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

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

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.