a police killing spree of alleged drug addicts has attracted international notoriety.
China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction
Vietnam recently banned the film Uncharted from domestic distribution due to a scene depicting an “illegal image” of China’s infamous “nine-dash line”. This is not the first time popular culture has become embroiled in the politics of the South China Sea. In 2021, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs lodged a protest with Netflix about its series Pine Gap, co-produced with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Indonesia makes a big defence statement
The fuss made over Friday’s Quad meeting in Melbourne is quite out of proportion to the group’s significance. Australians shouldn’t take any comfort from rhetoric about democratic solidarity and common values. The bonds holding together the quadrilateral relationship between the United States, Japan, Australia and India are paper-thin when it comes to China, the core security challenge facing them.
Joining the “Barty party” in foreign and defence policy
At an Australian defence and security community event in 2020, one speaker was asked who represented Australia’s ideal “strategic personality”. His response was Crocodile Dundee – confident and with a big knife. To be fair to the speaker, he was thinking on his feet. But the idea that Australia’s strategic personality – its specific way of viewing, interpreting, and behaving in response to perceived threats and opportunities – should be exemplified by Crocodile Dundee sat uncomfortably with us.
How can Australia reset relations with China?
Australia-China relations appear caught in a well-charted downward spiral. In the past year alone both countries have lodged complaints against the other with the World Trade Organisation and a freeze on high-level diplomatic relations remains in place. China has slapped tariffs on key Australian exports, while the chattering classes have unhelpfully stoked fears of a regional war. Canberra needs a new pathway to navigate an increasingly complex relationship.
Nord Stream 2: Assessing Russia’s “serious geopolitical victory”
Europe doesn’t appear likely to reduce its dependency on Russian energy any time soon. The much-discussed, much-debated construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, linking Russia with Germany via the Baltic Sea, is now almost completed. And there are signs suggesting Moscow and Washington won’t allow the issue to disrupt the scheduled summit between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden.
OPINION | Troubled waters? Australia-Indonesia maritime boundary in the news
By Bec Strating - June 2, 2021 Written by Bec Strating on June 2, 2021. Posted in Ausmarine - Featured, Ausmarine - Fishing and Aquaculture, Ausmarine - Maritime Security, Ausmarine - Shipping and Offshore, Ausmarine Vessel Reviews. Satellite image of the Greater Sunrise gas field in the Timor Sea between Timor-Leste and Australia (Photo: NASA/Jacques Descloitres) Recent media reports suggest that different perspectives on maritime boundaries are creating tensions between Australia and Indonesia.
Troubled waters? Australia-Indonesia maritime boundary in the news
Recent media reports suggest that different perspectives on maritime boundaries are creating tensions between Australia and Indonesia. An Indonesian border negotiator told The Australian Financial Review last month that talks between Australia and Indonesia on maritime boundaries had restarted in December 2019 but stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Commentary: Tiger King, Netflix favourite of 2020, is really bizarre yet politically relevant
MELBOURNE: It seems like an eternity ago now, but it was only eight months ago that Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness took Australia and the world by storm. Released at the end of March, this timely Netflix true-crime documentary appeared just as people went into COVID-19-induced lockdown. There was, you might say, a captive audience.
Favourites of 2020: The politics of Tiger King
An end-of-year series as the Lowy Institute staff and Interpreter contributors offer their favourite books, articles, films or TV programs this year. Watch for more recommendations and reflections in the days ahead. It seems like an eternity ago now, but it was only eight months ago that Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness was taking Australia and the world by storm.
Why the Arctic Is Not the Next South China Sea
Why the Arctic Is Not the Next South China Sea
Why the Arctic is Not the ‘Next’ South China Sea
Elizabeth Buchanan & Bec Strating War on the Rocks November 6, 2020 The South China Sea and the Arctic are increasingly grouped as strategic theaters rife with renewed great-power competition. This sentiment permeates current affairs analysis, which features geopolitical links between the two maritime theaters. And these assessments are not resigned to “hot takes” — the linkage features at senior policy levels, too.
Why the Arctic is Not the ‘Next’ South China Sea
The South China Sea and the Arctic are increasingly grouped as strategic theaters rife with renewed great-power competition. This sentiment permeates current affairs analysis, which features geopolitical links between the two maritime theaters. And these assessments are not resigned to “hot takes” — the linkage features at senior policy levels, too.
OPINION | Australia lays down the law in the South China Sea dispute
By Bec Strating - July 30, 2020 Written by Bec Strating on July 30, 2020. Posted in Ausmarine - Maritime Security, Naval, Work Boat World Features.
Welcome to Maritime Security Week!
Neil Baird Co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Baird Maritime and Work Boat World magazine, Neil has travelled the length and breadth of this planet in over 40 years in the business. He knows the global work boat industry better than anyone. A globally recognised expert on ferry safety, his doctoral thesis “Fatal Ferry Accidents, Their Causes and Prevention”, is still widely considered to be the bible on the subject.
Australia Lays Down the Law in the South China Sea Dispute
July 27, 2020 Canberra rejects the PRC’s “historic rights” claim to contested waters but now faces the test of what to do about it. Canberra rejects the PRC’s “historic rights” claim to contested waters but now faces the test of what to do about it. Australia has entered the renewed diplomatic fray about China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea, clarifying, if not entirely resolving, Canberra’s previously vague legal position on the strategically important and contested waters.
Australia lays down the law in the South China Sea dispute
Australia has entered the renewed diplomatic fray about China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea, clarifying, if not entirely resolving, Canberra’s previously vague legal position on the strategically important and contested waters. The timing is significant, following the declaration last week by the United States, which branded China’s resource and jurisdictional claims across most of the South China Sea as “completely unlawful”.
Australia’s shifting mood on climate change
At the beginning of 2020, Australia’s national conversation was dominated by the catastrophic bushfires raging throughout the country. The fires killed at least 34 people, burned through more than 11 million hectares and destroyed nearly 6000 buildings. In March, the first scientific assessment of the role of climate change found that global warming increased the risk of hot dry weather, raising the risk of bushfires by at least 30%.
Favourites of 2019: Wewak
As 2019 winds up, Lowy Institute staff and Interpreter contributors offer their favourite books, articles, films, or TV programs this year. Or in this case, a destination… As far as capital-cities-as-a-bubble go, Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby is probably the world’s most effectively en-bubbled capital – cut off as it is by road from every other major centre in the country.
Favourites of 2019: The Trauma Cleaner
As 2019 winds up, Lowy Institute staff and Interpreter contributors offer their favourite books, articles, films or TV programs this year. Sarah Krasnostein’s deeply affecting The Trauma Cleaner: One woman’s extraordinary life in death, decay and disaster is about exerting order over chaos. The title hints at several layers of trauma.
The strategic consequence of the Chagos Islands legal dispute
At the end of last month, the African archipelago nation of Mauritius secured an important legal victory in its territorial and maritime disputes against its former coloniser, the United Kingdom. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) produce an advisory opinion that rejected the UK’s claims to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a small group of atolls in the Indian Ocean.
The strategic consequence of the Chagos Islands legal dispute
At the end of last month, the African archipelago nation of Mauritius secured an important legal victory in its territorial and maritime disputes against its former coloniser, the United Kingdom. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) produce an advisory opinion that rejected the UK’s claims to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a small group of atolls in the Indian Ocean.
An Australian model for the renewable-energy transition
Australia is experiencing a remarkable renewable energy transition. The pipeline for new wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity systems is 6-7 Gigawatts (GW) per year for the period 2019-21. This equates to 250 Watts per person per year compared with about 50 Watts per person per year for the EU, Japan, China, and the United States. The electricity sector is on track to deliver Australia’s entire Paris emissions reduction targets five years early, in 2025.
Spats in the straits between Malaysia and Singapore
Australia has presented itself as a defender of the international “rules-based order” in response to rising challenges facing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In particular, Canberra has directed its concerns towards China’s actions in the South China Sea and Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 tribunal ruling in its maritime dispute with the Philippines. The maritime disputes signal a potential return of tense relations between the ASEAN neighbours.
The forces needed to protect the Belt and Road
Last week’s attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi by Baluchi separatists underlines China’s growing vulnerabilities in connection with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). These are likely to get worse and may ultimately lead to China assuming a new and quite different security role in the region. On 23 November, a group of Baluchi separatists attacked a Chinese consulate, resulting in an hour long-shoot out with Pakistani police and security guards that left seven people dead.
Where are the women? Missing voices in Australian foreign policy debates
Just a few short years ago, the future looked very promising indeed for women in Australia's international policy sphere. With Julie Bishop as the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Marise Payne as the first female Defence Minister, for a short moment the glass ceiling appeared to cracking in this traditionally male-dominated industry. However, despite these promising signs, the reality in 2018 presents a different story.
Asia’s order beyond the great powers
The sheer scale of the US and China and the looming shadow of the rivalry means that there is a tendency to assume that Asia’s future lies entirely in the hands of Washington and Beijing.
Timor and Australia: a new chapter or a stalemate?
Last week, an Australian leader visited Dili for the first time in five years. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop spent 36 hours in Timor-Leste as part of a four-country diplomatic trip around Southeast Asia. For many commentators, this visit signalled an improvement in bilateral ties since the signing of the maritime boundary treaty. Australia is evidently more willing to engage with its neighbour now that the controversial issue has been resolved.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Bec
Contact Bec, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack