`
Deakin University
Centre for Defence and
Strategic Studies
Course Guide for
Master of Arts
(Strategic Studies)
January 2013
A/Prof Claude Rakisits
Director – MA/Grad Dip Programs
Academic Adviser
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
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Introduction
The purpose of this Course Guide is to inform Course Members (CMs) undertaking the
Master of Arts (MA) of the academic requirements and standards that Deakin
University requires in order for you to complete the MA.
Deakin University’s Director—MA/Grad Dip Programs (who is also CDSS Academic
Adviser), will be the Deakin University person with whom CMs doing the MA option
have the most direct and regular contact. The role of Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip
Programs includes:
 briefing CMs and answering your queries about the requirements and processes
involved in obtaining a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies);
 helping you to select relevant and ‘doable’ topics for Assignments One and Two
and the two major papers that you must complete in order to obtain your MA:
the Strategic Assessment Paper (SAP) and the Security Policy Paper (SPP);
 arranging an academic supervisor/s who will guide and advise you about the
research and writing aspects involved in completing your SAP and your SPP;
 organising examiners to mark your SAP and SPP and providing the examiner’s
result and feedback to you;
 addressing your queries, suggestions or complaints regarding Deakin
University’s and/or your supervisor’s role with, or input into, your MA;
 Providing academic support and advice to DSSC course members to assist them
with the successful completion of the MA;
 examining your Assignments One and Two; and
 acting as the single point of contact between the Centre for Defence and
Strategic Studies (CDSS) and Deakin University on all aspects of the Master of
Arts component of the Defence and Strategic Studies Course (DSSC).
Please do not ask me to read or comment on draft copies of your Assignments One and
Two as I will be marking them. Similarly, please do not ask me to read or comment
draft copies of your SAP and SPP as this will be part of the role of the external
supervisor appointed to you after you have determined your topics for these papers.
I look forward to getting to know you all throughout this year as you undertake the
Defence and Strategic Studies Course. I wish you a productive, enjoyable and
successful time at the CDSS.
A/Prof Claude Rakisits
Director – MA/Grad Dip Programs
School of Humanities and Social Studies
Faculty of Arts and Education
Deakin University
Burwood VIC 3125
E-mail: claude.rakisits@defence.adc.edu.au
claude.rakisits@deakin.edu.au
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Contents
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 2
CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................ 3
PART I
MASTER OF ARTS ACADEMIC OPTION ........................................................................ 5
ELIGIBILITY AND ENROLMENT .................................................................................................................. 5
REQUIREMENTS FOR MA CMS ................................................................................................................. 6
SUBMISSION DATES FOR ALL WRITTEN ACADEMIC WORK ......................................................................... 6
EXTENSION POLICY .................................................................................................................................. 7
RESUBMISSION POLICY ............................................................................................................................. 7
GRADES AND GRADUATION ...................................................................................................................... 8
PART II
YOUR WRITTEN WORK ................................................................................................ 9
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSIGNMENTS, SAP AND SPP ................................................................ 9
FORMAT OF YOUR ACACEMIC PAPERS ..................................................................................................... 11
ASSIGNMENTS 1, 2 AND 3........................................................................................................................ 12
CHOOSING AND SUBMITTING YOUR SAP TOPICS ..................................................................................... 12
COMPLETING A LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 14
SAP OUTLINE ......................................................................................................................................... 15
WHAT IS A STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT PAPER (SAP)? .............................................................................. 16
CHOOSING AND SUBMITTING YOUR SPP TOPICS ..................................................................................... 17
SPP OUTLINE .......................................................................................................................................... 17
WHAT IS A SECURITY POLICY PAPER (SPP)? .......................................................................................... 18
PART III ................................................................................................................................................... 20
ACADEMIC SUPERVISION, RESEARCH AND WRITING ............................................................ 20
THE ROLE OF YOUR SUPERVISOR ............................................................................................................. 20
KEY STAGES OF FEEDBACK WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR .............................................................................. 21
UNDERTAKING RESEARCH ...................................................................................................................... 22
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SERVICES ............................................................................................... 22
ACADEMIC WRITING AND THE ARGUMENT .............................................................................................. 23
WHAT IS EVIDENCE? ............................................................................................................................... 24
THE CHATHAM HOUSE RULE .................................................................................................................. 24
CHEATING, PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION ............................................................................................... 25
TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM .................................................................................................................... 26
SOME TIPS WHILE WRITING ..................................................................................................................... 26
STYLE GUIDES ......................................................................................................................................... 27
PART IV
REFERENCING AND YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................ 28
REFERENCING ......................................................................................................................................... 28
INTERNET SOURCES................................................................................................................................. 29
DATABASE SOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 29
BIBLIOGRAPHIES; LIST OF REFERENCES................................................................................................... 29
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APPENDIX A: EXAMPLE OF SAP MINUTE ..................................................................................... 30
APPENDIX B: EXAMPLE OF SPP MINUTE ...................................................................................... 31
APPENDIX C: STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .............................................................................. 32
APPENDIX D: LITERATURE REVIEW -----EXAMPLE 1 ............................................................... 33
APPENDIX D: LITERATURE REVIEW -----EXAMPLE 2 ............................................................... 45
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Part I
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Master of Arts academic option
Eligibility and enrolment
Course Members (CMs) doing the Defence and Strategic Studies Course (DSSC) who
consider themselves eligible to undertake a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) may apply
in February to Deakin University to be enrolled in this course. Deakin’s Director—
MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits, will provide interested CMs with an
enrolment form.
To be eligible to enrol in the MA option, a CM must have an undergraduate or
postgraduate university degree or, alternatively, recognition of prior learning (RPL), as
assessed or verified by Deakin’s Director—MA/Grad Dip Programs. Applicants in the
RPL category will need to set out on the enrolment form the scope of their professional
training, experience and responsibilities. This is a Deakin University requirement.
Because the Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) is taught and assessed in English, there is
also a language requirement that applies to overseas CMs.
Either
 Your first language must be English
Or
 Satisfactory completion of a post-secondary qualification within the last five years at
an institution where English is the language of instruction and assessment and
evidence of at least two academic years of English language study. (A copy of the
applicant’s studies record, clearly indicating that English was the language of
instruction, must be supplied.)
Or
 Satisfactory completion of at least two academic years of full-time study in a
university degree program where English is the language of instruction and
assessment no more than two years preceding the date of enrolment at Deakin.
(A copy of the applicant’s studies record, clearly indicating that English was the
language of instruction, must be supplied.)
Or
 You have obtained an overall band of 6.5 or better in the International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) test (with no individual band less than 6) which
will have been taken no more than two years before the date of enrolment at Deakin.
Course Members who are required to take the IELTS are only allowed to so once prior
to enrolment in the MA Program at the beginning of the year.
For more detailed English language requirement to enrol in Deakin’s MA/Grad Dip
Programs, go to: http://www.deakin.edu.au/futurestudents/international/assets/resources/documents/course-guides/pg-english-requirements2010.pdf
If you are accepted into the MA Program, Deakin University will provide you with an
information pack that contains relevant details about the university and the MA
Program. It will also issue you with a Student Card that will entitle you to utilise
Deakin University’s library facilities.
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Requirements for MA CMs
To qualify for the award a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies), you need to obtain 12
credit points. DSSC CMs who successfully enrol to undertake the MA (Strategic
Studies) program must complete all of the DSSC assignments and requirements as
detailed in the applicable CDSS Handbook, ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ and other
relevant CDSS documentation, including the Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic
Studies). Deakin University requires that you fully participate in the five lecture blocks
and exercises within the DSSC and satisfactorily complete the three internal CDSS
assignments. Deakin grants eight credit points to each CM undertaking the Master of
Arts who successfully completes these blocks and assignments.
N.B. This Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) does not deal with
completing the three internal CDSS assignments detailed in the document titled ‘CDSS
Written Assignment Tasks for 2011’. It is a requirement, however, that these
assignments be completed in accordance with the instructions, requirements and
guidance given in the CDSS’s Course Guide for Graduate Diploma (Strategic Studies).
For the additional four credit points required to obtain a Master of Arts (Strategic
Studies), Deakin University requires each MA CM to research, write and produce:
 a 10,000-word Strategic Assessment Paper (SAP); and
 a 10,000-word Security Policy Paper (SPP).
The SAP and SPP must meet Deakin University’s academic requirements and standards
as set out in this Course Guide and as altered or amended in the Deakin University
Official Handbook from time to time. Deakin University will appoint examiners
external to the CDSS to assess and mark each CM’s SAP and SPP. This examiner will
be a different person from the CM’s SAP and SPP supervisor.
CMs will usually nominate their own topics for their SAP and SPP. For the SPP,
however, a course sponsor or service chief may, in some cases, provide a topic for an
SPP to a CM. The SAP and SPP topics may or may not be related.
To facilitate the researching and writing of SAPs and SPPs, each CM must provide their
supervisor with: 1) a Literature Review of material associated with their SAP topic; and,
2) a plan that outlines how they intend to structure and complete each paper. The
supervisor will mark these documents as ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’ and return
them to the CM under their supervision.
Submission dates for all written academic work
The CDSS sets the submission dates for the various pieces of academic work that you
must submit to Deakin University this year. Deakin adheres strictly to these dates.
Given the tight turnaround times involved marking and returning your SAP and SPP,
these submission deadlines cannot be changed.
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Extension Policy
All CMs must submit their various items of written work on the due dates detailed. An
extension to any piece of written work is normally only granted to a CM where
unforeseen personal or compassionate circumstances have arisen. The maximum period
of extension for 2,500 word assignments is two weeks.
Where a CM considers there is a case to request an extension, the CM must:
 discuss the matter with the on-line SD and Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip
Programs; and
 submit a minute or email to the DSTUDS (information copy to Deakin’s
Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs and the relevant SD) not later than a week
prior to the submission date.
The same principles apply for any CM seeking an extension to the SAP. The maximum
period granted for an extension will be two weeks after the original SAP submission
date. No SAP will be accepted after this date.
The delegate for extensions is the DSTUDS. Due to the tight timelines involved with
marking, no extension will be granted for the SPP. If the SPP is not submitted in the
manner and at the time prescribed, it will not be accepted.
Resubmission Policy
Should an external examiner fail a CM’s SAP, there is some provision for the CM to
resubmit his/her SAP. It is important to note that the CM will not be automatically
entitled to resubmit.
Ordinarily resubmission of the SPP will not be allowed as all CMs should have reached
the appropriate academic standard by the time that this major paper is submitted.
A resubmission of a SAP or SPP will only be allowed on a case-by-case basis and as a
result of the Principal, the Director of Studies and Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip
Programs all agreeing that this is appropriate and/or that the CM can achieve the
required standard via an amended and resubmitted SAP or SPP.
If a resubmission is granted for a SAP, the CM will be allowed up to a maximum of
four weeks to re-work their paper and resubmit this for examination. This will be from
the date of return of the examiner’s report to the CM. The CM specifically will have to
address the examiner’s criticisms in his/her resubmitted SAP. Deakin’s Director—
MA/Grad Dip Programs will oversee the resubmission process with the CM.
If a resubmission is granted for a SPP, the CM will be given until Monday 27 January
2014 to re-work his/her paper and resubmit this for examination.
In both cases, the maximum grade that a CM will be entitled to for his/her SAP or SPP
is a pass.
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Grades and graduation
As the DSSC is a non-competitive course, all SAPs and SPPs that meet Deakin
University’s requirements are, from the CDSS’s perspective, non-graded passes that
‘meet the required standard’. This means that the Examiner’s Report that you receive
for your SAP and for your SPP will not contain a numerical mark or an actual grade.
Rather, the report will inform you if your SAP or SPP has ‘met the minimum
requirements’ or not, i.e. whether it has passed or failed. You will also receive some
comments, feedback and/or advice from the examiner in this report.
For those CMs interested, you will be able to access the formal numerical grades that
you obtained from Deakin University for your SAP and SPP in December 2013 or early
January 2014 (i.e. some time after you have left the CDSS).
Each paper will be awarded one of the following grades:
 50-59: Pass (Fair);
 60-69: Credit (Good);
 70-79: Distinction (Excellent);
 >80: High Distinction (Outstanding).
Deakin University will award a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) to those CMs who
successfully meet the necessary requirements by the due date/s. The physical awarding
of MA testamurs (a testamur is university terminology for the actual certificate or
document awarded to eligible students for a degree) coincides with the Faculty of Arts
Graduation Day ceremonies that will occur in 2014. These ceremonies usually take
place in Melbourne or Geelong in April and October - but you will need to check the
actual dates and venue.
A CM must apply to graduate in order to obtain a testamur. Information will be
provided about this process around the time that you submit your SPP. It is not
necessary to attend a Deakin University Graduation in order to obtain your testamur.
Deakin can send a testamur to any eligible CM who is unable to, or who chooses not to,
attend a graduation ceremony at Deakin University. You will still graduate via a
graduation ceremony, but in absentia. After this ceremony has been completed, Deakin
will physically mail your testamur to you. It is therefore imperative that both before and
after you leave the CDSS later this year that you provide Deakin University with up-todate contact details.
If a CM fails to meet the necessary requirements to obtain a Master of Arts (Strategic
Studies) degree from Deakin University, the matter will be referred to the Principal of
CDSS.
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Part II Your written work
This section discusses the written pieces of work that each CM undertaking a Master of
Arts (Strategic Studies) must complete this year.
Each CM must submit the following written pieces in the following order:
 Assignment 1;
 A Minute to Deakin’s Director—MA/Grad Dip Programs that informs him of the
topic for your Strategic Assessment Paper;
 Assignment 2;
 A document to your Deakin University-appointed supervisor that contains: 1) a
Literature Review of material associated with your SAP topic; and, 2) an ‘SAP
Outline’ plan that details how you intend to structure and complete your SAP;
 Strategic Assessment Paper (SAP);
 A Minute to Deakin’s Director—MA/Grad Dip Programs that informs him of the
topic for your Security Policy Paper (SPP);
 A document to your Deakin University-appointed supervisor that contains an ‘SPP
Outline’ plan that details how you intend to structure and complete your SPP;
 Assignment 3; and
 A Security Policy Paper (SPP).
Each piece is discussed below. These are followed by a discussion about the academic
requirements and standards that your SAP and SPP must meet.
Academic requirements for Assignments, SAP and SPP
Must have an ‘argument’; must be fully referenced; must include a bibliography.
Each assignment, SAP and SPP must be written in English to the highest academic
standards possible. It must have an argument, be fully referenced and have a
bibliography or list of references. For referencing, CDSS uses the Oxford system to
provide details of the evidence supporting your argument. CDSS provides a Style
Guide to assist the Course Members complete their references correctly.
For each assignment, SAP or SPP, there is a specific word limit (2,500 words for
Assignments 1 and 2; 2,000 words for Assignment 3; 10,000 words for the SAP and the
SPP), plus or minus 10 per cent. That is, if the word limit is 2,500 words, the assessors
will accept any piece that is between 2,750 and 2,250 words. Your footnotes,
bibliography and any appendixes are not included in the word count. However, be
warned: if your footnotes contain large amounts of unreferenced ‘supporting’ material
that is excessive and/or that makes it look like you are writing another thesis in your
footnotes in order to avoid having these words counted in your word count, you will
lose marks.
Each written piece should have an introduction, a middle section that makes your
argument and provides your supporting analysis, observations and evidence, and a
conclusion. Your argument should be structured logically. Do not number each
paragraph. Your conclusion also should not be a reiteration; rather, it should tell your
assessor what you ‘conclude’ or deduce from the material and the argument that you
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have presented. In other words, you need a conclusion that points to and/or discusses
the implications or ramifications of your argument for future events and developments.
Each written piece should provide a comprehensive an answer to the question being
asked (within the word limit) and should demonstrate a full understanding of the topic.
This could include defining key terms in the question, placing the question in a broader
relevant context (e.g. theoretical or empirical) and stating why the question is important
in this context. Also, try to use shorter sentences rather than longer, more complex ones
- they are both easier to write and to read!
Your piece should also mount and build a logical and analytical argument that states
your ‘case’ - or answer - in relation to the topic. This argument must be supported
and/or substantiated by evidence inserted into the piece via references. It does not
matter whether your assessor personally dislikes or disagrees with the argument that you
advance; rather, your argument must be convincing and well supported by credible
evidence.
If you say something that you consider to be a ‘fact’ (but which may or may not be
known to your assessor or which he/she potentially may contest or disagree with), you
must support this ‘fact’ by providing a reference that tells your assessor where you
obtained this ‘fact’ from: e.g., a newspaper report, a journal article, a book, an official
publication, a recorded interview with someone, etc. Equally, if you state something
significant or controversial or contestable without providing evidence, you assessor may
well ask you to provide evidence to support your statement or proposition. Hence, you
must provide suitable evidence to support or substantiate your argument when needed
and/or as appropriate. These references must be from unclassified and, principally but
not necessarily solely, English-language sources. They must be inserted into your
document in an appropriate, consistent and accurate format that adheres to academic
standards. Your assessor also must be able to find and access these references in order
to check or investigate your argument. You should always provide a page number/s for
the document given in each reference when this comprises a book or a journal article.
Sloppy referencing suggests poor scholarship and may detract from your argument. On
the other hand, good referencing strengthens your argument and your overall written
piece. It is better to over reference than under reference, but obviously there is no need
to reference a non-controversial fact known by all. Importantly, references also guard
against plagiarism (also known as intellectual theft!), an academic misdemeanour that is
totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated at the CDSS. See ‘Cheating, plagiarism
and collusion’ below.
When you cite or quote from other written works, these must be done accurately via a
reference/s. Indeed, when quoting someone else, each quotation must be inserted into
your own text exactly as per the original, errors and all (in which case, insert [sic] after
the error). If you omit something from the quote, use an ellipsis (…); if you alter or add
something to the quote, put this in square brackets ([ ]).
A bibliography or list of references should be included at the end of each written piece.
Works should be listed alphabetically by author’s family name or, if the report is an
official document without an author, by title. Beware using an excessive number of
Internet sources. While these are easy to obtain, their veracity and reliability is not
always good.
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In summary, you need to present an answer that comprises a logical and analytical
argument. We do not want mere descriptive pieces or unconnected observations that
tell us what happened and when this happened, but, rather, an answer that addresses the
question and tells us why certain things happened and their ramifications.
In relation to what comprises ‘the required standard’, the following table provides
advice:
Criteria
Requirement
Fulfilment of the overall task
The task was fully comprehended. The author offered an analysis and
an argument. The material presented was linked to the task, topic or
question asked. The paper was submitted on time.
Use of information,
including evidence
and examples
Well researched with good use of material, information or evidence
that is appropriate, consistent and supportive of the analysis and
conclusions. References used to acknowledge all sources of
information and all use of others’ ideas. Bibliography or list of
references also provided.
Application of theories
and/or concepts dealt
within the topic or unit
Relevant theories and concepts, etc., applied in an appropriate way.
Structure and organisation
Sequence and structure logical and easy to follow. Introductory and
No major misunderstandings; logical connections between ideas made;
no serious omissions.
concluding sections used effectively. Paragraphs and appropriate
headings used throughout. Word count requirement met.
Language use
The English language used is generally sound and clear throughout.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar generally satisfactory.
Format of your academic papers
Produce your academic papers in Microsoft Word. These must be 1.5 spaced, with a
2.5 cm (1 inch) margin on the top, bottom, left and right margins. Use either Arial or
Times New Roman. This must be in 12 point.
Print your papers single-sided in black and white format (apart from any graphics that
may need to be printed in colour). Avoid the excessive use of graphics, except maps
(which are very useful in academic works), charts and tables.
It is not good academic style to use photos. While these may be interesting, aim to
produce an academic document with a strong argument, not a journalistic one with
pretty photos that actually lessen or detract from your argument.
Photos also take up a lot of space and memory. Based on past experience, these could
make it difficult to email your documents from the CDSS system.
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Assignments 1, 2 and 3
The CDSS’s document titled ‘CDSS Written Assignment Tasks for 2013’ provides the
topics for assignments 1, 2 and 3. Each written assignment must meet the academic
requirements and standards as detailed above in the section ‘Academic Requirements
for Assignments, SAP and SPP’ below.
Assignment 1 requires you to write a 2500-word essay in which you must ‘Analyse two
key security challenges facing your organisation at the strategic level in the next ten
years’. You will receive the assessors’ reports that will give you feedback on this
assignment and advise whether or not your assignment ‘meets the required standard’.
Assignment 2 requires you to write a 2,500-word essay on a topic that relates to the core
elements of Block 2. You can select this topic from a list or devise your own.
Assignment 3 requires an individual 2,000-word essay on a strategic management issue
arising from Block 4. You can select the topic from a list provided during the
Assignment brief or devise your own and have it cleared by the relevant SD.
In writing these three assignments, you must seek to answer the question set and try to
fulfil the criteria given in the table above. Also, you should assume that your reader or
assessor knows little or nothing about the subject (even if you know that they do - your
assessor particularly wants to know what you know about the subject). You should
therefore seek to define your terms, mount an argument and provide analysis that
explains why things are the way they are (rather than simply detailing what or how
things are). In relation to these matters, see ‘Academic writing and the argument’ below.
Choosing and submitting your SAP topic
Select one topic; advise your choice in a signed Minute.
You need to start thinking about the theme—or topic—for your Strategic Assessment
Paper now. (To find out what an SAP is see ‘What is a Strategic Assessment Paper
(SAP)?’ below.) You are encouraged to discuss your SAP topic with Deakin’s Director
- MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits.
Once you have determined your SAP topic, put this information into a signed Minute
addressed to Deakin’s Director—MA/Grad Dip Programs as well as send him an e-mail
copy of it. Appendix A provides an example of an SAP Minute. Your Minute must not
be more than a page. It must nominate the topic that you will write about and why you
have chosen it. The Minute must also include your name and email address. You will
not be held rigidly to the title of the topic provided in the Minute, although you must
stay in the same subject and/or geographic area. If unsure, see Deakin’s Director MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits.
To submit your Minute, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. Deakin University will
allocate you a supervisor for your SAP based on the topic that you select. You will be
advised by email of your supervisor’s name and email address. You should have been
informed of your academic supervisor by Monday 15 March 2013.
In selecting the topic for your SAP, bear in mind that the aim of the paper is to display
that you are able to understand and synthesise some of the issues and their implications
that you have examined in ‘Block 2: The Contemporary and Future Strategic Setting’.
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Hence, the topic for your SAP should involve issues or drivers that come out of the
discussion of this environment. Your SAP must also attempt to project 10 years into the
future for each chosen issue.
As examples (only!), some of the issues that you could think about investigating in your
SAP are (in no particular order):
 major security themes occurring in, or impacting on, the Asia-Pacific region or a
nation or nations within this region, e.g. the impact of globalisation on
Indonesia/Malaysia/Vietnam; weapons proliferation in North Korea; development
and/or potential use of weapons of mass destruction in Pakistan/Singapore/Iran; the
response to terrorism in Pakistan/the Philippines/Indonesia/Australia/Fiji; resource
politics and rivalry over gas, oil, water, minerals; ethno-nationalism in the
Philippines/Indonesia/India; health and demographic/population issues and their
impacts; environmental and other trans-national issues and their impact on Australia
(or any other nation); peacemaking and peacekeeping; etc.;
 strategic developments in a particular region, e.g. the growing strength of China in
Northeast Asia; Iran’s development of a nuclear capability and its impact on South
and Southwest Asia; China’s or India’s development of a ‘blue-water’ navy;
instability and state ‘failure’ in the Pacific Islands; the impact of the isolation of
North Korea or Myanmar; the diminution (or otherwise) of New Zealand’s strategic
and military capability; etc.;
 developments—or lack of developments—in bilateral/trilateral/multilateral relations,
e.g. the Australia-Indonesia relationship; the increasingly volatile China-Japan
relationship; the role of the US in the China-Japan relationship; the functioning (or
non-functioning) of ASEAN; the inability of the United Nations Security Council to
enforce its will; the role and future of OPEC; etc.;
 the regional policies of a major power and their actual and potential impacts, e.g. the
role of the US in Northeast Asia; the role of China in East Asia; India’s role in South
Asia; the role of Indonesia in the ASEAN region; the growing role of Australia (or
New Zealand) in the Southwest Pacific; China’s strategic rivalry with India; etc.; and
 particular points of conflict, e.g. potential conflict over the Taiwan Strait; territorial
rivalry in the South China Sea; instability in the Korean Peninsula; the ongoing
Kashmir dispute; security of sea lines of communication and the transportation of
energy; piracy in the Malacca Strait; territorial disputes; etc.
The above (non-exhaustive) list is a guide only. Decide yourself the issue that you wish
to research and write about. However, in deciding your SAP topic, ensure that:
 the topic/s that you select interest you—it will be hard to research and write a
10,000-word paper if you find the topic/s uninteresting, meaningless or irrelevant;
 there is sufficient English-language material available for your topic/s. You will
need to do some preliminary research in a library database (e.g. the CDSS’s library
or the Deakin University Library) to quickly determine this. If a search on your
potential topic returns few ‘hits’, it may be too obscure or too narrow;
 the topic is feasible and you are able to write approximately 10,000 words on that
topic. This means that a broad topic such as ‘China and its future’ will need to be
narrowed down to something like ‘The Chinese Communist Party and its immediate
future’ or ‘China’s military economy and its future’.
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Completing a Literature Review
Lists key reference material and its relevance.
You are required to submit a Literature Review to your supervisor. This is a
prerequisite to completing your Strategic Assessment Paper and obtaining your Master
of Arts (Strategic Studies).
The role of a Literature Review is to identify significant and/or key English-language
references in relation to your SAP topic. It acts as a database of potential material on
your topic that you will need to read and consider. It is quite possible that it will not be
the only material you will use to research your SAP. It helps you to focus and narrow
your research efforts by finding and including - or, just as importantly, excluding material related to your SAP topic.
The overwhelming majority of the publications that you use as references, discuss in
your Literature Review and /or list later in a bibliography should be in English. This is
because the medium of instruction at the CDSS is English and because all of your
assignments also must be written in English. If you provide a non-English language
publication, you may be asked by your examiner to provide a translation.
As a guide (only), a Literature Review is normally about 8-10 pages long, citing 20 to
30 major and relevant sources of information and/or data for the topic of your SAP. At
the very least, the Literature Review must identify and briefly describe the key reference
materials that you have found through undertaking searches of library and other
databases for your particular SAP topic. Such materials will include: books and
monographs; academic and other journal articles; official documents, reports and
papers; reports from multilateral and non-government agencies and bodies; newspaper
and magazine articles; radio and TV transcripts; items from Hansard (printed transcripts
of parliamentary debates) and other official records of conversations and/or speeches;
items on the Internet. The material in your Literature Review may include works that
are theory-oriented, as well as works of detailed empirical content, i.e. material that is
‘[b]ased on, guided by, or employing observation and experiment rather than theory’.1
Say something about the content and potential relevance of each item to your research,
even if you have only initially skimmed these items. Some material that you identify
may seem authoritative and central; other material may seem to be of potential interest,
or it may be addressing only one aspect of the topic. You may be able to group the
material that you identify under a number of sub themes, e.g. theoretical pieces, books
and articles, Internet sources, etc.
Importantly, do not include any material - nor build your argument on any material that is not in the public domain. (For what is meant by the term ‘argument’, see
‘Academic writing and the argument’ below.) This includes items such as unpublished
reports, classified material, and presentations and/or handouts given by presenters at the
CDSS under the Chatham House Rule. (See ‘The Chatham House Rule’ below.) Your
examiner must be able to access all material that you cite as references and/or that you
list in your bibliography. Therefore, if it’s a scarce or unusual source, you may want to
keep a copy in case your examiner asks to see it.
1
Lesley Brown, Editor, The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Volume I (A-M), Oxford, Oxford
University Press, Fourth Edition, 1993, p. 809. (Please note that the footnote number is after the full stop.)
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Your Literature Review also provides the basis of the bibliography that you must
compile of the resources used in the process of researching your SAP topic and/or that
have influenced the writing of your SAP. (See ‘Referencing and your bibliography’
below.) This bibliography will expand over subsequent months as you continue your
research, including as a result of ‘leads’ obtained in various CDSS sessions.
To submit your Literature Review, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. Your
supervisor will return your Literature Review to you soon after you submit it. It will be
marked as ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’. He/she may also provide some feedback on
your Literature Review and offer you some further ‘leads’ for you to pursue. Two
examples of Literature Reviews have been provided at Appendix D.
SAP Outline
A plan that details how you intend to complete your SAP.
In conjunction with your Literature Review, you must submit a plan to your supervisor
that informs him or her of how you intend to complete your Strategic Assessment Paper.
Do this in a document titled ‘SAP Outline’. It is also a prerequisite to completing your
Strategic Assessment Paper and obtaining your Master of Arts (Strategic Studies).
Your SAP Outline needs to provide a research and writing plan that shows your
supervisor how you intend to undertake the completion of your SAP. It must briefly
and clearly:
 identify your intended argument/s for your topic (even though you may not have
fully determined these argument/s at the time of submitting your plan, writing it
will start you thinking about these vital matters);
 show the possible sections of your SAP; and,
 provide a proposed timetable for writing the various sections of your SAP.
More specifically, your plan must include a synopsis of the main argument/s for your
SAP topic, along with four or five proposed section headings, each with a (brief)
paragraph summarising the contents.
At this stage, it is important to have thought out - or at least to have started to think
about - the main points of your proposed argument/s, the key theories and analytical
concepts that you will employ, and how you intend to develop these in your sections.
However, your outline is a guide only. It is designed to get you focusing on what is
needed to complete your SAP. You will not be rigidly held to the details provided in it.
It is acceptable to incorporate your Literature Review and SAP Outline into a single
document, as long as they comprise two clearly-defined sections within it. Your
Literature Review must come first, followed by your SAP Outline.
To submit your SAP Outline, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. Your supervisor
will return the plan to you soon after you submit it. It will be marked as ‘satisfactory’
or ‘unsatisfactory’. He/she may also provide some feedback on it and may suggest
modifications, additions, etc.
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What is a Strategic Assessment Paper (SAP)?
Discusses one challenge; needs 10-year projection.
For CMs undertaking the Master of Arts (Strategic Studies), the Strategic Assessment
Paper is a written piece of 10,000 words. It is also one of the major requirements
needed to obtain your MA.
Each SAP must be fully referenced, using footnotes at the bottom of each page. You
are free to determine the structure of your SAP, although this would best be done in
consultation with your supervisor.
Your Strategic Assessment Paper must explore one current or future challenge to
national or regional security. It may be written from the perspective of Australia or
another nation in the Asia-Pacific region.2
Your Strategic Assessment Paper is an analytical document. It must critically analyse,
assess and interpret the political and strategic dynamics of the topic that you have
chosen to explore. Put differently, it must examine the impact of the topic you have
chosen on inter-state relations. Most importantly, its focus is strategic (big picture), not
tactical (in the weeds). It must also include some theoretical or conceptual discussion
of the descriptive and analytical approaches of your analysis. That is, you must discuss
what the issue is, why it is important, and where it sits in the prevailing political,
strategic and intellectual framework. Furthermore, this must be done analytically and
critically. That is, you must offer an argument that provides compelling reasons or
proof as to why the situation is the way it is, why it is important, the ramifications of the
situation, and why it may or may not change in the future.
Hence, the requirement is for a factually-grounded, well-reasoned and well-structured
paper, with a clearly-stated central argument (or arguments) that informs your reader who, in this case, will be your supervisor and, most importantly, your examiner - why
the situation you have chosen to analyse is the way it is and, based on your research
and/or the theoretical approach that you have adopted to inform your argument, what is
likely to happen in future.
You must therefore demonstrate a sound knowledge of the subject and employ a wide
range of source materials both for your research and in your supporting references.
It is also a requirement that you must attempt to project 10 years into the future. That
is, you must offer a prognosis or forecast and some informed suggestions and/or
analysis as to the likely future and/or prospective future developments in relation to the
issue or topic that you have chosen to examine.
As with all university assignments, you are encouraged to develop and present your own
ideas on your topic. Wherever possible, these must be supported with evidence from
the sources that you have used. (See the section ‘What is Evidence?’ below.)
To submit your SAP, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. On (or before) Monday
6 August 2012, you will receive an external Examiner’s Report that gives you feedback
on your SAP and advises you whether or not it has ‘met the minimum requirements’.
2
Note: This includes what the United Nations refers to as ‘South West Asia’ or more commonly, the Middle East.
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Choosing and submitting your SPP topic
Select one topic; advise your choice in a signed Minute.
More than two weeks before you submit your SAP, you have to determine your topic for
your Security Policy Paper. (To find out what an SPP is see ‘What is a Security Policy
Paper (SPP)?’ below.) Your SPP topic may or may not be related to your SAP topic.
In some cases, a course sponsor or service chief may provide a CM with a topic for their
SPP. Please advise Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits, if
this applies to you.
You are encouraged to discuss your SPP topic and the scope of this paper with Deakin’s
Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits, prior to the topic proposal date.
Once you have determined your SPP topic, put this information into a signed Minute
addressed to Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs as well as send him an e-mail
copy of it. Appendix B provides an example of an SPP Minute. Your Minute must be
no more than a page. It must nominate the topic that you will write about and why you
have chosen it. The Minute must also include your name and email address. You will
not be held rigidly to the title of the topic provided in the Minute, although you must
stay in the same subject and/or geographic area. If unsure, see Deakin’s Director MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits.
To submit your Minute, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. Deakin University will
allocate you a supervisor for your SPP based on the topic that you select. You will be
advised by email of your supervisor’s name and email address. You should have been
informed of your academic SPP supervisor by Monday 22 July 2013.
In deciding the choice of your topic for your SPP, bear in mind that the aim of the paper
is to display that you are able to understand and synthesise some of the issues and their
implications that you have examined in ‘Block 3: Higher Command and the Conduct of
Joint and Combined Operations’, ‘Block 4: Capability and Force Development’, and
‘Block 5: Policy Formulation and Decision-Making. The topic for your SPP should
therefore be about issues or drivers that you think will come out of the discussion of
these more security- and defence-related environments and to which you can formulate
appropriate, viable and achievable policy responses.
SPP Outline
A plan that details how you intend to complete your SPP.
You must submit a plan to your supervisor that informs him or her of how you intend to
complete your Security Policy Paper. This must be in the form of a document titled
‘SPP Outline’. It is also a prerequisite to completing your Security Policy Paper and
obtaining your Master of Arts (Strategic Studies).
Your SPP Outline needs to provide a research and writing plan that shows your
supervisor how you intend to undertake the completion of your SPP. It must briefly and
clearly:
 identify the main policy recommendation for your topic;
 show the possible sections of your SPP; and,
 provide a proposed timetable for writing the various sections of your SPP.
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More specifically, your plan must include a synopsis of your SPP’s policy points, along
with four or five proposed section headings, each with a (brief) paragraph summarising
the contents.
At this stage, it is important to have thought out - or at least to have started to think
about - the main points of your proposed policies, how and which bodies will
implement these, any likely outcomes and obstacles that they may confront, the
financial cost and implications of your proposed policies, etc. However, your plan is a
guide only. It is designed to get you focusing on what is needed to complete your SPP.
You will not be rigidly held to the details provided in it.
To submit your SPP Outline, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. Your supervisor
will return your plan to you soon after you submit it. It will be marked as ‘satisfactory’
or ‘unsatisfactory’. He/she may also provide some feedback on it and may suggest
modifications, additions, etc.
What is a Security Policy Paper (SPP)?
Offers realistic policy; has resource implications statement.
For CMs undertaking the Master of Arts (Strategic Studies), the Security Policy Paper is
a written piece of 10,000 words. It is also one of the major requirements needed to
obtain your MA.
Each SPP must provide full references where appropriate or needed. However, some
policy that you formulate may be your own original work/ideas and therefore will not
need to be referenced. You are free to determine the structure of your SPP, although
this would best be done in consultation with your supervisor.
If your SPP flows from or is related to your SAP, you will need to acknowledge this via
a footnote early on in your SPP. The text for both documents will also need to be
totally different, i.e. you cannot ‘cut and paste’ text from your SAP into your SPP. This
is totally unacceptable. The two papers must be ‘stand alone’ documents.
Your SPP must discuss and provide appropriate, viable and achievable policy responses
to a security3 and/or defence-related issue. The paper may be written from the
perspective of Australia or another country in the Asia-Pacific. You must make it clear
from which national government perspective you are writing (e.g. Australia, China,
PNG, etc.).
Your SPP must then identify and discuss the significant security or defence issue,
defect/shortcoming or need that you have identified to be the problem. It must discuss
and analyse why this issue is important and/or why it is a current (or future) problem.
As a rough rule, use about 20 per cent of your paper to place the issue in context. That
is, about 2,000 words.
The rest of your SPP - the bulk of it: about 80 per cent - must then provide appropriate,
viable and achievable policies that address how to deal with this issue that you have
raised. In other words, you must propose policy options that will overcome or remedy
the problem that you have identified and argue why and how these policies would/will
successfully work to solve or overcome the problem. You may propose various
3
The term ‘security’ can be very broad. CMs should discuss and confirm these issues with the Academic Adviser.
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economic, military, diplomatic, environmental and other policies as you see fit - and can
reasonably argue. These of course may be original ideas and/or policies never before
envisaged or espoused, in which case you probably will not be able to support them
with references. It is fine to be original.
Your SPP should therefore seek to argue that ‘a’ or ‘a and b’ or ‘a, b and c’, etc., are the
problem and that ‘x, y and z’ policies, etc., should be implemented - and why these
policies will work. These must be specific policy prescriptions, not broad and sweeping
generalisations. Your SPP must also detail how and which bodies (government or other
organisations) should/would implement your policies, and argue why and how these
policies would work. You may also need to consider how you may overcome any
potential opposition to the policies that you propose.
Your SPP therefore gives you the chance to be creative and formulate imaginative policy
responses to the significant issue/defect/need that you have raised. However, the options
and suggestions that you make in your SPP must be realistic.
To avoid creating expensive policy ‘wish lists’, it is a requirement that you must include
a resource implications statement in your SPP. This must take into account the current
budgetary parameters of ‘your’ government and/or otherwise fully justify any change in
national spending priorities. In other words, if you don’t believe that what you are
proposing will cost any more money, then you must say so - although you may also need
to discuss where you will get/move the money from to implement your policies.
Equally, if you are proposing something that would radically alter the current budgetary
position of ‘your’ nation, you need to discuss and/or justify where the new revenue will
come from, e.g. from increased taxation, a reallocation of resources, a re-ordering of
capability development priorities, a ‘fire sale’ of national assets, etc.
The resource implications statement does not need to be long or detailed - a paragraph
or two will be sufficient. But somewhere in your SPP, your examiner will be looking
for some words on the issue of how you will finance the policies that you have
recommended.
To submit your SPP, see ‘Submission of documents’ below. You will receive an
Examiner’s Report that gives you feedback on your SPP and advises you whether or not
it has ‘met the minimum requirements’.
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Part III
Academic supervision, research and writing
It may be some time since you have researched, written and produced any academictype documents. This section deals with these matters and offers suggestions about the
type of prose and documents that Deakin University expects you to provide in order to
obtain your MA. It also discusses the role of your supervisor.
One useful way to focus your research and writing is to determine, then answer, one
‘big question’. Once you have formulated this question, it is easier to collect relevant
information and write a focused paper that mounts and sustains an argument that seeks
to answer your question. Don’t be afraid to mount an argument that puts your point of
view - supported by relevant evidence, of course. This is good academic ‘form’.
The role of your supervisor
You are not alone as you research and write your SAP and SPP. Deakin University
allocates a supervisor to you who will offer you guidance, instruction and help, who will
act as a sounding board for your ideas and plans, and who will review drafts of your
written material. Deakin tries to allocate a supervisor whose expertise matches your
SAP or SPP topic. This may be a different person for each paper.
Apart from your supervisor, if you feel that you are alone or that you are struggling with
researching and/or writing your SAP or SPP, or if you have any other academic issues,
contact Deakin’s Director—MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits. If you are
having any difficulties, it is better to do this sooner rather than later.
In essence, your supervisor is your personal adviser and critic who can:
 help you to refine the definition and scope of your topic;
 assist you by offering relevant titles of sources and/or by recommending other
appropriate reading;
 help you to formulate or clarify your argument;
 read and/or comment on your Literature Review, your SAP Outline, the full draft of
your SAP, your SPP Outline, the full draft of your SPP; and
 inform Deakin University about your progress in the MA process.
Once you are engaged in your research, it is important - indeed, it is imperative - to
ensure that you establish and maintain regular contact with your supervisor. Some
supervisors periodically visit the CDSS. However, most supervisors are located outside
Canberra. Almost all supervisors will have supervised previous CDSS CMs and so will
‘know the ropes’. It is not necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage to have a nonCanberra supervisor, as there are many good supervisors who only engage with their
CM via email.
You must initiate this relationship after you have been advised by email of your
supervisor’s name and email address. It is your responsibility, not your supervisor’s, to
initiate and maintain this relationship. Contact your supervisor either via email, and/or
by telephone. Apart from the formal documents that you must send your supervisor,
your contact with him or her could include informal discussions about your topic,
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asking specific questions about issues that are unclear, and/or asking for advice about
any problems that you meet in your research or writing.
However, please remember that supervisors are also busy people. This means that you
may require a little patience in relation to the frequency of your contact with your
supervisor and/or with their responses. You will therefore need to manage the
relationship well. Expect responses, but not rapid-fire ones. Depending on their
workload at the time, it may take a few days for your supervisor to respond to an email.
If he/she doesn’t respond within a week, start to be a little concerned. If he/she only
responds intermittently or irregularly, or if you have any other difficulties in establishing
or maintaining contact with your supervisor or, indeed, if you have any other issues
with him/her, contact Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits.
Key stages of feedback with your supervisor
While your supervisor is there to assist and guide you, it is up to you to establish and
sustain the relationship with him/her. This relationship will necessarily change over
time. At the outset, you can expect help in clarifying your research project and topic,
and in preparing a research plan and timetable. As the project proceeds, your
supervisor’s role becomes more one of providing assistance and ideas, or in monitoring
your progress. You should try out theories/ideas, potential arguments, and your
preliminary findings with your supervisor and write up sections of the work for your
supervisor to consider and critique. He/she should then offer suggestions and feedback
on your work that you may or may not choose to accept.
However, your final ‘product’ will depend on what you write and how it is written, with
your supervisor only really able to help with structure, in the development of your style
and with a critique of your content, argument and academic practices. Hence, your SAP
and SPP are works for which you are responsible and with which ultimately you must
be happy and satisfied - regardless of what your supervisor says or does.
There are a number of key stages at which you would benefit most from your
supervisor’s feedback:
 discussion of your Literature Review and your SAP Outline plan, after which your
supervisor may give you some feedback;
 discussion of your draft SAP. At this stage your supervisor will comment on your
overall style, content, structure, argument, etc., and advise on possible omissions,
changes, etc.;
 analysis of the result and feedback that you obtained for your SAP; and
 a similar process and set of responses as above for the instigation and completion of
your Security Policy Paper (although the SPP does not require a Literature Review).
Depending on the availability and inclination of your supervisor, he/she may be
prepared to read a number of drafts of your paper/s—although don’t count on this.
Check that your supervisor will be available in the period just before you have to
submit your SAP or SPP. Around this time, you may need extra help and/or rapid
responses to your queries and/or drafts. DO NOT leave it until the final two weeks.
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Undertaking research
It is essential to read both widely and intensively on the topics that you have chosen for
your SAP and SPP. When taking notes and/or photocopies of research items, it is better
to take more notes rather than less. This invariably will save you time in the long run.
Always be sure to note the full publication details of the item you are reading,
including: the name of the author/s or editor/s; its full title; place of publication;
publisher; date of publication; edition (first, second, fifth, etc.) or volume number; and,
most importantly, the page number/s from which you have taken any notes or quotes. It
is also handy to note the publication’s location and call number in case you need to
check on something at a later date, e.g. the wording or page number of a quote.
The first place to begin your research is in the library, either the Australian Defence
College (ADC) Library or by going on-line to the Deakin University Library. (See
‘Deakin University Library services’ below.) Canberra also has a number of worldclass libraries you can access. These include the Australian National Library and
libraries at the Australian National University, the University of Canberra and the
Australian Defence Force Academy. There are also good local public libraries.
CMs should also keep up to date in their area of interest—and with international
relations/strategic policy/news in general—by accessing on a daily basis a ‘quality’
newspaper, such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian or The
Australian Financial Review. The ADC Library has copies of such newspapers, other
current affairs-type magazines and a range of interesting academic journals that would
be useful for your research. These may also offer further ‘leads’ in your area of interest.
The Internet is another source of information, although you must be realistic about using
websites as references, chiefly as you cannot always be sure of a site’s veracity. Many
websites lack balance and objectivity; some are plain bogus or propaganda tools.
Website material also has another major flaw: material from it often disappears as
websites come and go and/or are altered or reorganised from time to time. Therefore, if
you use Internet material, keep a hard copy of any key material that you decide to use in
your SAP/SPP as your examiner may ask to see it if he/she cannot find it elsewhere.
Deakin University Library services
All CMs enrolled in the MA/Grad Dip Programs have access to the Deakin University
Library. The URL for this site is: http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/
Your borrowing rights at the Deakin University Library allow you to:
 borrow any non-reference book, document or audio-visual item in the Library;
 order copies of relevant journal articles held by the Library;
 access on-line journals and download full-text articles from various on-line
databases;
 request materials and communicate with the Library by mail, fax, phone, electronic
mail or via the Internet;
 renew items on loan by telephone or by accessing the Library catalogue yourself; and
 have Library materials sent to you by courier or post, with return to the Library at no
cost to yourself.
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The University’s computer network allows 24-hour access to the Library computer
system and other electronic services.
You need to establish a Deakin network user name and password to use many of these
abovementioned options. This can be done after you have successfully enrolled in the
MA/Grad Dip Programs. If, after some time, you do not have a network user name and
password, contact Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs, Dr Claude Rakisits.
Academic writing and the argument
Academic writing is different from government report writing or journalism. Generally
speaking, a government report may operate inside a taken-for-granted set of conceptual
and political assumptions. It usually describes the situation and analyses possible policy
options and their consequences, often from the perspective of those who are inside the
prevailing political, administrative and ‘in’ group. On the other hand, academic writing
assumes far less about its audience and their knowledge - or lack of it - about a certain
subject.
Academic writing defines its terms and mounts an ‘argument’.4 Instead of just
describing a situation or problem, academic writing provides a line of reasoning or a
point of view that proposes why the situation or problem is the way that it is. It
supports or justifies this proposition with compelling and supportive reasoning and/or
factual evidence.
Academic writing is therefore somewhat similar to mounting a law suit:
 it must mount a compelling case, or argument, that seeks to convince a critical
audience (in your case, your examiner);
 it must be to the point, interesting and avoid using jargon and acronyms as your
assessor either may have limited or no knowledge of areas related to your expertise,
or, if they do have knowledge and expertise (as your examiner almost certainly will
have), they will want to be sure that you know what you are talking about;
 it must prove - or substantiate - every topical or contestable point by providing
relevant evidence, preferably from a primary source (see next section);
 it must acknowledge where its ideas and/or evidence came from (in your case, via
references and a bibliography);
 the assessor must be able to procure copies of the evidence advanced, or, if they
can’t, then the person mounting the case must have copies of the evidence that he/she
can make available to the assessor.
4
Brown, The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Volume I (A-M), p. 112, states that an argument is
a ‘connected series of statements or reasons intended to establish a position’.
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What is evidence?
Evidence is a vital academic tool that scholars - of which you are one while writing your
SAP and SPP - use to substantiate or support their argument. They insert this into their
written work by using references, usually in the form of footnotes. These comprise
pieces of supporting information - usually references to published works and/or to other
sources - which other scholars (especially your examiner) can also access in order to
verify this information and thereby help to confirm your argument, and/or to further
their knowledge of a subject.
Evidence comprises primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are those written,
compiled or produced by people or organisations present when an issue or event took
place. Secondary sources are interpretations of primary accounts. Primary sources
include original accounts or versions of an event, occurrence or issue, such as: oral
statements, personal journals and diaries; letters; newspapers and magazines published
at the time; censuses; government reports published at the time; treaty texts; radio
broadcasts, television programs and films produced at the time; etc. Secondary sources
include: books, journals, and other interpretations of first hand accounts or versions.
Primary sources are important for original academic scholarship. Indeed, wherever
possible, these are the best sources to use. Secondary sources play an important role
where primary source documents are not readily available.
The Chatham House Rule
An excellent primary source is often public talks, speeches and presentations. However,
beware! All presenters at CDSS give their presentations under the Chatham House
Rule. It states that:
When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free
to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s),
nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.5
The CDSS policy is that anything said by any person who presents at CDSS, and/or any
handouts that he/she provides at the CDSS, cannot be included in any written work that
you submit (nor, indeed, in any written work that you do after the DSSC). This is to
prevent misrepresentation or misquotation of a presenter and his/her stance (as
happened a few years ago to a Director of Australia’s Defence Intelligence Organisation
whose supposedly confidential speech at a university was reported in a newspaper by a
journalist who had been in attendance as a student).
Should a CM wish to quote material from a presentation, the CM should contact the
presenter separately and quote the subsequent discussion or correspondence. A copy of
the Chatham House Rule is displayed in the Spender Theatre and each Syndicate Room.
5
For further information on the Chatham House Rule, see
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/about/chathamhouserule/ [accessed 22 August 2012].
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Cheating, plagiarism and collusion
Deakin University considers plagiarism and collusion to be extremely serious issues.
Indeed, both are academic offences. They are also serious breaches of academic ethics
and of Deakin University’s rules, and can result in failure on this course. They are
considered forms of cheating, and severe penalties are associated with them, including
cancellation of marks for a specific assignment, for a specific unit or even exclusion
from the course.
Deakin University’s definitions of plagiarism and collusion are as follows:
• Plagiarism occurs when a student passes off as the student’s own work, or copies
without acknowledgment of its authorship, the work of any other person.
• Collusion occurs when a student obtains the agreement of another person for a
fraudulent purpose with the intent of obtaining an advantage in submitting an
assignment or other work.
Whenever you refer to another person’s research or ideas (either by directly quoting or
by paraphrasing them), you must acknowledge your source. Deakin University’s policy
on plagiarism and collusion is available at The Guide http://theguide.deakin.edu.au/.
Regulation 4.1(1) Student Discipline also contains important information regarding
academic misconduct, including plagiarism and collusion.
Unauthorised collaboration
Unauthorised collaboration is a related form of cheating. It involves working with
others with the intention of deceiving your markers about who actually completed the
work. If you have collaborated with others in preparing an individual assessment item,
you must disclose this to Deakin’s Director - MA/Grad Dip Programs. Even with group
work you will generally have to write up your own report.
Penalties
Deakin University’s Faculty of Arts’ Academic Progress and Discipline Committee will
impose a penalty on any student who is found to have committed an act of academic
misconduct such as plagiarism, collusion, examination cheating or unauthorised
collaboration. These penalties can include:
 a reprimand;
 a fine not exceeding $500;
 allocation of a zero mark in the relevant task (or another such mark as is
appropriate);
 allocation of a zero mark in the relevant unit (or another such mark as is
appropriate);
 allocation of a zero mark in such other units in which the student is enrolled;
 suspension of the student for up to one year; and
 exclusion of the student for a minimum of one year.
If a Course Member enrolled in the MA Program is guilty of plagiarism, it will be at the
discretion of the Academic Adviser to decide whether the Course Member will fail
instantly that essay or if the Course Member will be required to re-submit a new essay.
If allowed to re-submit, the Course Member will only be entitled to a pass grade, i.e. 50
per cent, for his/her re-submitted essay.
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Tips to avoid plagiarism
To plagiarise is to take someone else’s ideas and present them as your own. Never copy
the words used by an author or anyone else and present them as your own. When you
use the words of others, make it clear that you are making a direct quotation and cite
this source via a reference/footnote. When you use ideas discovered or obtained from
other people, acknowledge this source via a footnote.
Paraphrasing is when you summarise someone else’s ideas and/or words and insert
these into a document of your own. You should try to avoid such a practice as
experience shows that it can very easily lead to plagiarism. That said, should you
decide to paraphrase another author’s words and/or ideas (see below), you must make it
clear when you are doing so by citing this source via a reference/footnote. Furthermore,
when paraphrasing, it is important that you avoid close paraphrasing, i.e. only changing
one or two words in a sentence. Such paraphrasing amounts to plagiarism and is totally
unacceptable. Should you be found to be engaging in such a practice, your assignment
will be deemed to be unsatisfactory. You may - or may not - be given a chance to
rectify this issue. This will be decided by the Principal.
You should also avoid paraphrasing your own words that you may have used in another
document submitted to the CDSS or any other body/institution, e.g. using/paraphrasing
words from your SAP in your SPP. If you really need to use some of your own words,
you should quote yourself exactly and/or reference yourself and your relevant
document. However, please bear in mind the point mentioned above that your SAP and
SPP must be ‘stand alone’ documents in which the text is totally different.
In relation to using someone else’s ideas in your work, you must provide a reference to
show where you obtained these. Your reference/s must also show the source of the
major arguments of others that you may be using to mount your own argument and/or
whose ideas you may be using, or building upon, in your own written work. This is
good academic scholarship. Your references must also indicate the sources of all direct
quotations.
If you are in any doubt about the meaning of plagiarism, discuss it with your supervisor
or with the Academic Advisor.
Some tips while writing
While research is vital and interesting, it is essential to stop reading and researching at
particular points and begin to write up sections of your SAP or SPP. Even so, your
research and writing tasks may be intermingled until about a month or so before your
final submission date, after which the emphasis should be on refining your written
product rather than engaging in further extensive research or reading. Your aim is not
to submit a piece that has the latest, up-to-date information, but a piece that has
excellent analysis, argument/s and/or policies. In other words, for your SAP, you want
a paper that has lots of ‘why’ and ‘so what’, not lots of ‘what’ or ‘how’. For your SPP,
you want lots of ‘here are my policies’ and ‘this is why and how they will work’.
Some people struggle with writing. However, if you don’t write anything, your
supervisor will have nothing about which he/she can comment. It is better to get
something down on paper, even if it is only a rough draft, rather than nothing at all. If
you are having what amounts to ‘writer’s block’, i.e. you feel unable to write anything
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27
or are thoroughly confused about how to begin writing your SAP or SPP, contact the
Academic Advisor, Dr Claude Rakisits, immediately.
Often just before you submit a piece of work, there may be some panic about important
academic requirements that seemed trivial at the time when you were merrily writing
your prose and expounding your argument. Matters that may rear their ugly heads
include things such as: ‘Where did I get that reference from?/Where will I get a
reference for that controversial point from?; What are the publication details for that
book/article that I used as a reference?; What page was that quote on?’.
To save some time with such matters - that comprise vital aspects of excellent academic
scholarship but which examiners love to detect mistakes in - the following may help:
 insert in full in the footnote the details, including the relevant page number/s, about
an issue that you are writing about at the time that you are writing about it;
 insert the full title and publication details for your reference with each footnote. This
avoids mistakes when cutting and pasting text that may have short forms of titles or
terms such as ‘ibid.’ or ‘op cit.’ embedded in it;
 as one of the last tasks that you do (probably the final thing before creating a
Contents page), edit these long titles down to short titles;
 be careful when inserting quotes: quotes must be exactly as per the original,
including with any errors (in which case, insert [sic] after the error);
 always insert the full title for a website and the date that you accessed it. Try to copy
and paste these titles into your document as one mistake in a URL makes it
impossible to retrieve a website. It also makes your scholarship look sloppy - and
makes examiners very wary!
Style guides
The key to good writing is to be consistent. Choose a particular style guide and stay
with it. With the world becoming an increasingly globalised/globalized place, it is now
acceptable to spell this word, and other such words that use either an ‘s’ (the British and
Australian traditions) or a ‘z’ (the United States tradition), either way. This applies to
other such words like internationalise, recognize, materialise, democratize, etc. Just be
consistent.
The reasonable use of acronyms and abbreviations is acceptable and the meaning need
only be stated with its first use. Hence, write out the full title of the abbreviation the
first time you mention it in your text, followed by its abbreviation in parentheses: thus
the first reference to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) reads as such.
Avoid jargon. The overuse of acronyms is sometimes a form of defence jargon known
in the United States as ‘Pentagonese’. ‘NATO’ is fine but ‘MRE’ for ‘Meals Ready to
Eat’ is certainly not. It may therefore be useful to provide a list of all the acronyms you
have used in a glossary (like the one at the end of this document). This is not included
in the word count. Also, be aware that your supervisors and examiners may not be
familiar with the technical specifications and capabilities of particular weapons systems.
The last two pages of CDSS’s Style Guide (included in your orientation pack) provide a
few stylistic points to assist you with this issue.
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PART IV
28
Referencing and your bibliography
Remember: You have been issued the Deakin University’s ‘Guide to assignment
writing and referencing’. The notes in this section reinforce the guidance in that
guide.
Referencing and bibliographies are important scholarly disciplines that mark one of the
big differences between academic writing and journalese and/or official/secret report
writing: the writer must substantiate his/her case or argument by providing references to
open-source, public material that supports this case or argument. This is done via
specific footnotes in the text of the essay/paper or endnotes at the end of it and by the
inclusion of a bibliography or a list of references at the end of the essay/paper that
shows the various sources and documents that the author consulted.
You must include a bibliography of works cited, accessed or used at the end of your
document. It must include all sources that you have used as references, as well as any
other sources that influenced your thinking on the issue about which you have been
writing. List these in alphabetical order based on author’s name or, if there is no author,
on the name of the organisation responsible for compiling the papers, report or
document.
At CDSS we use the Oxford referencing system. In order to assist you, CDSS has
provided a separate Style Guide which was included in your orientation pack.
It is
slightly different from the Oxford style used at Deakin University.
Referencing
Every scholarly piece of writing needs references to confirm and/or enhance the
argument. Indeed, references strengthen an argument. And it is better to over reference
than to under reference. However, if a paragraph is based on one reference, it is more
helpful to the reader or assessor to put the footnote at the end of the paragraph’s first
sentence and then to put some words in the footnote like ‘This paragraph is based on
(then list the document/s and its/their details)’. Hence, if in doubt, put in a supporting
reference. These can be shortened later if needs be. Good references and good
referencing only strengthen your argument.
Hence, you use referencing systems for citing references to quotations and to sources of
information and argument. One also uses it if you wish to direct the reader to further
reading on an issue dealt with in the body of the essay/paper.
In the Oxford system, references entail small numbers inserted (after the punctuation) in
the body of the text either after a relevant point that needs a reference or after a
quotation. A footnote at the bottom of the page is then used to provide the details of the
reference or to expand on the point being made.
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Internet sources
It is acceptable to use Internet references, although academic assessors are still quite
wary of the excessive use of Internet sources in an essay, as they suggest laziness and a
lack of solid or substantial research. The excessive use of such sources also sometimes
makes academic assessors wary of plagiarism. Beware of electronic material that you
cite as it may disappear from the Internet. Therefore, it is a good idea to save copies of
key Internet material in case it has been removed from the Internet and/or your assessor
wishes to see it. In your reference to Internet material, cite the author or the
organisation that owns the website, the title of the piece within the website, the
website’s URL inside < > brackets and the date that you accessed this material.
Database sources
Databases are an excellent resource that can provide you with a wide range of scholarly
and analytical materials as well as news items. Databases include the Jane’s online
materials, as well as Proquest, CIAONet and Emerald, which are accessible through the
Vane Green or Deakin libraries. However, unlike the Internet, a database resource
should not be cited by the search string that appears in your browser address. It should
be cited by author, name, date, publication and other information as if it is a hard copy.
Basically, you need to give a citation as information that helps another reader to find it
in conducting their own search. For Jane’s online materials, the citation to the title,
author where known, and referenced to Jane’s online, and date accessed is acceptable.
Bibliographies; list of references
You must include a bibliography of works cited, retrieved or used at the end of your
document. It must include all sources that you have used as references, as well as any
other sources that influenced your thinking on the issue about which you have been
writing. List these in alphabetical order based on author’s family name or, if there is no
author, on the name of the organisation responsible for compiling the papers, reports or
documents.
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Appendix A: Example of SAP Minute
MINUTE
To: Director MA/Grad Dip Programs
From: GPCAPT Billy Bloggs
Subject: Topic for Strategic Assessment Paper (SAP)
Topic: ANZUS obligations in the event of a military confrontation between China,
Taiwan and the US
ANZUS is the pre-eminent treaty in regard to Australia’s National Security Strategy. It
(supposedly) ties Australia closely to the United States on defence and security issues.
With recent tensions between China and Taiwan over Taiwanese aspirations for
independence, questions have arisen as to what Australia’s actions would—and
should—be in the event of a military conflict between China, Taiwan and the US. This
paper will examine the perceived and explicit obligations of each party under the
various articles of the ANZUS Treaty. It will use current theories on International
Relations to assess the influences of national policy drivers such as interests,
competition, ideals and uncertainty on any decision to commit Australian military forces
to such a conflict. It will also examine the likelihood of such a security situation
developing and the ramifications of this for Australia and for US-Australia relations.
Name: GPCAPT Capt. Billy Bloggs
Email address: Billy.Bloggs@defence.adc.edu.au
Billy Bloggs
Date: 6 March 2011
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31
Appendix B: Example of SPP Minute
MINUTE
To: Director MA/Grad Dip Programs
From: GPCAPT Billy Bloggs
Subject: Topic for Security Policy Paper (SPP)
Topic: How Australia should deal with the rise of India and its growing military
and maritime capabilities
Australia currently faces an array of actual and potential security challenges of both a
conventional and non-conventional nature. One of the least considered of these
challenges is the rise of India. Its development of a substantial military and maritime
capability is significant. This will extend India’s strategic reach, give it a greater ability
to project power, and enable it to have a greater influence on events in the South Asian,
South-East Asian and Indian Ocean regions. India and Australia are both littoral Indian
Ocean states. But will—or should—Australia and India compete or cooperate? This
SPP will propose policies about Australia should deal with the rise of India and its
growing military and maritime capabilities.
Name: GPCAPT Billy Bloggs
Email address: Billy.Bloggs@defence.adc.edu.au
Billy Bloggs
Date: 3 July 2011
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32
Appendix C: Statement of Authorship
AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE COLLEGE
DEFENCE AND STRATEGIC STUDIES COURSE
CM:
SUBJECT TOPIC:
SYNDICATE:
DUE DATE:
WORD COUNT:
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP:
I certify that this material is the result of my own research and writing, except where
otherwise acknowledged, and that this work in whole or in part has not been submitted
to the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies as part of any other written work, nor
has it been submitted to any other university or institution as part of any academic unit
or program for any reward.
APPROVAL TO PUBLISH:
I grant/do not grant* approval for the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, or an
agent of that organisation, to publish this article and my biography, in whole or in part.
I also retain the right to reproduce or publish this article, in whole or in part.
Note - * Delete as applicable.
Signature: …………………………………….
Date Submitted:………………………….
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Appendix D: Literature Review -----Example 1
Literature Review
Overview
This essay will review material regarding how non-traditional security threats, in
particular transnational crime and illegal migration, may impact on the ADF over the
next ten years. To locate appropriate material I consulted library catalogues,
bibliographies, internet search engines, publications, thesis, fellow students and my
Supervisor, Mr John McFarlane. Major library searches were conducted through:
Deakin University Library (Deakin), the Australian National Library (ANL), and the
Australian Defence College (ADC) Library at Western Creek. All have been successful
with a good range of secondary and some primary source material identified. From this
initial search, I identified an additional thematic library on crime at the Australian
Federal Police (AFP) Library at Barton. AFP, Defence, DIMIA and Customs are strong
on recent thematic monographs and primary source material reflecting Agency policy
and technical material. Internet search engines and publications including Google,
Defence Intranet and the AFP AUSTROM:AFPD provided some very recent and
relevant articles. Bibliographies from key texts were useful in confirming the most
commonly used sources but most bibliographies are a little dated with articles between
4 and 10 years old. There was a lack of material that forecast how non-traditional
security threats will impact on Australia in the next 10 years. This area is likely to
require original analysis by me and more research is needed in this area. Newspapers
and magazines will provide topical material on the subjects.
The literature review has been useful in identifying what material is readily available,
where there are gaps in the material, and how I might structure my paper. Interviews
with key policy makers and authors may be a useful way to fill the gaps. Overall,
sufficient suitable material appears available to support an argument that the ADF needs
to be one part of a ‘whole of government’ approach to respond to non-traditional
security threats. This ‘WOG’ approach requires Government to articulate a more
comprehensive security concept and delegate lead responsibilities to specific agencies.
A key challenge in gathering material will be to avoid overreach – collecting too much
information on too diverse a range of issues. A second challenge may be to find
statistical and primary material to support forecasts for the next ten years. Sources
pertinent to the proposed chapters of the SAP are discussed below.
Chapter 1 – Towards a More Comprehensive Concept of Security
This introductory Chapter briefly defines the main types of non-traditional security. It
asks whether traditional and non-traditional security are mutually exclusive. It very
briefly explores whether existing International Relations theories address satisfactorily
non-traditional security issues. It concludes that non-traditional security issues (NTSI)
are of valid and growing significance to Australia and the ADF. However, as there is no
comprehensive Australian concept of security, the relevant Australian security agencies
are not focussed in any coordinated fashion on this emergent issue. The Chapter
identifies that two non-traditional security issues: transnational crime and migration,
will be studied in subsequent chapters.
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34
Literature
There is a good range of secondary material focussed on the impact of NTSI particularly
in relation to East Asia. The South Pacific is less well covered and the impact of NTSI
on Australia is sparsely considered by books although there are considerable number of
monographs that address the topic. Du Pont (East Asia Imperilled) provides a balanced
account of the significance of NTSI. He shows by evidence rather than conjecture that
NTSI are a valid and growing concern. Chalk (Non-military Security and Global Order)
provides a clear summary of the types of NTSI and the dilemma that these new areas
provide for traditional concepts of security. The US Department of Defense Asia –
Pacific Center has also produced a useful report summarising the types of NTSI. Noting
that most NTSI involve ‘source’, ‘transit’ and ‘host’ nations, Tan (Non-Traditional
Security Issues in South East Asia) and Dickens (The Human Face of Security: Asia –
Pacific Perspectives) are good on the impact of NTSI on South East Asia but provide
few links to the impact on Australia. A recent book by Molloy (The Eye of the
Cyclone) has several relevant Chapters on Pacific security issues.
Buzan (Security: a New Framework for Analysis) provides an authoritative account of
modern security concepts. Wing (Refocussing Concepts of Security: the convergence of
military and no-military tasks) provides a comprehensive list of NTSI with useful
definitions. He also extensively reviews the relationship of extant IR theory with these
NTSI. Baylis and Smith (The Globalisation of World Politics) are also good in this
regard. A number of short articles and monographs develop these views for specific
NTSI. For example, McFarlane (Platypus: 1996 and in Simon, S (ed.) The Many Faces
of Asian Security) points to the need to reassess our strategic security challenges in the
post cold war world in relation to transnational crime (TNC). Jane’s Intelligence
Review articles periodically address different aspects transnational threats including
illegal immigration and TNC. A variety of Australian Government primary sources,
including the Defence White Paper, DFAT White Paper, Hope Royal Commission
provide primary evidence of the various Government agencies extant policy on NTSI
from their sectional perspective. Significantly, no material articulating a comprehensive
or whole of Australian government view of security was located. Instead it appears that
each Agency takes a compartmented approach to its responsibilities and there is no lead
coordinating agency, doctrine or consequence management. This apparent gap in policy
needs further investigation. Possible sources for material include interviews with Dr
Ross Babbage, Brig Wallace (Retd.) and Andrew Murray, Security Adviser in the
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Finally, it is anticipated that further study
into the impact of globalisation during Block 3 will unearth further relevant material.
Chapter 1 Annotated Bibliography
Baylis, J. and Smith, S., The globalisation of world politics: an introduction to
international relations, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001. Contains
useful articles on IR theory, globalisation and the impact of NTSI.
Buzan, B. et al., Security: a new framework for analysis, Lynne Rienner, Colorado,
1998. Provides a succinct discussion on the current definition of security.
Chalk, Peter, Non-military security and global order, Macmillan Press Ltd, London,
2000. A key text covering the new challenges posed by NTSI.
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35
Day, Carla, ‘Dangerous new liaisons’: political non-state actors, rogue regimes and
official corruption: a 21st Century risk to State Security’, 2002, [808.02 Day], ADC –
DLS. Not yet read. May be useful particularly on the aspect of making policy to
deal with non-state actors.
DFAT White Paper, Advancing the National Interest, Australian Government
Publishing Service, Canberra, 2003. Provides Government policy toward NTSI and
the seriousness with which it is being considered.
Defence White Paper, Defence 2000, Australian Government Publishing Service,
Canberra, 2000. Provides Government policy on the extent to which Defence is
considering and involved in addressing NTSI issues.
Dickens, D., ‘The human face of security: Asia – Pacific perspectives’, Strategic and
Defence Studies Centre, ANU, Canberra, 2002. Recent and relevant collection of
articles on NTSI.
Dupont, Alan, ‘Transformation or stagnation? rethinking Australia’s defence’, 2003, [P
355.033094 AUS / 374], Nowra –DLS (11) Challenging article on the need for
Defence to better balance its responsibilities toward traditional and non traditional
security challenges.
Dupont, Alan, East Asia imperilled: transnational challenges to security, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, 2001. A key text. Provides a balanced and
informative consideration of the types and significance of NTSI. Good endnotes, if
a little dated.
Dupont, Alan, ‘Regional security concerns into the 21st Century’ in Ciccarelli, John
(ed.), Transnational crime: a new security threat?, Canberra, The Australian Defence
Studies Centre, 1996. Dated but a good introduction to the topic.
Hope Royal Commission, Not yet read. Hoping this will provide a good overview
on the Government security apparatus and its strengths and weaknesses.
Jane’s International Review, 13:1, 2001, pp 46-49. Concise article on NTSI.
McFarlane John., Platypus, AFP Magazine, Canberra, 1996. Prescient call to re-assess
Australia’s traditional approach to security in post cold war circumstances.
Molloy, I.,(ed.), ‘The Eye of the cyclone: issues in Pacific security’, Pacific Island
Political Studies Association, Queensland, 2004. Several useful articles from the
South Pacific perspective.
Simon, S., (ed.), ‘The many faces of Asian security’, Rowman and Littlefield, Oxford,
2001. Good from the regional perspective.
Tan A. and Boutin, J., Non traditional security issues in Southeast Asia, Select
Publishing, Singapore, 2001. Useful on the regional perspective. Some good
discussion on the tension between realist thinking and NTSI. Not a lot about
Australia.
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36
US Department of Defense, Conference Report: ‘Transnational Security Threats in
Asia’, Hawaii, Asia Pacific Centre 1999. Good summary of the types of NTSI.
Chapter 2: Transnational Crime and Australia
This Chapter investigates the growing significance of transnational crime (TNC) to
Australia’s security. Initially it considers global developments and draws overseas
comparisons. It describes the main types of TNC and how they threaten Australia and
its region. Chapter 2 seeks to project the growing impact of TNC on Australia out ten
years. Although TNC is considered to be primarily the concern of the Australian
Federal Police, the ADF is expected to have a significant supporting role on and off
shore in dealing with TNC. Given the success of the Solomons intervention, this may
be a growing requirement in the Pacific over the next decade. While terrorism is an
NTSI in its own right, one aspect – the link between TNC and terrorism will be
considered. In particular, extant interagency cooperation and mechanisms will be
reviewed to consider if they provide a suitable model for interagency cooperation on
other NTSI. Chapter 2 also looks briefly at the impact of crime as a threat to ADF
effectiveness and on the development of bilateral and multilateral relations with other
militaries. Finally, observation will be made on the proactive, alliance initiatives being
taken by the AFP to engage TNC. This observation will be expanded in Chapter 4 in
regard to inter-agency cooperation.
Literature
Books by Ciccarelli (Transnational Crime: a New Security Threat), DuPont (East Asia
Imperilled), Chalk (Grey Area Phenomenon in Southeast Asia: Piracy, Drug Trafficking
and Political Terrorism) and several articles by McFarlane (SDSC Working Papers No
335, 341, 370) are key items. Clearly TNC is of great concern for proponents of both
traditional and human security. While there is good coverage of TNC in East Asia the
links into Australia are less well covered. A report by McDermid prepared for the
Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Population in 2001 (Transnational Crime in
the context of National Security) appears promising although it understandably takes a
police rather than ADF perspective on the issue. The AFP library provided a large
amount of unclassified AFP material through its quarterly magazine Platypus, police
news and more scholarly articles in the International Police Review. These should
provide evidence into the extent of the problem and the likely emergent threat in the
next ten years.
While TNC is an acknowledged human security problem for Australia, it is harder to
prove that it presents a direct threat to national security aside from the links of TNC to
terrorist organisations in East Asia. However, as was apparent in the Solomons, TNC
may be a cause for Pacific Island instability. In such circumstances an Australian
response will be required and Defence can expect to be a significant contributor in any
response. Molloy’s book on Pacific Security Issues, along with Defence and AFP
publications and course members material on the lessons of the Solomons Islands
intervention are useful on this aspect. Interviews with the principals of the AFP
Transnational Crime Centre may assist in identifying further material relevant to the
projected response by Whole of Government, the AFP and ADF to TNC over the next
decade.
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Chapter 2 Annotated Bibliography
Arlacchi, P., ‘A new tool to fight crime: the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organised Crime’, Palermo, Dec 2000. Outlines that the significance of
the issue has led to a coordinated global effort against organised crime.
AFP Annual Report 2001 –2002, Canberra, 2003. Useful in establishing the functions
of the AFP.
Attorney General Department Annual Report 2001 – 2002, APGS, Canberra, 2003.
Provides insight into the policy and activity of the Attorney General’s Department
in relation to crime.
Berdal, Mats and Serrano, Monica,(ed.), Transnational organised crime and
international security: business as usual?, 2002, [364.106 TRA] Useful coverage of
the main considerations.
Chalk, Peter, ‘Grey area pheromones in Southeast Asia: piracy, drug trafficking and
political terrorism’ Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence, No 123, Canberra
Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, 1997. Strong article on the difficulty of
meeting this NTSI through traditional security paradigms.
Chalk, Peter, ‘Heroin and Cocaine: a Global Threat’. Jane’s Intelligence Review
Special Report, No 18, London, Jane’s Information group, 1998. Information on
another aspect of TNC.
Ciccarelli (ed.), ‘Transnational Crime: A New Security Threat’, The Australian Defence
Studies Centre, Canberra, 1996. Dated but a good introduction to the topic. An
important text that emphasises the significance of the link between the crime and
security.
Dupont, Alan, ‘Drugs, ‘Transnational crime and security in East Asia’, Strategic and
Defence Studies Centre Working Paper, No 328, ANU, Canberra, 1998. An early
article that outlines the key issues from a regional perspective.
Graycar, A. et al., Global and regional approaches to fighting transnational crime,
Adelaide, 2001. Valuable in highlighting the tangible effects of transnational crime
on Australia.
Journal of the Australian Federal Police, Platypus : (various articles from 1999 to 2004
including: No 58 Mar 1998, No 59 Jun 1998, No 63 Jun 1999, No 65 Dec 1999, No 69
Dec 2000, No 70 Mar 2001, No 71 Jun 2001, No 73 Dec 2001, No 75 Jun 2002, No 80
Oct 2003, and No 81 Dec 03, Canberra, 1996 –2004. Provides insight and case studies
into a variety of criminal aspects and their impact on Australia. Highlights
proactive AFP responses and the need for inter-agency and international
cooperation on these issues.
McDermid Rian, ‘Transnational crime in the context of national security: implications
for Australia’, Report prepared for the Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and
Population, Canberra, July 2001. A key text. Provides a useful structure for the
discussion of crime within a broader security context. Excellent on Australian
Government and agency structure and activity. Recommends responses that could
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be undertaken, albeit from a policing perspective.
bibliography.
38
Valuable annotated
McFarlane, John, ‘Organised crime and terrorism in the Asia- Pacific Region: the reality
and the response’ Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Working Paper, No 370, ANU,
Canberra, July 2002. Excellent article describing not only criminal activity in the
region but outlining practical responses to address the issue.
McFarlane, John, ‘The Asian Financial Crisis: corruption, cronyism and organised
crime’ Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Working Paper, No 341, ANU, Canberra,
1999. Thematic article addressing often overlooked aspects of criminality. Dealing
with corrupt Defence and Police Forces is an issue for ADF attempts at
multilateral cooperation on NTSI.
McFarlane, John. and Karen McLennan, Transnational Crime : the new security
paradigm, [P 355.033094] ADC – DLS. Prescient article that clearly established
TNC as a key NTSI that must be addressed.
McFarlane, J., ‘Transnational crime and illegal immigration in the Asia-Pacific Region:
background, prospects and countermeasures’ Strategic and Defence Studies Centre
Working Paper No 335, ANU, Canberra, July 1999. A pertinent article of value to
discussions in both this chapter and the chapter on illegal migration.
‘Transnational Criminal Activity in the South Pacific’, Jane’s International Review,
Vol 14, No 9, Sep 2002, pp 30-1. Useful article that covers the South Pacific
perspective.
‘Legislative Guide for the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised
Crime’, International Centre for Criminal Law Reform, Vancouver, Mar 2003.
Provides information on the Convention against Organised Crime, includes
definitions.
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and Protocols
thereto’. Covers the Convention and attached protocols that need guide national
responses to Organised Crime.
Chapter 3: Illegal Immigration and Australian Border Security
This Chapter looks at illegal immigration within the Region and its potential impact on
Australia. In particular it draws out the disproportionate sensitivity of Australia and
Australian Governments to border security issues and illegal immigration. Books by
Burke (In Fear of Security) and articles by Acherson appear useful in this regard.
Although DIMIA and Customs have the lead on illegal immigration, clearly a
coordinated whole of government response is needed and Defence is expected to play a
significant role. DIMIA primary documents, and secondary demography and population
growth material establish that Australia like other nations will face increasing pressure
as East Asian nations modernise and prosper in the next 10 years. Australia’s particular
sensitivity to border incursions will continue. As even small numbers of illegal migrants
are a domestic political issue Defence is likely to get caught up in any Government
response. This is particularly so for the Navy. The impact of these ongoing
commitments on Defence is investigated. Chapter 3 concludes that there is a need for a
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39
coordinated whole of government response based on a comprehensive view of border
security. This will require a greater level of inter-agency cooperation.
Literature
Again material by DuPont, McFarlane, and AFP sources are relevant. Articles by
Loescheer, Boswell, from the International Criminal Police Review, Jane’s Intelligence
Review and internet articles provide the more global perspective of immigration as a
NTSI. DIMIA reports on Population Flows, and Border Protection provide useful
Australian statistical information but are cautious about projections. Some of this
material may require interviews with DIMIA officials to update. A key aspect in these
statistics is how small is the number of unauthorised boat arrivals when compared with
the number of overstayers and illegals arriving by air – yet it is the border security
against boats that is attracting a major ADF effort. This issue of proportionality is
raised by several authors. The recent book by Andreas Schloenhardt (Migrant
Smuggling: Organised Crime in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region) offers a detailed
and well researched account that includes UN and other efforts to address the issue and
considers the way ahead. It has a very detailed bibliography of recent and pertinent
articles. Anecdotal evidence on the rising significance of people smuggling is provided
in a number of articles in Platypus from 1998 to 2004. Defence articles provide a good
summary of ADF, particularly RAN commitment to border security. From these
articles it is possible to reflect on the consequences of sustaining this rate of effort as a
long term commitment. In this regard, further research, including interviews, is
required with key RAN, ADF and Coastwatch personnel. A comparison of ADF, AFP,
Immigration and Coastwatch documents will enable conclusions to be drawn on the
relative importance of the issue to each agency and the amount of resources committed
by them to it.
Chapter 3 Annotated Bibliography
Abeyratne, R., ‘Smuggling of illegal migrants by air – air carrier liability’, Air and
Space, 2000, pp 148 – 158. Provides material to compare with smuggling by boat.
AFP Platypus, No. 64 Oct 1999; No. 68 Sep 2000; No 75 Jun 2002; No 80 Oct 2003. A
variety of short articles covering various aspects of the link between crime and
migration. Includes case study material.
AFP Annual Report, Canberra,(ACT). Published annually. Provides description of
AFP policy and activity on this issue.
AFP ‘Organised Crime Aspect of People Smuggling into Australia’, Canberra,
unclassified version, 1998. Dated but provides the structure of the AFP approach to
the issue.
Archavanitkul, K. and Guest, P., ‘Managing the flow of migration: regional
approaches’, Nakhonpathom (Thailand), Institute of Population and Social Research,
Mahidol University, 1999. Dated but promises a useful comparison of approaches.
‘Australia confronts illegal immigration’, Janes Intelligence Review; Vol 16, no 2, Feb
2004, [JIN-0091] Cadre in Canberra, pp51 –53. A pithy summary of the issue.
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40
Prime Minister’s Coastal Surveillance Task Force Report, Canberra, Department of
Prime Minister and Cabinet, June 1999. Gives insights into Government views on
border security.
Boswell, C., ‘The external dimension of EU immigration and asylum policy’.
Considers the issue of illegal immigration from a European perspective.
CSCAP Working Group on Transnational Crime, Sub-Group on People Smuggling,
People Smuggling: Linkages to Transnational Crime, Identity Fraud and Terrorism,
2002. Provides evidence of multilateral cooperation in addressing this problem.
Defence White Paper: Defence 2000, AGPS, Canberra 2000. Provides the Defence
policy position in regard to involvement border security and migration.
DIMIA, Population Flows: Immigration Aspects, Belconnen (ACT),2000 Edition, 2001.
Provides excellent statistics and summarises the Governments policy and annual
activity on migration. Data, including that on its web site, is a little dated and will
need interviews to get the latest information.
DIMIA, Population Flows: Immigration Aspects, 2001 Edition, Canberra, 2002.
Comments as for 2000 Annual Report. See above. Enables comparison of an
immigration trend.
DIMIA, Protecting the Border: Immigration Compliance, 2000 Edition, Canberra,
2001. Very focused on border security. Again – great statistics but even the web
site needs updating to 2003 /2004 statistics.
DIMIA Fact Sheet 74: Unauthorised Arrivals by Air and Sea (15 Oct 2002)
www.immi.gov. au/ facts/index.htm. Provides useful statistical data.
Dupont, Alan., ‘Unregulated population flows in East Asia: a new security’ Pacific
Review, 9/1, 1997. Useful starting point for tracking the main considerations of the
issue.
Lewis, Anthony., Effective Surveillance and interdiction? : an evaluation of policy
failure in Canberra’s response to illegal fishing and immigration in Australia’s
northern waters., 2004, [R 333.9164150994 EFF] Nowra – DLS. Useful coverage of
Australian responses.
‘People smuggling as an increasingly crucial factor in transnational organised crime’,
The Indonesian Quarterly, Vol 30, No 2, Second Quarter, 2002, pp 146 –157.
Reinforces consideration of migration as an activity that has source, transit and
host countries. It also reinforces that single country initiatives and legislation are
fated to be an incomplete solution. International cooperation and coordinated
action is essential.
McFarlane, John., Transnational crime and illegal immigration in Asia – Pacific
Region: background, prospects and countermeasures, 1999, [P 355.033094 AUS] ADC
– DLS. Excellent article showing the link between crime and migration. It looks
forward and proposes relevant preventative measures that might be taken.
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41
McFarlane, John, Torres Strait: policing the open border, 1998, [P 341.4480916476
TOR] CANB –DLS Russell. Raises cooperation with PNG which may be an aspect
of international cooperation worthy of specific ADF consideration.
Schloenhardt, A., Migrant smuggling: organised crime in Australia and the Asia Pacific
region, Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, 2003. Superb reference. Excellently
researched and very focused to my interests. Excellent statistical data. Considers
the future and contains a detailed bibliography. A key text.
Tailby, R., ‘Organised crime and people smuggling / trafficking to Australia’ Trends
and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 2001, pp1-6. Relevant summary.
UN Centre for International Crime Prevention: Global Programme against Trafficking
in Human Beings: An Outline for Action, Vienna: UNODCCP, 1999. A little dated but
outlines a global response to the issue.
UNHCR: ‘2000 Global Refugee Trends: Analysis of the 2000 Provisional UNHCR
Population Statistics’, Geneva, UNHCR, May 2001. Requires update but reinforces
the significance of migration as a global issue.
Chapter 4: Military as Law Enforcers?
Chapter 4 draws on conclusions from the two studies of transnational crime and illegal
migration to discuss the implications for Australia and the ADF in the next ten years. In
particular it seeks out whether the Australian Government has a comprehensive vision
of security or a compartmented one. Whether there is a coordinated approach to
security issues or a disaggregated approach and what needs to be done to position
Australia to meet the NTSI challenges of the next decade. The Chapter focuses on
Australia's whole of government approach and its implications for the ADF. Several
primary Government documents exist to spell out the formal Agency positions
including various Defence and DFAT White Papers and AFP Vision statements.
Generally they reveal that the responses are evolving, fractured and still immature. The
Chapter concludes that there is much scope to reinforce the need for a proactive
complimentary and cooperative WOG approach.
Literature
The article by Clarke Jones (Military as Law Enforcers? Coming to terms with the New
Security Environment) is particularly relevant and has an excellent bibliography.
However, I do not agree with its conclusion that ethos change from warrior to paramilitary is the solution. The monograph by Wing (Refocussing Concepts of Security:
the convergence of military and non-military tasks) is also useful for its exploration of
the challenges and opportunities for civil – military cooperation on NTSI. McFarlane
and Maley’s Civil Police in UN Peace Operations and Wainright’s ASPI publication
Police Join the Front Line provide a good account of AFP involvement and the way this
could be expanded. Importantly all these articles point to the existing possibility of a
clash of agency cultures on NTSI unless a coordinated WOG approach is proactively
pursued. Various Platypus articles 1998 –2004 point to the proactive approach by the
AFP to NSTI. Defence appears reticent on the issue by comparison. Material on
‘complex warfighting’ by LTCOL Dave Kilcullen will be considered as this provides a
better basis on which to incorporate responses to NTSI. Again, the opportunities for
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42
AFP and ADF cooperation, using examples such as East Timor and Solomons Islands
will be explored particularly through interviews and ADF / AFP publications. The legal
and constitutional constraint of ADF involvement NTSI are well addressed in a Federal
Law Review article by Michael Head. Potential differences with the US approach
within Posse Comitatus are well covered in the article by Bolgiano.
The Chapter concludes that Government needs to lead by expounding a more
comprehensive security concept that includes both traditional and non-traditional
security issues. Material to support this view is limited and some of the originality of
the Paper lies in this area. However, discussions to date have received widespread
agreement on the need to coordinate inter-agency efforts under one comprehensive
security vision provided by Government. Efforts on NTSI need to be coordinated by
PM& C. I understand that Party policy papers on this issue of a whole of government,
coordinated approach are currently being developed. Interviews with key proponents
are anticipated to provide credible supporting evidence. The Chapter ends by
contemplating some of the issues that Defence must address in concert with
Government in relation to NTSI. These include: force structure, doctrine, command and
control, and funding issues. Current defence papers reveal the paucity of the current
ADF response. The Chapter concludes that responses to these issues will be explored in
detail in the compendium Abridged White Paper.
Chapter 4 Annotated Bibliography
Bolgiano, D., ‘Military support of domestic law enforcement: working within posse
comitatus’, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Vol 70 No 12, Dec 2001, pp 16 –24.
Addresses the US example and the relationship / constraint of legislation on the
use of military in regard to NTSI.
Ciccarelli, J. (ed.), ‘Transnational crime : a new security threat?’, Australian Defence
Studies Centre, Canberra 1996. Dated but asks the right questions regarding ADF
involvement with the NTSI issue of organised crime.
Department of Defence: Defence 2000, AGPS, Canberra, 2000. Outlines Government
defence policy and the activity of the ADF.
Dupont, Alan., Transformation or stagnation?: rethinking Australia’s defence, 2003, [P
355.033094 AUS / 374], Nowra –DLS (11) Challenging article on the need for
Defence to better balance its responsibilities toward traditional and non traditional
security challenges.
Gibbings, T. et al., ‘Interagency operations centres: an opportunity we can’t ignore’,
Parameters, Winter 1998, 99-112, http://carlislewww.army.mil/usawc/parameters/98winter, Not yet read but could support one
response that needs earnest consideration.
Head, M., ‘The military call out legislation – some legal and constitutional questions’,
Federal Law Review, Vol 29 No 2, 2001, pp 273-294. Considers the legal and
jurisdictional issues.
Kelly, M.., ‘Enforcing laws – is there a growing role for the military’, Australian
Security in a New Era: Reform or Revolution?, Special Report No 5, Australian
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43
Defence Studies Centre, Canberra, pp 42 – 46. Useful article focussed on the role of
the ADF in NSTI.
Keelty, M., ‘Transnational crime, police peacekeeping operations and Asia-Pacific
security’ in Platypus No 70, Canberra, June 2001.
Insight into the AFP
Commissioner’s views on agency responses to NTSI.
McFarlane, J., ‘Enforcing laws: is there a role for the military?’ Australian Criminal
Intelligence Digest, Canberra, August 1998. Not yet read and a little dated but the
question is right on the money!
McFarlane, John and Maley, William, ‘Civilian police in United Nations peace
operations: some lessons learned from recent Australian experience’, Australian
Defence Studies Centre, Working Paper No 64, Canberra, 2001. A key text. Looks at
the responses needed albeit from a policing perspective.
Jones, Clarke, ‘Military as law enforcers?: Coming to terms with the new security
environment’, Australian Defence Studies Centre, Working Paper No 64, Canberra,
2002. A key text. Good discussion of the issues although I believe the conclusions
on changing military ethos are wrong.
‘What does the public think?: about the effectiveness of Australia’s offshore
surveillance and interdiction effort’, Maritime Studies; No 124, May-June 2002, pp 1-13
[MST-0013] Cadre in Cerberus. Evidence of ADF involvement in NTSI.
‘Hotch potch coastwatch’, Bulletin with Newsweek, Vol 117, No 6201, 23 Nov 99, pp
46-7, [9904571] Cadre – Russell. Evidence of ADF involvement in NTSI.
Smith, P., ‘Transnational security threats and state survival: a role for the military?’
Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, Carlisle, 2000. Considers the issue
from a US perspective.
‘Transnational security threats and state survival: a role for the military?’, Parameters;
Autumn, 2000, pp77-91. [9909729] Cadre in Russell. Suspected duplicate previously
commented on. Should be useful.
Wing, I., ‘Refocussing concepts of security: the convergence of military and nonmilitary tasks’ Land Warfare Studies Centre, Working Paper No 111, Canberra, Nov
2000. Useful text. Considers some of the responses the ADF might take.
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45
Appendix D: Literature Review -----Example 2
Strategic Assessment Paper – Literature Review
Author/s
Publication Title
Publication Particulars
Application/relevance
Art, Robert J. and Seyom
Brown, Editors
U.S. Foreign Policy: The
Search For A New Role
New York, Macmillan Publishing
Company, 1993
The editors have compiled a range of essays on U.S. foreign
policy, as well as insight into the workings of the US decision
making process and key policy areas, including defense [sic]
and trade policy.
Aylwin-Foster, Nigel R.F.
‘Changing the Army for
Counterinsurgency
Operations’
Military Review, Volume 85,
Issue 6, Nov/Dec 2005, pp. 2-14
An assessment of the US Army’s counterinsurgency
operations and its failures. Aylwin-Foster asserts that the US
Army is ‘rightly, considering adjusting its core focus to
encompass Operations Other Than War, …without
compromising unduly the Army’s existing warfighting preeminence’.
Personal note: Does the ADF face a similar challenge? The
Australian Army structures for regular warfighting. Its
capability acquisitions focus is on transforming the military
into a ‘Hardened, Networked Army’. Does irregular
warfighting have a limited scope within this objective.
Bandow, Doug
‘Seoul Searching:
Ending the U.S.-Korean
Alliance’
The National Interest, Number
81, Fall 2005, pp. 111-116
The author claims that the US-Korean Alliance has outlived its
usefulness. Why? The ROK military capability is
sophisticated and potentially self-reliant. ‘The American
guarantee is turning decisions about South Korea’s defence
over to Washington’. There is a concern that South Korea
may not be able to influence American decision making;
support for America is declining as the older generation dies
and young people think of America’s support for ‘assorted
military dictators’. (p. 115)
45
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Publication Title
46
Publication Particulars
Application/relevance
Barraclough, Geoffrey
An Introduction to
Contemporary History
Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1973
[first published by C.A. Watts,
1964; published in Pelican Books
1967].
Barraclough observes that ‘We live today in a world different,
in almost all its basic preconditions, …’. ‘How have these
changes come about? What are the formative influences and
qualitative differences which are the distinguishing marks of
the contemporary era? These are valuable questions to
ponder.’ (p. 9)
Beeson, Mark
‘American Hegemony:
The View from
Australia’
SAIS Review, vol. XXIII, no. 2,
Summer-Fall 2003, pp. 113-131
Beeson argues inter alia that American economic and strategic
policy is imposing major costs on even its most loyal allies, a
situation that threatens to undermine the legitimacy of, and
support for, U.S. hegemony.
Bell, Coral
‘The Twilight of the
Unipolar World’
The American Interest, Volume 1,
Number 2, Winter 2005, pp. 1829
According to Bell, ‘Those global changes that will prove
decisive, i.e. the current and rapid redistribution of power
internationally, will prove decisive and unstoppable, since
they are based on such ineluctable factors as changing
population weights and economic capacities’. (p. 18)
Bull, Hedley
The Anarchical Society:
A Study of Order in
World Politics
London, Macmillan, 1977
Among other things, Hedley Bull discusses ‘The Balance of
Power and International Order’ (Ch. 5). Of particular interest
is the distinction between dominant balance and subordinate
balance in the world, and the local balances of the Middle
East, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. (pp. 101126)
46
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Publication Title
Publication Particulars
47
Application/relevance
Carr, E.H.
The Twenty Years’ Crisis
1919-1939: An
Introduction to the Study
of International
Relations, with a new
introduction by Michael
Cox.
Palgrave, Houndsmill and New
York, 2001
Carr attended the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919. He found
the negotiations would store up ‘major problems for the
future’. He was proved right when Hitler came to power.
Carothers, Thomas
Aiding Democracy
Abroad: The Learning
Curve
Washington, Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace, 1999
The bottom line—there are no silver bullets when it comes
to ‘spreading’ democracy. Carothers concludes that
‘Democracy aid often falls short in its methods of
implementation. Democracy promoters have failed in many
cases to seek a sophisticated understanding of the societies
in which they work, resting on the misguided idea that their
knowledge of democracy alone is sufficient guide to foster
democracy wherever they go.’ (p. 338)
Cohen, Eliot
‘The US Military After
Iraq: A Speculation’
The RUSI Journal, Volume 151,
Number 1, February 2006, pp. 2022
Cohen is concerned with the effect the Iraq War will have
on the military. He believes that Iraq is going to force the
military to rethink its educational system to prepare the US
military to fight irregular wars.
Commonwealth of
Australia
Advancing the National
Interest: Australia’s
Foreign and Trade
Policy White Paper
Canberra, Commonwealth of
Australia, 2003
An underpinning document that articulates the Australian
Government’s foreign and trade policy.
47
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Publication Title
48
Publication Particulars
Application/relevance
Commonwealth of
Australia
Australia’s National
Security: A Defence Update
2003
Canberra, Commonwealth
of Australia, 2003
An underpinning document that articulates the Australian
Government’s assessment of the changing security
environment.
Commonwealth of
Australia
Australia’s National
Security: A Defence Update
2005
Canberra, Commonwealth
of Australia, 2005.
An Australian Government assessment of the ‘contemporary
strategic environment [that] outlines the Department of
Defence’s contribution to Australia’s whole-of-government
national security policy.’6
Commonwealth of
Australia
Defence 2000: Our Future
Defence Force
Canberra, Commonwealth
of Australia, 2000
An underpinning document that articulates Australia’s
defence policy.
Diamond, Larry and
Leonardo Morlino,
Editors
Assessing the Quality of
Democracy
Baltimore, Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2005
A series of essays that address ‘challenges and problems
confronting both the advanced democracies and those of the
developing and postcommunist worlds’.
Embassy of Australia,
Washington D.C.
Australia and the United
States of America: Issues
for the Clinton
Administration
Washington D.C., Embassy
of Australia, [no
publication date given]
A small booklet outlining a range of issues based on key
themes, such as international security, and geographical
themes, such as the USA and the Asia-Pacific Region’.
Fullilove, Michael
Bush Is From Mars, Kerry
Is From Mars Too: The
Presidential Election and
U.S. Foreign Policy
Sydney, Lowy Institute for
International Policy Issues
Brief, October, 2004
America, whether under Republican or Democrat leadership,
would continue to pursue ‘an assertive foreign policy
involving military force’. With US presidential elections in
2008, should Australia reconsider how it operationalises the
Alliance?
6
Refers to a ‘whole-of-government national security policy’, but, to date, such a policy does not exist in the public domain.
48
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Publication Particulars
Application/relevance
‘Tyranny and Terror: Will
Democracy in the Middle
East Make Us Safer?’
Foreign Affairs, Volume
85, Number 1,
January/February 2006, pp.
65 - 85.
Despite claims by Dobriansky and Crumpton that ‘bringing
democracy to the Middle East is crucial, Gause replies that
democratization in illiberal circumstances can increase the
chances of violence and war. He does not consider the
points made by Dobriansky and Crumpton change any
premises stated in his essay ‘Can Democracy Stop
Terrorism?’ (Foreign Affairs, September/October 2005).
‘A Critic at Large:
Connecting the Dots; The
Paradoxdes of Intelligence
Reform’
The New Yorker, 10 March
2003, pp. 83-88
This article explores, among other things, an unwillingness
by those in authority to give ambiguous answers to decisionmakers.
Gregg, Robert W. and
Charles W. Kegley Jr.
After Vietnam: The Future
of American Foreign Policy
New York, Anchor Books
Doubleday & Company,
1971
Provocative essays re the future of US foreign policy. Cites
the ‘highly volatile situation in the Middle East’ in the
1970s. Observes that ‘today’s diagnosis and prescription are
vulnerable to tomorrow’s headlines’.
Hendrickson, David C
and Robert W. Tucker
‘The Freedom Crusade’
The National Interest,
Number 81, Fall 2005, pp.
12-21
Discusses ‘Bush Doctrine’, freedom and democracy in the
US tradition. Key issues: legitimacy of purpose; US’s right
to use force to achieve US foreign policy.
Heritage Foundation,
The
American Military
Intervention: A User’s
Guide
Washington, D.C., The
Heritage Foundation,
Backgrounder, 1996
This discussion paper observes that the US (in 1996) did not
have guidelines in place to decide ‘where and when
American military intervention is most needed and how it
can be most effective’. The paper also observes that
Congressional and public support were very weak for US
intervention in what it calls ‘peripheral areas of the world’.
Gause, Gregory
Publication Title
49
(Gause replies to a
review essay titled
‘Aiming High’ by Paula
J. Dobriansky and Henry
A. Crumpton)
Gladwell, Malcolm
It highlights the need for advisors and decision-makers to
work confidently together to get the right result.
49
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Publication Title
Publication Particulars
50
Application/relevance
Houck, James P.
‘President’s Address: The
Comparative Advantage of
Agricultural Economics’
The American Journal of
Agricultural Economics,
December 1992, pp 10591065
A discourse on ideas and vocabulary of international trade
analysis, with reference to terms such as comparative
advantage and opportunity cost.
Hubbard, Christopher
Australian and US Military
Cooperation: Fighting
Common Enemies
Hampshire, Ashgate
Publishing, 2005
Contains the text of the ANZUS Treaty, the text of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as chapters
relating to Australia’s shared experiences with the US.
Kagan, Robert
Paradise and Power:
America and Europe in the
New World Order
London, Atlantic Books,
2003
‘Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus.’
This is the phrase that Kagan uses to describe the USEuropean relationship, which begins the explanation of why
the relationship remains tense, especially with regard to the
Iraq War of 2003.
Limaye, Satu P., Editor
Special Assessment: AsiaPacific Responses to U.S.
Security Policies
Asia-Pacific Center for
Security Studies, U.S.
Pacific Command, the U.S.
Department of Defense,
March 2003
This assessment reflects two key considerations: first, the
perspectives of regional countries about U.S. security
policies; and, second, to explore U.S. relations with the
Asia-Pacific.
Lyon, Rod and William
Tow
The Future of the
Australian-U.S. Security
Relationship
Carlisle, Strategic Studies
Institute, U.S. Army War
College, December 2003.
The Australian–US alliance is undergoing major transitions.
This explores Australia’s past and present role re the
ANZUS Treaty and how such transitions will influence the
Australian-US security relationship.
Meadows, Donella,
Jorgen Randers and
Dennis Meadows
Limits to Growth: The 30Year Update
White River Junction,
United States, Chelsea
Green Publishing, May
2004
If poverty is one source of friction, and if state building
needs to be an objective of the 21st century, then trade
inequities need to be addressed. Limits to Growth outlines a
number of scenarios for consideration.
50
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Mearsheimer, John J.
Publication Title
‘Realism is Right’
Publication Particulars
The National Interest,
Number 81, Fall 2005, p.
10 (Comments &
Responses)
See also Mearsheimer’s
lecture: ‘The position that
Morgenthau would have
taken on the Iraq War’:
www.opendemocracy.net
51
Application/relevance
Mearsheimer asserts ‘that Iraq has turned into a debacle for
the United States, which is powerful evidence…that the
realists were right and the neoconservatives were wrong’.
The point of his assertion is to refute claims that Realists
‘dislike democracy’. He contends that Realists know how
difficult it is to spread democracy, ‘especially by military
means’.
Morgenthau, Hans J.,
revised by Kenneth W.
Thompson
Politics Among Nations:
the Struggle for Power and
Peace
New York, McGraw-Hill,
Sixth Edition, 1985
US is being called, in some circles, the new imperial
power—not a comfortable concept for it. This revised
edition of Morgenthau’s work provides an updated look at
international politics, including the theory and practice of
international politics and, of particular interest, the
limitations of national power within an international law
framework.
Narlikar, Amrita
The World Trade
Organization: A Very Short
Introduction
New York, Oxford
University Press, 2005
An overview of the creation and evolution of the WTO.
Some insights into international trade relations.
Neuchterlein, Donald E.
America Overcommitted:
United States National
Interests in the 1980s
Kentucky, The University
Press of Kentucky, 1985
Neuchterlein observes that the most divisive foreign policy
issue with the US was Central America. When the US
invaded Grenada in October 1983, ‘the real issue was
whether the American public and Congress were willing to
permit the President to use strong measures’. His book
explores a number of key issues, including national interest
as a basis of foreign policy formulation.
51
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Publication Title
52
Publication Particulars
Application/relevance
Nye, Joseph S, Jr.,
Editor
The Making of America’s
Soviet Policy
New Haven, Yale University Press,
1984
A comprehensive look at the actors, the issues, the
historical record and, finally, policy conclusions.
The general principles underlying material in each
chapter is still relevant more than twenty years later.
Pillar, Paul R.
Terrorism and U.S. Foreign
Policy
Washington, The Brookings
Institution, 2001
Pillar observes that counter-terrorist policy
intersects with broader U.S. foreign policy in
numerous ways. Nevertheless, it is Pillar’s assertion
that ‘Whatever the United States does to try to curb
terrorism, it must do while upholding other
important national objectives’.
[Washington?], Office of the
Director of National Intelligence,
United States of America, October
2005.
US national intelligence agencies are set to become
more unified, coordinated, and effective. Australia
too must address the use of intelligence in its
decision-making processes.
Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb 2000,
retrieved 20 February 2006,
<http://www.foreignaffairs.org/200
00101faessay5/condoleezzarice/campaign-2000-pr>
Written when Rice was foreign policy adviser to the
then Republican presidential candidate, George W.
Bush. Since then, the policy framework that she
articulates has changed (evolved) several times, thus
creating ambiguity in US international relations.
Office of the Director of The National Intelligence
National Intelligence,
Strategy of the United
United States of America States of America:
Transformation through
Integration and Innovation
Rice, Condoleezza
‘Campaign 2000:
Promoting the National
Interest’
52
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Thirwell, Mark P.
Publication Title
Revaluing the Renminbi: A
Case of ‘Déjà vu All Over
Again?’
Publication Particulars
East Sydney, Lowy Institute for
International Policy, Issues Brief,
November 2003
53
Application/relevance
According to Thirwell, ‘There are strong parallels
between today’s US-China tensions over trade, and
US-Japan economic relations in the 1980s’. But he
concludes there are also differences.
The most important lesson from the Asian Financial
Crises is the propensity of American intervention in
currency markets.
Thirwell, Mark P.
The Australia-United States
Free Trade Agreement: A
Preliminary Assessment
East Sydney, Lowy Institute for
International Policy, Issues Brief,
February 2004
Thirwell provides a preliminary assessment of the
benefits that Australia will derive from the FTA
with the US. From the perspective of my paper, it is
of interest that ‘political and security benefits’ are
linked to the agreement. Indeed, the bilateral trade
agreement with the US has become the fifth pillar of
the ANZUS Treaty.
Tow, William and
Russell Trood (with
assistance from Brendan
McRandle, ASPI)
Power Shift: Challenges for
Australia in Northeast Asia
Barton, Australian Strategic Policy
Institute, June 2004.
Among other things, the authors explore matters
concerning the Australia-US alliance in Northeast
Asia. According to them, the ‘key challenge in
Australia’s ability to engage Northeast Asia through
the nexus of the alliance lies in managing and
adjusting to America’s often confusing policy
approaches to the region’. (p. 23)
53
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
54
Publication Title
Publication Particulars
Application/relevance
United States
Department of Defense
Quadrennial Defense
Review Report February 6,
2006
http://www.defenselink.mil./pubs/p
dfs/QDR20060203.pdf [accessed
Wednesday 8 March 2006]
QDR ‘reflects a process of change that has gathered
momentum since the release of its predecessor QDR
in 2001…[it] provide[s] a roadmap for change,
leading to victory.’ The ‘operationalisation’ of the
QDR has implications for the Australia-US alliance.
White House, The
National Security Strategy
of the United States of
America
Washington, The White House, 16
March 2006
Sets out intentions of the Bush Administration to
‘advance American interests, enhance global
security, and expand global liberty and prosperity’.
Its operation affects the Australian-US relationship.
Correspondence
commenting on the essay
written by John
Birmingham titled: ‘A Time
For War’
Quarterly Essay, Issue 21, 2006,
pp. 70-72
White, Hugh
(George W. Bush’s second term
National Security Strategy)
White writes that ‘Birmingham shows very well
[that] the pendulum has swung back, and military
operations are again seen by Western governments
to be sensible and legitimate instruments of policy
in a wide range of circumstances…Armed force
again became central to Australia’s international
posture, and the army regained its place a central
national institution. And the War on Terror has
reinforced these trends – at least until Iraq.’ (p. 71)
The dilemma: should Australian armed forces
undertake armed interventions in other countries in
order to fix their internal problems?
54
Deakin University: Course Guide for Master of Arts (Strategic Studies)
Author/s
Zakheim, Dov. S.
Publication Title
Blending Democracy: The
Generational Project in the
Middle East
Publication Particulars
The National Interest, Number 81,
Fall 2005, pp. 40-48
55
Application/relevance
Discusses the democratic process and its application
in the Middle East. Highlights the election of
Hamas in the Palestinian elections, and the
democratically-elected Iranian president,
Ahmadinejad. Both are the result of the democratic
process, yet some would say these are not good
results.
55