On 26 September, the German public will go the polls to vote, and Angela Merkel will stand down as chancellor after 16 years. What is next for Germany and its foreign policy?

This week in Australian foreign affairs: AUKUS, AUSMIN 2021, MIKTA statement on multilateralism, and more.

Europe may feel slighted by AUKUS. It’s only because Donald Trump’s lack of seriousness gave so many Europeans an excuse to avoid thinking about their own declining relevance in a future centred on the Asia-Pacific.

Bangladesh’s potential to be a much more significant trade and investment partner for Australia is real. In the eyes of many Australians, including in the business community, Bangladesh has an outdated and incomplete image.

The India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The outcome also has greater geopolitical consequences for the Indo-Pacific.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha faces ongoing public protests, poor approval ratings, and a third wave of COVID-19 that has battered the country since April. If the government is unable to ease restrictions and open for travel in October, Prayut may not have the option to remain in office.

Osama Bin Laden saw himself as the architect of a plan to defeat the West. The strategic goals he set forth in his war with the West have largely been achieved.

The demise of the Attack-class submarine paves the way for greater Anglosphere maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Replacing the Attack-class with a nuclear-propelled submarine signals a new regional challenge to China.

The AUKUS agreement enhances military cooperation, specifically in the realm of nuclear submarine technology. This new forum also presents an opportunity for trilateral climate security collaboration.

Key players that will manage Afghanistan in the foreseeable future are the Taliban interim government, the UN, other international organisations, and neighbours Pakistan, China, Russia, and Iran. The US has continuing interests, primarily countering any resurgent threat of transnational terrorism from within Afghanistan.