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The Kestrel Papers is a compilation of essays written by a number of young military professionals who have endeavoured to study air power in detail

A diverse range of responses to the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, including military, diplomatic, economic and social measures, is already being pursued against the organisation primarily responsible, the Al Qaeda network, and its sponsors, and will be extended in the future. This paper is concerned with military responses.Two aspects of the war against terrorism as demonstrated by the American-led military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban demand the serious attention of responsible officials.

This paper analyses how global factors may influence the Australian national security policy and framework. It addresses Australia’s outlook after the end of the Cold War and its initial conceptualisation of the ‘New World Order’. In looking at what happened to the New World Order, it attempts to identify where Australia fits in to the new global security paradigm. The paper goes on to assess the salient issues of the New World Order, such as globalisation and ethno-nationalism, that Australian policymakers need to address in their decision-making in the next decade. In doing so, it identifies the specific characteristics of globalisation and ethno-nationalism that Australian security planners need to comprehend in order to participate effectively in global security dynamics.The exigencies of Australia’s security are also briefly addressed in the context of the changes to the international order this decade. The paper also briefly situates Australia’s position in regard to its critical bilateral alliance with the United States and its relationships in the region.