Lowy Institute

On 30 November 2010, the Lowy Institute was pleased to host a major address on asylum policy by Scott Morrison, the Shadow Minister for Productivity and Population and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. In his speech, 'A real solution', Scott outlined a comprehensive global, regional and domestic approach to this complex and controversial issue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday 5 November, two leading commentators on US politics and foreign policy, Dr Michael Fullilove and Daniel Flitton, provided some immediate analysis of the mid-term results as part of the Lowy Institute’s ‘Food for Thought’ program in Melbourne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 25 November, as part of the Institute's Distinguished Speaker Series, Ethan Nadelmann, Director of the US Drug Policy Alliance, argued that the 'war on drugs' has been ineffective, counterproductive and expensive, with dire consequences for national and international stability. He analysed the evolution of global drug control during the 20th century, the growing movement for reform, and potential futures for global drug control.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 13-14 November, Japan hosted the 18th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Yokohama. Mark Johnson, who was at Yokohama as one of the three Australian representatives on the APEC Business Advisory Council, provided a report card on the Yokohama meetings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Thursday 18 November, Dr Megan Clark, Chief Executive of CSIRO, delivered the 2010 Lowy Lecture on Australia in the World. In her lecture, 'Science and Australia's place in the world', available here, Dr Clark argued that Australia's science and innovation capability are fundamental to our future as a nation and our place in the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do leaders matter? Are the trajectories of nations directed by unstoppable social and economic forces regardless of who’s in charge, or are the histories of states those of a handful of highly influential leaders? At the Wednesday Lowy Lunch on 20 October, Fergus Hanson and Alex Oliver reported on an intensive empirical pilot study tracing the pathways taken by leaders in Timor-Leste and Samoa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 17 November, Scott Featherstone discussed the development of Africa’s political economies with a particular emphasis on the continent’s recent spurt of sustained economic growth. He explored how sustainable this is, what might prevent it from continuing, and what the implications of this are for Australia’s policy-makers and companies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 2 November 2010 the US mid-term elections took place for the House of Representatives, the Senate and many important governorships. These elections are enormously important in their own right but they may also have significant implications for the presidency of Barack Obama. At the Wednesday Lunch on 10 November, two leading commentators on US politics, Dr Michael Fullilove and Brendon O'Connor, provided analysis of the mid-term results.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientific research has become one of the most important economic drivers, especially in countries which are poor in natural resources. Yet, the role of science in modern society goes beyond the production of knowledge. At the Wednesday Lunch on 3 November, Professor Dieter Imboden explored the delicate relationship between research, politics, economy and society.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For more than half a century the view that radiation represents an extreme hazard has been accepted. At the Wednesday Lowy Lunch on 20 October, Professor Wade Allison challenged that view by facing the question "How dangerous is ionising radiation?"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.