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August 2021
The Alliance at 70
The history and future of the United States and Australia are inexorably linked in more ways than most appreciate. The ANZUS Treaty — signed 70 years ago in San Francisco — binds the two nations in matters of national security and defence and is key to the deep and broad relationship between the two countries.
The mission of the United States Studies Centre (USSC) is to provide analysis of America and insights for Australia. This September, we mark the 70th anniversary of the formal alliance between Australia and the United States, the 20th anniversary of the first time the Treaty was invoked after the 9/11 attacks, as well as, the annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN). For the Centre, providing insights at this time was mission critical — and not even COVID could stand in our way.
Given this tempo of significant milestones and ongoing evolution in the Alliance agenda — and true to our mission — the Centre is pleased to announce a series of events and publications over the following weeks and months.
Lockdowns and the pandemic make in-person events impossible. But nonetheless, the Centre is honoured to be hosting the most prestigious line-up of political, military and diplomatic leaders, scholars and thought-leaders in the Centre's history.
On 1 September, former prime ministers Julia Gillard and John Howard will join a special online event with Dennis Richardson, 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. REGISTER HERE
Later this year, we are launching our commemorative coffee table book The Alliance at 70 featuring US President George W. Bush, Australian prime ministers, ambassadors and more. We will also continue our full schedule of publications and webinars. DOWNLOAD PROGRAM HERE
Thank you for your ongoing engagement with the Centre. We do hope you can join us to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Sincerely,
Professor Simon Jackman
CEO, United States Studies Centre
EVENTS
The Alliance 70th anniversary with distinguished guests former prime ministers Julia Gillard and John Howard
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?
Please join us for a webinar with distinguished guests former Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and John Howard to discuss these issues.
WHEN:
Wednesday, 1 September 2021, 5pm AEST (Sydney), 3pm AWST (Perth)
COST:
Free, but registration is essential.
Trust and diversify: A geoeconomic strategy for the Australia-US alliance
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?
Please join us for a discussion with the authors of Trust and diversify: A geoeconomic strategy for the Australia-US alliance, a new USSC report to be 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 – will engage in a discussion moderated by Perth USAsia Centre Research Director Jeffrey Wilson.
WHEN:
Wednesday, 8 September 2021, 12pm AEST (Sydney), 10am AWST (Perth)
COST:
Free, but registration is essential.
THE ALLIANCE AT 70
Foreword from Prime Minister Scott Morrison for soon to be released USSC book, The Alliance at 70
On 1 September 1951, Australia and the United States declared to the world that we shared a common destiny.
From the ashes of a world war, in the tumult of a cold war, our nations resolved to unite their fortunes, come what may.
For the officials who signed the ANZUS Treaty on that day, it was less about making something new than putting into words what was already an unshakeable bond: forged in war, deepened in peace, held in place by the shared ideals of liberty, prosperity and opportunity.
They signed the Treaty in San Francisco; before them was the Golden Gate Bridge, and beyond it, the blue Pacific. A bare six years before, the Pacific had been engulfed in a global conflict. Having borne witness to this catastrophe, and their own costly victory, our respective leaders pledged themselves to protect this ocean, and uphold peace, safety, and the rights of peoples to live free of fear.
We stand together, and on this anniversary, re-affirm the self-evident truths we share: democracy and the ballot box, the rule of law and freedom of association, human dignity and freedom of expression, and free economies and free peoples.
For seven decades, this has been the bedrock of our Alliance - without doubt Australia's most significant strategic relationship.
Twenty years ago, on another September day, America was attacked. Within days of its 50th anniversary, Australia invoked the ANZUS Treaty for the first and only time. We proved that, as President Lyndon Johnson once said, we would stand side by side 'in sunshine and in sorrow.'
As we mark the 70th anniversary of ANZUS in 2021, our relationship is as strong, as rich, and as full of promise as it was in the days of Menzies and Truman. I'm inspired how much we can and will do: in trade, technology and strategy, in securing the Indo-Pacific, and in preserving a global order that favours freedom.
Many presidents and prime ministers have tried to put into words what calls and holds our two nations together. I believe Menzies came closest when he said that we were warmed by the same inner fires.
Australia and the United States are knitted together by our history and geography, bonded by our past and our prospects but it is those inner fires - our unyielding belief in peace, prosperity and freedom - that have warmed and fueled our enduring Alliance all these years, and will continue to do so in the years ahead.
Long may our Alliance and our free peoples flourish.
Yours sincerely,
The Honourable Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister of Australia
The Alliance at 70: This lavishly produced, colourful volume explores the history of the Australia-US Alliance and wider relationship through archival research, images and personal recollections from several influential voices including former US President George W. Bush, former Prime Ministers John Howard and Julia Gillard, Ambassadors Arthur Sinodinos and John Berry and writers and actors Paul Hogan and Rob Sitch.
NEWS
Correcting the course
Last week, the Foreign Policy and Defence program launched their largest report of the year, Correcting the course: How the Biden administration should compete for influence in the Indo-Pacific. The report compares the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific rhetoric to action and provides a roadmap for the upcoming AUSMIN agenda. This report was covered by ABC News, The Guardian and the South China Morning Post. DOWNLOAD HERE
American Studies Honours for 2022
Applications for the 2022 year-long honours program close on 30 November 2021. Upon completing a Bachelor's degree, students can pursue this additional year of research to complete an 18,000-20,000 word thesis and form a possible pathway to a PhD. With the significant attention on the Australia-US alliance, impacts on the Indo-Pacific and policy implications for future, it is the perfect time for American Studies students to take the next research-based step toward a topical and impactful career. LEARN MORE HERE
In the news
A new alliance of democracies
Research Fellow Susannah Patton appeared on ABC Radio National program "Future Tense" with Anthony Funnell for a discussion on President Biden's ambitions to establish a new alliance of democracies to counter the rise of authoritarianism. LISTEN HERE
Images from Afghanistan are ones we will associate with the Biden presidency
CEO Professor Simon Jackman told Sky News the recent images from Afghanistan “are going to be ones we associate with the Biden presidency." WATCH HERE
Asia-Pacific could gain from Biden’s embarrassing pullout
Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend spoke to AFR about how the US withdrawal from Afghanistan may impact the Indo-Pacific. READ MORE HERE
USSC IMHO
The 70th anniversary of the Australia-US alliance was first and foremost in USSC analysis this past month:
- Kamala Harris’s Asia trip can’t fix Biden’s troubled Indo-Pacific strategy by Susannah Patton and Ashley Townshend. First published by Foreign Policy.
- Advancing collective defence through the Australia-US alliance by Ashley Townshend and Tom Corben. Published by 9DASHLINE.
- Biden and the crisis in Afghanistan by Bruce Wolpe. First published by Ticker News.
- ANZUS at 70: Christmas cheer—Nixon, Whitlam and Vietnam by Stephen Loosley. First published in The Strategist.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Webinar replays
The latest episodes of our webinars are now available on our YouTube channel. Catch up on these events through the USSC Live podcast and on YouTube. Here are some of the greatest hits from recent webinars:
- Behind Trump the great and powerful ft. The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker and hosts Simon Jackman and Bruce Wolpe
- US Politics and Policy Series | August edition ft. Jane Hardy, Gordon Flake and Ashley Townshend
- The Australia-US alliance: views from the region ft. Sarah Teo, Evan A. Laksmana, Shahriman Lockman and Susannah Patton
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the USSC YouTube channel to get notifications as soon as new videos are uploaded.
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
