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AUGUST 2018
JOHN MCCAIN
Farewell to an American hero
Friend of Australia, war hero and eminent Republican politician John McCain passed away on August 25.
In 2017 – and in what what would be his final overseas address – Senator McCain delivered a speech to guests of
the United States Studies Centre in the Mitchell Library Reading Room at the NSW State Library. Senator McCain developed a deep affinity with Australia over the course of his 81 years. As he remarked, "the McCain family has literally been sailing and flying around Australia and the Pacific for most of the past century".
The speech served as an act of reassurance and stability in the choppy waters of the Trump presidency. "The occupants of the Lodge and the White House come and go, but these deeper bonds—they are unbreakable, they are eternal," McCain told the crowd, which included former Australian prime ministers Bob Hawke and John Howard.
CEO of the United States Studies Centre, Professor Simon Jackman, paid tribute to the former Republican presidential candidate in a piece published by the ABC this week. "Much turns in American politics with John McCain's passing," Jackman wrote, "with one of the most powerful and passionate voices for American global leadership silenced."
RESEARCH
REPORT
State of confusion: How policy uncertainty harms international trade and investment
Uncertainty about the economy and economic policy in Australia and the United States has intensified since the global financial crisis, with Australia’s high turnover in prime ministers and US political battles over the budget and debt ceiling resulting in increased episodes of policy uncertainty.
With recent advances in the measurement of economic policy uncertainty – which has enabled researchers to quantify its effects on the economy – new research by the director of the USSC's Trade and Investment Program, Dr Stephen Kirchner, examined the effect of this uncertainty on cross-border trade and investment.
BRIEF
The states of the union: US federalism and the Trump policy agenda
Partisanship has become the dominant driver of social and political conflict in the United States and state-federal relations are increasingly conducted in the same vituperative style as Capitol Hill partisanship. This will have significant implications for the Trump administration’s policy agenda.
Honorary Associate Dr Sarah Graham released a research brief looking at the policy areas of immigration, climate change and marijuana-legalisation to provide insight into how US state governments will determine the success of much of President Trump's agenda in the years ahead. Dr Graham elaborated on environmental/climate policy for The Conversation, arguing that Australian states should look to the example set by some US states on how to take a lead on climate policy, despite a reluctant federal government.
BRIEF
Seeds of success: Advancing digital agriculture from point solutions to platforms
A new brief released by the Centre in August sets out the steps through which digital technologies are becoming integrated into agricultural production systems in Australia and the United States.
Written by Sarah Nolet, a food systems innovation expert and CEO of global food and agriculture strategy firm AgThentic, the brief suggests Australia’s digital technologies sector will need to adapt to the current expectations and capabilities of Australian farmers and the realities of Australian agricultural environments.
The research comes from the Centre's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program.
EVENTS
The US and global economy under Trump: David Livingstone in conversation with Simon Jackman
Often overlooked in the torrent of news from Washington is that the US economy is growing at more than 4 per cent per annum and unemployment has fallen to 3.9 per cent, driven in no small measure by Trump’s tax cuts. On the other hand, the Trump administration’s unilateral imposition of tariffs is widely seen as unsettling and a driver of economic uncertainty around the globe. With deficit spending rising in the United States and inflation creeping upwards, US monetary policy is tightening, adding to downward pressure on the Australian dollar.
Citi Australia country chief David Livingstone returned to Australia from Europe in 2016 to head up one of the largest foreign bank subsidiaries in Australia and one of the first foreign banks to enter the Australian market following deregulation in 1985. He’ll join Professor Simon Jackman for a public discussion on the US and global economy under President Trump and the implications for Australia.
Part of the CEO-to-CEO series.
DATE & TIME
6 September 2018
6pm–7.30pm
LOCATION
Level 17, 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW
COST
$15-$20
Film screening | All the President's Men
Join us for a special screening of Alan J. Pakula’s acclaimed 1976 political thriller All the President’s Men. Visiting Fellow Stephen Loosley AM (whose expertise combines presidential politics and Hollywood history) will host an audience discussion following the film, addressing the enduring relevance of the questions about presidential overreach that the film raises.
All the President's Men was nominated for eight Academy Awards and has become the gold standard for films that highlight the role of the press in American democracy. The film is based on the non-fiction book of the same name that follows journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward as they conduct the famous Watergate investigation for The Washington Post that eventually brought down the Nixon Presidency.
Ticket includes the film, discussion and refreshments.
DATE & TIME
18 September 2018
5.45pm-9pm
LOCATION
Hoyts Cinema, Broadway Shopping Centre
COST
$25-$35
Washington, DC | 28th Annual University of Sydney North American Alumni Conference
The United States Studies Centre is partnering with the University of Sydney North American Alumni Association (SUGUNA) to present their annual conference in Washington, DC. SUGUNA is the University of Sydney's alumni community in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The conference will feature a keynote address by USSC chief executive Professor Simon Jackman as well as a cocktail reception at the Australian Embassy hosted by Australian Ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey.
Details about the sessions and speakers will be updated on the event registration page.
DATE & TIME
18-20 October 2018
LOCATION
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
COST
US$60-$450
CENTRE NEWS
Alliance 21 fellows announced
The USSC has announced two Alliance 21 fellows for 2018-19. Madelyn Creedon and Hilary McGeachy will begin in September and October respectively. Madelyn Creedon is the former principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration in the US Department of Energy. Hilary McGeachy is the former first secretary (economic) at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and will be based at the Center for a New American Security within the Asia-Pacific Security Program.
David Smith wins Dean's commendation
Senior lecturer in American politics Dr David Smith has been awarded a Dean's commendation in teaching for his semester 1 unit USSC 1201 – America and Australia: The Issues Compared. The award is decided by student feedback. Dr Smith said he was indebted to Dr Elizabeth Ingleson, Matilda Steward and Jessica Regan for their contributions to the unit's success.
Midterms 2018
The 2018 US midterm elections will take place on November 6 and the USSC will present a series of explainers, commentaries and interactives in the lead-up to showdown between Democrats and Republicans at the ballot box. You can read the first of those explainers here and be sure to check back with our midterms page for new additions and announcements about midterms events.
USSC polling looks at immigration policy division
The latest polling in the USSC's partnership with YouGov looked at political party divisions on the issue of immigration policy in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Lecturer in political science Dr Shaun Ratcliff co-authored an analysis of the data for The Washington Post.
American Interest
Senior fellow and visiting scholar Dr Charles Edel and non-resident fellow Dougal Robinson have written an extended feature for the American Interest this week. They discuss how Australia's recent political chaos masks the real story of national security policy convergence between the two major parties – and what this means to the US-Australia alliance. You can read the full feature here.
STUDENT & ALUMNI NEWS
Chargé d’affaires delivers lecture
US Chargé d’Affaires James Carouso surprised USSC students studying the 'US in the World' unit on Wednesday, delivering a guest lecture on the State Department's Indo-Pacific economic strategy and the US-Australia relationship. He took a long list of questions from the engaged audience and discussed some of the unit's broader themes with lecturer Dr Gorana Grgic.
Information on New York program
An information session will be held on Tuesday, 4 September at 2.30pm at the University of Sydney regarding USSC's brand new NYC program. The new initiative offers students the chance to travel to New York City to meet with some of the world's most successful companies. Details on how to register can be found here.
Ball rolling on the DC placement program
Interviews are under way for the next iteration of our DC Program. The group that will travel to Washington to work, study and live during their Summer break should be finalised by mid-September.
Sydney-UCLA students back in town
All the participants of the USSC and Perth USAsia Centre's UCLA study abroad program have arrived back in Australia after an exciting semester abroad at the University of California, Los Angeles – one of the world's top universities.
Open Day
USSC staff attended the University of Sydney’s Open Day to let students know about the exciting range of new programs at the Centre for 2019. Highlights included presentations on the Centre’s new suite of subjects and study abroad programs.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Truth decay: Exploring the diminishing role of facts and analysis: Has the pace of politics displaced truth? USSC teamed up with RAND Corporation to examine the role of truth in today's discourse. Listen to the podcast
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
