USSC Live: Recent Episodes

The United States Studies Centre

Catch up with events produced by the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney with USSC Live. These events offer new insights and perspectives on topics including American foreign policy, economics, politics and culture.

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 the broad bipartisan support for AUKUS and the Australia-US alliance are unlikely to change with the new Congress, budget constraints and priorities will likely shift in ways that present both new challenges and new opportunities for Australia. What will a Republican-controlled House of Representatives mean for US defence spending? Will the election results change the US approach to China? How and where can Australia work with the United States on the next steps for AUKUS?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted an event with Louis Lauter, a former Legislative Affairs official with the US Department of Defense and Vice President of Beacon Global Strategies in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Dr Michael Green.

The United States Studies Centre launched its publication, US Midterms 2022: The stakes for Australia and the alliance at a special event in Canberra. USSC commissioned polling on public opinion in the United States, Australia and Japan on issues ranging from sentiment toward AUKUS and the stationing of US troops in allied nations to alignment on climate change and priorities for the next US Congress. This session of the conference looks forward and features Dr Michael Green, Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre; Jared Mondschein, Director of Research; and Victoria Cooper, Research Associate. USSC Chairman Mark Baillie wraps up the conference with some final insights.

This session features CNN and The Atlantic's Ron Brownstein in conversation with Jared Mondschein, Director of Research at the United States Studies Centre. The session is part of a half-day conference hosted by USSC to launch its publication, US Midterms 2022: The stakes for Australia and the alliance. USSC commissioned polling on public opinion in the United States, Australia and Japan on issues ranging from sentiment toward AUKUS and the stationing of US troops in allied nations to alignment on climate change and priorities for the next US Congress.

This session features New York Times journalist Jane Coaston in conversation with Dr Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre. The session is part of a half-day conference hosted by USSC to launch its publication, US Midterms 2022: The stakes for Australia and the alliance. USSC commissioned polling on public opinion in the United States, Australia and Japan on issues ranging from sentiment toward AUKUS and the stationing of US troops in allied nations to alignment on climate change and priorities for the next US Congress.

The United States Studies Centre launched its publication, US Midterms 2022: The stakes for Australia and the alliance at a special event in Canberra. USSC commissioned polling on public opinion in the United States, Australia and Japan on issues ranging from sentiment toward AUKUS and the stationing of US troops in allied nations to alignment on climate change and priorities for the next US Congress. This session of the conference includes an introduction by USSC CEO Dr Michael Green, a presentation on the major findings by Director of Research Jared Mondschein and Research Associate Victoria Cooper. The session concludes with a discussion on the national security implications for the alliance agenda featuring Professor Peter Dean, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, Director of Emerging Technology and Dr Peter Lee, Research Fellow, Foreign Policy and Defence.

Chinese President Xi Jinping secured his historic third term amidst a message of heightened urgency to “reunite” with Taiwan. US officials have come out saying a move to take Taiwan could happen by 2023, but Director of the German Marshall Fund’s Asia Program, Bonnie Glaser says this timeline is based on “sheer speculation.” Does the escalating war of words indicate an invasion is imminent? What are the variables that will influence Taiwan timelines going forward? What would a Taiwan invasion mean for the United States and Australia?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a special event featuring Bonnie Glaser in conversation with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.

After passing record levels of investment in infrastructure, research and science, and climate the United States is on a clear pathway to a clean energy transition. Such historic legislation coincides with United States Studies Centre polling indicating that significant majorities of Americans and Australians want to see their nations collaborate with each other on fighting climate change.

Yet the midterm elections could see President Biden’s Democratic party lose one, if not both Houses of Congress, and experts expect minimal progress at this month’s international climate negotiations (COP27) in Egypt. What sort of collaboration on climate change can we expect from the United States and Australia for the next two years and beyond? Can the alliance pivot to work on climate policy that touches on industrial policy and economic development? Should Australia be as concerned about the recent US climate legislation as the Europeans are?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted an event featuring Meg McDonald, a former senior diplomat now a board member of the NSW Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board, the Foreign Investment Review Board and Environment Commissioner, Greater Cities Commission and Lachlan Carey, a former Australian Treasury official and senior associate at the Colorado-based RMI, where he leads work on US regional economic development through clean energy investment for a conversation with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.

If the rest of the 21st century will be defined by strategic competition, Professor Hal Brands posits the 2020s will be the most intense and definitive decade. As the US-China rivalry hits fever pitch, China’s aggression toward Taiwan, economic coercion and military escalation will only escalate during this critical period, which Brands and co-author Michael Beckley label the “Danger Zone.” What are their reasons for believing the 2020s will be the most intense decade? What near-term strategy should the United States and allies in the region adopt? What are the implications for US allies like Australia if they get it wrong?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted an event featuring Professor Hal Brands, author of Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China in conversation with USSC's Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic.

US presidents are obsessed with sharks. From President Nixon asking the Secret Service to put in shark nets around his Florida holiday house to former President Trump tweeting that "sharks are last on my list." Sharks are an apex obsession. To explore the interactions between 10 presidents and the sharks they conserve or hate, the United States Studies Centre hosted a talk with University of Sydney Senior Lecturer in Public Policy Dr Christopher Pepin-Neff.

Starting with Washington and ending with Trump, Dr Pepin-Neff discussed the role of sharks in building up myths and legends around presidents, the masculinity that comes with fighting sharks, and the statesmanship of protecting these fierce fish.

With the US midterm elections for the control of Congress fast approaching, voters in the state of Georgia face important and highly anticipated elections this November. Georgia voters will decide the marquee Senate race between the incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Trump-endorsed newcomer Republican Herschel Walker in a race that may well determine which party controls the Senate. At the same time, Georgia also has a major gubernatorial race, with Republican incumbent Governor Brian Kemp, who spurned Trump's efforts to overturn Joe Biden's victory in Georgia in November 2020, and Democratic superstar Stacey Abrams in the race. With important election integrity issues at stake, races such as these are more consequential than ever.

To discuss these, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Alan Abramowitz, The Alben Barkley Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia in conversation with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate, Victoria Cooper.

The United States Studies Centre hosted a special US midterms event featuring The New York Times' Jane Coaston, ABC's Political commentator Annabel Crabb, and USSC's CEO Dr Michael Green.

The presumption of a red wave in the US November midterms elections has been tempered by setbacks on the Republican agenda and significant legislative victories for Democrats. But the winner of the US House and Senate elections impacts far more than US domestic politics. The US posture toward China, defence funding, trade agreements and more all hinge on the makeup of Congress. For Australia, the stakes have never been higher in a US midterms election.

What US issues are the biggest concern for US and Australian voters? What is the state of play going into the midterms? What do the midterms tell us about what to expect in the 2024 US presidential election?

To explore these topics, USSC commissioned polling on public opinion in the United States and Australia. This special event provided an opportunity to discuss the key findings from US Midterms 2022 with Jane Coaston, Annabel Crabb and Michael Green.

NATO’s Madrid Summit in June brought about the Alliance’s long-awaited new Strategic Concept which delivered an assessment of a much more adversarial international environment and set out a vision for at least the next decade. While the document makes it clear the 30 countries-strong alliance is attuned to the challenges from outside its core geographical and functional areas, it will be looking much closer to home for at least some time to come given the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine and threats to NATO’s eastern flank. Yet, the fact the Indo-Pacific region received a mention for the very first time in NATO’s strategic communication, and Australia implicitly got called upon as a partner that will be crucial in enacting the Alliance’s strategic ambitions, should not be underestimated. To discuss the details of NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept and its implications for Australia, the United States Studies Centre hosted a panel discussion with: Dr Benedetta Berti - Head of the Policy Planning Unit in the Office of the Secretary General, NATO; Ms Ciara Spencer - First Assistant Secretary, International Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Professor Stephan Frühling - Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National Universit; and Dr Gorana Grgic - Senior Lecturer in US Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre. This project is sponsored by NATO.

The simple act of voting – who can vote, how easy it is to vote, who counts the votes, who certifies the votes, and whether the people accept the legitimacy of the outcome of an election – is at the heart of the crisis of confidence in democracy in the United States. After studying voting practices in dozens of countries, E.J. Dionne Jr. and Miles Rapoport found Australia to be one of the most compelling and effective voting systems in the world. What will it take to begin to apply lessons from Australia of Universal Civic Duty Voting to the American experience? Are such fundamental reforms even remotely feasible?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring co-authors of the new book, 100% Democracy: The case for universal voting, E.J. Dionne Jr., Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and syndicated columnist for The Washington Post and Miles Rapoport, Senior Practice Fellow at the Ash Centre at Harvard Kennedy School in conversation with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate, Victoria Cooper.

A world-renowned Indo-Pacific expert, at this event, USSC CEO Dr Michael Green discussed his new book "Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzō" with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee. Published in March this year, the book draws from Dr Green’s long-standing connection with former Prime Minister Abe Shinzō. It provides a unique political and historical context for Japan’s new grand strategy and our understanding of the role of US alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

Opening remarks are provided by Vice Chancellor of the University of Sydney Mark Scott and closing remarks by USSC Chairman Mark Baillie.

Ira Shapiro's recent book, The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America, chronicles the US Senate during the Trump presidency. As a veteran scholar and former Senate staffer with bipartisan experience, Shapiro determines that the Senate and its Republican members, led by Mitch McConnell (R-KY), ultimately abandoned late Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) guiding principle 'Country first'. Can the Senate recover its purpose and help resolve legislation to address America's fundamental challenges? What does the future hold for Mitch McConnell, arguably the most powerful Republican Senate leader ever, in the context of the upcoming midterm elections in November? What do the US midterms mean for Australia?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Ira Shapiro and Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark, Director of Defending Democracy Together, former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle and one of the most incisive Republican intellectuals and commentators, in conversation with USSC CEO Dr Mike Green and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe.

The January 6 Select Committee hearings highlight points of crisis in American democracy, yet the roots of these challenges undeniably precede the Capitol riots given US economic, social and cultural trends. Princeton University professor and political scientist Stephen Macedo's authoritative work on immigration, liberalism, populism, and democratic theory explores such trends. What are the most important economic, social, and cultural trends fueling these tensions in US democracy? What can be done to strengthen and improve American democracy? What are the implications for Australia?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted an event featuring Princeton University's Laurence S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics, Stephen Macedo in conversation with USSC Director of Research, Jared Mondschein and Director of Engagement and Impact, Mari Koeck.

Professor Stephen Macedo is a Visiting Professor at the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre (SSSHARC).

In an age dominated by terms like fake news and disinformation, what are the facts about the history of the United States? In the updated edition of A Documentary History of the United States, Alexander Heffner revisits primary sources to tell the unvarnished history of the United States – compiling the key documents, speeches, letters, tweets and Supreme Court decisions from the Declaration of Independence to Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump following the January 6 insurrection. What do we learn from examining these primary sources? Which documents are critical to understanding the pandemic and its impact on the United States? What significance do these primary source documents have for Australia?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring co-author and host of The Open Mind on PBS Alexander Heffner.

As a daughter of a cherished US president, scion of a political dynasty, globally-renowned philanthropist and accomplished former ambassador to Japan, Australia has arguably never had a higher profile US ambassador than it soon will with Caroline Kennedy.

What is the history of the relationship between President Biden and Caroline Kennedy? What can we expect of her approach to contentious issues like US trade policy and climate change? How will her approach to China and the Indo-Pacific region compare with when she was ambassador to Japan?

The United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar discussion on the newly confirmed US Ambassador to Australia featuring incoming USSC CEO Dr Mike Green, Non-Resident Senior Fellows Stephen Loosley AM and Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February altered the European security architecture for generations to come. One clear piece of evidence of this: Finland and Sweden announcing they will be formally applying for membership in the NATO alliance – ending their decades-long neutrality and elevating their NATO engagement from Enhanced Opportunity Partners, alongside Australia, to fully fledged members.

With Finland’s membership in NATO more than doubling the length of the alliance’s borders with Russia, how does this change NATO’s relationship with Russia? Given the significant military resources consumed in Ukraine, are NATO allies decreasing their focus or resourcing in the Indo-Pacific? How has Australia’s engagement with NATO changed since 24 February?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar discussion with USSC Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic in conversation with incoming USSC CEO Dr Mike Green.

As we approach the November midterm elections, Joe Biden's presidency, the control of Congress and the future course of America's democracy are all at a crossroads. What is the outlook for both parties in the midterms, and what is at stake for President Biden and the balance of his first term? What are the prospects for a Republican-controlled Congress and what will be their agenda? What could all this mean for the 2024 presidential and congressional elections? What should Australians look for as the United States votes?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Dr Larry Sabato, one of America's most distinguished political scientists and founder and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics in conversation with USSC's Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and brazen aggression represent the worst military aggression in Europe for decades. It is also the most blatant breach of international law and state sovereignty on the European continent in a generation, which has, in turn, highlighted the importance of NATO’s core task of defence and deterrence. The aftermaths of the 24 February invasion will have irrevocable consequences for transatlantic security and priorities. Yet, even before this, there were multiple growing challenges to the existing security architecture and institutions that were set up in the wake of the Second World War.

What challenges and threats is NATO facing given the current security crisis on their eastern border? How will this impact the upcoming release of the new Strategic Concept? How can these issues be addressed both at the level of the Alliance and in cooperation with partner countries, such as Australia?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre (USSC) hosted an event with NATO's Head of Engagements Mr Nicola de Santis in conversation with USSC Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic.

Jointly presented by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) and NATO Public Diplomacy Division; this event is part of a series of talks with USSC and NATO experts in which they explore the challenges ahead of NATO and Australia and propose areas where furthering and deepening cooperation can offer solutions.

In addition to fomenting sweeping international condemnation, Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine appears to have convinced key US allies in Europe to increase defence spending to levels that US presidents of all political persuasions have requested for decades. For its part, Australia committed lethal aid to Ukraine and embraced economic sanctions against Russia while Prime Minister Morrison said “nothing is off the table” for future Australian support. But what are the broader implications of this seismic event for Australia? How will Russia’s invasion change the US approach to the Indo-Pacific? Should the Australian Government issue a new Defence Strategic Update to factor in involvement with Europe or reduced attention from the United States?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring USSC Senior Lecturer Dr Gorana Grgic in conversation with Non-Resident Senior Fellow Stephen Loosley AM.

The US Constitution mandates the president “shall from time to time give Congress information of the State of the Union”, which has now become an annual address from the sitting president. This is an opportunity for the president to make their case – celebrating successes so far and setting the policy trajectory for the year ahead. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited President Biden to give his first State of the Union Address on 1 March 2022.

Facing dwindling poll numbers and an acrimoniously divided country, can President Biden’s address win him much needed political capital ahead of the November 2022 midterm elections? How much will the Indo-Pacific or other foreign policy feature in his address? What should Australia listen out for?

To discuss these issues before President Biden’s address, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar event with USSC politics experts Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy David Smith, Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper in conversation with CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

Challenges the United States faces with China and Russia are frequently, and adamantly, argued to either constitute a new Cold War or not. Leading historian and former Pentagon advisor, Hal Brands, takes a different approach altogether in his new book, The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us about Great Power Rivalry Today. He posits that regardless of the accuracy of Cold War comparisons, the United States should look to the history of the Cold War for lessons in how to succeed in great power rivalry today. Both the Biden and Trump administrations came to embrace US-China competition, but what should be the ultimate end goal? How should the US approach to such competition in the near term differ from a long-term approach? Where do US allies like Australia fit into this strategic debate?

The United States Studies Centre hosted an event with Hal Brands in conversation with USSC Senior Lecturer Dr Gorana Grgic as we unpack what history has to teach about the latest stage in great power rivalry and the future of US foreign policymaking.

On the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration, experts from the United States Studies Centre (USSC) will give their take on what to expect in US politics and policy in 2022. President Biden’s supporters posit that, in passing the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, he has already accomplished more first-year legislative wins than any president in generations. Yet amid questions of competence following the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, inflation rates the highest in decades, the prospect of the most significant changes in abortion law in nearly half a century, and ever-worsening poll numbers potentially foreshadowing a GOP takeover in the midterms, President Biden and the Democrats are undeniably on the defensive.

What are the issues likely to dominate US politics and the midterm elections in 2022? What comes of the Biden administration’s policy agenda if Republicans take back control of Congress? What issues should Australians keep an eye on?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar discussion with politics experts, Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic, Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Senior Research Fellow Jared Mondschein in conversation with CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

After a year beset by a pandemic, civil unrest, and political turmoil, the January 6 attack on the US Capitol began 2021 with the first major attack on American soil since the falling of the twin towers some 20 years before. What are the sources of US political dissolution and division and the resulting implications for Australia? What is the connection between the lives of individual Americans and the dysfunction that characterises Washington? What explains the seismic shifts in the politics and culture in places as diverse as Connecticut, West Virginia and Chicago?

To discuss what led to this moment and what can be done about it, the United States Studies Centre hosted a discussion with Evan Osnos, National Book Award and Pulitzer prize-winning author of Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury in conversation with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Charles Edel.

Martin Indyk has written a landmark book, Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy, on the Mideast diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State to presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Indyk’s exceptional and forensic study of diplomatic records along with personal discussions with Kissinger on those events – all informed further by Indyk’s unique insights from his own decades of involvement in the search for peace in the Middle East under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – provide an extraordinary window on these events and the challenges facing President Biden and his foreign policy team in today’s Middle East.

How did the United States end up so centrally involved in Middle East peace negotiations? In an era of strategic competition, what is the Biden administration's Middle East strategy? What does Australia need to know about Biden’s Middle East policy going forward?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a conversation with Martin Indyk and the United States Studies Centre (USSC) Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper.

Technological advancements that are being exploited for military and security purposes present both new opportunities for militaries around the world, as well as new threats that can emanate from both state and non-state actors. Emerging and disruptive technologies (EDT) are also a key facet of the NATO 2030 initiative and an integral part of the discussions leading to NATO’s new Strategic Concept. The alliance has recently taken decisive steps to retain its technological edge by enabling investment in dual-use technologies of potential application to defence and security by creating the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). The Innovation Fund’s aim is to support the development of a protected transatlantic innovation community.

This talk discussed NATO’s approach to EDT in the context of both risks and opportunities for NATO and allies, the ongoing work with public and private sector partners, academia and civil society in this domain, as well as the areas where partner states such as Australia can cooperate on these matters.

NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Mr David van Weel was the special guest. He spoke with the United States Studies Centre's Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic.

Jointly presented by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) and NATO Public Diplomacy Division; this event is part of a series of talks with USSC and NATO experts in which they explore the challenges ahead of NATO and Australia and propose areas where furthering and deepening cooperation can offer solutions.

For the past 30 years, Australia has supported inclusive regional security and economic multilateral institutions as a way of entrenching the United States’ role in Asia. With US-China competition intensifying, institutions such as the East Asia Summit (EAS) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are coming under new pressure. Yet even as new narrower groupings such as the Quad take form, the region's established multilateral institutions will remain key forums in the competition for regional influence.

How can the United States use ASEAN-led institutions to advance its Indo-Pacific strategy? How does its approach to Asian multilateral institutions compare with that of other countries, including China, Australia and Japan? How should the Biden administration prioritise its ASEAN engagement vis-a-vis the Quad and other narrower regional groupings? And what implications does this have for Australia?

To discuss these issues and launch the report A seat at the table: The role of regional multilateral institutions in US Indo-Pacific strategy, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring report author Susannah Patton, Research Fellow in USSC's Foreign Policy and Defence Program; Hoang Thi Ha, Lead Researcher at the ASEAN Studies Centre and Co-coordinator of the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute; and Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, Global Fellow at the Wilson Center in conversation with Dr Peter Lee, Research Fellow in USSC's Foreign Policy and Defence Program.

With a Democratic president and Democratic control of the House of Representatives and Senate, the Democratic Party currently holds a rare government trifecta. Yet less than a year since grabbing power, President Biden is staring down the prospect of Democrats legislators derailing their president’s legislative agenda. What happened the last time Democrats controlled Congress and the White House under President Obama? How are the successes and failures from that period shaping the Biden administration’s legislative ambitions? What is President Biden's pathway forward for legislative success?

The United States Studies Centre (USSC) hosted a discussion featuring USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Miami University (Ohio), Professor Bryan Marshall, who recently published the second edition of The Committee, an authoritative study of Congress during the Obama administration. In their latest edition, Wolpe and Marshall update their first-hand account of Congress' work on President Obama's legislative initiatives and provide further analysis of the larger historic political factors at play for a unique expert insight to an understanding of how Congress worked under President Obama and now under President Biden.

Together with Sarah Storey, most recently the Minister Counsellor (Congressional) at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC, where she managed the Embassy's strategic engagement with Congress, Wolpe and Marshall discussed Biden's legislative agenda as it moves to climactic votes that will define his legacy.

The United States Studies Centre and Asia Society Australia co-hosted a panel discussion on America’s Indo-Pacific strategy under President Joe Biden.

The Indo-Pacific is the new global centre of strategic rivalry. President Biden has sought to shore up alliances in the region and ease strained relationships caused by his predecessor. His administration has doubled down on regional partnerships such as the Quad to counter China’s growing assertiveness. The announcement of the AUKUS partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom also suggests a new urgency of purpose in the Indo-Pacific. Even so, questions remain, especially about the ability of the United States to compete effectively in Southeast Asia and to craft an economic strategy for the region following its 2017 withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

What is America’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific under President Biden? Can the United States compete effectively with China and can that competition be contained to avoid conflict? What are the implications of the US approach to the Indo-Pacific for Australia's interests? How much should values drive competition with China? Where does Southeast Asia fit in US plans, and can the United States craft an economic strategy in the region?

In the leadup to the region’s “summit season”, the USSC and Asia Society hosted a discussion on these issues featuring Richard Maude, Executive Director of Policy at Asia Society Australia, Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre, Susannah Patton, Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre, and Elina Noor, Director of Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director, Washington DC Office at the Asia Society Policy Institute. This event will be moderated by Emma Connors, South-east Asia correspondent for the Australian Financial Review.

Policy issues at the intersection of international security and international economics loom increasingly large for Australian and US policymakers. The alliance’s shift from economic engagement to rivalry towards China has reframed international and domestic economic policy settings in light of the security concerns presented by China’s growing power and influence. Unprecedented attention now turns toward geoeconomic statecraft, the use of economic policy instruments to further geopolitical, foreign policy and security objectives.

How concerned are Australian policymakers and how concerned should they be? What are the limits of China’s economic statecraft and could it backfire? How should the United States and Australia respond?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar to launch a report from the Centre's International Economy Program: A geoeconomic alliance: The potential and limits of economic statecraft featuring report author Dr Stephen Kirchner, USSC Director of International Economy; Christine McDaniel, Senior Research Fellow at Mercatus Center and Dr Ben Herscovitch, Research Fellow at Australian National University in conversation with USSC Research Fellow of Foreign Policy and Defence Susannah Patton.

Amid sharpening strategic competition with China in the Indo-Pacific, the Biden administration has proposed the concept of ‘integrated deterrence’ as a cornerstone for US defence strategy. By collaborating more closely with US allies and partners, and by more effectively combining military and non-military instruments of national power, Washington hopes this new approach will deter Beijing’s use of coercion across a wide spectrum of competition.

But what exactly does ‘integrated deterrence’ mean? Is it really new? How does it intersect with ongoing efforts to increase interoperability among US allies and partners? And what role is there for the Australia-US alliance to bring integrated deterrence into being in the Indo-Pacific?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre (USSC) and Pacific Forum hosted the launch of “Integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific: Advancing the Australia-United States alliance", a new policy brief by Jane Hardy, Visiting Senior Fellow with the USSC and a former Australian Consul-General in Hawaii. Joining her for this in-conversation webinar was Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at USSC, and David Santoro, President of Pacific Forum, both founding convenors and co-chairs of the Track 1.5 US-Australia Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue.

This activity was supported by the Australian Government through a grant by the Australian Department of Defence. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Australian government or the Australian Department of Defence.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden famously predicted that a loss by President Trump in the November 2020 election would force Republicans to have an “epiphany” and turn away from Trump. This prediction was not dissimilar from President Obama’s comments during the 2012 presidential election, in which Obama predicted “I believe that if we’re successful in this election, when we’re successful in this election, that the fever may break…because there’s a tradition in the Republican Party of more common sense than that.”

But has the Democrat-projected epiphany occurred? Can Biden’s track record for bipartisanship change the course of polarisation? Can one of the most experienced presidents in US history buck historical trends and bring about an era of bipartisanship? What are the implications for Australia if US political divide worsens?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Sarah Binder and Thomas Mann, Senior Fellows in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution in conversation with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe.

Recent years have seen the unravelling of some of the landmark arms control treaties, compounded with growing strategic competition between major powers and increases in military spending. This inevitably places arms control high on the agenda, including in the framework of NATO 2030. In 2019, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said “arms control is in NATO’s DNA”. This talk discussed NATO’s approach to arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation and the role for arms control in NATO’s next Strategic Concept. It also addressed partnership goals related to Australia in the context of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

Special guest for the webinar was NATO’s Acting Director of the Arms Control, Disarmament, and WMD Non-Proliferation Centre Ms Eirini Lemos-Maniati. She spoke with United States Studies Centre's Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic.

Jointly presented by the USSC and NATO Public Diplomacy Division, this event was the latest in a series of talks with USSC and NATO experts in which they explore the challenges ahead of NATO and Australia and propose areas where furthering and deepening cooperation can offer solutions.

The United States Studies Centre hosted a virtual address and in-conversation event with Senator the Hon Penny Wong to launch the United States Studies Centre report “Correcting the course: How the Biden administration should compete for influence in the Indo-Pacific.”

Senator Wong delivered her remarks on “Australia's contribution to American engagement in the Indo-Pacific” in the wake of this month’s announcement of the AUKUS pact, the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty and the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Washington DC. She then joined report co-authors Susannah Patton and Ashley Townshend for a discussion on the United States’ role in the Indo-Pacific region and the way forward for Australian policy.

Senator the Hon Penny Wong is Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. Senator Wong was elected to the Senate in 2001 and took her seat in 2002. In 2004, Senator Wong was elected to the Shadow Ministry. Following the election of the Labor Government in 2007, she was appointed the Minister for Climate Change and Water. After the 2010 election, she was appointed the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. In 2013, Senator Wong was appointed Leader of the Government in the Senate. After the change of government, she was appointed the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Senator Wong is the first woman to hold both these roles.

The next Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation (AUSMIN) will take place later this month amidst sharpening strategic competition with China and rising concerns about the direction of Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy. This meeting between foreign and defence ministers is a critical opportunity for the Australia-US alliance to embark on more ambitious efforts to uphold a stable, open and prosperous regional order.

Competing for influence within the Indo-Pacific should be at the top of the agenda for this year’s AUSMIN. How can Australia and the US expand regional military posture and deterrence initiatives? What should be done to deepen engagement and partnerships with Southeast Asia? And how might Canberra and Washington work better together to counter economic coercion and pursue new technology partnerships?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar featuring Non-Resident Fellow Jennifer Jackett, Director of Trade and Investment Stephen Kirchner, Research Fellow Susannah Patton and Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend, moderated by CEO Simon Jackman.

This year marks 20 years since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, the precursor to US-led military operations in Afghanistan, joined by Australia.

For the two decades, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency in theatres far from both the US and Australian mainlands was the dominant, operational focus of the Australia-US alliance. Now both Australia and the United States look to focus the Alliance much closer to Australia, the Australia-US alliance a key element in a network of allies and partners working on a wide array of challenges in the Indo-Pacific. What lessons should both countries take from the twenty years since 9/11 for this next phase of the Australia-US alliance?

To explore these questions, the United States Studies Centre hosted USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Duncan Lewis AO, DSC, CSC and General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Retired). Both held senior leadership roles in uniform and in civilian life during the post-9/11 conflicts and are uniquely well placed to discuss this topic. Moderating the conversation was USSC Visiting Senior Fellow Jane Hardy, whose most recent posting was as the most senior Australian civilian representative at INDOPACOM in Honolulu.

Duncan Lewis rose to the rank of Major General in the Australian Army and was appointed the inaugural commander of Australian Special Operations in January 2001. In civilian life, Lewis served as National Security Adviser in the Rudd government (2008-2011), Secretary of the Department of Defence (2011-2012) and Director-General of Security (2014-2019) under Coalition governments. He joined the United States Studies Centre as Non-Resident Fellow earlier this year.

David Petraeus served in the US Army for 37 years, with leadership roles including serving as commanding general, Multi-National Force - Iraq (2007-2008), US Central Command (2008-2010) and commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2010-11. He served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2011-12) during the presidency of Barack Obama. In 2009, Petraeus was awarded an honorary Order of Australia.

As Australia and the United States commemorate the 70th anniversary of their alliance, the alliance agenda is burgeoning, matching the pace and breath of geostrategic change in the Indo-Pacific, accompanied by constant innovation in ways nation states project power and influence. China’s economic coercion of Australia is a telling case in point, figuring prominently in recent remarks from US senior officials. But where and how does geoeconomic competition fit in the Australia-US alliance agenda? What should a framework for a geoeconomic alliance cooperation encompass? What does an Australia-US alliance with a geoeconomic agenda look like, institutionally and operationally?

The USSC hosted a discussion with the authors of Trust and diversify: A geoeconomic strategy for the Australia-US alliance, a new United States Studies Centre (USSC) report launched on 2 September. The report’s co-authors – American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Zack Cooper, Australian National University Senior Lecturer Darren Lim and former Center for a New American Security researcher Ashley Feng – engaged in a discussion moderated by Perth USAsia Centre Research Director Jeffrey Wilson.

September 1, 2021 marks 70 years since the ANZUS Treaty was signed in San Francisco in 1951, the first major international treaty Australia entered independent of the British government.

Today, the alliance between Australia and the United States — and the deep, long-standing channels of trust and cooperation it has fostered — is being tasked with more issues and with more urgency than at any point in its 70-year history.

Both John Howard and Julia Gillard presided over critical phases of change in the Alliance, around 9/11 and its aftermath for Howard and the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia” for Gillard. How did each leader view the Alliance given the geo-strategic and security challenges they faced? How can their experiences of “Alliance evolution” inform the policy choices we face today?

The United States Studies Centre hosted a special event featuring a discussion between former Prime Ministers Julia Gillard AC and John Howard OM AC moderated by Dennis Richardson AC who previously served as Secretary to the Department of Defence, Secretary to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Ambassador to the United States. Prime Minister Scott Morrison MP, Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese MP and Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian MP also provided remarks.

Video of this event is available at https://www.youtube.com/user/usstudiescentre

As a refugee from South Vietnam when he was four years old Professor Viet Thanh Nguyen’s work explores the convergence between politics and literature. The Sympathizer, his thriller about a communist double-agent won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2016. The United States Studies Centre was honoured to have Professor Nguyen deliver the first-ever American Cultures Lecture.

The lecture by Aerol Arnold Chair of English at the University of Southern California Professor Viet Thanh Nguyen was followed by a conversation moderated by USSC Associate Professor of Politics and American Studies Brendon O'Connor.

Viet Thanh Nguyen is a University Professor, Aerol Arnold Chair of English, and Professor of English, American Studies and Ethnicity, and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Race and Resistance: Literature and Politics in Asian America (Oxford University Press, 2002) and the New York bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer (Grove Atlantic, 2016). His latest book is The Committed, the sequel to The Sympathizer, published by Grove Press in March 2021.

As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Australia-US alliance continues to evolve in response to a changing regional context in the Indo-Pacific. How do Australia’s neighbours in Southeast Asia understand the purpose of the alliance in 2021? Is the alliance seen as limiting Australia’s autonomy, or enhancing its influence? Is the alliance seen as distracting Australia from engaging its neighbours, or as contributing to regional security? This event explored how various trends, including the emergence of a more regionally assertive China and the development of networked security arrangements, have affected regional perceptions of ANZUS and its role in Australian foreign policy.

Hosted by Susannah Patton, Research Fellow in the United States Studies Centre's Foreign Policy and Defence Program, this webinar featured perspectives from three leading Southeast Asian foreign and defence policy experts: Sarah Teo, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Regional Security Architecture Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; Evan A. Laksmana, Wang Gungwu Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore; and Shahriman Lockman, Director in the Chief Executive's Office of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia.

2020 will be remembered as one of the most tumultuous years in American history. COVID-19 tested every country, every government and every political leader in the world. But with the pandemic arriving as Donald Trump launched his campaign for re-election, the world watched aghast as the United States lost more than 500,000 of its citizens to COVID. From hydroxychloroquine and bleach, to making hostility to masks and social distancing emblems of partisanship, Trump’s last year as president was marked by incompetence, tragedy and ultimately, a violent test of American democratic institutions and social cohesion. How did the government of the world’s most powerful nation get so much so wrong? Who were the voices around Trump during this momentous year? And where to from here, not just for the United States, but for close allies such as Australia?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar discussion with The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, authors of the new book and New York Times #1 best seller I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year, in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia.

This month our guest was Ambassador Jane Hardy, who has joined the United States Studies Centre as a Visiting Senior Fellow from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She most recently served as Consul-General in Honolulu from 2018 to 2021 during which time she led Australia’s engagement with US Indo-Pacific Command.

Ambassador Hardy joined hosts United States Studies Centre Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend and Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake for a discussion on the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia.

This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by guests Dr Victoria A. Farrar-Myers, a dedicated civic leader, an award-winning educator and a distinguished scholar; and Professor Valerie Hudson, the George H.W. Bush Chair in the Department of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where she directs the Program on Women, Peace, and Security. She will join hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake to discuss the latest in US politics and policy.

Cybersecurity, defence innovation and climate change in the military are all on the agenda for NATO’s Brussels Summit on 14 June. But with NATO placing unprecedented attention on the Indo-Pacific, what are the summit’s implications for Australia? What will NATO's defence innovations mean for the Indo-Pacific? How can Australia work with NATO to strengthen cyber defences?

USSC hosted a webinar event with NATO’s Director for Security Policy and Partnerships Directorate, Political Affairs and Security Policy Division James Mackey in discussion with USSC Lecturer and NATO Defense College Partners Across the Globe Fellow Dr Gorana Grgic.

Jointly presented by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) and NATO Public Diplomacy Division; this event was part of a series of talks with USSC and NATO experts in which they explore the challenges ahead of NATO and Australia and propose areas where furthering and deepening cooperation can offer solutions.

No campaign promise, rumour mill or day one executive order is as revelatory of a US president’s strategic intentions than the men and women they trust to guide them. A president’s Cabinet and key policy advisors have the extraordinary power of controlling the day-to-day decisions of the federal government. In essence, ‘personnel is policy’ and, as such, the key players of the Biden administration say a lot about the next four years of American politics.

How does Antony Blinken’s upbringing by refugees inform the Biden administration Middle East policy? Why is John Kerry seemingly the only household name of the president’s many advisors? Which names does Australia need to know?

At this webinar, United States Studies Centre Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper — author of Key players in the Biden administration — discussed these questions and more with host and USSC Senior Research Fellow Jared Mondschein.

In the midst of the biggest pandemic in a century, Sky News Host Annelise Nielsen headed to the epicentre – the United States. Bringing a cameraman she ventured into the heart of the 2020 election to talk directly to citizens to understand the people behind the political polarisation. Why were Americans so much more divided over mask mandates than Australians? How many people truly believe the 2020 election was stolen? What has changed since President Biden took office?

This month’s US Politics and Policy Web Series featured Annelise Nielsen, the first dedicated Washington Correspondent for Sky News Australia, in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake.

Annelise Nielsen

In 2020, Washington DC-based political reporter Annelise Nielsen was announced as Sky News Australia’s first Washington Correspondent. She is currently on the ground in the US reporting live for Sky News Australia. Previously, Annelise was Sky News Australia’s Canberra based political reporter and co-anchor of AM Agenda with Tom Connell.

A journalist with a wide range of experience covering stories across Australia, Asia, the US and the Middle East, she holds a bachelor’s degree in law and experience working in a professional services firm. Her work as a journalist is often driven and informed by a strong interest in justice, the Australian legal system and politics. Annelise is also the author of Money Spinners which explores the Banking Royal Commission and the financial services sector in Australia.

Geoeconomic threats to American primacy are prompting the Biden administration to explicitly connect domestic recovery to external strength, with reviews of supply chains and strategic, government-led investments to secure US technological supremacy. Given increasing threats to the rules-based order, it is imperative that Australia and the US work together to reinforce a secure Indo-Pacific economy. How can Australia work together with the Biden administration to manage geoeconomics, contestation and coercion in the Indo-Pacific region?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar discussion with Perth USAsia Centre Research Director Dr Jeffrey Wilson, Senior Policy Fellow Hayley Channer and United States Studies Centre Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr John Lee in conversation with Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia.

This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by Elise Hu, the host of TED Talks Daily, a correspondent for VICE News Tonight and a host-at large at NPR, where she spent nearly a decade as a reporter. She has reported stories from more than a dozen countries as an international correspondent, and opened NPR’s first-ever Seoul bureau, in 2015. She is based in Los Angeles.

President Biden’s recent Leaders Summit on Climate returned the United States to the centre of global climate change action. On the road to the Glasgow climate conference later this year, the United States is ramping up its efforts urging world leaders to adopt more ambitious emissions reductions targets. With Australia’s climate policies labelled “insufficient” by a Biden administration official, how will the US government’s ambitions on climate change impact the future of the US-Australian relationship?

How do attitudes towards climate change policy differ between Americans and Australians? What do differing positions on climate action mean for other areas of the US-Australian relationship? What quick wins can the United States and Australia achieve on climate change?

The United States Studies Centre hosted a conversation featuring University of Queensland Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures and Director at Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership Professor Peta Ashworth, POLITICO Global Translations Editor Ryan Heath and USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman in which they discussed the implications for Australia under the pressure of an ever-climate conscientious United States, and the global climate challenges ahead of us.

NATO and Australia relations date back over a decade with Australia being one of the most important contributors to NATO’s missions and operations. Today, NATO and Australia face a new set of global security challenges — from systemic competition, authoritarian powers and non-state actors — that challenge the rules-based order. These occur through cyber threats and the malicious use of new technologies, as well as, other asymmetric threats.

The NATO2030 initiative, led by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, envisages a more global approach of NATO to world security. Under this new vision, Australia and other Asia-Pacific partners work with NATO to expand shared security interests beyond the Atlantic.

The United States Studies Centre and the NATO Public Diplomacy Division present joint NATO Expert Talks. This series of talks with USSC and NATO experts will explore the challenges ahead of NATO and Australia and propose areas where furthering and deepening cooperation can offer solutions.

One of the identified solutions in fighting disinformation has been to build societal resilience. How have NATO and its member states fared so far and what is NATO’s strategy in fighting disinformation? How has Australia performed on this front? What can NATO and Australia learn from each other?

This first panel discussion brought together NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Baiba Braže and USSC Non-Resident Fellow Dr Jennifer Hunt to explore how disinformation and propaganda, pursued by state and non-state actors, aims to erode the trust and credibility of democratic institutions and systems. The discussion was moderated by USSC Lecturer and NATO Defense College Partners Across the Globe Fellow Dr Gorana Grgic.

As Washington Bureau Chief for the ABC, Zoe Daniel had a front-row seat to the ascension and decline of Donald Trump. Seeing how he masterfully harnessed fear and anger, coupled with a reality-TV honed entertainment instinct, she bore witness to the dawn of a new era in US politics. With a new steady, staid and significantly unassuming presidential administration, who is the anomaly – Trump or Biden? What happens to Trump followers when he’s not in the White House? How does this change perceptions of US power and influence?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar featuring Zoe Daniel, co-author of the new book Greetings from Trumpland in conversation with Jim Middleton, former foreign correspondent and ABC political editor.

Zoe Daniel was the ABC’s US bureau chief in Washington from December 2015 until December 2019. She is the co-author of Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidency changed everything. She was the ABC's South East Asia correspondent from 2009 to 2013 and Africa correspondent from 2005 until 2007. Zoe co-hosted the international news program The World on News 24 and Australia Plus.

Jim Middleton has a career spanning 50 years as a political reporter. From 1980-86 he was the ABC's North America correspondent and from 1988-2007 he was the ABC's Chief Political Correspondent and later Political Editor in Canberra reporting six federal elections. From 2008-2014 he was Chief Anchor for the Australia Network.

It is now well accepted in Canberra and Washington that the Australia-US alliance needs to be operationalised in new ways to meet Indo-Pacific strategic challenges. Against a backdrop of intensifying Chinese assertiveness and the United States’ declining capacity to uphold a favourable balance of power by itself, our shared interests in deterrence and defence require greater coordination, alignment and collective action. This cooperation must also be carefully dovetailed with regional needs and security preferences to ensure a broadly collective approach to strengthening stability, sovereignty and resilience across the Indo-Pacific.

How should Australia work with the Biden administration to transform the alliance for collective deterrence and defence? Is there a shared understanding between Canberra, Washington and other regional capitals over the ends, ways and means of Indo-Pacific strategy? What does bolstering resilience look like in the maritime domain where China’s grey zone activities are steadily expanding? How can Canberra and Washington make faster progress towards the kind of defence industrial base cooperation that is needed to empower the alliance for future strategic challenges?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar discussion with United States Studies Centre Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend, Research Fellow Brendan Thomas-Noone and Australian Strategic Policy Institute Senior Analyst Dr Huong Le Thu in conversation with United States Studies Centre Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Mari Koeck.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”.

The conference closed with a session featuring The Honourable Arthur Sinodinos AO, Australia’s Ambassador to the US (joining via Zoom from the United States) in conversation with Professor Simon Jackman, CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”.

The topic for session three of the conference was "Transforming the alliance for collective defence challenges." Speakers included Greg Moriarty, Secretary of the Department of Defence, Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy Canberra, Dr Huong Le Thu, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre. The session was moderated by Brendan Thomas-Noone, Foreign Policy and Defence Program Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”.

The topic for session two of the conference was "Managing geoeconomics, contestation and coercion". Speakers included James Carouso, Managing Director of BowerGroupAsia (joining via Zoom from Singapore), Katherine Mansted, Senior Adviser Public Policy at the National Security College, Dr Jeff Wilson, Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre and Hayley Channer, Senior Policy Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre. The session was moderated by Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”.

The topic for session one of the conference was "The Australia-United States bilateral economic relationship in a global context." Speakers included Jonathan Coppel, Commissioner of the Productivity Commission and Dr Brett Williams, Principal of Williams Trade Law and was moderated by Dr Stephen Kirchner, Trade & Investment Program Director at the United States Studies Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”.

The opening session of the conference featured Ambassador Atul Keshap, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (joining via Zoom from the United States) in conversation with Professor Simon Jackman, CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre.

Almost as soon as he entered office, President Trump brought to a boil the long-simmering rivalry between the United States and China. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, Trump’s love-hate relationship with Xi had sparked a trade war, while China’s aggression — including foreign-influence operations, human rights abuses, and digital authoritarianism — had pushed the world to the brink of a new Cold War.

In his just-released book, Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century, The Washington Post award-winning columnist, Josh Rogin details the behind-the-scenes story of the Trump administration’s confrontation with Beijing.

The USSC hosted a discussion on this timely work as well as the broader issues in the US-China relationship with Josh Rogin in conversation with Non-Resident Senior Fellows Dr Charles Edel and Dr John Lee.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia.

With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there was much to discuss and interpret.

This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by guest Zoe Daniel, former ABC Washington Bureau Chief and co-author of the recently released book Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidency changed everything.

The Biden administration is seeking approval of its first major piece of legislation, the second impeachment trial for Donald Trump has begun, and battles within the Democratic and Republican parties are being fought for all to see. Will the Biden administration successfully pass a US$1.9 trillion stimulus package? Will the Republican Party ever veer away from Donald Trump? What are the prospects for bipartisanship?

The United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Mia Love, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and former member of Congress, in conversation with Bruce Wolpe, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and former Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. The first edition of 2021 was on Friday 5 February. With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there was much for CEO of the United States Studies Centre Simon Jackman and CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre Gordon Flake to discuss and interpret.

President-elect Biden has made clear that his administration will be different than any before. He has also pledged his team will reflect the diversity of America and he is seeking known collaborators, rather than "a team of rivals" that President Obama famously referenced with his first Cabinet. Yet President-Elect Biden was elected by an exceedingly divided and polarised country and he will need to reconcile a number of factions, even within his own party.

Will Biden’s Cabinet reflect his campaign promises? What does the proposed Biden Cabinet mean for Australia and its national priorities? What is the best approach for Australia to engage with new leadership in Washington?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring USSC experts Dr Gorana Grgic, Dr Jennifer Hunt, Professor Simon Jackman and Bruce Wolpe.

The United States is in the grips of a singular moment in history. An emboldened community of conspiracy theorists is spreading rampant disinformation about the presidential election and the efficacy and intention of COVID-19 vaccines. Record numbers of Americans are testing positive for the virus and President Trump, who downplayed its threat, is taking credit for the arrival of vaccines while disputing President-elect Biden’s win.

The spread of online conspiracy theories has already had tangible impacts. After vicious anti-5G conspiracy theories, the rollout of 5G towers in the United Kingdom was interrupted by dozens of fire bombings and attacks. How can the United States and Australia traverse this clash of online disinformation and conspiracy theories with the real-world rollout of a vaccine program and a presidential transition? How has this landscape enabled hostile actors to influence US politics, and what are the implications for Australia and the world?

The United States Studies Centre hosted a discussion on these issues and more with the award-winning investigative journalist for NBC News Brandy Zadrozny and USSC Non-resident Fellow and Lecturer at the National Security College at ANU, Dr Jennifer Hunt in conversation with USSC Research Associate Elliott Brennan.

The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the US elections and US-Indo-Pacific relations.

USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake shared their insights on the top stories in US politics from an Australian perspective.

In a year when so much has changed, it is important to step back and search for silver linings. This is the spirit of the American Thanksgiving tradition, and it is with this noble practice in mind that the United States Studies Centre would like to invite you to a gathering of friends for a Thanksgiving webinar featuring US Ambassador to Australia Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. and Australian Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos in conversation with USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

What aspects of the US-Australia relationship can we appreciate more as a result of the trials of 2020? How have the dynamics changed? What should we focus on as we head into 2021?

It has become conventional wisdom in Washington that despite entrenched political polarisation, a tougher stance on China is bipartisan. But with only two months until the Biden administration begins, will this be proven correct? How will the Biden administration's approach to China and the Indo-Pacific be different from the Trump administration's? What issues with China will the Biden administration prioritise?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event with Axios China Reporter, Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian in conversation with USSC Senior Non-Resident Fellow and former Senior Advisor to the Australian Foreign Minister, Dr John Lee.

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian covers Beijing's influence and intentions and writes the weekly Axios China newsletter. Based in Washington, DC, she was also the lead writer of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists report known as the "China Cables", which detailed classified Chinese government documents revealing the inner workings of China’s detention camps in Xinjiang. Bethany was previously a national security reporter for The Daily Beast and an editor and reporter for Foreign Policy magazine. She was an Arthur F. Burns Fellow in Berlin and was previously a Jefferson Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. She previously spent four years in China. Allen-Ebrahimian holds an MA in East Asian studies from Yale University, as well as a graduate certificate from the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies.

Dr John Lee is an Adjunct Professor and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister, the lead ministerial adviser for the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, and her principal adviser on Indo-Pacific strategic affairs in the lead-up to the reinstitution of the Quad in 2017.

To carry out China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China promises to spend more than US$1 trillion on new ports, railways, fibre-optic cables, power plants, and other connections across more than one hundred and thirty countries. The United States has cautioned that the BRI, President Xi Jinping’s flagship foreign-policy effort, amounts to “debt trap diplomacy”, “white elephants”, and an unprecedented expansion of Chinese military power. Yet some have said the United States and allies have failed to provide a sufficient “alternative” to BRI. How should the United States and allies like Australia respond? The conventional wisdom is that a more skeptical view of China is bipartisan in the United States but would a Biden administration’s response to BRI be substantively different from the Trump administration’s? USSC hosted a discussion of the United States, Australia and China’s Belt and Road Initiative with Jonathan E. Hillman, author of the recently published The Emperor’s New Road: China and the Project of the Century (Yale University Press, 2020), in a conversation with the Australian Financial Review’s Lisa Murray.

Jonathan E. Hillman is a senior fellow with the CSIS Economics Program and director of the Reconnecting Asia Project, one of the most extensive open-source databases tracking China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Hillman has testified before Congress, briefed government officials and Fortune 500 executives, and written on economics, national security, and foreign policy issues for the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other outlets. Prior to joining CSIS, Hillman served as a policy adviser at the Office of the US Trade Representative, where he contributed to the 2015 US National Security Strategy and the President’s Trade Agenda and directed the research and writing process for essays, speeches, and other materials explaining US trade and investment policy. He has also worked as a researcher at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Council on Foreign Relations, and in Kyrgyzstan as a Fulbright scholar.

Lisa Murray is the editor of the Perspective and Review sections for the Australian Financial Review. She was previously based in Shanghai for six years as the AFR’s China correspondent writing about trade, politics and the economy.

he Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations.

This month's distinguished guests Jeff Bleich, former US Ambassador to Australia and Chelsey Martin, former Australian Consul-General in Los Angeles discussed the US election results with USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake.

Every US general election carries implications for Australia. But as they say: this time, it’s different. To most casual observers, the trajectories of the United States under a second Trump administration or a Biden administration seem quite different, as do the implications for Australia.

But what is really at stake for Australia? What policy arenas — or elements of politics, the economy, or culture and society of the United States — are likely to be impacted by either election outcome? Among these points of change or continuity, which are of relevance to Australians and Australia’s national interests? How might Australia best respond?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event to launch the United States Studies Centre’s seminal report for the 2020 presidential election: Red Book/Blue Book: An Australian guide to the next US administration. This event featured Centre experts Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence; Dr Stephen Kirchner, Director of Trade and Investment; Dr Charles Edel, Senior Fellow; and Dr Gorana Grgic, Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy in a conversation with CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

No US president has been more media focused than President Trump. And likewise, no US president has consistently dominated global news cycles like President Trump. While most Australians watch the US presidential election from afar, intrepid Aussie journalists have spent the year in the epicentre of American political drama: Washington. How does the 2020 election compare to others? How do the candidates campaign and how do you cover them during a pandemic? What aspects of campaign journalism have changed forever?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event with three Australian correspondents in Washington: Cameron Stewart of The Australian, Jacob Greber of The Australian Financial Review, and Matthew Knott of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in a conversation with former ABC Washington Bureau Chief, Zoe Daniel.

Cameron Stewart is an Associate Editor and Washington Correspondent for The Australian. This is his eighth US presidential election since he started with the paper and he is working in Washington DC during this pandemic. His investigative reporting covers foreign affairs, defence and national security and he also writes features for the Weekend Australian Magazine and is a regular contributor for Sky News.

Jacob Greber is The Australian Financial Review's United States correspondent, based in the paper's Washington bureau, where he's been since mid-2018. He was previously the AFR's economics correspondent in Canberra (2012-2018) and has worked as a journalist for more than 24 years in Australia, Europe and the US, including stints at Bloomberg News and News Ltd.

Matthew Knott is North America correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He moved to the US in 2017 to study political journalism at Columbia University in New York. He has travelled to 19 states across America, including recent trips to the battleground states. He has also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. The former federal political reporter was previously based in Parliament House, Canberra. While there he won the Wallace Brown Award for best young reporter in the press gallery.

Zoe Daniel was the ABC’s US bureau chief in Washington from December 2015 until December 2019. She was the ABC's South East Asia correspondent from 2009 - 2013 and Africa correspondent from 2005 until 2007. Zoe co-hosted the international news program The World on News 24 and Australia Plus. Zoe is the author of Storyteller, which provides a personal insight into her life as a foreign correspondent, as well as juggling a family.

With the US election less than three weeks away, a lot of commentaries are focused on the “horse race”: who is ahead, who is behind? But regardless of the outcome in November, will Americans unite behind the next administration? What will be the policy priorities of either a Biden administration or a Trump administration’s second term? Will there be room for foreign policy and an Indo-Pacific strategy as America grapples with the health and economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic? Australia has managed its US relationship exceedingly well under President Trump but what risks and opportunities lie ahead for Australia and its national interests under either election outcome?

The United States Studies Centre hosted a conversation between President Trump's former Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Australian Ambassador to the United States The Hon Joe Hockey.

With just weeks until the US 2020 presidential election, we examine what is at stake for Australia in either election outcome. Australia's national interests will be impacted very differently under a second Trump term than a Biden administration.

What points of continuity and change are we likely to see under either scenario? Aside from the foreign policy implications of the US election results, how else does US politics and policy impact Australian politics, society and culture? Why are so many non-Americans — Australians prominent among them — so enthralled with US politics in general, but this election in particular?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Foreign Editor at The Australian, Greg Sheridan, United States Studies Centre (USSC) CEO Professor Simon Jackman in conversation with former ABC Washington Bureau Chief Zoe Daniel.

America’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific is under unprecedented strain. Facing an increasingly strong and assertive China and the erosion of its own military-technological edge, the United States can no longer be sure of its ability to maintain deterrence and unilaterally uphold a regional balance of power.

Whoever wins the US presidential election will have to address this reality in the context of growing geopolitical and economic disruption wrought by COVID-19. This will require hard choices about the overall size and structure of the US military, its global operations and force posture, the nature of its engagement with allies and partners, and the way it should counter Chinese grey zone coercion and strengthen deterrence.

How might a Biden administration address these challenges? Where will US defence priorities and trade-offs evolve? And what could this mean for the US-Australia alliance and America’s other allies and partners in the region?

The USSC hosted a webinar featuring Michèle Flournoy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, former Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (February 2009 to February 2012) in the Obama Administration, who shared her views on these important issues.

The webinar was moderated by Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre.

Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and former Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where she currently serves on the board. Michèle served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 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. She led the development of the Department of Defense’s 2012 Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress. Prior to confirmation, Michèle co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department.

The 2020 campaign continues to break norms and defy expectations. With the bickering and banter from the first debate still resounding, how will Vice President Pence and Senator Harris handle their encounter? Will policy and ideology feature more prominently in the Vice-Presidential debate? Will this presumably less personal, more substantive debate yield insights about the likely policy priorities of either a second Trump administration or a Biden administration? And if so, what are the implications for Australia?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event with USSC Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Gorana Grgic, Non-Resident Fellow Jennifer Hunt, and Non-Resident Fellow Kim Hoggard in conversation with Associate Professor in American Politics Brendon O’Connor.

The US-China nuclear relationship is growing increasingly complex. In recent years, Beijing has continued to modernise and diversify its nuclear arsenal and Washington has made changes to its nuclear policy that could reinforce these trends. While there is still the relatively low risk of the use of nuclear weapons during a conflict between the two, that risk is rising as political tensions increase.

Australia’s interests would be best served by an allied military strategy for balancing China that emphasises conventional capabilities, rather than relying on US nuclear weapons to deter the unlikely prospect of a first-use nuclear attack by China.

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted an event to launch Managing US-China nuclear risks: A guide for Australia, featuring its author, Fiona Cunningham, United States Studies Centre Non-Resident Fellow and Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University; Euan Graham, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, David Santoro, Vice President and Director for Nuclear Policy Programs at Pacific Forum and Brendan Thomas-Noone, Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at United States Studies Centre.

The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the upcoming US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations.

This month's guests were Jeff Flake, a Republican who represented Arizona in the US Senate from 2013 to 2019, and Dr Gorana Grgic, Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre.

Flake and Grgic joined USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake for their insights on the top stories in US politics.

The Indo-Pacific has rapidly emerged as the world’s most strategically consequential region in the Asian century. But the regional order is straining under China’s assertive use of coercive statecraft and doubts about the United States’ capacity and willingness to uphold a favourable balance of power. These dynamics are deeply troubling for Australia’s strategic outlook and for the security and prosperity of US allies and partners across the region.

A stable and rules-based regional order is, however, still achievable. As Abraham Denmark argues in his new book U.S. Strategy in the Asian Century: Empowering Allies and Partners, America’s Indo-Pacific alliances and partnerships can – if properly harnessed and supported – enable Washington to underwrite long-term stability in the region and successfully navigate the challenges of intensifying strategic competition.

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted the Australian launch of U.S. Strategy in the Asian Century featuring its author Abraham Denmark, Director of the Asia Program and Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia; Ambassador Jane Hardy, Australian Consul-General in Honolulu; and Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre.

Abraham M. Denmark is Director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and a Senior Fellow at the Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Denmark previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, and has held positions at the national Bureau of Asian Research, the Center for a New American Security, in the US Intelligence community.

Ambassador Jane M. Hardy is the Consul-General of the Australian Consulate-General Honolulu, having previously served as the Assistant Secretary, Arms control and Counter-Proliferation Branch in the International Security Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Canberra. Prior to this role, Ambassador Hardy served as Australia's Ambassador to Spain, Andorra and Equatorial Guinea.

Charlie Cook is one of the most authoritative analysts of US elections - an exceptionally trusted and respected voice on the American electorate for nearly four decades. Charlie discussed his overview of the race for the White House and where it stands today - trends, key states and voter demographics, and strengths and weaknesses of President Trump and Vice President Biden - and also the state of play for the Senate and overall House races. What is the state of the race to the White House? Who is winning the battle for Congress? What can Australia expect to see on 3 November?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Editor and Publisher of The Cook Political Report, Charlie Cook in conversation with United States Studies Centre (USSC) Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

Ensuring that elections are free and fair is far from a settled matter in the United States, with courts frequently asked to settle disputes about virtually every element of election administration. In 2020, President Trump and his supporters contend that vote by mail is rife with fraud (in an election cycle where COVID will help drive demand for mail balloting to record levels) and that an election loss would constitute evidence of a rigged election. The vacancy following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg further heightens the tension around the role of the court in the election. Trump’s opponents are casting the election and access to the polls as a struggle for voting rights and democracy itself. Interest groups allied with both sides of politics are launching or preparing for post-election litigation in multiple jurisdictions.

What issues are being litigated, by whom, and where? How are these legal challenges being funded? What constitutional and legal arguments are being deployed? What likely role for the US Supreme Court, and what might be the likely outcome? And for the eventual winner, will their victory and governing authority be accepted as legitimate by the American people and the world?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Ruth Greenwood, Co-Director of the Voting Rights and Redistricting Program at the Campaign Legal Center in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

BBC New York Correspondent Nick Bryant has studied US elections for decades and saw the election of President Trump in 2016 as inevitable, rather than a fluke. Growing executive overreach, shifting economic and cultural power, and ubiquitous distrust of media and government paved the way for a disruptor with promises of “greatness.” As a Brit in the United States, his observations translate the American experience through a lens Australian’s can understand.

Who are the power-brokers and pawns in the 2020 election? Will Americans double down or divert away from MAGA? Is the history of President Trump’s rise also a history of America’s fall?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Nick Bryant, author of When America Stopped Being Great: A history of the present, in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

In 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump made immigration a key campaign platform, warning of Mexican “rapists” and criminals coming to the United States. He pledged that a wall on the US-Mexico border would be erected and Mexico would pay for it. Four years later, the US and Mexican presidents have publicly praised each other while a naturalisation ceremony of immigrants to the United States was featured at the Republican National Convention. What has changed in US-Mexico relations? What has the populist left-wing president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, done that differs from his more conventional predecessor? Would Mexico support expanding elements of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to already existing trade agreements with nations like Australia? In this event, New York Times foreign correspondent Mexico Natalie Kitroeff spoke about these issues with Dr Gorana Grgic, a jointly appointed Lecturer at the Department of Government and International Relations and the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.

The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the upcoming US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations.

This month's guest was Mark Textor, Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of C|T Group and the political strategist behind John Howard, Boris Johnson and Tony Abbott. Mr Textor joined USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake for their insights on the top stories in US politics from an Australian perspective hosted by former ABC Washington Bureau Chief Zoe Daniel.

Mark Textor is Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of C|T Group. Best known for his strategic insights, he has held the unique position of being the pollster and electoral strategist behind the election victories for seven Commonwealth prime ministers over scores of elections. Textor has been described by Channel 4 in the UK as “one of the most inﬂuential political strategists and pollsters to walk the planet”, and in Australia as “… a genius at transforming raw research into compelling communication”. Former London mayor and now Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who has sought Tex’s counsel on two successful campaigns, conﬁrmed this view; describing Tex as the “sorcerer of numbers”.

Zoe Daniel was the ABC’s US bureau chief in Washington from December 2015 until December 2019. She was the ABC's South East Asia correspondent from 2009 - 2013 and Africa correspondent from 2005 until 2007. Zoe co-hosted the international news program The World on News 24 and Australia Plus. Zoe is the author of Storyteller, which provides a personal insight into her life as a foreign correspondent, as well as juggling a family.

Ambassador John Bolton served as National Security Advisor to President Trump for 453 days. One of America’s most experienced international relations advisors, Bolton has served every Republican president since Reagan. In his time with the Trump administration, he dealt with chemical attacks in Syria, G7 showdowns and the Kim Jong Un negotiations. As an unabashed national security hawk — and given his long and distinguished vita — Bolton's criticisms of Trump’s handling of US foreign policy are credible and compelling, detailed in his book The Room Where it Happened.

Our conversation with Ambassador Bolton focussed on elements of Trump administration policy — and changes in US strategic thinking — of relevance to Australia’s national interests: strategic competition with China as a foundation of US policy, evolving expectations of alliance partners, US leadership, the likely direction of US policy under either a second Trump administration or a Biden administration.

The webinar event featured Ambassador John Bolton in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake.

Molly Ball is TIME magazine's national political correspondent and a political analyst for CNN. Her latest book, Pelosi, has been hailed by publishers from The Washington Post to O Magazine. She appears regularly on PBS's Washington Week, CBS's Face the Nation, ABC's This Week, and other television and radio programs. Ball is the winner of numerous awards for her coverage of American politics, including the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize and the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting. She grew up in Idaho and Colorado and lives in the Washington, DC, area with her husband and three children.

Dr Charles Edel is Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy at the US Naval War College, and served on the US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 2015-2017. In that role, he advised Secretary of State John Kerry on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. He is the co-author of The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order (2019) and author of Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic (2014).

Dr John Lee is an adjunct professor and non-resident senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre. He is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister, the lead ministerial adviser for the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, and her principal adviser on Indo-Pacific strategic affairs in the lead-up to the reinstitution of the Quad in 2017.

Thomas L Friedman is an internationally renowned author, reporter, and columnist; recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes; and author of seven best-selling books: From Beirut to Jerusalem; The Lexus and the Olive Tree; Longitudes and Attitudes; The World Is Flat; Hot, Flat, and Crowded; That Used to Be Us, which he co-wrote with Michael Mandelbaum and Thank you For Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, was updated and released 2017. Friedman’s foreign affairs column in The New York Times, which he has written since 1995, reports on US domestic politics and foreign policy, Middle East conflicts, international economics, environment, biodiversity, and energy. He has been with The New York Times since 1981.

Courtney Kennedy is director of survey research at Pew Research Center. In this role, she serves as the chief survey methodologist for the Center, providing guidance on all of its research and leading its methodology work. Prior to joining Pew Research Center, Kennedy served as vice president of the advanced methods group at Abt SRBI. Her work has been published in Public Opinion Quarterly, the Journal of Statistics and Methodology and the Journal of Official Statistics. Courtney chaired the American Association of Public Opinion Research taskforce to evaluate the 2016 US Election polls.

Professor Simon Jackman commenced as Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre in April 2016. Jackman’s research has appeared in the leading journals of political science, in a publishing career spanning thirty years. Between 1996 and 2016, he was a Professor of Political Science and Statistics at Stanford University. Jackman served as one of the Principal Investigators of the American National Election Studies, the world’s longest running and most authoritative survey of political behaviour and attitudes, directing this project over both the 2012 and 2016 presidential election cycles.

James Carouso has been at the forefront of economic diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific for much of his career. Prior to joining BGA, he was the senior foreign policy advisor to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. Earlier, Jim served as deputy chief of mission and chargé d’ affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia. He also worked as the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, in mid-2019.

Alex Lynch manages Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google in Australia, where he is responsible for helping Australia successfully adapt as the world economy digitises, increasingly sophisticated digital tools are developed and operationalised, and the nature of work changes. Alex has a decade of experience in strategic reputation and crisis management, and prior to joining the private sector worked for the New Zealand government on matters of national security.

Sarah Pearson is the Innovation Lead and Deputy Director-General Innovation of the Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation in Queensland. Sarah is a leader with global experience and skills in building innovation ecosystems. Prior to taking the lead position in Queensland’s innovation, her roles include Chief Scientist and Chief Innovation Officer at the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Founding CEO of the CBR Innovation Network, PVC Innovation at the University of Newcastle, CEO of ANU Enterprise, management consulting with McKinsey & Co in Sydney, tenured Physics academic at UNE, and global head of Open Innovation at Cadbury plc in Reading UK. Her strategic, research, and innovation skills have also been applied to board positions spanning government, venture capital, tech companies and social impact entities. She holds a Doctorate in Philosophy and is the author on eight international patents, for cancer diagnosis and novel confectionary.

Jared Mondschein is a Senior Advisor at the US Studies Centre. He works across all three United States Studies Centre research programs: Foreign Policy and Defence, Trade and Investment, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Jared's analysis has appeared in outlets including ABC, BBC, CNN, Foreign Policy, MSNBC, and Sky News as well as across major Australian mastheads. Previously, Jared was a Research Analyst at Bloomberg BNA in Washington, DC, where he focused on cross-border tax issues. Prior to joining Bloomberg BNA, Jared was a Research Associate in the Asia Studies program of the Council on Foreign Relations, an editorial assistant at Foreign Policy magazine, and an assistant editor at a policy journal in Beijing.

Dr John Lee is an adjunct professor and non-resident senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre. He is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister, the lead ministerial adviser for the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, and her principal adviser on Indo-Pacific strategic affairs in the lead-up to the reinstitution of the Quad in 2017.

The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the upcoming US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations. This month's special guest was Evelyn Farkas who was appointed by President Obama to be Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, where she was responsible for US policy toward Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. In 2020, Ms Farkas was a candidate to represent New York's 17th congressional district. Ms Farkas joined USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake to discuss the top stories in US politics.

Anna Greenberg has over 15 years of experience polling in the political, non-profit and academic sectors. She joined GQR in 2001, after teaching public opinion and survey research methodology at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was the lead pollster in many successful campaigns including for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor Tom Wolf, Governor Ned Lamont and Congresswoman Lizzie Pannill Fletcher.

Professor Simon Jackman commenced as CEO of the US Studies Centre in April 2016. Between 1996 and 2016, he was a Professor of Political Science and Statistics at Stanford University. Jackman's teaching and research centres on public opinion, election campaigns, political participation, and electoral systems with special emphasis on American and Australian politics.

Last month, Indian and Chinese troops were involved in the first clash involving the loss of life on both sides since 1975 in Eastern Ladakh. This latest clash between the two most populous nations in the world was preceded by Chinese troops gathering in multiple areas along the disputed border, the erection of new structures near the line of actual control, and ever more expansive Chinese territorial claims at India’s expense.While both sides are taking steps to de-escalate tensions, the ongoing crisis may have fundamentally altered New Delhi’s view of Beijing. The profound strategic ramifications of this could see India shift decisively towards the United States and its allies such as Australia – giving new impetus and relevance to the Australia-US-India-Japan Quad. Given these dynamics:

Has India’s threat perception of China fundamentally changed as a consequence of the crisis?
How is New Delhi likely to respond militarily, politically and economically?
Is India likely to draw closer to the United States and US allies such as Australia?
Are we entering a new era of deepening cooperation between Quad countries?
Would India’s strategic shift be significantly altered by a Biden administration?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Dr Lavina Lee, Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University; Professor C Raja Mohan, Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies; Greg Sheridan, foreign editor at The Australian; and Abhijit Singh, head of the Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation in India in conversation with USSC Senior Non-Resident Fellow Dr John Lee.

Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper is the Stephen A. Schwarzman senior fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center. Dr Rapp-Hooper’s academic writings have appeared in Political Science Quarterly, Security Studies, and Survival. Her policy writings have appeared in The National Interest, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Quarterly, and her analysis has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and the BBC. Dr Rapp-Hooper was the Asia Policy coordinator for the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

Dr Charles Edel is Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy at the US Naval War College, and served on the US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 2015-2017. In that role, he advised Secretary of State John Kerry on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. He is the co-author of The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order (2019) and author of Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic (2014).

Dr John Lee is an adjunct professor and non-resident senior fellow at the US Studies Centre. He is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister, the lead ministerial adviser for the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, and her principal adviser on Indo-Pacific strategic affairs in the lead-up to the reinstitution of the Quad in 2017.

To discuss these issues, please join us for a webinar event featuring many of the officials who created the landmark agreement, including:

The Hon. John Howard OM AC – Prime Minister of Australia 1996 - 2007
The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO – current Australian Ambassador to the United States
The Hon. Joe Hockey – President and Founding Partner of Bondi Partners; former Australian Ambassador to the United States; former Federal Treasurer
Robert Zoellick – Senior Counselor at Brunswick Group; former US Trade Representative; former US Deputy Secretary of State; former President of the World Bank
Wendy Cutler – Vice President and Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute; former US Deputy Trade Representative
Michael Thawley AO – Vice Chairman, Capital Group International; former Australian Ambassador to the United States; former Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and senior public servant

The event also featured special video messages from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Ambassador to Australia A.B. Culvahouse Jr.

Ashley Townshend is Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, where he works on strategic affairs with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Ashley is also founding convenor and co-chair of the US-Australia Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue and a lecturer in the Centre’s postgraduate program. A frequent contributor to the Australian and international media, Ashley’s analysis has appeared in outlets such as the Financial Times, CNN, the Australian Financial Review, Bloomberg, ABC, and Sky News.

Brendan Thomas-Noone is a Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre where he works on national security and technology issues, US defence and foreign policy and Indo-Pacific security. A frequent media contributor, Brendan’s research has appeared in national and international newspapers including The Economist, the Australian Financial Review and The Washington Post.

Matilda Steward is Research Associate in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program and tutor in US and Australian politics at the United States Studies Centre. Previously, Matilda was a Research Assistant in Sydney University’s Department of Government and International Relations, where she worked on a longitudinal study tracking foreign perceptions of the United States. She completed a semester-long exchange at Georgetown University in Washington DC during her final year of undergraduate study.

Jeffrey Wilson is the Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre. He provides leadership and strategic direction in developing the Centre’s research program across its publications, policy and dialogue activities. Dr Wilson specialises in the regional economic integration of the Indo-Pacific. He has particular expertise in the politics of trade agreements, regional economic institutions, and Australia’s economic ties with Asia. He has been featured in local and international media outlets, contributed to a range of track two dialogues between Australia and key regional partners, and supported policy development through consultancy, publication and advisory work.

Richard Maude joined Asia Society Australia in January 2020 as the inaugural Executive Director, Policy, and Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute — the first senior executive role in the Institute outside the United States. Richard Maude most recently served as Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with a portfolio covering Australia’s bilateral relations with Asia and North America as well as regional political, security, economic and development assistance interests. Previously, Maude was Director-General of the Office of National Assessments.

Ashley Townshend is Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, where he works on strategic affairs with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Ashley is also founding convenor and co-chair of the US-Australia Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue and a lecturer in the Centre’s postgraduate program. A frequent contributor to the Australian and international media, Ashley’s analysis has appeared in outlets such as the Financial Times, CNN, the Australian Financial Review, Bloomberg, ABC, and Sky News.

Dr Lynn Kuok is Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies with a focus on international relations, security and law of the Indo-Pacific, particularly the South China Sea dispute. Dr Kuok is also Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge. She is a former Brookings expert and has held multiple fellowships including at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She sits on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Geopolitics.

Dr Lavina Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University, Sydney. She is the author of the book US Hegemony and International Legitimacy: Norms Power and Followership in the Wars on Iraq (Routledge, 2010), and has published numerous articles, book chapters and commentary on Indian foreign and security policy, nuclear proliferation, US foreign policy, and security relations in the Indo-Pacific. She is also the author of the recently published report, Assessing the Quad: Prospects and Limitations of Quadrilateral Cooperation for Advancing Australia’s Interests.

Dr Jennifer L Lawless is the Commonwealth Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. She is the author or co-author of six books, including Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era (with Danny Hayes) and It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office (with Richard L Fox). She is an editor of the American Journal of Political Science, and holds an appointment as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Kim Hoggard is a Non-Resident Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. She worked for two US presidents on policies related to domestic, economic and international affairs, serving as White House Assistant Press Secretary for President Ronald Reagan, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Public Affairs during the second term of the Reagan administration, and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs for President George HW Bush.

Professor Simon Jackman commenced as Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre in April 2016. Jackman’s research has appeared in the leading journals of political science, in a publishing career spanning thirty years. Between 1996 and 2016, he was a Professor of Political Science and Statistics at Stanford University. Jackman served as one of the Principal Investigators of the American National Election Studies, the world’s longest-running and most authoritative survey of political behaviour and attitudes, directing this project over both the 2012 and 2016 presidential election cycles.

Zoe Daniel was the ABC’s US bureau chief in Washington from December 2015 until December 2019. She was the ABC's South East Asia correspondent from 2009 - 2013 and Africa correspondent from 2005 until 2007. Zoe co-hosted the international news program The World on News 24 and Australia Plus. Zoe is the author of Storyteller, which provides a personal insight into her life as a foreign correspondent, as well as juggling a family.

Christian Brose is currently Chief Strategy Officer of Anduril Industries, a technology start-up that develops national defence capabilities, and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He served as Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee (2015-2018), where he was the youngest person to hold the position in the committee’s history. Before that, he served as Senator John McCain’s senior policy advisor (2009-2015). Brose was previously a speechwriter to two secretaries of state, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and a member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff.

Ashley Townshend is Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, where he works on strategic affairs with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Ashley is also founding convenor and co-chair of the US-Australia Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue and a lecturer in the Centre’s postgraduate program. A frequent contributor to the Australian and international media, Ashley’s analysis has appeared in outlets such as the Financial Times, CNN, the Australian Financial Review, Bloomberg, ABC, and Sky News.

Mia Love served as the US Representative for Utah's 4th district from 2015-2019. She was the first black female Republican elected to Congress. At the start of the 2015 Congress, she was appointed to the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. She also joined the Congressional Black Caucus after taking her seat.

Dr David Kilcullen is Professor of International and Political Studies at University of New South Wales, Canberra and also serves as Professor of Practice in global security at Arizona State University. Kilcullen is a former soldier and diplomat, and a scholar of guerrilla warfare, terrorism, urbanisation and the future of conflict, who served 25 years for the Australian and United States governments. During the Iraq War, he served in Baghdad as a member of the Joint Strategic Assessment Team, then as Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor, Multi-National Force Iraq in 2007, before becoming Special Advisor for Counterinsurgency to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2008. Kilcullen was named one of the Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2009.

Jonathan Swan is an Australian journalist and the National Political Reporter at Axios. He covers the White House and Republican Leaders on Capitol Hill. For the 2016 campaign, he followed Republican candidates and donors and had an insider’s view of the Trump campaign. He was first to break several major news stories including that the United States would pull out from the Paris Climate Treaty, that Jerusalem would be recognised as Israel’s capital and that Steve Bannon was being fired. Previously, Swan was a political reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald. He received the Wallace Brown Award in 2014 for most outstanding young journalist.

William Greenwalt is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council within the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security where he focuses on barriers to international industrial cooperation. Bill served in senior positions at the Pentagon, in Congress, and in the defence industry. As Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, he advised senior Pentagon officials on matters relating to the defence industrial base to include mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, technology transfer, manufacturing, and competition policy. His most recent report, Leveraging the National Technology Industrial Base to Address Great Power Competition, identifies needed changes to the US export control system to better encourage industrial partnerships between the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Lesley Seebeck is a Professor of Practice in Cyber Security and CEO of the Cyber Institute, Australian National University. She started as the CEO of the Institute in July 2018. Most recently, she was Chief Investment and Advisory Officer at the Digital Transformation Agency, arriving there from the Bureau of Meteorology where she served as Chief Information Officer from mid 2014 to late 2017. She was recognised as Federal Government CIO of the Year in 2017 and in February 2019 she was appointed to the Naval Shipbuilding Advisory Board.

Brendan Thomas-Noone is a Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre where he works on national security and technology issues, US defence and foreign policy and Indo-Pacific security. A frequent media contributor, Brendan’s research has appeared in national and international newspapers including The Economist, the Australian Financial Review and The Washington Post.

Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, U.S. Army (Ret.) is the inaugural holder of the Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute, Washington DC. He is also the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Lt. Gen. McMaster was the 26th assistant to the president for national security affairs. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a lieutenant general in June 2018. Lt. Gen. McMaster is author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam and the forthcoming Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World. He holds a PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr John Lee is an adjunct professor and non-resident senior fellow at the US Studies Centre. He is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister, the lead ministerial adviser for the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, and her principal adviser on Indo-Pacific strategic affairs in the lead-up to the reinstitution of the Quad in 2017.

Dr Lavina Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University, Sydney. She is the author of the book US Hegemony and International Legitimacy: Norms Power and Followership in the Wars on Iraq(Routledge, 2010), and has published numerous articles, book chapters and commentary on Indian foreign and security policy, nuclear proliferation, US foreign policy, and security relations in the Indo-Pacific.

Dr Charles Edel is Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy at the US Naval War College, and served on the US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 2015-2017. In that role, he advised Secretary of State John Kerry on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. He is the co-author of The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order (2019) and author of Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic (2014).

Jonathan Holloway is President-designate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Most recently, he served as Provost of Northwestern University. Before moving to Northwestern, he was the Dean of Yale College from 2014-2017. He is a professor of History and African American Studies. Holloway’s scholarship focuses on post-emancipation social and cultural American history. He is the author of Confronting the Veil: Abram Harris Jr., E. Franklin Frazier, and Ralph Bunche, 1919-1941 and Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940.

The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre launched a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the upcoming US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations. USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake discussed the top stories in US politics from an Australian perspective.

Vikram Sharma is Founder and CEO of QuintessenceLabs, a quantum-enhanced cybersecurity firm. He has 20 years of experience in building and managing technology companies. He is a Sloan Fellow from Stanford University and also holds an MSc in computer science and a PhD in quantum physics from the Australian National University.

Philip Campbell is a Cognitive Scientist and CEO of enigmaFIT as well as an AmCham Governor. Phillip has 25 years of corporate experience in developing and optimising executives’ Brain Efficiency using the brain’s inherent neuroplasticity. This significantly enhances their Adaptability, Leadership Agility, Strategic Thinking, Innovative Thinking and more - crucial attributes for leading in the COVID-19 era.

Alex Young is the co-founder and CEO of “awe”, a self-service platform that creates augmented and virtual reality with no app downloads. She has over 12 years of augmented reality research and development experience and speaks regularly on AR, VR and crafting compelling user experiences in these mediums and both the challenges & opportunities these and other emerging technologies present. She is a passionate advocate of using technology for good in education and training and exploring new ways of engaging learners in these mediums.

Douglas Irwin is John French Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. He is the author of numerous books, including Clashing over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy, which The Economist and Foreign Affairs selected as one of their Best Books of the Year. He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He worked on trade policy issues while on the staff of President Ronald Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers and was in the International Finance Division at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, DC.

Stephen Kirchner is Program Director Trade and Investment, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney. He is also a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute in Canada. Previously, he was an economist with the Australian Financial Markets Association, where he worked on public policy issues relating to the efficient and effective functioning of Australian financial markets and Australia’s position as a regional and international financial centre.

Protesting during a pandemic is a dangerous political act. But in recent weeks, the world has watched as Americans, some armed, have gathered in state capitols to demand the easing of lockdown restrictions. After the death of a black man in Minnesota who was in police custody, the left is now reemerging on the streets. What motivated these protests? Were they grassroots movements or pushed from the top down? And what does this all tell us about the state of the American union beset by a virus and hurtling towards a Presidential election in November?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Senior Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy Dr David Smith in conversation with Elliott Brennan, author of the recently released USSC report "Coronavirus and protest: How COVID-19 has changed the face of American activism".

Elizabeth Rosenberg is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. In this capacity, she publishes and speaks on the national security and foreign policy implications of the use of sanctions and economic statecraft as well as energy market shifts. From May 2009 through September 2013, Ms Rosenberg served as senior advisor at the US Department of Treasury, to the Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, and then to the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Peter Harrell is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, where he focuses on the intersection of economics and national security. From 2012-2014, Mr Harrell served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. In that role, Harrell was instrumental in developing the international sanctions against Iran, Russia and Syria and in the easing of sanctions against Myanmar.

Ashley Feng is a Research Associate for the Energy, Economics and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Her research focus includes US-China trade relations, China’s economic policies and China’s global economic footprint. Her work and commentary have appeared in NPR, CNBC, Foreign Policy, Fortune, Scientific American and The National Interest.

Dr John Lee is a Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is also a Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

Dr Charles Edel is a Senior Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Prior to this appointment, he was Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy at the US Naval War College, and served on the US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 2015-2017. He is the co-author of The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order (2019).

Philip Rucker is the White House Bureau Chief at The Washington Post, leading its coverage of President Trump and his administration. He and a team of Post reporters won the Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award for their reporting on Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. Rucker is co-author with Carol Leonnig of A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America, a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. Rucker joined the Post in 2005 and previously has covered Congress, the Obama White House and the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns. He serves as an on-air political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in history.

Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman is a professor of the practice of public leadership and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. In addition, she is a senior fellow at the School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Ambassador Sherman is senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. She is currently an MSNBC global affairs contributor and on the USA TODAY Board of Contributors. Ambassador Sherman is the author of Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power and Persistence published by PublicAffairs, September 2018. Ambassador Sherman led the US negotiating team that reached agreement on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran for which, among other diplomatic accomplishments, she was awarded the National Security Medal by President Barack Obama. Prior to her service at the Department of State, she was vice chair and founding partner of the Albright Stonebridge Group, counselor of the Department of State under Secretary Madeleine Albright and special advisor to president Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea, and assistant secretary for legislative affairs under Secretary Warren Christopher.

Philippe Le Corre is a Research Associate with the Harvard Kennedy School and a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is also a fellow-in-residence at CY Cergy-Paris University.

Dr Gorana Grgic is a jointly appointed Lecturer at the Department of Government and International Relations and the United States Studies Centre. Her research interests include transatlantic relations, US alliances, conflict resolution and democratisation. She is the author of Ethnic Conflict in Asymmetric Federations (Routledge 2017).

Scott Deitchman, MD, MPH served for 30 years as a Commissioned Officer in the US Public Health Service, retiring in May 2017 at the rank of Rear Admiral. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention he led the CDC’s responses to the public health challenges, chemical, radiological, and natural disasters including the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor emergency. RADM Deitchman served in the White House as the Vice President’s Medical Advisor for Homeland Security Affairs. He currently is a Principal with Gordon & Rosenblatt LLC, consulting on prevention and control of disease outbreaks caused by Legionella and other organisms. Dr Deitchman also serves as adjunct faculty at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health. His honours include the Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Outstanding Service Medal.

Adam Kamradt-Scott is an associate professor in global health security and international relations at the University of Sydney. His research and teaching explores how governments and multilateral organisations cooperate and interact when adverse health events such as disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics occur, as well as how they respond to emerging health and security challenges.

The pandemic will eventually subside. But ‘normal functioning’ of the economic relationship between the world’s two largest economies will be increasingly different to what it was before, according to a new report from USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Dr John Lee. The three Ds – decoupling, disentangling and diversification – are the likely US playbook to handle the messy economic separation. But how does this occur after decades of US supply chains relying on “Made in China”? Which sectors will be the most disrupted? What are the implications for Australia?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring USSC Senior Fellow Dr Charles Edel in conversation with Dr John Lee, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and the author of the recently published USSC report "US-China economic distancing in the era of great power rivalry and COVID-19".

We are six months out from arguably the most pivotal and fraught US election in living memory. The COVID-19 pandemic is fundamentally altering the terrain on which the 2020 election will be contested. Amid an ongoing health crisis and a potentially catastrophic economic downturn, the Mueller report, the 2018 blue wave, and impeachment seem like ancient history.

To help interpret and analyse this unique election season, the USSC is hosting a serious of events featuring Australia’s leading US election experts who will provide critical insight for these challenging times. The first of our Election Watch events focussed on progressive politics and the pandemic with analysis from panellists Dr Charles Edel, Dr Gorana Grgic and Bruce Wolpe in a conversation moderated by USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

The United States and New York City, in particular, has been the global epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic for the past month. Many Australians live and work in New York, and so much of Australia’s deep commercial and financial ties with the United States run through New York. How are the thousands of businesses that operate between the United States and Australia faring in a period of closed borders? And looking beyond business, what is the role of the US-Australian alliance amid a global pandemic?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Ambassador John Berry (ret.), President of the American Australian Association, in a conversation with US Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman. Ambassador John Berry served as the 25th US Ambassador and President Obama’s personal representative to Australia from 2013-2016. Prior to that, Ambassador Berry served in multiple senior government positions, earning three unanimous Senate confirmations, including: the head of “HR” for the federal government as Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); the “COO” of the Department of Interior as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget; the head of 40 per cent of federal law enforcement as Acting Assistant Secretary for Enforcement at the Treasury Department; and Legislative Director for Rep. Steny Hoyer. Ambassador Berry has also been a leader in the non-profit sector, serving as the Director of the Smithsonian National Zoo; The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Government Relations for the Smithsonian Institution. Ambassador Berry has accomplished many firsts, most notably, the first openly LGBT US Ambassador to a G20 country and while at OPM, he was the highest-ranking LGBT executive official in US history.

While the United States and Australia have both increased scrutiny of state-backed disinformation and foreign interference campaigns in recent years, the coronavirus pandemic has seen an increase in disinformation alongside targeted actions by foreign governments designed to leverage this crisis for strategic effect. How serious are these disinformation campaigns? What threat do they pose to democratic processes and institutions? How are free and open societies such as the United States and Australia responding to these intrusions?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar panel discussion featuring Zack Cooper and Laura Rosenberger, Co-Directors of the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy program, and USSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend, in a conversation moderated by USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman.

Zack Cooper is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and co-director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy. He studies US defence strategy and alliances in Asia. He served as assistant to the deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism at the National Security Council and as special assistant to the principal deputy under secretary of defence for policy at the Department of Defence.

Laura Rosenberger is director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and a senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Before she joined GMF, she was foreign policy advisor for Hillary for America, where she coordinated development of the campaign’s national security policies, messaging, and strategy. Prior to that, she served in a range of positions at the State Department and the White House’s National Security Council (NSC).

Ashley Townshend is Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, where he works on strategic affairs with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Ashley is also founding convenor and co-chair of the US-Australia Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue and a lecturer in the Centre’s postgraduate program. A frequent contributor to the Australian and international media, Ashley’s analysis has appeared in outlets such as the Financial Times, CNN, the Australian Financial Review, Bloomberg, ABC, and Sky News.

Tragically, the United States has the world’s highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities. Compounding matters is the impending presidential election in November, putting Trump’s leadership of the crisis under intense pressure and scrutiny, set against a background of deep division between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats attack Trump as “weak”, while Trump and his supporters point to China, the World Health Organization and state governments as bearing responsibility. Who is winning the politics of the pandemic in the United States, how, and what are the consequences for the upcoming presidential election?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar discussion featuring Cameron Stewart, Washington Correspondent for The Australian, in a conversation moderated by USSC CEO Simon Jackman. Mr Stewart picked up the issues addressed in his article from 20 April, “Coronavirus: Donald Trump attacked as US deaths pass 40,000” and talked about what’s next as the issue plays out.

Cameron Stewart is an Associate Editor and Washington Correspondent for The Australian. This is his eighth US presidential election since he started with the paper and he is working in Washington DC during this pandemic. His investigative reporting covers foreign affairs, defence and national security and he also writes features for the Weekend Australian Magazine and is a regular contributor for Sky News.

The aviation industry is facing the most challenging period of its history, with US airline passenger volume down 95 per cent from a year ago and global passenger revenue down 55 per cent in the same period. How does the aviation industry recover? Will proposed bailouts be enough to keep the industry afloat? What does an aviation industry look like after a global pandemic?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Claire McFarland in conversation with Justin Wastnage, Non-Resident Fellow and author of the recently published USSC brief "What will the airline industry look like post-COVID-19? Why the era of cheap flights may be over”.

A more robust approach to China is one of the few areas of bipartisanship in a highly polarised Washington, DC. But is China likely to remain bipartisan during and after the 2020 election? How is the Trump administration approaching strategic competition with China amidst a global pandemic? Beyond American politicians, what is the “inside the beltway” view of Beijing?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman in conversation with Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, the China reporter for Axios.

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian covers Beijing's influence and intentions and writes the weekly Axios China newsletter. Based in Washington, DC, she was also the lead writer of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists report known as the "China Cables", which detailed classified Chinese government documents revealing the inner workings of China’s detention camps in Xinjiang. Bethany was previously a national security reporter for The Daily Beast and an editor and reporter for Foreign Policy magazine. She was an Arthur F. Burns Fellow in Berlin and was previously a Jefferson Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. She previously spent four years in China. Allen-Ebrahimian holds an MA in East Asian studies from Yale University, as well as a graduate certificate from the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies.

While the United States is now reporting hundreds of deaths from COVID-19 every day, Australia has so far seen a total of fewer than 100 deaths since the pandemic began. But is Australia on a similar path to the United States? Are parts of the United States already “flattening the curve”? What public health lessons can be learned from the US experience thus far?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event featuring United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman in conversation with Professor Raina MacIntyre, an expert on emerging infectious diseases at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney and a member of the expert panel advising the Australian government on the coronavirus response.

Global recession is almost surely one of the consequences of COVID-19, as households and businesses and government curtail economic activity, trying to slow the spread of the virus. At the same time, governments and central banks are making unprecedented interventions, attempting to soften the blow. Will they be successful? Are lessons learned in the last economic downturn relevant to today?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman in conversation with Non-Resident Fellow David Uren.

Non-Resident Fellow David Uren is one of Australia’s leading economic writers. He was the Economics Editor for The Australian from 2013 to 2018 and led that newspaper’s federal economic coverage for 15 years. He is author of several books, including his co-authored book with Lenore Taylor, Shitstorm, which examined the Rudd government’s management of the Global Financial Crisis.

As the United States federal government works to mobilise against the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States armed forces are set to assume an increasingly greater role in the response. But with the National Guard already contributing nearly 20,000 troops and likely to contribute thousands more to the COVID-19 response, what will the impact be on the US military’s overseas deployments, training and readiness? What does military deterrence in the Indo-Pacific look like in the middle of a pandemic?

To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend in conversation with Dr Jim Golby, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and the author of the recently published USSC brief “The US military's role in response to COVID-19”.

In addition to being a Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Jim Golby is an active duty US Army strategist and is currently serving as a defence policy adviser at the United States Mission to NATO. Jim previously served as a special adviser to the Vice President of the United States, as a special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as an assistant professor of American Politics, Policy, and Strategy at the US Military Academy at West Point. Before becoming an Army strategist, Jim commanded a security company in Iraq (2006-07) and led a scout platoon in combat in Iraq (2004-05).

COVID-19 is overwhelming some locations more than others. The United States and Australia are both free and open democratic countries with leading scientists but their experience with COVID-19 has been exceedingly different. Why are there currently so many more cases per capita in the United States than Australia? Is Australia likely to eventually follow the path of the United States? How do the powers of the US federal government to mitigate the spread of the virus differ from the powers of the Australian government? To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre held a webinar event featuring CEO Professor Simon Jackman in conversation with non-resident fellow and health policy expert Dr Lesley Russell.

One year from this month, a newly elected president will take office in Washington, DC. The long and intense competition leading to that day begins on 3 February 2020, with the Iowa Caucuses, the first nominating contest in the Democratic Party’s primaries for the 2020 presidential election. The period between those two election calendar events is less than a year but no less momentous, as we are also expecting to see an impeachment trial in the US Senate, more US troops returning to the Middle East, and continued tensions between the United States and China. What are Trump’s chances of re-election? Which Democratic challenger is likely to be Trump’s opponent in November? What impact will renewed tensions in the Middle East have on the election, and what are the implications for Australia? And what will be the trajectory of rivalry between China and the United States in this election year? To hear more on these issues, the USSC hosted the first in a series of public events on the 2020 US presidential election by the US Studies Centre. Panellists: Simon Jackman, CEO and Professor of Political Science; Kim Hoggard, Non-Resident Fellow and former staffer for President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush; Brendon O’Connor, Associate Professor in American Politics and author of Anti-Americanism and American Exceptionalism; and Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre

Former US Senator Jeff Flake joined United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman for a conversation about his experiences with the president and the US Congress, his views on impeachment and the 2020 US presidential election.

We are on the precipice of the third presidential impeachment in United States history. No US president, however, has ever been removed from office. Will President Trump be the first? What impact will impeachment have on US policymaking? What are the lessons from past impeachments? How will impeachment affect US foreign policy in 2020 and what can US allies expect from the United States heading into next year's election? At this event, “Impeachment: The insider’s guide”, a compilation of analysis by US Studies Centre experts was launched. Panellists for the discussion included Professor Simon Jackman, Dr Charles Edel, Dr Gorana Grgic and Bruce Wolpe.

The United States Studies Centre hosted a speech by Senator the Hon. Marise Payne, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs. The keynote foreign policy address was on Australia’s active role in its region – and beyond – to help foster an international environment that offers security, stability and prosperity. She was joined by USSC CEO Simon Jackman for Q&A after the speech.

Former US Representative for Utah's 4th district Mia Love was the first black Republican woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, MP was the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the NSW Parliament and the first Aboriginal woman to serve in the Australian House of Representatives. The two groundbreaking women join forces for a special 'in-conversation' event at Parliament House to discuss race, gender and their political firsts in Australia and the United States. Deputy Federal Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Stephanie Peatling, moderated their discussion.

For most of America's history, race has powerfully shaped its politics. Today, race is as relevant as it has been since the Civil Rights era, perhaps the single most important political fault line in the US electorate, destined to feature prominently in the 2020 election cycle.

Charges of racism have dogged Donald Trump's presidency. Republican members of Congress have also been accused of cowardice in not supporting these criticisms of the president, of abandoning the best traditions of the Grand Old Party in favour of populism, nativism and racism.

To discuss these recent developments in American politics — and how they will figure in the 2020 campaign — the United States Studies Centre hosted Mia Love, the first black Republican woman to be elected to the US Congress. She was joined in conversation by the ABC’s US politics analyst and presenter of Planet America John Barron and United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman for a discussion on attitudes to race and immigration in the United States and Australia, and the future of the Republican Party.

America’s defence strategy in the Indo-Pacific is in the throes of a serious crisis. Faced with an ever more capable and assertive China, the US military urgently needs to refocus on the requirements of great power competition and rebuild its strength after years of costly conflict in the Middle East.

Washington, however, appears unable to sufficiently focus its armed forces on this goal; while budget uncertainty and political instability has seen Congress fail to deliver a defence spending plan commensurate with the overall scope of US strategy. The result is an increasingly dangerous mismatch between America’s strategic ends and available means.

In a special report from the United States Studies Centre, Ashley Townshend, Brendan Thomas-Noone and Matilda Steward argue that in the absence of hard choices by US leaders to spend more or do less in the world, America will confront rising levels of strategic risk with destabilising consequences for the Indo-Pacific. To avert a deeper crisis, they recommend that Australia take steps to advance a strategy of collective defence to offset shortfalls in America’s regional military position and bolster a favourable balance of power.

The report was launched in Canberra with a panel discussion featuring the report authors and Lisa Murray from The Australian Financial Review.

There is a growing consensus among American allies and partners that an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific is in the interests of all nations and must be preserved. Beyond this broad vision for regional order, however, are a range of differences in national priorities, security and economic interests, and views about rules, norms and values. As the Indo-Pacific strategic landscape becomes more challenging, creating a demand for greater cooperation between the United States and its regional partners, these differences need to be better understood. To what extent are the aims of Indo-Pacific countries aligned on issues of security, geoeconomics and regional diplomacy? What are their common strategic goals? And how can Australia work with likeminded partners to strengthen a collective approach to the region’s future? The United States Studies Centre held a public panel discussion with five US, Australian and regional experts to learn more about these important strategic trends and the future of the Indo-Pacific. Panellists: Evan Feigenbaum, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Lavina Lee, Senior Lecturer, Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University; Rajeswari Rajagopalan, Distinguished Fellow & Head of the Nuclear Space Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation; Sugio Takahashi, Head, Policy Simulation Office, National Institute for Defense Studies; modetrated by Ashley Townshend, Director, Foreign Policy and Defence, United States Studies Centre.

Cheran Ketheesuran and Jeanne Shu — participants in the United States Studies Centre's Washington DC Placement Program — talk about their experience working in the US capital whilst living and studying at a US college.

The authors of a new report examining the future of the Australia-US alliance amidst increasing tensions with China held a briefing at Parliament House in Canberra. Former advisor to US Secretary of State John Kerry, Dr Charles Edel, and former advisor to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Dr John Lee, joined forces for the special USSC report, which details why there are divergences between the two allies when it comes to countering China and how to narrow those differences. Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Frances Adamson, moderated the discussion with the authors. At the briefing, the authors presented their findings and laid out their bold recommendations for navigating the US-Australia relationship into the future.

US Studies Centre Senior Fellow Dr Charles Edel and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr John Lee launched their special report at an event in Sydney, presented their findings, and laid out their bold recommendations for navigating the relationship into the future. Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Elsina Wainwright moderated a discussion with the authors.

Donald Trump was not the first presidential candidate to want to ''Make America Great Again". Ronald Reagan's successful 1980 campaign led with the same pledge before the former Hollywood actor, union leader and California governor won office and undoubtedly changed the country and its politics throughout his eight years in the White House. But is that where the similarities between the 40th and 45th presidents end?

Former executive assistant to Ronald Reagan, Peggy Grande, discussed the man, the president and his lasting impact on politics today during a public event hosted by the United States Studies Centre. USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and former US congressional advisor Bruce Wolpe moderated the discussion.

Report author Justin Wastnage presents insights into the US development of industry clusters in aerospace, AgTech and medical devices. His presentation was followed by a panel featuring: Mike Gallagher (Strategy Director for defence industry prime Northrop Grumman Australia), Serena Lee (Co-founder of indoor vertical farming startup Farmwall), and Professor Simon Ringer (Academic Director of Core Research Facilities, and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Sydney).

The United States Studies Centre hosted a breakfast and 'in-conversation' event with Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, President, International of The New York Times Company. He was joined by Claire McFarland, Director of the United States Studies Centre's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program, for a discussion about the future of media organisations and international business models. Stephen Dunbar-Johnson is responsible for the oversight and strategic development of the Times Company’s international businesses. He was appointed in October 2013 to lead the global expansion of the company.

The United States Studies Centre hosted a keynote address and Q&A with Microsoft President Brad Smith. Mr Smith used the occasion to discuss artificial intelligence, ethics and governance, and the use of facial recognition technology in Australia and the United States.

What will be the priorities for the Trump administration in 2019 and what will be the impact on international allies and business? This panel discussion was moderated by The Wall Street Journal's Australia/New Zealand Bureau Chief David Winning and featured USSC Senior fellow and former advisor to US Secretary of State John Kerry, Dr Charles Edel; Director of the USSC Trade & Investment Program Dr Stephen Kirchner; Director of the USSC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program Claire McFarland; and non-resident senior fellow Dr Elsina Wainwright, AM.

What will the US Congress look like after November 6 and what are the implications for Australia and the world should President Trump be hindered by a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives? With a record-breaking number of women candidates running for office this cycle, are there also lessons for Australia in regards to female representation in politics? USSC were in Parliament House, Canberra to tackle these questions, drawing on their research on these issues over the past 12 months. Speakers: Professor Simon Jackman, Chief Executive Officer, United States Studies Centre; Dr Charles Edel; Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre; and Dr Jennifer Hunt, Lecturer, National Security College, Australian National University.

The American economy is being permanently affected by automation. In the coming years, an increasing number of individuals will lose their jobs as a result of automation and artificial intelligence. This will have widespread implications for the economy, but also potentially for politics and policy areas like immigration.

Peter Loewen is a professor at the Department of Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, as well as a fellow at Stanford University's Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences. He joined the United States Studies Centre's CEO Professor Simon Jackman and director of its Innovation and Entrepreneurship program Claire McFarland to explore how fear about automation is related to support for populist candidates and parties, and for more protectionist public policy. They discussed original data from a recent survey of American adults.