23 DECEMBER

Thanks for your support in 2020

Our research tempo, our research quality and our engagement with our diverse stakeholders and audiences rose to this challenge. Highlights included:

• Red Book/Blue Book – our guide to navigating the policy direction of the incoming presidential administration
   
• COVID-19: Australia and the United States by the numbers – our data visualisation comparing COVID-19 cases, deaths and tests in both countries
   
• Enduring Partners: The US-Australian investment relationship – our updated analysis of the A$1.82 trillion bilateral investment relationship as the countries grapple with a global economic downturn
   
• Bolstering resilience in the Indo-Pacific – our policy recommendations for the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) to tackle pandemic recovery
   
• The role of US innovation in securing Australia’s economic future – our report analysing the areas where Australia’s economy is falling behind and opportunities to stimulate growth through US-led innovation
   
• Tech Wars: US-China technology competition and what it means for Australia – our analysis of the tech power rivalry and implications for Australia

While research production went into overdrive, our academic staff found themselves on the frontline of new ways to teach and the hardship that comes with missing out on face time with classes. Yet, despite these challenges, we had an increase in student registrations for USSC courses and our staff found new ways to engage through watch parties, a student writing competition and Instagram story takeovers. The student representative even coordinated our participation in Decision 2020: Academic live review with the University of South Wales and the BBC.

The energy and excitement of a US presidential election was not hampered by COVID-19 restrictions. As a Centre, our experts appeared on every major network and the Centre notched thousands of media mentions on 4 November alone. Our website had more than twice the number of visits as we received on the last election day. A true highlight was when our newest research fellow, Dr Jennifer Hunt, was on the panel with Malcolm Turnbull for ABC’s election day coverage – only topped when the former Prime Minister was replaced by another USSC expert, Dr Gorana Grgic.

Perhaps the greatest success of the year was in turning the pandemic shutdown into a new opportunity to engage with unrivalled experts around the world through webinars. We hosted 62 webinars this year with more than 3,500 different people – most of whom attended multiple webinars. For me, absolute highlights:

• President Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney in conversation with former ambassador Joe Hockey
   
• Thanksgiving with Ambassadors AB Culvahouse and Arthur Sinodinos
   
• Enduring economic partners - PART 1 and PART 2 featuring Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former Prime Minister John Howard, Ambassador AB Culvahouse, Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos, former ambassador Joe Hockey, former US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, former US Deputy Trade Representative Wendy Cutler, former ambassador Michael Thawley and former Leader of the Government in the Senate Stephen Conroy
   
• The Quad: Will it ever work? with former National Security Advisor HR McMaster
   
• US foreign policy, Iran and the United States after the 2020 election with Ambassador Wendy Sherman
   
• A conversation with The Washington Post White House Bureau Chief Philip Rucker
   
• The Trump campaign playbook with Axios national political reporter Jonathan Swan
   
• A conversation with John Berry, former US ambassador to Australia
   
• A conversation with former National Security Advisor John Bolton
   
• The trajectory of American politics, power and prestige with New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman
   
• A conversation with election analyst Charlie Cook

It is hard to express how profoundly grateful we are to the many thousands of people who have joined our webinars, read our work and interacted with our programs. Your interest and engagement is the reason we exist.

With a presidential transition and international roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine expected next year, if there is one thing 2021 will bring it is change. With this in mind, our focus will remain on bringing you relevant insights when you need them most. We will kick off our 2021 webinars with Key players in the Biden administration – your inside track to who to know and what this means for Australia on 20 January. We also have our eyes fixed on a major milestone – the 70th anniversary of the signing of ANZUS – the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty. This formalisation of the indispensable relationship between our two countries is just as important now as it was in 1951. We hope you will join us to commemorate and celebrate the Australia-United States relationship in 2021.

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable holiday,

Professor Simon Jackman

CEO, United States Studies Centre

Wishing you all a happy and safe festive season.

We're looking forward to bringing you both more analysis of America
and more insights for Australia in 2021.

The team at United States Studies Centre

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United States Studies Centre
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University of Sydney NSW 2006

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