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Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services BACKGROUND NOTE 9 May 2013 It’s complicated: a timeline of Australia-Iran relations in a historical perspective Nina Markovic Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Section Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Timeline of Australia-Iran relations before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions ................................................................................................................................................ 1 Pre

MARCH 1, 2013 The 2013 Italian general election: a new source of European instability? Source: Italian Parliament The Italian general election took place on 24-25 February with the lowest voter turnout since the 1950s (under 75 per cent) and did not produce a clear parliamentary majority. It has left Italy

Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services BACKGROUND NOTE 25 October 2012 Australia’s evolving relationship with the European Union: an update Nina Markovic Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Section Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations .................................................................................................. 3 Key areas of common interest ............................................................................................................ 5 The Treaty of

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 2012 APEC meeting in Russia: a success for Australia Image source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The 2012 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit was held on 8-9 September in Vladivostok, the Russian Far East. Russia hosted 21 member countries at the summit and in

  DECEMBER 6, 2011 New autonomous sanctions against Iran On 6 December 2011 the Australian Government announced its intention to impose additional sanctions against Iran, ‘targeting additional entities and individuals for their involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs’. This follows the introduction on 21 November by the governments

    JUNE 29, 2011 Turkish parliamentary election of 12 June 2011 On 12 June 2011 the Republic of Turkey, with a population of 78 million people, held its 17th general election in which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured a third consecutive term in

  MARCH 24, 2011 Libya and the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973 The wave of protests sweeping across the Middle East in recent months has seen demands for democratic reforms and regime change in several countries, including Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain. However, Libya quickly became the focus

          Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services BACKGROUND NOTE  17 December 2010 NATO’s new Strategic Concept and issues for Australia  Nina Markovic  Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Section  Contents  Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1  NATO’s new Strategic Concept: rationale and key issues ........................................................................ 2  Rationale ........................................................................................................................................ 2  Key issues ....................................................................................................................................... 4  Australia’s recent engagement with NATO.............................................................................................. 5  Issues for Australia ......................................................................................................................... 8    NATO’s new Strategic Concept and issues for Australia  1  Introduction  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) finds itself at a strategic crossroads, as it moves to  the next stage in development of its strategic outlook for the forthcoming decade.1 From a trans‐ Atlantic military alliance, formed in 1949 under United States (US) leadership to deter an attack from  the Soviet Union during the Cold War, NATO has evolved into a collective security mechanism that  now includes post‐Communist states. Over the past decade, NATO embarked on a process of  structural and operational reforms towards increasing its political and military capabilities to  respond to challenges from state and non‐state actors, and more recently, in cyber‐space.2 Contrary  to what many analysts predicted at the end of the Cold War NATO has not become redundant.  Currently, its key operations—to which Australia also contributes—are the International Stabilisation  Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan (authorised by the United Nations), and its anti‐piracy  mission, Operation Ocean Shield, in the Horn of Africa.3   The 24th NATO Summit in Lisbon on 19-20 November 2010 was described by the NATO Secretary  General Anders Fogh Rasmussen as ‘the most important summit in NATO’s history’.4 Twenty‐eight  Heads of State/Government—including Australia’s closest military allies, the US and the United  Kingdom (UK)—have endorsed NATO’s new Strategic Concept, which is NATO’s core strategic and  operational document.5 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defence Minister Stephen Smith  attended the Lisbon Summit, the outcomes of which will have long‐reaching implications for NATO  and its field missions.6  Amongst other things (such as providing guidance to NATO members on defence and capabilities  reform), the new Strategic Concept extends the content and depth of the Alliance’s formal and  informal exchanges with partner countries and institutions worldwide. These include former geo‐ political ‘adversaries’, such as Russia; organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the