Lowy Institute

Professor Cheng Li from the Brookings Institution speaks with the Lowy Institute's Dr Merriden Varrall regarding China's foreign policy under Xi Jinping.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's role in international affairs is growing rapidly, but how much do we really understand about who is making decisions in China, and why?In the Lowy Institute's annual China lecture, Professor Cheng Li, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, examined how the current Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping sees the connection between the international and China's domestic situation, and analysed what implications these views have for Chinese foreign policy.Professor Li discussed how the Xi leadership sees China's relationship with existing norms and institutions, and the rationale behind creating new institutions such as the AIIB and the 'One Belt One Road'. He also looked at what Chinese leaders want to achieve when they head up the G20 in 2016. The Lowy Institute is grateful to AMP for their kind support of this event series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Distinguished historian of Southeast Asia Milton Osborne discusses the achievements of Lee Kuan Yew, who died earlier this week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new head of ANU’s National Security College and Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow, Professor Rory Medcalf, discusses his views that Australia needs to rethink how it approaches and considers national security and defence. The interviewer is Lowy Institute Research Director Anthony Bubalo.Professor Medcalf outlines what new security risks Australia faces, and why he believes this security rethink is necessary. Anthony also asks Rory which nations he thinks are key strategic partners for Australia in the region:See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof Bernard Haykel says the threat of returning fighters has been overstated. Most go to Syria and Iraq with no ambition of returning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To commemorate International Women’s Day 2015, the Lowy Institute for International Policy hosted a special ‘Women in Foreign Policy’ panel. Jenny Hayward-Jones, Lauren Williams, Elaine Pearson and Geraldine Doogue discussed the gender challenges faced by women in Melanesia, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, as well as their personal experiences perusing careers that research, report and advocate gender issues in foreign policy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few countries around the world have been untouched by the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and Indonesia is no exception. Extremists groups in Indonesia have pledged allegiance to Islamic State and a small but significant number of Indonesians have joined the ranks of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq.On 10 March, the Lowy Institute was pleased to host a conversation with one of the world’s leading experts on Islamist and extremist groups in Indonesia, Sidney Jones. From 2002 to 2013, Sidney worked with the International Crisis Group, first as Southeast Asia project director, then from 2007 as senior adviser to the Asia program.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Thursday 5 March new AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin outlined his vision for the AFP’s future, in particular highlighting how a new approach to the AFP's longstanding engagement with international and national partners will help Australia’s law enforcement agencies protect Australia from a range of criminal and other threats. He also addressed questions from the audience regarding the prospect of the execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in Indonesia, foreign fighters, and working with state police forces.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Philippa Brant's first-of-its-kind research tracks all China's foreign aid in the Pacific Islands region. In this interview she discusses her findings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The slowdown in China's economic growth is making headlines around the world, raising a number of important questions. Given that the Chinese Party-state’s political legitimacy is to some extent based on improving economic well-being, to what extent will the slowdown in GDP affect political and social stability in China? What ramifications will it have for the Australian and global economies? At a more fundamental level, how do we reconcile the apparently deepening contradictions between Mao-era ideology and market-oriented reform? Join John Garnaut, Angus Bell and Merriden Varrall in an in-depth discussion of these issues, drawing on their many years of experience working on China.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.