WEBINAR

Readout on President Biden's Asian Trip: A conversation with Kurt Campbell and Mira Rapp-Hooper

While debt ceiling negotiations required President Biden to call off the Australia leg of his recent trip to the region, this did not stop progress on a number of major initiatives across the Indo-Pacific. The leaders of all four Quad countries were also able to hold a rescheduled Quad Leaders' Summit on the sidelines of the G7 and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Biden also met one-on-one and struck a deal adding a climate and clean energy "third pillar" to the alliance.

With a sizeable agenda amid condensed timelines, what was prioritised in the discussion between Quad leaders? Did the outcomes from the G7 meet expectations? What is next for the White House's Indo-Pacific team following President Biden’s Asia trip?

To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre (USSC), invites you to join a webinar discussion with White House National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Dr Kurt Campbell and White House National Security Council Director for Indo-Pacific Strategy Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper in discussion with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.

WHEN
SYDNEY | Friday, 26 May, 8:00–9:00am AEST
WASHINGTON DC | Thursday, 25 May, 6:00pm–7:00pm EDT

WHERE
Zoom webinar, register here.

COST
Free, but registration required.

NEWS WRAP

Climate key to US-Australia alliance

• Climate alliance | On the sidelines of the G7 summit, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Biden agreed to make climate and clean energy cooperation a "third pillar" of the US-Australia alliance. READ MORE HERE
   
• Republicans running | The Republican 2024 primary field is taking shape, with Republican South Carolina Senator Tim Scott announcing his presidential run and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expected to announce his campaign tomorrow in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk. READ MORE HERE
   
• TikTok banned | TikTok sued the state of Montana after it became the first US state to ban the popular social media app. Security concerns over the Chinese app have become a long-running political issue. READ MORE HERE
   
• No debt deal yet | The latest debt ceiling talks between Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden ended without agreement, with both sides noting more needs to be done to reach a deal. READ MORE HERE
   
• Colorado River flows free | Arizona, California and Nevada agreed to a conservation deal to reduce their water usage from the Colorado River in exchange for over US$1b in federal funding. Drought has severely impacted the river's water levels. READ MORE HERE

USSC INSIGHTS

What should we glean from Biden's Quad 'no-show'?

Alice Nason, Research Associate, Foreign Policy and Defence

Rightly, commentators have voiced their disappointment at the Quad Summit's cancellation. It offers a reminder that US domestic politics are perhaps the greatest spoiler for US-Asia policy.

Equally, it’s worth acknowledging that President Biden is far from the first US president to skip summits in Asia. In fact, unlike their predecessors, previous USSC research proved that the Biden administration are reliable attendees at regional summits. That reputation will not be lost over a rescheduled meeting.

Moreover, the costs of failed negotiations around the US debt ceiling would have far greater consequences for Asia than one missed summit. With cuts to Defense and State Department resources on the table in tense negotiations between the White House and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the most helpful thing President Biden can do for Australia is prevent a potentially catastrophic debt crisis, so that he can return to business as usual in our region.

This is an excerpt from a new USSC Insights.

VIDEO

What we expected from the Sydney Quad Leaders' Summit

On 18 May, the USSC held a public forum discussing the history and future of the Quad, featuring CEO Dr Michael Green, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean, non-resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee, and Research Fellow Tom Corben.

Catch this and other recent events on the USSC YouTube channel!

BY THE NUMBERS

G7 attendance grows

Australia has been invited to four of the last five G7 summits, joining a growing number of invitees to the most recent summits compared to a decade ago. International institutions have also been a growing feature of recent summits. As USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee writes in a new commentary, the meeting reflects growing alignment between the United States and Europe on both China and Russia.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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