The Lowy Institute

The economy, tax, debt and health are the issues that are most likely to dominate the federal election campaign. But there are other matters of importance to Australians that should be debated. Which party is best able to balance our delicate relationships with Washington and Beijing? Both parties have promised to give a higher priority to our relationships in the Pacific but whose plans are most likely to succeed? Both parties are committed to increasing defence spending but will this fall victim to the competition to cut income taxes and achieve sustainable budget surpluses? Will spending on foreign aid also be sacrificed because of budgetary pressures? What do the findings of the Lowy Institute Poll tell us about voters’ attitudes?Lowy Institute experts discussed these and other important foreign policy and defence issues of the federal election campaign. Dr Michael Fullilove is Executive Director of the Lowy Institute and a leading expert on Australian and US foreign policy. He is the author of Rendezvou

Following a succession of severe conflicts that have caused massive loss of life, dislocation and grave human rights violations, the task of the human rights movement today is a daunting one. Has the international community become resigned to irresolvable conflicts and human rights atrocities? The Lowy Institute hosted Philippe Bolopion, Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Director for Global Advocacy, together with ABC foreign correspondent Sophie McNeill and human rights expert and legal advocate Chris Sidoti for a discussion about the challenges of working against atrocities in countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar, and how United Nations advocacy can be effective. The discussion was moderated by Lowy Institute Director of Research, Alex Oliver. Philippe Bolopion is the Deputy Director for Global Advocacy at Human Rights Watch, where he contributes to HRW’s advocacy strategies and its advocacy response to crisis situations worldwide. Bolopion has been with HRW since 2010, travelling extensively to conflict z

The relationship between Washington and Beijing is increasingly competitive. The economic interdependence that once underwrote the relationship now undermines it. The two militaries are testing the other’s resolve in the Pacific Ocean. A new “space race” in technology – 5G, artificial intelligence, and fintech – is fuelling mistrust. Why has Washington’s view of Beijing darkened? Is the US developing a coherent strategy on China? How is Beijing responding? Lowy Institute Senior Fellow Richard McGregor and Laura Rosenberger discussed the state of relations between the two global superpowers. Laura Rosenberger is Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and a Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund. She has previously served in a variety of positions at the State Department including managing US–China relations, addressing North Korea’s nuclear program and serving as an adviser to senior US diplomats Bill Burns and Tony Blinken. She also worked as National Security Council director for China and Korea

Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove had a conversation about global issues with Stephen J. Hadley, former National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush.Stephen Hadley is one of the most respected foreign policy makers in Washington, DC. He served for four years as the Assistant to President George W. Bush for National Security Affairs from 2005 to 2009. From 2001 to 2005, Mr Hadley was the Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser, serving under then National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Mr Hadley had previously served on the National Security Council staff and in the Defense Department including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. Mr Hadley now serves as a Principal at RiceHadleyGates LLC and as Chair of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute hosted Mr Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), for an address on ASD’s offensive cyber capabilities. Mr Burgess has served as the head of ASD since 4 January 2018, becoming the first director-general of ASD on 1 July 2018. He has worked as an intelligence official, consultant, and private-sector chief information security officer. He has served on the Federal Government’s naval shipbuilding advisory board, the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network board, and as a non-executive director of SC8 Limited. Mr Burgess holds a degree in electronics engineering from the South Australian Institute of Technology.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 17 April, 190 million Indonesians will vote for their president and parliament in one of the largest single-day elections the world has ever seen. Incumbent President Joko Widodo and rival Prabowo Subianto are facing off in a replay of the bitterly-fought 2014 campaign.Indonesia has become a vibrant and competitive democracy. But human rights activists are worried about the government’s use of legal tools against its opponents and the exploitation of heated religious rhetoric as a campaign tool. Meanwhile, vested interests in the armed forces, bureaucracy, and established political parties are stymying much-needed reforms.Eminent Indonesian political expert Professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar, and Director of Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Project Ben Bland, discussed the elections, the state of democracy in Indonesia, and the implications for Indonesia’s international relations.Professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar is a Research Professor at the Centre for Politics at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. She previously

The implications for national security are often overlooked in discussions on climate change. In the Middle East, however, regional cooperation is vital when responding to the declining availability of water and periods of prolonged drought. How do you foster cooperation in a troubled region?Gidon Bromberg is co-founder of EcoPeace Middle East, an organisation which brings together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to advance sustainable and peaceful regional development, including in an ambitious project for the Jordan Valley. Mr Bromberg has written extensively on the relationship between water, peace, and security in the Middle East, and has presented to United Nations forums, the US Congress, and the European Parliament.Dr Rodger Shanahan, Lowy Institute Research Fellow, had a conversation with Gidon Bromberg about security, cooperation, and the preservation of scarce natural resources in the Middle East.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The nuclear non-proliferation regime is under threat. Disarmament has stalled. Challenges from Moscow, Pyongyang, and Washington are mounting. Deteriorating trust between nuclear states threatens the emergence of a new arms race.What does this mean for Australia? What role should we play in the global effort against nuclear proliferation? Should we sign the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty? And how does our nuclear stance affect our alliance with the United States? The Lowy Institute hosted former foreign minister the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC and former chairman of the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG for a discussion on Australia’s nuclear weapons policy. The event was introduced by Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove and moderated by Research Director Alex Oliver.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyber issues are increasingly important — to governments, to businesses, to organisations and to individuals. Cyber affairs also play a significant role in Australia’s relations with other countries. In 2017 the Australian Government adopted the International Cyber Engagement Strategy to advance and protect Australia’s national security and national interests in cyberspace and to work with partners in the Indo-Pacific to improve cyber security and connectivity. The Lowy Institute hosted the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Dr Tobias Feakin, for a discussion of these issues. The discussion was chaired by the Lowy Institute’s Executive Director, Dr Michael Fullilove.Senator Payne has served as a senator for New South Wales since 1997. She served 12 years on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, including a period as chair of its Human Rights subcommittee. She was Minister for Human Services from 2013 to 2015 w

To mark International Women’s Day in 2019, the Lowy Institute in partnership with Telstra hosted a special event on the impact of authoritarian regimes on women.Today is the era of the “strongman”, as a new wave of authoritarianism spreads across the globe. In countries as diverse as Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Poland, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, macho leadership reigns. Even in contemporary western democracies such as the United States, the ranks of authoritarian populists have swelled. Aside from the grand displays of force, clampdown on minority rights and gagging of the press which typically characterise authoritarian regimes, another striking feature is the limits they impose on the freedoms and power of women.The panel featured:Dr Nicole Curato, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global GovernanceLydia Khalil, Research Fellow in the Lowy Institute’s West Asia ProgramAlex Oliver, Director of Research at the Lowy Institute (moderator)Elaine P

The latest Lowy Institute Paper published by Penguin Random House, America vs the West: Can the liberal world order be preserved? by Dr Kori Schake, was launched in Canberra on 5 March.Schake, one of America’s most respected foreign policy practitioners, argues that the success of the liberal order is not preordained. It will have to be fought for, compromised for, and rejuvenated. Whether it can be done without American leadership will depend on the strengths of the major challengers — Russia and China — but above all on whether the West’s middle powers are prepared to band together.Dr Kori Schake is the Deputy Director-General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. She is a contributing editor at The Atlantic, the author of Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony and editor with General James Mattis of Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military. She has worked as Director for defence strategy and requirements on the National Security Council staff, as Deputy

The United Kingdom faces a fast-approaching but possibly flexible deadline to leave the European Union on 29 March. What are the underlying reasons for the UK’s ambivalence about Europe? Why are both the main political parties split on this subject? Can Prime Minister Theresa May secure a deal acceptable to both Brussels and Westminster? Could there be a second referendum? What will other countries learn from this extraordinary period of British and European political history?Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove and eminent British academic Sir Adam Roberts discussed the state of British politics and the future relationship between the UK and its European neighbours. Sir Adam Roberts is Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for International Studies in Oxford University's Department of Politics and International Relations. He is also Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, and Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. He is one of Britain’s leading scholars of

The recent decision by United States President Trump to withdraw US forces from Syria has again focused attention on the ongoing Syrian civil war. The move has been heavily criticised by many in and outside the US, although others have questioned what purpose the forces were serving inside Syria on an ill-defined mission. Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow Anthony Bubalo moderated a panel discussion with Dr Rodger Shanahan, Research Fellow in the West Asia Program, and Lauren Williams, journalist, researcher, and analyst specialising in Syria and the Levant. The panel analysed the possible ramifications of the withdrawal and examined the military and political situation in Syria and the challenges of reconstructing the war-torn country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute hosted this popular annual panel discussion with Institute experts on the key issues likely to dominate the international agenda in 2019. Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove chaired the discussion in Sydney. Also on the panel were Director of Research Alex Oliver, Senior Fellow Richard McGregor, Director of the Southeast Asia Project Ben Bland, and Director of the International Economy Program, Roland Rajah.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lowy Institute’s Executive Director Michael Fullilove and The New York Times editor and columnist Bari Weiss had a conversation about journalism, American politics and society, and the role of the United States in the world under President Donald Trump. Bari Weiss is an op-ed staff editor and columnist for The New York Times on culture and politics. Ms Weiss was previously an op-ed and book review editor at The Wall Street Journal before joining The Times in 2017. She is currently working on a book, The New Seven Dirty Words, for Henry Holt and Company. She is a native of Pittsburgh and a graduate of Columbia University. Michael Fullilove is the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute. He writes widely on global issues for publications including The New York Times, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Australian press. Dr Fullilove is the author of a number of books, including Rendezvous with Destiny: How Franklin D. Roosevelt and Five Extraordinary Men Took America into the W

China is holding hundreds of thousands of Uighurs in detention camps in Xinjiang, western China, in what appears to be a systematic targeting of an entire ethnic and religious group in the name of national security. After first denying their existence, China now claims the camps are vocational centres designed to combat extremism. The Uighur community, however, tell a different story – of detainees being forced to denounce their Islamic faith and swear allegiance to the communist party.The Lowy Institute's Richard McGregor hosted a discussion of the situation in Xinjiang, and how the scale of the camps was uncovered. The panel featured Nury Turkel, the Washington-based chair of the Uighur Human Rights Project, Dr Mamtimin Ala, President of the Australian Uighur Association, David Brophy, of Sydney University, and Lowy Institute researcher Kelsey Munro.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute hosted the President of the Brookings Institution for a conversation about the world. John R. Allen and Michael Fullilove discussed US foreign policy, trends in international politics, and the transformative effects of technology on international affairs. John R. Allen was appointed President of the Brookings Institution in November 2017. He is a retired US Marine Corps four-star general and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and US Forces in Afghanistan. He served as senior adviser to the Secretary of Defence on Middle East Security and Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL.Michael Fullilove has served as Executive Director of the Lowy Institute since August 2012. Over the past decade and a half, Dr Fullilove has played a central role in the establishment and development of the Lowy Institute. He previously served as Program Director, Global Issues at the Institute and has also worked as a lawyer, a visiting fellow at the Brook

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, delivered an address to the Lowy Institute. Senator Payne has served as a Senator for New South Wales since 1997. She served 12 years on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, including a period as Chair of its Human Rights subcommittee. She was Minister for Human Services from 2013 to 2015 when she assumed the Defence portfolio, becoming the first woman to hold the position of Minister for Defence. She was appointed Foreign Minister in August 2018.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is China trying to unseat the United States as the dominant power in Asia? What tactics are Beijing using and how is the US responding?The Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion about China’s challenge to America’s military dominance in Asia, a phenomenon which is upending Australia’s longstanding assumptions about its strategic position in the region. The panel examined the entrepreneurial ways China has been building military power, how it may have lulled the US into inaction, and what it means for the future of security in the Indo-Pacific.The panel was hosted by Sam Roggeveen, Director of Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, with Oriana Skylar Mastro, of Georgetown University and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Brendan Taylor, of the Australian National University, and the author of ‘The Four Flashpoints: How Asia Goes to War’, and Professor Benjamin Schreer of Macquarie University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The decision by the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union is more than two years old. What will happen on Brexit day on 29 March next year? What kind of deal, if any, will Britain negotiate? What will be the impact on the infighting in British politics and within Prime Minister Theresa May’s government? As the country nears the date set for the conclusion of negotiations with Brussels, join a panel of experts at the Lowy Institute to discuss the outcomes of either a ‘deal’ or ‘no deal’ scenario, the outlook for the United Kingdom after Brexit, and the consequences for Australia and its ties with both London and Brussels.Sydney's panel comprised Dr Annmarie Elijah, Associate Director, ANU Centre for European Studies; Ticky Fullerton, business journalist and anchor of the TICKY program on "Your Money", and Hervé Lemahieu, Director of the Lowy Institute Asian Power and Diplomacy Program, together with moderator Alex Oliver, Lowy Institute Director of Research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy