NEWS WRAP

Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd

• Guilty verdict | Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder of George Floyd. The jury came after 10 hours of deliberation, a decision which the Floyd family's attorney described as 'a turning point in American history.' Convicted of all three charges, Chauvin now awaits sentencing and could face decades behind bars. The sentencing decision rests solely with Judge Cahill after Chauvin waived his right to a jury sentencing. READ MORE HERE
   

• Climate changing | After lamenting that the world is, ‘simply not getting the job done’ on climate, Biden administration climate czar John Kerry is setting the stage for big commitments, especially by the world’s leading polluters. Leading by example, Biden is expected to commit to a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 while eyes are on Australia as one of the few major countries not yet committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. READ MORE HERE
   

• Biden's border backflip | President Biden attracted criticism after maintaining the 15,000 annual cap on refugees brought in by President Trump rather than increasing the number to 62,500, as promised on the campaign trail. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended the decision, saying the administration is still working on the logistics of increased processing. The updated plan would see the cap raised by 15 May. READ MORE HERE
   

• From Moscow, without love | Russia hit back at Biden administration sanctions, expelling 10 US diplomats and barring entry to current and former US officials from entering the country. President Vladimir Putin said retaliations were 'inevitable' after the United States expelled 10 diplomats and placed broad sanctions against Russian officials and companies in response to Moscow's interference in elections and cyber-espionage. READ MORE HERE
   

• Anglo-Saxon America first | Talks of forming an America First Caucus circulated among far-right House Republicans. One memo suggested the caucus would be a champion for 'Anglo-Saxon political traditions,' and would 'follow in President Trump's footsteps.' Several GOP representatives responded harshly to the document's claims, highlighting the continued internal struggles of the party post-Trump. READ MORE HERE​

VIRTUAL EVENT | 22 APRIL

From Trumpland to Bidenland

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, please join us for a webinar featuring Zoe Daniel, co-author of the new book Greetings from Trumpland in conversation with guest host Jim Middleton, former foreign correspondent and ABC political editor.

WHEN:
Thursday, 22 April, 10am AEST (Sydney) 8am AWST (Perth)
Wednesday, 21 April, 8pm EDT (Washington, DC)

COST:
Free but registration is essential.

You can also subscribe to have event invitations and reminders sent straight to your inbox, so you never have to miss an event!

ANALYSIS

As the US plans its Afghan troop withdrawal, what was it all for?

Jared Mondschein
Senior Fellow

Unlike most US presidents, Joe Biden did not come to the White House with many fixed ideological positions. He did, however, come with fixed values. Chief among them is understanding how US policies impact working American families.

In his nearly half-century of experience in and around Washington, Biden was known to ask any staffers using academic or elitist language to 'pick up your phone, call your mother, read her what you just told me […] If she understands, we can keep talking.'

The debate about the nearly 20-year US presence in Afghanistan has challenged three prior US presidents — George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Yet Biden, as the first US president in 40 years to have had a child who served in combat, sees things differently.

There undoubtedly remains a strategic argument — albeit shared by increasingly fewer Americans — for maintaining a US presence in Afghanistan. Namely, that it would continue to prevent terrorists from once again making safe haven there.

But Biden’s announcement that he would withdraw the remaining US troops by September essentially meant he saw no way of making the parent of another soldier killed in Afghanistan understand such an argument. As he said, 'our reasons for remaining in Afghanistan have become increasingly unclear.'

This is an excerpt from an article by Jared Mondschein in The Conversation.
Click below to read the full article.

BY THE NUMBERS

SNEAK PEEK | Climate change and foreign policy

State of the United States polling

United States Studies Centre polling from late January 2021 found that Australian Coalition (71 per cent) voters are more than twice as likely as US Trump voters (30 per cent) to agree that "dealing with climate change" is an important foreign policy goal. Subscribe here to be the first to receive our soon-to-be-released research on US and Australian climate change opinions from our late January 2021 survey of 1,186 Americans and 1,183 Australians. 

For more polling insights from the United States and Australia, read our flagship publication, State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda.

VIDEO

SOTUS2021
Managing geoeconomics, contestation and coercion

Couldn't make it to our State of the United States Conference in Canberra? Together with the PerthUSAsia Centre, we hosted an in-person half-day event to mark the launch of our State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda joint report. One of the discussions, Managing geoeconomics, contestation and coercion, is now available for replay on our YouTube channel.

The panel featured:

• James Carouso - Managing Director, BowerGroupAsia and former Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy Canberra (joining via video link from Singapore)
• Professor Gordon Flake - CEO, Perth USAsia Centre
• Dr Jeff Wilson - Research Director, Perth USAsia Centre
• Hayley Channer - Senior Policy Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre
• Katherine Mansted - Senior Adviser Public Policy, National Security College

Watch the full event HERE.

Catch this and other recent webinars on the USSC YouTube channel!

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd