2 September 2026

Leaders from China, Russia, Iran, India and other countries in the region met in Kyrgyzstan this week for the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference, further embedding China’s President Xi Jinping as the leader of non-Western alliances. This sits in stark contrast to another alliance milestone this week, 75 years since the signing of the ANZUS Treaty.

The 2026 USSC Allies and partners poll, released on Monday, highlights growing acceptance of this multi-polar world order. Despite continued negative views of President Trump, Australians remain more supportive of the US alliance than not, with 49% of respondents saying they believe Australia needs its alliance with the United States more than ever.

Sentiment towards the Australia-US alliance has varied by age in most USSC polling; however, there has been a stark change in attitudes towards China by 18–35-year-old Australians. For the first time, a plurality (37%) of Australians under 35 now view China as mostly helpful in Asia, a number that has been growing since 2023. And, for the first time in USSC polling, Australians view the United States (22%) and China (23%) as equally helpful in Asia.

Australian attitudes towards China are moving closer to those of Indian respondents, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a strong presence at the SCO this week and has had a fraught relationship with the second Trump administration. Japanese respondents continue to have the most pessimistic view of China (57% say it is mostly harmful) and the most positive view of the United States (42% say it is mostly helpful) in the region.

In spite of a fragmentation of views amongst the Quad countries in this year’s poll, there was the most cohesion around issues of collective deterrence. All four countries show more support than not for sending troops to defend Taiwan and changing the Quad into a formal military alliance.

From the Quad and AUKUS to the Pacific Island Forum and being a NATO IP4 partner, Australia is growing more influential and more essential as it leverages its unique role on the global stage — a trajectory that started with ANZUS 75 years ago.

Mari Koeck
Director of Engagement and Impact

Lead image: United States Studies Centre

"For more than seven decades, the Alliance has underpinned peace, stability and prosperity in our region and continues to contribute to the region’s strategic balance. Today the United States remains our closest ally and principal strategic partner."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on X | 1 September 2026

Recent content

POLLING REPORT

Allies and partners poll 2026: Alliances hold, views fragment

In the 2026 Allies and partners poll, authors Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett, Senior Research Associate Ava Kalinauskas and Director of Research Jared Mondschein note that while views of alliances between the Quad countries remain stable, even following a year of geopolitical turmoil, views on China are diverging. Nevertheless, support for AUKUS and ANZUS remains consistent. The polling includes more than 1,000 responses from each of the four Quad countries.

Read the report

COMMENTARY

Democratic partnerships in the Pacific: Shared priorities and opportunities for cooperation

As the Pacific Islands Forum made headlines this week for geopolitical tensions in the region, USSC has released the second paper in the "Perspectives on Pacific resilience" series. In this article Monika LeRoy, Fellow with the Montreal Institute for Global Security, explores five priority areas where Pacific Islands nations can work together to bolster democratic resilience and governance.

Read the article

PODCAST

USSC Briefing Room | What can Americans learn about Australian politics with POLITICO’s Ryan Heath

Launch Editor of POLITICO’S Canberra Playbook Ryan Heath joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss comparisons between MAGA and One Nation and what Americans should know about Australian politics at the moment.

Listen to the podcast

COMMENTARY

After 75 years of our alliance with the US, most Australians still can’t see a better option

In this op-ed for The Conversation, Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett analyses key findings from the 2026 Allies and partners poll which suggests Australians are no longer so confident in their sense of unity — but they still aren’t willing to stand alone.

Read the op-ed

COMMENTARY

The US has struck a deal to control Venezuela’s oil reserves. It probably won’t help bring down fuel prices

President Trump called the new agreement with Venezuela "biggest oil deal in world history." However, in this op-ed for The Conversation, Research Associate Sahara Hoff shares why this won't bring down gas prices in the United States in the short term.

Read the op-ed

In the news

POLITICO | Australians concerned about US democracy but views have stabilised

USSC Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett spoke with Politico on the United States Studies Centre's recent "Allies and partners poll 2026," saying that while Australians remain “deeply concerned” about the state of US politics and democracy, those views had largely stabilised since Trump’s inauguration last year and that to "the extent that Australians understand the Quad, they’re seeing it as potential cooperation — not as a replacement for the U.S. alliance — but building a network of partnerships around the region."

Read here

SBS | Evening News Bulletin

USSC CEO Dr Michael Green spoke with SBS News about the 75th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty, reflecting that, "History and the military connection is very very strong and the alliance has evolved, in 1951 frankly the Americans weren't that interested in Australia - thought that Australia ought to be helping the British maintain the Middle East and today we're in a very different position the United States really needs Australia, Australia needs the US we both need Japan and others because of the pressure on this region from China."

Listen here

ABC | Why can't Albo stick it to Trump like Canada?

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has come out swinging, outlining a major retaliation against US President Donald Trump's latest wave of tariffs. USSC Associate Professor spoke with ABC NEws about Mark Carney's defiance against the US and whether Australia should follow suit.

Listen here

Upcoming events

PUBLIC EVENT

Tibet at the epicentre: Geopolitics, religion and climate security

With much of the world’s attention focused on global flashpoints, Tibet’s uncertain future is often sidelined in geopolitical conversations. Yet the Tibetan plateau holds major implications for the region’s balance of power, climate security, and human rights around the world.

What is the geopolitical significance of Tibet in the 21st century? How could Tibet’s environmental future affect millions of lives across Asia? And what does Tibet’s political future mean for religious freedom and international law around the world?

To answer these questions, please join us for a discussion with Tibet Policy Institute Senior Research Fellow Dr Tenzin Desal, UTS Associate Professor in China Studies Dr Feng Chongyi and La Trobe Asia Director Dr Ruth Gamble, in conversation with United States Studies Centre (USSC) CEO Dr Michael Green.

DATE AND TIME

14 September 2026
6.00–7.30pm AEST

WHERE

Level 5 Function Room, The Michael Spence Building (F23) at the Corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney

DETAILS

Free but registration is essential

Register

CONFERENCE

Former INDOPACOM Commander joins SISF lineup

Admiral John Aquilino (ret'd) will also join the list of distinguished speakers and panellists joining the lineup for the 2026 Sydney International Strategy Forum. Visiting as an American Australian Association Fellow, the 6th Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command brings critical insights at a time of significant geopolitical change.

He joins a high-profile lineup including Chairman and Co-Founder of The Asia Group and former US Deputy Secretary of State Dr Kurt Campbell, President of the Metropolitan State University of Denver and former US Under Secretary of the Navy Dr Janine Davidson, former Director of the US Economic Council and former Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve Dr Lael Brainard, Chairman of the Board at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security and former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs the Hon. Randall Schriver, Singaporean academic and former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign affairs of Singapore Bilahari Kausikan, former Director of the US Defence Innovation Unit Doug Beck and many more.