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Articles by Peter Tesch
Intellect, inquiry, and inspiration: Kyle Wilson, 1950–2026 | The Strategist
Kyle Wilson, a diplomat and intelligence analyst who was one of Australia’s most influential and globally respected experts on Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, has died aged 76 after a long illness. Most things about Kyle were big. His substantial frame would extend an engulfing hand, accompanied by a warm greeting – ‘my dear fellow!’ – delivered in a rich baritone that was attuned equally to classical music and thumping out bush ballads.
Four years of folly - Openforum
President Vladimir Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine has failed to achieve any of the strategic objectives he laid out when he began this disastrous folly. Yet he is compelled to persist in his vainglorious pursuit of an unrecoverable imperial Russian past for the sake of his own political survival. Entering its fifth year today, the war has lasted longer than what the Soviet Union called the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
Four years of folly: mired in Ukraine, Putin won’t back down
President Vladimir Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine has failed to achieve any of the strategic objectives he laid out when he began this disastrous folly. Yet he is compelled to persist in his vainglorious pursuit of an unrecoverable imperial Russian past for the sake of his own political survival. Entering its fifth year today, the war has lasted longer than what the Soviet Union called the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
Re-invigorating Europe-Australia defence and security collaboration
Both Europe and Australia are waking up, not only to the challenges of a more antagonistic world order, but to the imperative of working together to address the common problems we face. This has been a long time coming. The collapse of the USSR in 1991 yielded a “peace dividend” that manifested in a 20-year decline in Europe's defence spending and industrial base.
AUKUS: Two pillars, three fallacies
When I joined the defence department in early 2019, a senior military officer cautioned: “You will soon learn that everyone has an opinion about the tank.” Indeed, that realisation dawned quickly. In the two years since 14 March 2023, when the government announced the optimal pathway to acquire nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines, there has been no dearth of opinions about them, either.
Trump's turbulence shifts Australia's focus to Europe
The SS United States is the largest American ocean liner to be entirely built at home. To this day, it holds the speed record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean, which it set on its 1952 maiden voyage thanks to its military-grade propulsion. Informed by a wartime need to move soldiers and materiel to Europe, the luxury liner had been designed to be readily convertible to a troopship that could swiftly deliver a 14,000-strong US Army division anywhere in the world.
1000 Days: Reflections on Russia's war on Ukraine and the path forward
November 19 2024, will mark 1,000 days since Russia's full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine. To commemorate the resilience of the Ukrainian people and reflect on Russia’s military aggression, ASPI invites you to attend a panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities that Ukraine is faced with today.
Getting more out of US-Australian defense cooperation Original
When surveying America’s attempts to upscale its defense ties with Indo-Pacific partners, it’s commonly assumed that the Australia-US relationship is amongst the lowest-hanging fruit. There are good reasons for that view. One is the alliance’s long and deep history, which Australians regularly refer to as the ‘bedrock’ of Canberra’s security policy. Another is the importance Australia has placed on an enhanced U.S. military presence in an era of heightened great power competition.
Vladimir Putin’s Asia-Pacific trip was intended to send a message. Australia should be taking notice
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trips to North Korea and Vietnam are noteworthy for the timing and focus, not to mention for highlighting his contempt for the rule of law. Coming hard on the heels of the Swiss-hosted Ukraine peace summit last weekend, Putin’s foray to the Asia-Pacific was intended to show Russia is not without friends after all.
Vladimir Putin’s Asia-Pacific trip was intended to send a message. Here’s why we should be taking notice
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trips to North Korea and Vietnam are noteworthy for the timing and focus, not to mention for highlighting his contempt for the rule of law. Coming hard on the heels of the Swiss-hosted Ukraine peace summit last weekend, Putin’s foray to the Asia-Pacific was intended to show Russia is not without friends after all.
No, the West is not to blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Why this myth - and others - are so difficult to dispel
It is no surprise the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine generated so much commentary. What is surprising, though, is that Kremlin propaganda remains so prevalent in what purports to be analysis. This week, the ABC was forced to defend a documentary it aired on the conflict, which quoted Russian soldiers justifying the country’s invasion. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia said it repeated “blatant lies” coming from the Kremlin.
No, the West is not to blame for Russia’s war on Ukraine
It is no surprise the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine generated so much commentary. What is surprising, though, is that Kremlin propaganda remains so prevalent in what purports to be analysis. Last week, Australia’s ABC was forced to defend a documentary it aired on the conflict, which quoted Russian soldiers justifying the country’s invasion. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia said it repeated “blatant lies” coming from the Kremlin.
Don't blame the west for Russia's war - Openforum
It is no surprise the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine generated so much commentary. What is surprising, though, is that Kremlin propaganda remains so prevalent in what purports to be analysis. This week, the ABC was forced to defend a documentary it aired on the conflict, which quoted Russian soldiers justifying the country’s invasion. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia said it repeated “blatant lies” coming from the Kremlin.
No, the West is not to blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Why this myth - and others - are so difficult to dispel
It is no surprise the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine generated so much commentary. What is surprising, though, is that Kremlin propaganda remains so prevalent in what purports to be analysis. This week, the ABC was forced to defend a documentary it aired on the conflict, which quoted Russian soldiers justifying the country’s invasion. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia said it repeated “blatant lies” coming from the Kremlin.
The West can’t ‘solve’ its Russia problem. Here’s how it should handle 6 more years of Vladimir Putin
In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He will serve for six more years. He will be 77 years old in 2030. According to the constitution, which he re-wrote to his benefit in 2020, he then could stand again for a further six-year term.
The West Must Continue Supporting Ukraine
On 24 February, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin began his war of subjugation and extinguishment against Ukraine. He was not alone in thinking it would be a quick victory. He was certain he had the measure of ‘the West’, believing it to be irresolute, stricken with moral turpitude and in terminal decline.
Stay the course with Ukraine - Openforum
On 24 February, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin began his war of subjugation and extinguishment against Ukraine. He was not alone in thinking it would be a quick victory. He was certain he had the measure of ‘the West’, believing it to be irresolute, stricken with moral turpitude and in terminal decline.
Ukraine: why we must stay the course | The Strategist
On 24 February, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin began his war of subjugation and extinguishment against Ukraine. He was not alone in thinking it would be a quick victory. He was certain he had the measure of ‘the West’, believing it to be irresolute, stricken with moral turpitude and in terminal decline.
Prigozhin’s putsch: Putin won’t forget, or forgive
Almost 82 years to the day since Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union began what Russia calls the ‘Great Patriotic War’, a more modest invasion, orchestrated by one of Vladimir Putin’s close associates, claimed ‘patriotism’ as its motivation and justification. Both ended in defeat. The consequences of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s short-lived mutiny—explicitly against Russia’s military leadership but, implicitly, targeting Putin—are yet to crystallise.
Do you really know someone?
I am convinced that you cannot truly know someone even after living with them for more than fifty years. We can know about a person, we can study a person but we cannot completely understand a person. Everyone has their own secrets, their own hidden truths, unbearable personality traits and stories that can’t be shared. Some even live completely double lives, living one way with their family and a completely different person to another in a parallel life.
Are family protection orders helping to prevent domestic and family violence in the Pacific region?
First introduced in high-income countries, restraining or protection orders aim to prevent further domestic and family violence by imposing civil court orders, that if breached result in a criminal penalty. Although the evidence suggests some caveats about the effectiveness of such orders, overall they constitute an important option for survivors, and for many perpetrators or “respondents” to the orders, they do act as a warning and deter further abuse and violence.
AUKUS: The pillars of Hercules
AUKUS is Herculean in scale, complexity, and concept. But rather than connecting the waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as Hercules did, it unites the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific in one of the most ambitious and demanding endeavours I have seen in my life, for Australia to acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. This is not the stuff of whimsy.
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