Kim Heriot-Darragh
@kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social
Researcher, Australia India Institute. Non-Resident Fellow at Council for Strategic and Defense Research. Interested in defence, strategy and international law. https://substack.com/@kimheriotdarragh
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
#Myanmar’s junta just concluded the third phase of its deeply unfair and unrepresentative elections, manufactured to ensure the military’s continued political control. I wrote about the sham elections for @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org’s Ballot Box series here: asiasociety.org/policy-insti...
Military Elections Will Not Resolve Myanmar’s Deeper Problems
Dr. Hunter Marston analyzes Myanmar's election process and post-election scenarios.
asiasociety.org
January 27, 2026 at 12:17 AM
#Myanmar’s junta just concluded the third phase of its deeply unfair and unrepresentative elections, manufactured to ensure the military’s continued political control. I wrote about the sham elections for @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org’s Ballot Box series here: asiasociety.org/policy-insti...
Happy Republic Day India. The 26th doesn’t unify Australia in the way it does India. But it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the 🇦🇺🇮🇳 relationship. And on the contributions of Indian Australians. I’m grateful for both.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QoRp...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QoRp...
How to Talk Australians - Episode 6: ‘THE SLACKARSE COUNTRY’
YouTube video by How to Talk Australians
m.youtube.com
January 26, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Happy Republic Day India. The 26th doesn’t unify Australia in the way it does India. But it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the 🇦🇺🇮🇳 relationship. And on the contributions of Indian Australians. I’m grateful for both.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QoRp...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QoRp...
As Teesta Prakash reminds me, I’m a dork and a troglodyte - so no surprise I hadn’t heard of Heated Rivalry. But she and Mikaela Lui make some really important observations, especially for Australia. We haven’t invested in soft power as much as we should.
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
Heated Rivalry: Canada's soft power flex
A hit Canadian TV series showcases everything that’s right about cultural confidence.
www.lowyinstitute.org
January 25, 2026 at 1:27 AM
As Teesta Prakash reminds me, I’m a dork and a troglodyte - so no surprise I hadn’t heard of Heated Rivalry. But she and Mikaela Lui make some really important observations, especially for Australia. We haven’t invested in soft power as much as we should.
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
Tired of playing Atrocity Gotcha, where if you condemn one atrocity you are interrogated about whether you have condemned all atrocities to the precisely correct scale
January 23, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Tired of playing Atrocity Gotcha, where if you condemn one atrocity you are interrogated about whether you have condemned all atrocities to the precisely correct scale
It hardly seems urgent given everything else happening right now. But I’ve seen suggestions online that Australia provokes China with spy planes. Here’s my attempt to ground the conversation a little.
open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
Why does Australia fly 'spy planes' in the South China Sea?
Debate over defence and strategic affairs in Australia is sharpening.
open.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:46 AM
It hardly seems urgent given everything else happening right now. But I’ve seen suggestions online that Australia provokes China with spy planes. Here’s my attempt to ground the conversation a little.
open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
It feels almost redundant to forward on this platform - it’s really twitter that’s awash with bizarre and misleading reports following the attack in Bondi. Still though.
Claims suggesting police "stood down" for 20 minutes after the Bondi Beach shooting began are not supported by video evidence of the terrorist attack.
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no...
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no...
No, police did not 'stand down' for 20 minutes during Bondi Beach attack
Claims suggesting police
www.aap.com.au
December 23, 2025 at 3:43 AM
It feels almost redundant to forward on this platform - it’s really twitter that’s awash with bizarre and misleading reports following the attack in Bondi. Still though.
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
December 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
I’m cringing so hard it hurts.
December 19, 2025 at 4:27 AM
I’m cringing so hard it hurts.
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
A two-year-old clip is being misrepresented to suggest a group of Muslims was filmed in Sydney celebrating the Bondi Beach terror attack.
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ol...
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ol...
Old footage recirculated in misleading Bondi Beach 'celebration' claims
A two-year-old clip is being misrepresented to suggest a group of Muslims was filmed in Sydney celebrating the Bondi Beach terror attack.
www.aap.com.au
December 18, 2025 at 11:23 PM
A two-year-old clip is being misrepresented to suggest a group of Muslims was filmed in Sydney celebrating the Bondi Beach terror attack.
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ol...
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ol...
This is true, I think. Our overuse of jargon can also obscure lazy thinking. And as a corollary, it’s not helpful that the loudest voices expressing concern about China’s military build up are often easy to write off as conservative boomer types. We can do better.
“Australian security discourse is dominated by opaque jargon, dense acronyms, and esoteric language,” writes Molly Jinks in The Interpreter.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/what-student-security-studies-thinks-australia-s-national-strategy
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/what-student-security-studies-thinks-australia-s-national-strategy
What a student of security studies thinks of Australia’s national strategy
The country’s security should be a shared democratic project but the conversations too often sideline the young.
www.lowyinstitute.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:42 AM
This is true, I think. Our overuse of jargon can also obscure lazy thinking. And as a corollary, it’s not helpful that the loudest voices expressing concern about China’s military build up are often easy to write off as conservative boomer types. We can do better.
This is an important point. Rule of law rhetoric matters, but has diminishing returns if it’s the only thing we centre our approach on.
'Just as the Philippines needs to think beyond its transparency campaign, Australia should be careful not to wrap its strategic narrative too tightly around international law. Coercive and destabilising behaviour can still be consistent with international law,' writes Euan Graham.
Reflections from the Manila Dialogue | The Strategist
Last week’s Manila Dialogue demonstrated that the Philippines is far from cowed or isolated in the face of China’s continued bullying in the South China Sea. But it also highlighted the limitations of...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 14, 2025 at 6:00 AM
This is an important point. Rule of law rhetoric matters, but has diminishing returns if it’s the only thing we centre our approach on.
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
A roundup of some of my initial reflections in the media on the new Australia-Indonesia Bilateral Security Treaty.
In short: a really positive development, and frankly, an exciting one. Lots of water to go under the bridge, ofc, but a big step forward in the relationship.
🧵
In short: a really positive development, and frankly, an exciting one. Lots of water to go under the bridge, ofc, but a big step forward in the relationship.
🧵
November 13, 2025 at 11:45 PM
A roundup of some of my initial reflections in the media on the new Australia-Indonesia Bilateral Security Treaty.
In short: a really positive development, and frankly, an exciting one. Lots of water to go under the bridge, ofc, but a big step forward in the relationship.
🧵
In short: a really positive development, and frankly, an exciting one. Lots of water to go under the bridge, ofc, but a big step forward in the relationship.
🧵
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
"Sources at Parliament, who wouldn’t speak on the record for fear of retribution, said the letter ...revealed how China’s government monitors New Zealanders ...they believe China is sending people to spy on events organised by Kiwi supporters of Taiwan."
China scolds Kiwi MPs in a brazen letter that few want to talk about
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...
China scolds Kiwi MPs in a brazen letter that few want to discuss
Sources at Parliament believe China is spying on events related to Taiwan in New Zealand.
www.stuff.co.nz
November 3, 2025 at 5:50 AM
"Sources at Parliament, who wouldn’t speak on the record for fear of retribution, said the letter ...revealed how China’s government monitors New Zealanders ...they believe China is sending people to spy on events organised by Kiwi supporters of Taiwan."
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
Depressing to see that Indian communities in Australia are now being targeted with these phone scams, which have long been a problem for Chinese communities, including international students. This message has been posted on the Indian High Commission's website.
October 31, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Depressing to see that Indian communities in Australia are now being targeted with these phone scams, which have long been a problem for Chinese communities, including international students. This message has been posted on the Indian High Commission's website.
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
Damn bro
October 27, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Damn bro
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
It's such a treat to be an outsider interested in the Philippines — the deeper and deeper you get to know the country the more fascinating it becomes. I hope this conversation helps other Australians get their bearings, especially with a big few years on the horizon.
NEW PODCAST: “The 9pm Bongbong in the Region with Erin Cook” @erincook.bsky.social, so it’s about the Philippines and stuff (1h02m06s) the9pmedict.com/edict/000254/
Look for “The 9pm Edict” in your podcast app.
Like it? Tell your friends and maybe even throw in a tip at the9pmedict.com/tip.
Look for “The 9pm Edict” in your podcast app.
Like it? Tell your friends and maybe even throw in a tip at the9pmedict.com/tip.
October 23, 2025 at 9:22 AM
It's such a treat to be an outsider interested in the Philippines — the deeper and deeper you get to know the country the more fascinating it becomes. I hope this conversation helps other Australians get their bearings, especially with a big few years on the horizon.
This month’s Australia India Institute defence conclave was a chance to explore ideas speculatively - not to predict the future, but to scan what shifts might shape 🇦🇺🇮🇳 defence cooperation over the next five years.
Some interesting themes emerged 👇
Some interesting themes emerged 👇
October 19, 2025 at 11:37 PM
This month’s Australia India Institute defence conclave was a chance to explore ideas speculatively - not to predict the future, but to scan what shifts might shape 🇦🇺🇮🇳 defence cooperation over the next five years.
Some interesting themes emerged 👇
Some interesting themes emerged 👇
Some initial thoughts following the Indian defence minister’s visit to Australia: open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
Quiet confidence: Indian Defence Minister's visit to Australia shows ties are maturing
India’s Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh visited Australia in October - the first such visit since 2013 - and it unsurprisingly drew attention.
open.substack.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Some initial thoughts following the Indian defence minister’s visit to Australia: open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy.
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders Honored for rejecting illegal orders during martial law, Marine death probe
www.chosun.com
September 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy.
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
An important read. It seems like we’re forever warning that Indo-Pacific security is becoming more fraught - but when it comes to equipping Australians to navigate that complexity (by fostering language training among other things), we continually fall short.
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
Complacent nation: Australia and the Asian Century
Decades of ambition have left us with a nation still unable to speak the language of our neighbours.
www.lowyinstitute.org
September 24, 2025 at 7:18 AM
An important read. It seems like we’re forever warning that Indo-Pacific security is becoming more fraught - but when it comes to equipping Australians to navigate that complexity (by fostering language training among other things), we continually fall short.
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
Opinion | I’ve dedicated my career to promoting free speech on college campuses. Here’s why the murder of a red state college dropout by another red state college dropout means it’s time to fire liberal professors in blue states.
September 15, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Opinion | I’ve dedicated my career to promoting free speech on college campuses. Here’s why the murder of a red state college dropout by another red state college dropout means it’s time to fire liberal professors in blue states.
Reposted by Kim Heriot-Darragh
As an Australian-Indian, I’m furious at the racism playing out on a national stage. It is exhausting | Zoya Patel
As an Australian-Indian, I’m furious at the racism playing out on a national stage. It is exhausting | Zoya Patel
It feels like no matter how long we’ve been here, we’re just not enough
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Being an Indian immigrant in Australia is exhausting. The irony that many of us are here because our parents, or their parents, chose this country in their quest for a “better life”, after our own country was decimated by British colonialism, is not lost on me.
My own ancestors were shipped from India by the British to Fiji to work as indentured labourers – ostensibly slaves – on Australian-operated sugar farms in the late 1800s. Multiple generations later, after enduring political and social exclusion in Fiji and being subject to racist rhetoric and political violence, my parents worked insanely hard to find a pathway to Australia, so that their children could escape the cycles of poverty and entrenched disadvantage that they lived through. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
September 10, 2025 at 12:06 AM
As an Australian-Indian, I’m furious at the racism playing out on a national stage. It is exhausting | Zoya Patel
