NEWS WRAP

European alliances in focus after presidential visit

• Biden in Kyiv as air raid sirens blare | President Joe Biden's surprise trip to the embattled country came amid ominous signs of a massive Russian build-up of air power along Ukraine's borders. READ MORE HERE
   
• Harris turns up the dial at Munich | A US Congressional delegation and Vice President Kamala Harris attended the Munich conference over the weekend. Russia and Iran did not receive invitations. At the event, Harris decried Russian crimes against humanity in the country's invasion of Ukraine. READ MORE HERE
   
• Jimmy Carter in hospice care | The longest-living former president at 98, Jimmy Carter has elected to undergo hospice care from his home and not receive further medical interventions. Carter was president from 1977 to 1981. READ MORE HERE 
   
• Haley makes her presidential run official | In a presidential campaign that emphasises youth, Nikki Haley called for candidates over the age of 75 to have their mental capacity tested. Eighty-one year old Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a potential 2024 candidate, criticised the stance as 'ageist'. READ MORE HERE

EVENT

Webinar event: Pride and the alliance

The United States and Australia both followed circuitous routes to marriage equality. When US Ambassador to Australia John Berry (ret'd) first arrived in Australia in 2013, he was the first openly-gay US ambassador to a G20 country. However, not only was same-sex marriage not legal in Australia, it was not yet legal in all of the United States.

In Australia, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce AC was one of the most influential voices in the marriage equality campaign. How have these influential leaders seen LGBTQ+ rights advance in their lifetimes? How did the journey to marriage equality compare between the United States and Australia? What work still needs to be done, and what role can the close US-Australia relationship play?

As Sydney welcomes WorldPride 2023, the United States Studies Centre is honoured to welcome Qantas CEO Alan Joyce AC and former US Ambassador to Australia John Berry in conversation with the ABC’s political commentator Annabel Crabb.

WHEN
SYDNEY | Webinar event, Thursday, 2 March, 3:00pm-4:00pm AEDT

COST
Free, but registration is essential

ANALYSIS

The future of US trade engagement in the Indo-Pacific 

Ava Kalinauskas, Research Assistant USSC 

President Trump slammed shut the door on free trade when he quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in the White House. And, more than six years on, the Biden administration continues to uphold Trump-era protectionism.

Although Biden entered office promising his allies that the United States was returning to the Indo-Pacific, the diplomatic efforts have largely ignored trade agreements, arguably the top priority for regional stakeholders.

The president is unlikely to renege on Trump’s decision to exit the TPP and Beijing is already moving quickly to fill this vacuum with regional trade deals of its own. Against this backdrop, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), formally launched in May 2022, represents a critical opportunity to demonstrate US leadership.

While President Biden's ability to do “the job” and deliver on his promises at home is clearly a priority for the president, the next two years will be a test of whether Biden can deliver overseas. Without deepened trade with the Indo-Pacific, Biden’s work to reassure allies will remain unfinished.

You can read more on the USSC website. 

BY THE NUMBERS

Military casualties in Ukraine

One year of conflict in Ukraine has seen substantial military casualties on both sides.

Recent reports from US and Norwegian government sources in international media put military casualties alone at around 180,000 to 200,000 for Russian personnel and 100,000 for Ukrainian forces.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

#BideninKyiv