Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from the Economist. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Devastating disruption in global shipping has forced people to think about how all that

stuff makes its way to stores. We look at wild swings in container shipping prices, what

that means at the retail end and whether things will ever get back to normal.

And after their time in office, some politicians go gently into good nights of after dinner

speeches or take up new business pursuits, increasingly though they're building little

media empires spreading their messages through films and television.

Next up though, a new security partnership announced this week is going to have big consequences.

Arcas and alliance between America, Britain and Australia is squarely aimed at one region.

Because the future of each of our nations and indeed the world depends on a free and

open and a Pacific.

The deal will cover diplomatic and security cooperation but most significant is the defense

end of the pact, including Australia obtaining its first nuclear-powered submarines.

It is a momentous decision for any nation to acquire this formidable capability. But Australia

is one of our oldest friends, a kindred nation.

For Australia, the agreement goes far beyond existing groupings with America, such as the

Five Eyes Security Block or the new Quad tie-up with India and Japan.

We must now take our partnership to a new level, a partnership that seeks to engage,

not to exclude, to contribute, not take, and to enable them power, not to control or

coerce.

Arcas is another sign of America's shift away from European concerns and toward the

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