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April 2023
USSC hosts Indo-Pacific thought leaders at Sunnylands Initiative
Coming off the back of the major AUKUS announcement last month, April has been a significant one not just for Australia and the alliance, but also for the United States Studies Centre (USSC). We welcomed a delegation of 25 thought -leaders from across the Indo-Pacific to discuss regional challenges and opportunities for advancing democratic norms and governance as part of the 2023 Sunnylands Initiative.
As part of the initiative, the Centre hosted a public event where members of the delegation shared perspectives on the battle for democracy in their region. The event also featured a keynote address by Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell, who was arrested and held in prison for almost two years after Myanmar’s February 2021 military coup. You can view the event in full here.
The Sunnylands Initiative participants released a joint statement emphasising the importance of supporting democratic norms and institutions in order to counter some of the great challenges this region faces, such as climate justice.
The Sydney meeting of the Sunnylands Initiative occurred at a particularly consequential time for the US-Australia alliance — after the AUKUS announcement and right before the release of Australia's Defence Strategic Review. In an era of growing international fissures and strategic competition, working with friends and allies has never been more important.
In May, some of the Centre's staff, including researchers, research fellows and program directors, will be visiting the United States to meet with key stakeholders in both New York City and Washington DC, including meetings at the White House and the Pentagon. In New York, the Centre and the American Australian Association will host an exclusive conference on the United States, Australia and the new geopolitics. In Washington, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the USSC will host a half-day conference: ‘Allies and geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific region’. You can watch the broadcast here.
EVENTS
Allies and geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific region
In collaboration with the United States Studies Centre, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event in Washington DC on geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific and priorities for enhancing allied policy coordination across a range of economic and security challenges.
The event will include opening remarks from CSIS CEO and Langone Chair in American Leadership Dr John J. Hamre, and USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.
Please use the link to register for in-person or online attendance.
TYPE
Hybrid in-person and online event
WHERE
Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
WHEN
WASHINGTON DC | Thursday, 4 May, 3:00–5:30pm EDT
SYDNEY | Friday, 5 May, 5:00–7:30am AEST
COST
Free for this hybrid event, but registration is essential
NEWS
The Sunnylands Initiative 2023 and the fight for democracy in Asia
The United States Studies Centre and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a high-level event which provided the a stage for thought leaders across the Indo-Pacific to discuss how democracies in the region can work together.
The event featured a keynote address by Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell and was moderated by USSC CEO Dr Michael Green , CEO, United States Studies Centre followed by a panel discussion with:
- Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Chair, Future of Democracy Study Project and Former Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
- Dr Sook Jong Lee, President Emeritus, Senior Fellow and Professor of Public Administration, Sungkyunkwan University
- Dr Henry Ivarature, Deputy Director, Strategic Engagement, Australia Pacific Security College, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
The full public event can be watched here.
Defence industry roundtable series | Outcomes report 1
A new report from the USSC summarises the first of three roundtables on defence industry and examines the implications AUKUS has for export controls in defence industries within Australia and the United States, underlining the work the Centre is doing to find solutions for the alliance.
This series of three roundtables addressed Australian defence industry views on US export controls, with the outcomes report authored by Research Fellow Tom Corben and Research Associate Sophie Mayo, from the Centre's Foreign Policy and Defence Program. The resultant outcomes report distils 15 key issues from those discussions on topics including: the financial and human burden of export controls for Australian industry; different cultures of trust and risk within key decision-making bodies; sources of resistance to reform within the US system; the importance of information sharing and concerns over information security; and many more.
Chaired by USSC CEO Dr Michael Green and Foreign Policy and Defence Program Director Professor Peter J. Dean, these roundtables were convened to bring the unique ideas, insights, and opinions of defence industry stakeholders to bear on key defence integration issues and to channel these behind the common goal of driving defence industrial
integration and technology collaboration to their fullest.
The report was covered in The Australian.
Read the report on the first of these three roundtables here.
Report examines US-Australia science and technology cooperation
A report by the USSC, Integrating deterrence Into defence science and technology cooperation, looks at how Australia and the United States can reap greater returns on their investments in shared science and technology, by focusing more on their shared deterrent objectives.
The report's author, Dr Frank L. Smith III, USSC Guest Contributor and Professor and Director of the Cyber and Innovation Policy Institute at the US Naval College, says that the relationship between deterrence and cooperation on defence science and technology between Australia and the United States is often implied, but rarely explained.
The report was featured in Australian media, including on InnovationAus.com.
Read the report here.
USSC hosts ‘QUAD: Emerging Voices’ roundtable
A select cohort of students from the QUAD countries studying at the University of Sydney got to meet USSC CEO Dr Michael Green and US Consul General Christine Elder.
Supported by the US Consulate General Sydney, the roundtable was an opportunity for the students to explore, question, and exchange ideas on regional security, emerging technology, climate change, and infrastructure.
USSC trivia night a roaring success
April was a great month for our USSC student events. We had our first student-focused USSC Cultural Competence Workshop, and our American Studies Trivia Night. Students and staff alike were lucky enough to witness the trivia expertise of our very own Associate Professor David Smith on Wednesday 19 April.
Held at The Rose Hotel, Chippendale, the evening had everything including candy and other American treats, catering galore, and three rounds of American-themed trivia questions. A big thanks to all who came along, and please keep an eye out for more student events as the semester continues.
In the news
Australia's highly anticipated Defence Strategic Review, the ongoing ripples from the AUKUS announcement, and the Pentagon leaks were major news stories in April with USSC experts being asked to share their views on these significant events.
Australia prepares more assertive military stance to deter conflict
USSC CEO Dr Michael Green tells The South China Morning Post that Australia's Defence Strategic Review is critical to beefing up its defence capabilities in case there is a great-power conflict in the region. READ MORE HERE
NATO calls PM to
summit
USSC's Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean tells The Australian that it showed the importance of Australia's relationship with key allies in an increasingly volatile global order. READ MORE HERE
Look closely, the
US intel leak is one of three bombshell disclosures
USSC's Director of Emerging Technology, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey discusses the Pentagon leaks with The Age and how it is much harder for governments to ensure secrecy in the 21st century. READ MORE HERE
Will Trump be
convicted?
Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe talks to ABC Radio National about the prospect that Donald Trump could be convicted, and the significance this moment would have in US political history. LISTEN TO IT HERE
Republicans ‘far less
likely’ to win presidency if Donald Trump is nominated
Non-Resident Senior Fellow Stephen Loosley shares his analysis on Sky News about the implications of Donald Trump potentially being nominated to run as the Republican presidential candidate. WATCH IT HERE
How much of a threat does Russia’s Pacific fleet pose to the US?
Research Fellow Blake Herzinger talks to Task and Purpose about the scale of the security threat posed by Russia's Pacific fleet, and the limits the fleet has in terms of overarching capabilities. READ MORE HERE
Trump taking oxygen from DeSantis amid ‘widening’ popularity gap
Research Associate Victoria Cooper discusses with Sky News the widening popularity gap between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump in the upcoming race for Republican presidential primaries. WATCH IT HERE
USSC perspectives
The month of April has been a particularly busy one for USSC commentary, with ongoing coverage of AUKUS, the release of Australia's Defence Strategic Review and Donald Trump's legal woes dominating.
- Clarity and consensus set strong security precedent by Dr Michael Green, first published in
The Australian.
- Arguments against AUKUS don't hold water by Professor Peter Dean, first published in The Australian.
- The US-Indo pacific strategy has a navy-sized hole in it by Blake Herzinger, first published in World Politics Review.
- Here comes the judge by Stephen Loosley, first published in The Spectator Australia.
- Australia woos the Indo-Pacific on AUKUS by Blake Herzinger and Alice Nason, first published in Fulcrum.
- Trump and New York: If they can break him there, they can break him anywhere by Bruce Wolpe, first published in The Sydney Morning Herald.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Videos and podcasts
The latest recordings from our webinars are available on our YouTube channel and USSC Live podcast. Find all of the Centre’s podcast recordings here.
- LIVE EVENT | The fight for democracy in Asia with an opening address by Professor Sean Turnell. The panellists were: Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Dr Sook Jong Lee, and Dr Henry Ivarature, and the event was moderated by USSC’s CEO Dr Michael Green. WATCH IT HERE
- PODCAST | Technology and Security (TS) Podcast: AI’s rapid rise and online harms with the USSC's Dr Miah Hammond-Errey and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. LISTEN TO IT HERE
- PODCAST | The Asia Chessboard: A Crucial Decade: China Policy during the George W. Bush Administration with Paul Haenle and Faryar Shirzad discussing China policy during the George W. Bush administration with CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette and USSC CEO Dr Michael Green. LISTEN TO IT HERE
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United States Studies
Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
