Lowy Institute

On 22 August the Lowy Institute hosted a conversation with two of America’s leading analysts, Kori Schake of the Hoover Institution and Thomas Wright, Director at the Brookings Institution and Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow, who discussed how the Trump administration will deal with a range of foreign and security challenges. From North Korea’s missile program and the fight against Islamic State in the Middle East, to Russia’s resurgence and China’s growing assertiveness, this event examined the growing list of global challenges facing the United States and its allies such as Australia.Dr Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. She teaches Thinking About War at Stanford, is a contributing editor at the Atlantic, and also writes for War on the Rocks and Foreign Policy. She has served in various policy roles including at the White House for the National Security Council; at the Department of Defense for the Office of the Secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department for the Policy Planning Staff. During the 2008 presidential election, she was Senior Policy Advisor on the McCain-Palin campaign. In 2016, she edited the book Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military, with the current US Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis. Thomas Wright is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He is also a senior fellow in international order and strategy and Director of the Center for the the US.and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Previously, he was Executive Director of Studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, and senior researcher for the Princeton Project on National Security. Tom's book All Measures Short of War: The Contest for the 21st Century and the Future of American Power was published by Yale University Press in May 2017.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On June 30 2017, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands came to an end, marking the conclusion of the longest Australian-led intervention mission in our history. RAMSI was a response to a tumultuous period in Solomon Islands history known locally as ‘The Tensions’. Since 2003, thousands of police, military and civilian personnel from 15 member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum have taken part in RAMSI to help restore law and order and strengthen Solomon Islands institutions. How successful has this intervention been and how has it left Solomon Islands? What challenges does Solomon Islands continue to face and what plans does the current government have to address those challenges? On 14 July the Lowy Institute hosted a conversation with Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare and former RAMSI Special Coordinator James Batley about the lessons learnt from RAMSI, and what’s next for one of Australia’s closest neighbours, Solomon Islands.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pascal Lamy, whose distinguished career includes former European Union Commissioner for Trade and former head of the World Trade Organization, is currently in Australia to discuss the future of the European Union’s relationship with the Pacific. The EU’s partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries has been guided by the so-called ‘Cotonou Agreement’, which expires in 2020. Negotiations on a new agreement will commence soon and present an opportunity to reflect a changing world and new landmark international agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.On 3 August Mr Lamy addressed the Lowy Institute on how the Pacific may evolve: in the new era of Trumponomics(and end of the Trans-Pacific Partnership); in light of the rise of China; and in the context of new international trade agreements and shifting paradigms in development assistance – with a focus on the European Union.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 27 July the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, delivered the 2017 Lowy Lecture at Sydney Town Hall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute's East Asia Program Director Merriden Varrall speaks to Alanna Krolikowski, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Alberta's China Institute and participant in the ANU's 17th annual China Update, on developments in China's aerospace sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 18 July the Lowy Institute hosted a conversation with Dr Michael Fullilove and Dennis Richardson AO, who until his recent retirement was one of Australia’s most experienced and respected public servants.On 12 May 2017, Dennis Richardson retired as the Secretary of the Department of Defence, ending a storied public service career that began in 1969. In that time, he served as the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as Australian Ambassador to the United States and as Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. He was also Principal Adviser to the Prime Minister from 1990 to 1991.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 6 July the Lowy Institute hosted an address from Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, who spoke on Australia's national interests in a time of disruption.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2001, China entered the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a watershed in the history of globalisation. Fully integrating China into the global economy had profound consequences, both positive and disruptive. Domestically, Beijing applied WTO rules to promote far-reaching market-based economic reforms. Internationally, China’s strong export industry has led to the decline of old-line industries in advanced economies. Recently China has adopted a number of technological and economic policies and practices which will have new implications for international markets.​​​​​​​On 5 July the Lowy Institute hosted journalist and author Paul Blustein and East Asia Program Director Dr Merriden Varrall in a discussion China’s changing engagement with the global economy and the dangers facing the trading system. A Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Paul has written widely on economic issues for more than 35 years, including for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, and is the author of five books on international economic institutions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s continuously growing role in world affairs can’t help but capture our imaginations — but how does the world look from Beijing? Is President Xi navigating global affairs with a skilful coherent strategy, or are the Chinese elite opportunistically grabbing on to whatever they can catch? Join Jane Perlez, Beijing Bureau Chief of The New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, for a discussion of politics in the Chinese capital with East Asia Program Director, Dr Merriden Varrall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the passing of King Rama IX, Thailand is going through a period of significant political and social upheaval. On 28 June the Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion at the National Gallery of Victoria on how Thailand will fare with its ‘triple threat’ of a royal transition, the entrenchment of military rule, and the potential escalation of separatist violence in its southern provinces. The discussion featured Nicholas Farrelly, the author of a forthcoming Lowy Institute Analysis of the situation. He was joined by Professor John Blaxland, Director, ANU Southeast Asia Institute and Head, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre; Dr Tyrell Haberkorn, Fellow at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific and Mr Sunai Phasuk, Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch. The discussion will be moderated by Lowy Institute's East Asia Program research fellow, Matthew Busch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.