USSC Live

In August 2023, the United States Studies Centre conducted a public opinion survey in Australia, the United States and Japan to understand the public sentiment in each nation on a variety of issues one year out from the 2024 US presidential election. Jared Mondschein, Director of Research and Victoria Cooper, Research Editor at the United States Studies Centre discussed findings of the poll during a presentation to the Sydney International Strategy Forum. This is the second of two presentations. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Moderated by Dr Michael Green, CEO at the United States Studies Centre, this session of the Sydney International Strategy Forum features panellists Professor Peter Dean, Director, Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre; Rep. Akihisa Nagashima, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives; Dr Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Dr Gorana Grgić, Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Professor Peter Dean, Director, Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre; Dr Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Hayley Channer, Director, Economic Security at the United States Studies Centre provided insights from an international strategy simulation that was hosted by the Centre to test how political thresholds, perceptions of risk, and national strategic assumptions might affect collective responses to a multi-faceted contingency in the Indo-Pacific. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Moderated by Jared Mondschein, Director of Research at the United States Studies Centre, this session of the Sydney International Strategy Forum features panellists Michaela Browning, Vice President Government and Public Policy for Asia Pacific at Google; Dr John Kunkel, Senior Economic Adviser at the United States Studies Centre; and Hayley Channer, Director, Economic Security at the United States Studies Centre. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Moderated by Victoria Cooper, Research Editor at the United States Studies Centre this session of the Sydney International Strategy Forum features panellists Ryan Lizza, Chief Washington Correspondent at Politico; Olivia Nuzzi, Washington Correspondent at New York Magazine; Associate Professor David Smith, Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre; and Bruce Wolpe, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Minister for Resources and the Minister for Northern Australia the Honourable Madeleine King MP delivered a keynote address to the Sydney International Strategy Forum before joining Hayley Channer, Director of Economic Security at the United States Studies Centre, for a fireside conversation. Ms King is the Minister for Resources and the Minister for Northern Australia. She has been the federal member for Brand since 2016 and in 2019 she was promoted to the role of Shadow Minister for Trade. She has also held positions as Shadow Minister Assisting for Small Business and Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Honourable Simon Birmingham delivered a keynote address to the Sydney International Strategy Forum before joining Peter Dean, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre, for a fireside conversation. Mr Birmingham is Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. He has served as a Liberal Party Senator for South Australia since May 2007. Under the Morrison government, Mr Birmingham was appointed to the position of Minister for Finance and Leader of the Government in the Senate after serving as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Prior to this, he served as the Minister for Education and Training, Assistant Minister in the education portfolio. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Moderated by Dr Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre, this session of the Sydney International Strategy Forum features panellists Michèle Flournoy, Co-founder of WestExec Advisors; Admiral Phil Davidson, former Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command; Dr Evan Medeiros, Professor and Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University; and The Hon. Kim Beazley AC, former Australian Ambassador to the United States. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and Co-Founder, former Chief Executive Officer, and now Chair of the Center for a New American Security. Ms Flournoy served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2009 to 2012. She was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defence policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. Ms Flournoy delivered a keynote address at the Sydney International Strategy Forum and then joined United States Studies Centre CEO Michael Green for a fireside conversation. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Dr Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre provides welcome remarks for the inaugural Sydney International Strategy Forum held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023. Jared Mondschein, Director of Research and Victoria Cooper, Research Editor at the United States Studies Centre then discussed the findings of a public opinion survey conducted by the United States Studies Centre In August 2023 in Australia, the United States and Japan. The poll measured public sentiment in each nation on a variety of issues one year out from the 2024 US presidential election. The Sydney International Strategy Forum brought together prominent thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to tackle the big issues confronting Australia, the United States and the Indo-Pacific. From bolstering supply chain resilience to turning AUKUS into reality, the forum discussed the enormous opportunities and risks posed by such cross-cutting challenges and what they mean for the future of our region. The forum was held at the Four Seasons Sydney on 1 November 2023.

Republican presidential candidates gathered in Milwaukee for the biggest event of the 2024 election cycle so far: the first Republican presidential debate. With the power to make or break the candidates jockeying to stand out in the crowded GOP field, the first debate is a critical step in deciding who will ultimately face off against likely Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. While the stage may be set, much remains unknown. Does anyone stand a chance to dethrone frontrunner Donald Trump? Who were the winners and losers of the expectation game? As the dust settles, what did the debate tell us about what to expect in the road to the 2024 presidential election? To explore these questions, USSC hosted a public forum featuring politics experts Associate Professor David Smith, Senior Lecturer Dr Gorana Grgic and Research Editor Victoria Cooper in conversation with Director of Research Jared Mondschein.

The past few years have seen an unprecedented use of economic coercion as a tool of international relations, from sanctions placed on Russia, Iran, and North Korea to the ongoing export control battle between China and the United States. How far will these tools go? Would sanctions work in China in the event of a Taiwan crisis? What would it mean for the private sector and businesses? To discuss this, USSC hosted a discussion with Adam Smith, a world-leading international trade compliance lawyer and former advisor to President Obama, in conversation with Hayley Channer, Director of Economic Security at the United States Studies Centre. Adam Smith is a partner and co-chair of the International Trade Practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, based in Washington DC. He served as a senior advisor in the Obama Administration, providing guidance for strengthening sanctions (Russia and Syria) and easing measures (Burma and Cuba), and on enforcement actions following sanctions violations. He frequently chaired the US Treasury delegation to EU/G7 consultations regarding Russia sanctions and worked on Iran sanctions in conjunction with the nuclear deal. He is the author of three legal texts and dozens of articles and book chapters, and has testified on sanctions before the US Congress and the UK Parliament.

Strategic competition between the United States and China, Australia’s most important ally and largest trading partner respectively, means Australia must maintain a delicate balancing act. China has recently begun removing restrictions on Australian imports in signs of improved bilateral relations, even as it threatens economic coercion in other areas of the region. With an uncertain global economic outlook and rising tensions across the Indo-Pacific, questions of how Australia should engage with China's economy have never been more important. How should Australia balance relations with its largest trading partner, and its most important ally? What is the outlook for economic disruption in China and spillovers to the Indo-Pacific region? How can Australia best navigate economic relations with China in the age of strategic competition? To discuss these questions, the United States Studies Centre hosted a discussion with Rhodium Group founding partner and USSC Visiting Fellow, Daniel Rosen in conversation with USSC Economic Security Program Director, Hayley Channer. Daniel Rosen is a former White House staffer on the National Economic Council and National Security Council, Daniel is an internationally recognised expert on China’s economy and global interactions in an age of strategic competition, and a trusted adviser to corporations, investors and policymakers. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a board member of the National Committee on US-China Relations.

While debt-ceiling negotiations required President Biden to call off the Australia leg of his recent trip to the region, this did not stop progress on a number of major initiatives across the Indo-Pacific. At the G7 in Hiroshima, Japan, key global leaders discussed a wide range of salient issues, from countering economic coercion and redoubling support for Ukraine to clean energy and nuclear disarmament. The leaders of all four Quad countries were also able to hold a rescheduled Quad Leaders Summit on the sidelines of the G7 and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Biden also met one-on-one and struck a deal adding a climate and clean energy "third pillar" to the alliance. With a sizeable agenda amid condensed timelines, what was prioritised in the discussion between Quad leaders? Did the outcomes from the G7 meet expectations? What is next for the White House's Indo-Pacific team following President Biden’s Asia trip? To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar with White House National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Dr Kurt Campbell, White House National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania Edgard Kagan and White House National Security Council Director for Indo-Pacific Strategy Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper in discussion with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.

In the era of strategic competition, debate about how to preserve the international rules-based order without provoking a catastrophic conflict continues unabated. Following the invasion of Ukraine, concerns around Taiwan have made the stakes in these debates only more tangible. To answer the critical question about how to avoid great power conflict, former White House staffer Dr William Inboden argues we should look to the past and, specifically, US President Ronald Reagan’s role in the waning days of the Cold War. What lessons from President Reagan’s foreign policy apply to current tensions in the Indo-Pacific? How should the United States work with allies and approach economic realities in the Indo-Pacific? What would Reagan do about Xi Jinping? To discuss these questions, the United States Studies Centre hosted an in-person event featuring USSC Visiting Fellow Dr William Inboden, Executive Director and William Powers, Jr. Chair at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin, and author of The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, The Cold War, and the World on the Brink, in conversation with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.

Price tag aside, one of the biggest obstacles to the success of AUKUS is export controls. Stakeholders in all three AUKUS countries are increasingly concerned that the United States International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) present a significant challenge to the timely sharing of equipment, information, and technology between the three countries. These challenges are not new, but the stakes have never been higher. Realising the full potential of AUKUS hinges on timely ITAR reform. Indeed, ITAR reform is essential to the delivery of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS Pillar I and fostering genuinely trilateral collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II. How might ITAR provisions hamper the implementation of the AUKUS agreement? Why did previous efforts to reform US export controls for Australia and the United Kingdom fall short? What sorts of revisions are being considered across the US system? Is the best route to enduring ITAR reform through legislative action or an executive order? In a report released prior to this webinar, non-resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Dr William Greenwalt and USSC Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence program Tom Corben tackled these questions and provided a roadmap towards reforming ITAR to realise the full potential of AUKUS. The Centre hosted a webinar with the authors, along with USSC non-resident fellow Jennifer Jackett, for a discussion on reforming US export controls to realise the potential of AUKUS.

The Quad partnership — Australia, India, Japan and the United States — represents a powerful grouping of Indo-Pacific states seeking to maintain stability and resilience in the world’s most dynamic region. What can the history of the Quad, which dates back to the George W. Bush administration, tell us about its future? How can the Quad successfully align the diverse views across the region to address shared challenges? To discuss these questions, the United States Studies Centre held a public forum featuring CEO Dr Michael Green, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean, non-resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee, and Research Fellow Tom Corben.

The United States Studies Centre and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a special event to hear from leaders across the region about the state of play for democracy and how aligned countries can work together. The event featured a keynote address followed by a panel discussion. Keynote address Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell spent much of his professional career studying the Myanmar economy and moved there to advise the State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi. After the February 2021 coup d’état toppled the democratically-elected government and the military assumed control of the country, Turnell was detained and imprisoned for nearly two years along with almost 6,000 others while more than 800 people were killed in the violent uprising. Panel discussion: Regional approaches to supporting democracy Ambassador Yukio TakasuDr Sook Jong LeeDr Henry IvaratureModerated by Dr Michael GreenThe panel reported on the Sydney round of the Sunnylands Initiative co-sponsored by the NED and USSC to assess the state of democracy in the Indo-Pacific and identify pathways to strengthen democratic partnership. Other participants in the conversation included representatives of Freedom House, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, and thought leaders from across the Indo-Pacific.

In an era of heightened economic and technological competition, the United States and Australia are rapidly recalibrating their strategic approach. The technology policy landscape is front-of-mind across all aspects of business and government. This conversation explored a range of technology issues facing Australia and the United States including, the role of AI and automation in jobs, innovation and inequality, data sovereignty, the CHIPS Act, decoupling and technology regulation. The United States Studies Centre hosted a discussion featuring The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and Dr Robert Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) moderated by Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, USSC Emerging Technology Program Director.

With the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia is on the cusp of “the single biggest leap in our defence capability in our history.” Now, 18 months since the original surprise announcement, the highly-anticipated AUKUS report shares the “optimal pathway” to acquire the nuclear-powered submarines. But the pathway is fraught with challenges and aligned intentions do not guarantee delivery. Where is the greatest daylight between the three countries in terms of the nuclear submarine production? What role will the advanced capabilities pillar play during the long lead-up to acquisition of the submarines? How should, or shouldn’t, we read the AUKUS report? To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar discussion with United States Studies Centre CEO Dr Michael Green, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence, and lead author of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, Professor Peter Dean and Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer.