Lowy Institute

On 5 October, as part of the Lowy Institute's Distinguished Speaker Series, Professor Lu Tong, Director of the Chinese Center for Corporate Governance of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and China's leading authority on corporate governance, addressed the Institute on the subject 'How good is corporate governance in China?' Professor Tong was introduced by Laurel Grossman, founder and CEO of RepuTex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the Rudd Government’s new Defence White Paper more of the same or a significant departure from the previous strategic orthodoxy? More importantly, is it affordable, and will future governments commit to the level of spending necessary to ensure that the White Paper’s ambitious goals for the Australian Defence Force are realised? What about the strategic judgements underpinning the decisions on spending and force structure? Is concern about China’s burgeoning military power real, or merely Defence ‘spin’ designed to justify expensive acquisitions? These questions were addressed by Professor Alan Dupont in his analysis of what the Rudd Government claims is the most comprehensive and far-reaching reform of defence planning ever attempted in Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 5th July at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, Richard Martin, of International Market Assessment Asia (IMA), focused on the major restructuring of manufacturing currently under way in China and the rest of Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2006, at the height of the Israel-Lebanon war, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice famously remarked that the world was witnessing the 'birth pangs of a new Middle East'. In this Wednesday Lowy Lunch Club, Anthony Bubalo, director of the West Asia program, critically examined Secretary of State Rice's prediction by exploring what has changed and what is changing in the world's most economically and strategically vital region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Copenhagen, attention is moving away from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and towards a new climate multilateralism, one that more actively engages other global forums such as the G20, WTO and the Major Economies Forum alongside the UNFCCC. This requires a deft balancing of newly aligned geopolitical forces and continued investment in building fragile trust between developed and developing countries. It also requires continued policy reform at the domestic level, leading to real and internationally verified cuts in carbon pollution. John Connor, Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Institute, discussed these issues at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy on 31 March.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute for International Policy was pleased to host as a part of its Distinguished Speakers Series the renowned French scholar of the Islamic and Arab worlds, Professor Gilles Kepel. Professor Kepel spoke on the future of political Islam, examining the trajectory of both al-Qaeda’s brand of violent extremism as well as the challenges faced by mainstream Islamist movements seeking democratic openings in parts of the Islamic world. Gilles Kepel is Professor at the Institut d'Études Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris and Director of its doctoral programme on the Muslim World. He also currently holds the Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at the London School of Economics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economic globalisation and universal human rights both have the ability to improve and enrich individuals and communities. However, their respective institutions, methods, practices and goals differ, with both positive and negative effects. At the Wednesday Lowy Lunch on 7th April, Professor David Kinley discussed how human rights intersect with the trade, aid and commercial dimensions of global economic relations. He will argue that, while the global economy is a vitally important civilising instrument, it itself requires civilising according to human rights standards. Professor David Kinley holds the Chair in Human Rights Law at Sydney University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diplomacy should matter – particularly for anyone who prefers talking over fighting and dialogue over diktat. At the Wednesday Lunch on 24 March, Daryl Copeland argued that diplomacy has been sidelined by globalisation and is facing a crisis of relevance and effectiveness. Mr Copeland is an analyst, writer and educator on international policy, global issues, diplomacy and public management. His book, 'Guerrilla Diplomacy: Rethinking International Relations', was released in July 2009.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Difficult and dangerous work, covering wars with TV cameras has become a core component of modern conflict - so much so that a 'military-media' nexus has arisen alongside what US President Eisenhower famously termed the 'military-industrial complex'. From Vietnam to Iraq and beyond, televised coverage of battle has impacted strongly on public support for wars and on strategic policy. It has also met barriers: from embedding and censorship to the deliberate targeting, kidnapping and cold-blooded murder of journalists.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 30 April at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, Professor Hugh White examined why Australia needs a new defence white paper, outlined the proper aims of such a project and identified the pitfalls that need to be avoided. He drew upon his experience in managing the development and drafting of the 2000 white paper to argue against any process which does not align strategic objectives, military capability plans and projected budgetary realities. Professor White's lecture was based on his new Lowy Institute Perspective, 'The new defence white paper: why we need it and what it needs to do'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.