NEWS WRAP

Calling a genocide a genocide

• Recognition for Armenians | On the 106th anniversary of the 1915 massacre in Constantinople, President Biden broke from his predecessors with a historic declaration recognising the Armenian genocide. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by saying the remarks were "baseless, unjust and untrue," would hinder the US-Turkey relationship, and advised America to "look in the mirror" when making accusations of genocide, referencing the treatment of Native Americans. READ MORE HERE
   

• Support for India | America committed to providing India with aid to help weather the world's worst COVID-19 wave to date, with 330,000 new cases announced per day. In a conversation with his Indian counterpart, President Biden promised Prime Minister Modi that the United States would provide therapeutics, raw materials for vaccines, and oxygen. The Biden administration also announced it will release 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine around the world in May and June, with India a likely recipient. READ MORE HERE
   

• Looking into Louisville | The Department of Justice is opening a civil investigation of the Louisville Metro Police department, according to an announcement made by US Attorney General Merrick Garland. The investigation comes just over a year after the killing of Breonna Taylor. The probe aims to determine whether Louisville police engaged in systemic abuses and unlawful tactics, and follows the announcement of a similar investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department after the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. READ MORE HERE
   

• Rooting out extremism | The US Department of Homeland Security will undergo an internal review to help identify and root out extremism within its ranks. The audit is part of a larger push to combat extremist ideologies within the federal government off the back of the 6 January Capitol Hill insurrection. The review will establish an internal process for agents found to be associated with extremist groups and the department will issue guidance to employees to aid in reporting "insider threats." READ MORE HERE

NATO EXPERTS TALK SERIES | 29 APRIL

The global challenge: Building resilient citizens in an age of disinformation

Presented in partnership with the NATO Public Diplomacy Division

The United States Studies Centre has partnered with the NATO Public Diplomacy Division to bring you "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.

Join us for the first instalment in the series on building societal resilience by fighting the rising threat of disinformation. 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?

The panel discussion brings together NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Baiba Braže and USSC Non-Resident Fellow Dr Jennifer S. 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 will be moderated by USSC Lecturer and NATO Defense College Partners Across the Globe Fellow Dr Gorana Grgic.

WHEN:
Thursday, 29 April, 4pm AEST (Sydney) 2pm AWST (Perth)
Thursday, 29 April, 8am CEST (Brussels, BE / Rome, IT)

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

Biden’s first 100 days show a president in a hurry and willing to be bold

Bruce Wolpe
Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Joseph R. Biden Jr is the most experienced person to become president in US history. A senator for 36 years, with wide-ranging experience and leadership across domestic and foreign policy, and vice president for eight years with Barack Obama, with a full parentship between the two men on all aspects of Obama’s agenda, from health care to terrorism.

That experience has paid off with the exceptionally smooth start to his administration. Appointments have been made steadily, with wide acceptance. Communications from the president have been clear and concise. Both have been in sharp contrast to his immediate predecessor.

With three presidential campaigns in his own right, and two more with Obama, Biden has come to know America as few have. His experiences across the country have only reinforced the core beliefs he brings to the Oval Office: to heal America and help bring the country together, provide economic security and opportunity for Americans from all walks of life, and redress profound legacy issues including racial justice, climate change and immigration.

This is an excerpt from an article by Bruce Wolpe published in The Conversation. Click below to read the full article.

BY THE NUMBERS

46% of Americans want to bundle climate change with trade rewards

But this won't sway Australian opinion

Sarah Hamilton
Research Assistant for Data Insights

US Studies Centre polling from January 2021 revealed that 46 per cent of American respondents either “strongly agree” or “agree” that the United States “should reward countries who do more to stop climate change with more favourable trade deals and impose costs on those that do not.” These results are an indication that about half of the country is likely to support US-led international climate initiatives as the Biden administration seeks to re-establish the US as a global leader in climate change.

However, our polling also indicates that international pressure on climate change may not be an effective route when it comes to Australian opinions. While 80 per cent of Australian respondents thought dealing with climate change was either a “very important” or a “fairly important” foreign policy goal, when asked if Australia should do more to stop climate change if other countries took stronger actions, only 52 per cent of Australians agreed. These results may be an indication that pressure from global powers, like the United States, have little impact on Australian attitudes when it comes to climate change.

For more polling insights on climate change from the United States and Australia, read our latest publication How do the United States and Australia differ in public opinions on climate change?

VIDEO

From Trumpland to Bidenland

Did you miss our exciting webinar last week featuring Zoe Daniel and guest moderator Jim Middleton? You can now watch the full replay on our YouTube channel!

Tune in as they discuss Zoe's newly released book Greetings from Trumpland and delve into her time on the ground in the United States on the road from Trumpland to Bidenland as ABC Washington Bureau Chief during the 2016 presidential election and the Trump administration.

Watch the full event HERE.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

#AndTheOscarGoesTo