Lowy Institute

Distinguished Speaker Series - Dr David McCormick presentation On 26 May 2009, the Lowy Institute was pleased to host a speech in our Distinguished Speaker Series by Dr David McCormick, Distinguished Service Professor of Information Technology, Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University, on the current state of the world economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday Lunch at Lowy - Daoud Yaqub presentation On 28 March 2007 at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, Daoud Yaqub spoke on the topic: 'A long hot summer ahead for Afghanistan'. He discussed the looming spring offensive by the Taliban, including its implications for the reconstruction and security effort in Afghanistan, and what the international community needs to do to help the Karzai government meet this challenge. Yaqub is co-author with Bill Maley of a new Lowy Institute Policy Brief, 'A Long Hot Summer: Crisis and Opportunity inSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PNG’s voters go to the polls in June to elect a new national government. It is hoped that these elections will bring to a close a particularly tense and volatile chapter in PNG’s history. Since becoming Prime Minister in August 2011, Peter O’Neill has had a tenuous hold on government. The opposing political forces led by former Prime Minister Michael Somare have used court challenges and other means in their attempt to oust the O’Neill government. The cost to PNG’s reputation has been high. On the eve of the elections, the Lowy Institute will dedicate one of its final Wednesday Lowy Lunches to look at PNG beyond the formation of a new government. Dame Carol Kidu, a former minister in the Somare Government, won’t be running in this year’s elections after 15 years in Parliament. Dame Carol’s contribution to PNG’s social development has been extensive. With her deep knowledge of PNG, she will look at the challenges confronting a new government and what policy issues it needs to deal with as a matter of priority.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The eighth annual Lowy Institute Poll reports the results of a nationally representative opinion survey of 1,005 Australian adults conducted in Australia between 26 March and 10 April 2012 using mobile and landline telephones. It also reports the results of a parallel survey conducted in New Zealand. Key issues covered in the 2012 poll include: foreign investment in Australian farms, uranium sales to India, relations with Fiji, the Bali bombings, climate change, the war in Afghanistan, migration, the US Presidential elections, US military bases, and attitudes towards democracy and human rights. The survey also repeated questions asked in 2007 in both Australia and New Zealand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Wesley, Executive Director Lowy Institute, discusses the key findings from the 2012 Lowy Institue Poll (0:00). Find out what Australians really think about:Short-term visas for migrant (1:20)Foreign ownership of Australian farmland (2:45)Carbon tax (3:35)Climate change (4:01)US military presence in Australia (4:49)Implications of the Poll for the Australian Government (7:18)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence is faced with a challenge - to balance force structure and preparedness in a climate that reinforces the need for austerity coupled with a shift in global and strategic weight to our region. In his first major public address after the Chicago NATO Summit, the Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley, AC, DSC will address these issues to determine how the ADF must respond to be set for success in the future. General David Hurley was promoted to General and assumed his current appointment as the Chief of the Defence Force on 4 July 2011. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and served in the Royal Australian Regiment early in his career. He conducted an exchange with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards (British Army) and upon his return to Australia served with the 5th/7th Battalion. In 1989 General Hurley served a posting as the Mechanised Infantry Adviser, Australian Army Project Team Malaysia. As a Lieutenant Colonel he assumed command of 1 RAR which he led during Operation SOLACE (Somalia) in 1993. Following his command appointment General Hurley attended the United States Army War College, returning to a posting as Military Secretary to the Chief of Army. He was promoted to Brigadier in January 1999 and assumed command of the 1st Brigade in Darwin, overseeing the Brigade's transition to a higher degree of operational readiness and its support to Australian-led operations in East Timor From 2001 - 2003 General Hurley served as the Director General Land Development, Head Capability Systems and Land Commander Australia. At the end of 2003 he was promoted to Lieutenant General in the role of Chief of Capability Development Group and in October 2007 was appointed Chief Joint Operations Command. General Hurley was appointed to the position of the Vice Chief of Defence Force in July 2008. In 2010 General Hurley became a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Australian Defence Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service in Somalia during Operation SOLACE. General Hurley holds the academic qualifications of Bachelor of Arts and Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies. General Hurley last addressed the Lowy Institute in August 2006 when he was the Chief of Capability Development Group – that presentation can be found here: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/australian-defence-capability-planning-facts-chiefSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In response to more widespread Somali piracy attacks and soaring crew ransoms, shipping companies are turning to private military security companies to provide both armed guards and armed patrol boats to fight pirates in the Indian Ocean. At this Lowy Lecture, Military Fellow James Brown will discuss research findings from his forthcoming  Lowy Institute Analysis "Pirates and Privateers" which considers the rise of private navies in the Indian Ocean in the past 12 months. His research traces the emergence of maritime private military security companies, details how they operate, and outlines the implications of their use for national governments and international organisations. The Lowy Institute's research project "Privateers in Australia's Conflict and Disaster Zones" aims to examine issues behind the use of private military security companies in conflict and disaster zones where Australians might be deployed. The project is funded by and conducted in collaboration with the Australian Civil Military Centre, part of the Department of Defence. James Brown served as an officer in the Australian Army prior to joining the Lowy Institute. He commanded a cavalry troop in Iraq, was attached to Special Forces in Afghanistan, and received a commendation for his work in the Solomon Islands. He also served as an instructor at the Army’s Combat Arms Training Centre and as an operational planner at the Australian Defence Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command. James studied economics at the University of Sydney and completed graduate studies in strategy at the University of New South Wales. James is the Military Fellow within the International Security Program and the Project Coordinator of the MacArthur Foundation Asia Security Project.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a drawn-out Republican primary process, the general election is finally on. What do we know about the styles and quirks of the two presidential contenders in 2012, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney? What are their strengths and weaknesses as campaigners? What is at stake, in terms of policy, in November – for Americans, for Australians, and for the world? And is this election campaign ever going to end? The Lowy Institute is pleased to present a conversation on these topics between two keen observers of US politics, Chas Licciardello and Michael Fullilove. Chas is a member of The Chaser, the co-host of ABCNEWS24’s Planet America, and an obsessive reader of US blogs. Michael is the director of the Lowy Institute’s global issues program and a non-resident senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many pundits contend that with the economy such an important issue in the U.S. presidential election, foreign policy does not matter. It actually does, politically as well as for the U.S. role in the world. Jentleson examines the dynamics of the campaign thus far and the likely terms of foreign policy debate as we move towards election day. Bruce Jentleson, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University, is a leading scholar of American foreign policy and has served in a number of U.S. policy and political positions. From 2009-11 he was Senior Advisor to the U.S. State Department Policy Planning Director. He also served as a senior foreign policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore in his 2000 presidential campaign and in the 2008 Obama campaign as a member of the Phoenix Initiative and a co-author of Strategic Leadership: Framework for a 21st Century National Security Strategy. An author of several books on U.S. foreign policy, he currently serves on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Working Group, co-chaired by Madeleine Albright. His research appointments include the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Brookings Institution, Oxford University and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (London). His Ph.D. is from Cornell University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lowy Lecture Series - Benjamin Goldsmith presentation At the Lowy Lecture on 2 May 2012, Benjamin Goldsmith presented findings from a project to develop a quantitative forecasting tool for serious political instability, mass atrocities, and genocide, including software which should be of use to policy-makers thinking ahead on a 1-5 year time horizon. The project, 'Understanding and Forecasting Political Instability, Mass Atrocities, and Genocide: Combining Social Science and Machine Learning Approaches' combines expertise from political science and computer science.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.