Sophia Brook

Programme Coordinator for Foreign/Security Policy, Counter-Terrorism and Cybersecurity

Email: sophia.brook@kas.de
Phone: +61 2 6154 9325

Terrorism / Counter-Terrorism

Biography

Sophia Brook is Programme Coordinator for Foreign/Security Policy, Counter-Terrorism and Cybersecurity at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Regional Programme Australia and the Pacific in Canberra. Prior to joining the KAS, she was engaged as Press and Culture Officer at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Canberra.
Her work focusses on Australian foreign policy and security, where she has developed expertise analysing the Australian political landscape, Australian defence and security issues, competition and geostrategic uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific and Australian-German/European relations. Her tertiary education includes a Master of International Relations Degree from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Bremen. Her thesis was a comparative analysis of Australian and German history and culture as expressed in war memory in popular culture. She has lived throughout Germany, Italy and Australia, where she pursued her passion for languages speaking fluent German, English and Italian.

Paper Series

A New Wave? (Volume 3)

Edited by Katja Theodorakis & Sophia Brook

A New Wave? (volume 2)

Edited by Sophia Brook & Katja Theodorakis

A New Wave? (volume 1)

Edited by Katja Theodorakis & Sophia Brook

The Dilemma of Multiculturalism and its Exploitation by Extremists: Insights from the Swedish Perspective

Edited by Sophia Brook & Katja Theodorakis

Digital Lens

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australia’s National Defence Strategy

The Australian government recently released their much-anticipated inaugural biannual National Defence Strategy (NDS) and experts across the country are currently going through the details to evaluate the good and the bad.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

The 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy

Global developments have highlighted that cyber-attacks are accelerating at an ever-increasing pace and that targeting critical infrastructure has become a major part of conflict operations worldwide. In Russia’s war on Ukraine, for example, malicious cyber actors have repeatedly targeted critical communications, energy, health, and transport infrastructure to disrupt systems and destroy supply chains. This included attacks on Ukraine-allied partners like the EU and the US.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Ensuring a stable and productive relationship?

‘Before the election, we said to the Australian people we would work to stabilise the relationship with China without compromising our sovereign interests. And that's what we've done.’ – Foreign Minister Penny Wong

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australia’s ‘No’ Vote Is More Nuanced Than It Appears

It has been two weeks since Australia voted on the Voice to Parliament in what has been described by some as the ‘most important vote since federation’. The result was devastating for the yes campaign, with 60 per cent of voters delivering a resounding no to the proposal. At first glance, this seems to support the no campaign’s claims that Australia and its indigenous peoples did not want constitutional change, but the result is more nuanced than it appears. So, what do the numbers say?

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Foreign Interference Through Social Media

In November 2022, the Australian Senate established the Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media to examine the risk of foreign actors using social media platforms to interfere with democratic processes in Australia. The committee is made up of five full members, including representatives of the Liberal, Labor and Greens parties, and a number of participating (non-voting) members. It is chaired by Liberal Senator James Paterson, a known national security hawk and China critic, with Labor Senator Jess Walsh as Deputy Chair. In March this year, the committee received a briefing from government agencies, in April and July it held a series of public hearings. This week, the committee handed down its final report.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

‘Advancing Australia’s Interests with Germany and NATO’…

...Was the title of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s pre-travel media release for his recent Europe visit. It listed two main agenda items: meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to ‘discuss deepening cooperation between Australia and Germany in a range of areas including trade and investment, the clean energy transition, and defence’ and advocating for this ‘region’s strategic priorities and [advancing] Australia’s security, economic and trade agenda’ at the NATO Leaders’ Summit. In addition, Albanese used the occasion to push for greater efforts to overcome the current obstacles to the successful conclusion of an EU-Australia FTA.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Pivots and Shake-Ups – The Australian Defence Strategic Review

On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles delivered the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) Announcement, releasing the public parts of the DSR, the government’s DSR response and the National Defence Statement 2023.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Understanding the AUKUS Submarine Deal

In a joint statement this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak officially announced the pathway to achieving the first major initiative promised under the 2021 AUKUS deal, Australia acquiring conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs).

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Defining Australia’s Security Landscape – The Director-General’s Annual Threat Assessment 2023

On 21 February, Head of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Mike Burgess delivered the Director-General's Annual Threat Assessment in Canberra. The address is driven by what Burgess calls ‘the triple T’s of Threat, Trust and Team’, aimed at improving awareness, enhancing trust through transparency and recruiting new members.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australia’s Cyber Security Overhaul

‘The increasingly interconnected nature of critical infrastructure exposes vulnerabilities that could result in significant consequences to our security, economy and sovereignty. We need to ensure our critical infrastructure security arrangements keep pace with the evolving threat environment and continue to deliver the essential services we all rely on.’

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

‘Stability and Renewal’? – Prime Minister Changeover in New Zealand

‘I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also one of the more challenging. You cannot, and should not do it unless you have a full tank, plus, a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.’ – Jacinda Ardern

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australia and the Solomon Islands – Walking the Tightrope

Australia’s foreign policy focus post federal election has increasingly been on repairing and enhancing its relations to partners in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in view of recent developments in the aftermath of the AUKUS announcement and its ongoing complicated relationship with China.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Germany’s continued engagement in the Indo-Pacific – The Luftwaffe goes Pitch Black in the Northern Territory

With recent developments in the international politics and security theatre, i.e. the war in Ukraine and events around Taiwan, many a focus has turned once again to the issue of international and national security concerns. Energy security and defence capabilities have held centre stage in the media as well as in political discussions. With China, after heavy sabre rattling in the Taiwan Strait, announcing it would join military exercises in Russia, the question of defence cooperation and multi-national interoperability have been added to the mix.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

The Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) – What does it entail and how was it received?

When things get difficult, focus on the basics. In political terms this usually means defence and economy. With war starting up in Ukraine, two years of the coronavirus pandemic dragging on the economy, and continuing rocky relations with China, the Australian government has made great efforts to boost both its defence spending as well as its economic relations.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Geopolitical Considerations and Disaster Relief – The Future of the ADF

With recent government announcements of plans to expand the Defence Forces and the deployment of the military to assist with flood recovery in Queensland and New South Wales, the future role of the Defence Force in general has become a major topic of discussion in Australia.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Condemnation, Sanctions, Lethal and Non-Lethal Aid and Criticisms – Australian Reactions to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

‘I’ll call it what it is – the Russian government launched a brutal invasion, unprovoked, on Ukraine, and should be condemned for doing so – and Australia does.’, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a statement on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Global Order, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity – Why what happens in Ukraine matters to Australia

Although it may appear far away from an Australian perspective, recent events surrounding the increased tensions at the Ukrainian-Russian border have not gone unnoticed Down Under. On the contrary, Australian officials are closely watching the situation and have clearly stated that Australia would not shy away from imposing further sanctions on Russia should the situation escalate and lead to an invasion of Ukraine.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australian-Korean Relations – The Significance of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s Visit to Australia

This week marked the 60th anniversary of Australian-South Korean relations, the perfect occasion for a state visit by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Australia. It is the first such visit by a South Korean leader in a decade, the last visit having taken place in 2009, and the first visit by a foreign leader since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But these are not the only indicators marking the visit as significant.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australia’s Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout – Comirnaty (Pfizer) Approval for 5 to 11-year-old Children

On 5 December, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) provisionally approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds. This places Australia among the first countries to approve the vaccination of children. Other states with children vaccination programs include the USA, which rolled out their program in November, Canada, which is about to start its roll-out, and Israel, Oman and Saudi Arabia, which have all approved the vaccination of children. The European Medicines Agency has also provided a recommendation to vaccinate 5 to 11-year-olds, but member states have their own policies and are, therefore, progressing at different rates.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Australian federal elections 2022 – The Liberal government and Labor’s pre-election campaigns

In the past, the most common types of election in Australia have either been a simultaneous half-Senate and House of Representatives election or a double dissolution election. With regards to the next elections, the latter can be ruled out, as there are no possible triggers. The latest possible date for a simultaneous half-Senate and House of Representatives election is 21 May 2022. Which date the Prime Minister chooses depends on how politics unfold, i.e. he will most likely hold an election when he thinks his government has the best chance of winning.

Digital Snapshot

by Sophia Brook

Geoconomics and Trade – Australia, China and the WTO

Over the last month, three major topics have dominated Australian political discussions: the AUKUS agreement, climate policy (or the lack thereof) and the nation’s strategy out of Covid-19 restrictions. Preceded by the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan and the rapid escalation of the Covid-19 situation in two of Australia’s biggest states, these issues momentarily distracted the public eye from another, previously major Australian concern: China and its increasingly coercive trade tactics. This, however, changed rapidly last week, when Australian representative to the World Trade Organisation, George Mina, in an unusually forceful statement, accused China of using politically motivated, disruptive measures in trade relations.