Episodes
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
John West| Asian Century... on a Knife edge
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
In his recent book, "Asian Century … on a Knife-edge," John West questions the conventional wisdom that the 21st century will belong to Asia. He argues that in recent years many observers have succumbed to a case of “Asian-Century hype.” In reality, Asia is suffering from stunted economic and social development. John identifies seven economic, social, political and geopolitical challenges for realising an Asian Century, but doubts that Asia’s leading economies have the political will to tackle these challenges. Further, he identifies numerous possible sources of economic, social, and political crisis.
Nevertheless, the Indo-Pacific of the 21st century is becoming increasingly dominated by Asia’s emerging giants - China, India and Indonesia - which have some of the world's largest economies. John argues that these countries are fragile superpowers whose power derives mainly from their enormous populations. Even by mid-century, they will still be well behind advanced countries like the US, Japan and Germany in terms of economic, business, and technological sophistication. But this has not stopped the rise of strategic competition between an increasingly distracted US and a growingly assertive China, despite the latter's domestic fragilities. Countries like Australia face great challenges in adapting to this new strategic environment.
Tuesday Aug 14, 2018
Tuesday Aug 14, 2018
In the second episode of the new Australia in the World podcast, AIIA National President Allan Gyngell and ANU academic Darren Lim discusses recent elections in Pakistan and Cambodia, a new trilateral investment fund announced by the United States, Japan and Australia, and the recent AUSMIN talks. The discussion finishes with a deeper dive into the topic of how worried Australia should be about the decline of the United States.
Note this episide will be cross-posed on the dedicated "Australia in the World" channel, coming soon wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Look for announcements on social media.
Friday Jul 27, 2018
The rules-based international order with Allan Gyngell and Darren Lim
Friday Jul 27, 2018
Friday Jul 27, 2018
In a pilot episode of the forthcoming “Australia in the world” podcast, AIIA National President Allan Gyngell and the ANU's Dr Darren Lim discuss the rules-based international order and the priorities and challenges facing Australia as it seeks to shore up this key pillar of its foreign policy. The rules-based order was the subject of conference on Australia and the Rules-Based International Order held on 18-19 July organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ANU Coral Bell School with the support of the Attorney-General’s Department. The conference brought together many of Australia’s leading foreign policy officials and thinkers discussed various aspects of the order.
Allan’s bio: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/about-us/our-people/allan-gyngell/
Darren’s bio: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/lim-dj
Allan Gyngell’s opinion piece on the rules-based order in the Australian Financial Review: https://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/if-trump-just-quits-the-rulesbased-order--what-happens-next-20180723-h130ds
Friday Apr 06, 2018
The Hon Kim Beazley on Bolton, Trump and the Indo-Pacific
Friday Apr 06, 2018
Friday Apr 06, 2018
On March 23, United States President Donald Trump announced in a tweet that he was removing H.R. McMaster as his national security advisor, and that John Bolton would take over on 9 April, 2018.
Despite a heavily partisan caucus, all sides agree that Bolton's rise indicates more unilateral US action.
Former Australian Ambassador to the US, Kim Beazley, spoke with Flavia Zimmermann from the Australian Institute of International Affairs in Western Australia about John Bolton, Trump politics in the Indo-Pacific, and its implications for Australia.
Friday Jan 26, 2018
Dr Charles Miller on Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Friday Jan 26, 2018
Friday Jan 26, 2018
Increasing attention is being paid to the role public opinion plays in shapng foreign policy. Would US governments have remained in Vietnam, except for the humiliation of conceding defeat? How is the current American partisanship affecting the way Washington DC approaches the world? How can education affect the public's attitude towards international issues?
Dr Charles Miller, lecturer in strategic studies at the Australian National University, studies this intersection between public opinion and foreign policymaking. In early 2018, he spoke with AIIA National Office Intern, Zoe Halstead, about why it's important to consider public opinion when assessing foreign policy, with a focus on recent developments in the US and Australia.
Thursday Dec 14, 2017
Interview with Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury
Thursday Dec 14, 2017
Thursday Dec 14, 2017
Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury is the former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (2002-2007) and is widely regarded for his work towards progress for the least developed nations and in particular championing the rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict scenarios.
AIIA NSW Intern Damian Meduri spoke with the Ambassador when he visited Sydney in November 2017.
Tuesday Sep 05, 2017
Geraldine Doogue: Foreign affairs as water-cooler conversation
Tuesday Sep 05, 2017
Tuesday Sep 05, 2017
For her AIIA Fellow's Lecture, ABC Presenter Geraldine Doogue spoke to AIIA for WA about the consequences of foreign affairs becoming water-cooler conversation.
The lecture was recorded by AIIA for WA council member, Flavia Zimmerman, and was edited by Adem Kerimofski from the University of Western Australia .
Thursday Aug 31, 2017
Interview with Australian Ambassador to Russia, Peter Tesch
Thursday Aug 31, 2017
Thursday Aug 31, 2017
In an interview at AIIA for WA, Australian Ambassador to Russia Peter Tesch told Natalie Myer that Russia is an important relationship for Australia, though in a different way to what it was 25 years ago. Counter-terrorism initiatives play a large part, but there is also significant economic potential in the relationship.
While the trading relationship remains influenced by counter-sanctions and import restrictions on the Russian side, opportunities are emerging in mining, education and infrastructure.
Tesch is also Ambassador to Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Friday Aug 11, 2017
EU-Australia Trade Relations: Interview with Nick Greiner
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Friday Aug 11, 2017
On 7 August, the Australia-EU Framework was signed in Manila by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
The document was negotiated over two years and is a legally binding agreement supporting cooperation between the EU-Australia across a broad range of issues, including counter terrorism, human rights, education and culture.
AIIA Director of Communications Annabel McGilvray spoke with Chairman of the European Australian Business Council about the implications for EU-Australia trade and progress towards an EU-Australia free trade agreement.
Wednesday Feb 22, 2017
Dancing with the Bear: Trump and Russia
Wednesday Feb 22, 2017
Wednesday Feb 22, 2017
Trump's campaign and presidency have been dogged by allegations of Russian collusion; reports suggest that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn may have received plans for lifting sanctions on Russia from Trump's lawyer before the election. If genuine alignment is possible, what would Russo-American foreign policy resemble?
Dr John Besemeres, an expert in Russian and Eastern European affairs, sat down with Neal Reddan of the AIIA's National Office to discuss Trump's unpredictable nature, his close ties with Russia, the potential for a new Yalta Agreement and Putin's KGB state.