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February 2021
February 2021
If "unprecedented" was the word of 2020, it appears "transition" - both fraught and peaceful - is the word of 2021. Each week in January brought significant change. As the United States Studies Centre (USSC) geared up for the year ahead, riots turned violent in the US Capitol as the election results were being certified. The balance of power in the Senate flipped. A new president was sworn in. The first female, Black and South Asian vice president was sworn in. COVID vaccinations have started to shift from desire to reality in some countries with more to follow as the year progresses. Change seems to be the thing we can count on most in the year ahead.
In Australia, this transition to a new US administration has significant ramifications for the status quo achieved with the Trump administration. Notably, tensions with China remain unabated, while aspirations for the US-Australia-India-Japan Quadrilateral as a collaborative approach have increased. Quick, definitive action on climate change is creating concern about more daylight between the two countries on energy and environmental policy.
At the Centre, our commitment to bringing you timely, evidence-based analysis is stronger than ever. Our program of major publications and events has been determined with this in mind. In particular, we are leveraging our Washington DC insights to bring you inside perspectives and get answers to even the trickiest of questions. Make sure to subscribe to our research alerts or event invitations so you don't miss out on your front-row seat for the year ahead.
THE FIRST 100 DAYS
Launch of The First 100 Days Hub
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on 20 January 2021 with an expansive agenda that includes an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, reshaping the economic recovery, overhauling climate policy and rethinking the power of tech companies.
To help you stay on top of this rapid spate of change, we have launched The First 100 Days Hub - your one-stop-shop for the latest news, policy analysis and events about President Biden's first 100 days.
EVENTS
US Politics and Policy Series | A monthly review from Australia
The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia.
With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there is much to discuss and interpret.
We look forward to being joined by experts and insiders from across the globe for this web series co-hosted by the United States Studies Centre and the Perth USAsia Centre.
SYDNEY
Friday, 5 February
1:00 - 2:00pm AEDT
PERTH
Friday, 5 February
10:00 - 11:00am AWST
WASHINGTON DC
Thursday, 4 February
9:00 - 10:00pm EST
CENTRE NEWS
State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda
We are pleased to announce that the United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre will launch our first, annual publication in March 2021: State of the United States.
The US-Australia relationship has entered a period in which the two nations are transforming their alliance to advance collective strategic priorities. An incoming internationalist administration and 70th anniversary of our Pacific alliance makes this year the right time to update and advance this agenda.
With this milestone and major transitions weighing heavily in the frame, the theme for the inaugural State of the United States publication will be: An evolving alliance agenda. Key questions we will answer include:
- What is the domestic political context – enablers and constraints – for an expanded order-building focus for the US-Australia alliance in the Indo-Pacific?
- How should the US and Australia bolster collective deterrence and defence?
- How should the US and Australia strengthen the economic and technological foundations of the allied and partner network?
Study with us: Enrol now for Elections, Presidents, Laws
How much can presidents really achieve? Is the Congress more powerful than the president? Is the Congress dysfunctional? Is the American electoral system a strength or a weakness? These questions are a key focus of our undergraduate course: USSC2602 US Politics: Elections, Presidents, Laws. In the wake of the Capitol riots, a fraught electoral college certification, a new president being sworn in and a pending impeachment trial in Congress, there has never been a more focused time on these issues in American history. Register now to take this course in Semester 1 and get the insiders' guide to the inner workings of the balance of powers in the United States.
This semester also features USSC3601 Public Opinion and Voting in the US - a close look at interpreting polling and understanding what the numbers actually mean. This course is co-tabled in the Politics major, so any Government and International Relations students can enrol without completing American Studies pre-requisites with an enrolment exception approved by your Unit Coordinator, Shaun Ratcliff.
Other American Studies courses for Semester 1, 2021 are:
Congratulations Pamela, Gorana and Sarah
Dr Pamela Maddock has joined the academic team this year with a full slate of teaching undergraduate classes and working on curriculum development. She is a social historian of medicine, labour and US militarism and brings an in depth historical knowledge that is acutely relevant to social issues in 2021.
As announced last year, Dr Gorana Grgic has been named as NATO's 2021 Partners Across the Globe Research Fellow. She will be at the NATO Defence College in Rome for much of 2021. Please join us in wishing her well in her endeavours and we look forward to welcoming her back on our shores later this year.
In January, USSC welcomed Sarah Hamilton as Research Associate for Data Insights. You may already have seen her work in the By the Numbers section of the most recent issues of The 46th. Her work will help turn data points into meaningful insights with a strong focus on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines over the coming months.
USSC Opinions
With so many developing events in the United States in January, USSC experts have been publishing continuously in the normally quieter month of January. Here are a selection of recent op-eds written by our team.
- Donald Trump's slow march against American democracy by Simon Jackman and Elliott Brennan. Published by ABC News.
- What the Cold War can teach Washington about Chinese Tech Tensions by Brendan Thomas-Noone. Published by Brookings TechStream.
- The Founding Fathers Didn't See This Coming by Charles Edel. Published by Foreign Policy.
- Joe Biden reclaims the middle ground with kitchen table appeal by Stephen Loosley. Published by The Australian.
- Biden's inauguration is an FDR moment. For Republicans, it's civil war by Bruce Wolpe. Published by SMH.
- Two raging viruses among Biden's biggest challenges by Simon Jackman. Published by AFR.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Webinar replays
USSC kicked off our 2021 webinars with a fascinating discussion about the key players and policies in the Biden administration. Catch up on the webinar replays through the USSC Live podcast and on YouTube to know who's who for the outgoing and incoming administrations. Here are some of the greatest hits from recent webinars:
- Key players in the Biden administration ft. Gorana Grgic, Jennifer Hunt, Bruce Wolpe and Simon Jackman
- Vaccines, democracy and truth: Disinformation and digital disruption after the 2020 election ft. Brandy Zadrozny, Jennifer Hunt and Elliott Brennan
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
