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March 2023
Grand strategy and alliances in focus after AUKUS announcement
The month of March was a significant one not just for the United States Studies Centre (USSC), but also for Australia and the US-Australia alliance more broadly. The AUKUS announcement underlines the significance of international partnerships on issues surrounding grand strategy. As CEO Dr Michael Green noted, the AUKUS announcement is enormously significant for the Indo-Pacific.
AUKUS, one of the most ambitious defence pacts in Australian history, paves the way for a significant submarine program. As our experts note, this could provide Australia with key security in an increasingly unstable world order. But it will come at a cost, with hundreds of billions needing to be put aside in order to fund the new submarine program.
Beyond AUKUS, the Centre also hosted the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP and USSC Visiting Fellow Dr Robert Atkinson with our Emerging Technology Director Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to discuss the implications of strategic competition and technology.
This weekend, we prepare to welcome the Sunnylands Initiative in Sydney. It is the third iteration of the summit on democratic resilience in the Indo-Pacific. This year’s gathering of 25 preeminent thought leaders from India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, the United States and Australia will involve a particular focus on the Pacific Islands. It is an honour to host it in Australia for the first time. Please consider attending our public event on Tuesday and you can learn more about the program here.
EVENTS
The fight for democracy in Asia
The United States Studies Centre and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) will host a special event to hear from leaders across the region about the state of play for democracy and how aligned countries can work together.
The event will feature a keynote address by Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell followed by a panel discussion.
Panel discussion: Regional approaches to supporting democracy
- 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
- Moderated by Dr Michael Green, CEO, United States Studies Centre
WHERE
Auditorium, The Michael Spence Building, University of Sydney
WHEN
SYDNEY | Tuesday, 4 April, 5:00pm–6:30pm
COST
Free, but registration is essential
NEWS
USSC dominates AUKUS coverage with expert analysis
As CEO Dr Michael Green noted alongside Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Prof. Peter Dean the AUKUS announcement is one of the most significant defence agreements in Australian history. USSC experts offered analysis and insights, and were heavily featured in the media landscape, both here in Australia and internationally.
Our experts published multiple op-eds and explainers across The Australian, AFR, The Age, and our website, and appeared in dozens of media interviews with outlets that included CNN, Reuters, ABC, 2GB and more. The Centre's experts provided insights on the significance of this agreement for the US-Australia alliance and its future. A key explainer which we released before the AUKUS announcement became our most read publication of 2023.
You can go here to read all of our most recent analysis on all things AUKUS, and the US-Australia alliance.
In the news
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, the implications of the AUKUS announcement, and Donald Trump's impending arrest dominated the news in March.
China and Russia have joined to confront the West
USSC CEO Dr Michael Green tells The Australian that the alliance between China and Russia is prioritising their confrontation with the West over the economic wellbeing of either nation. READ MORE
Donald trump’s impending arrest
USSC Associate Professor David Smith tells The Briefing that there's a very good chance that Donald Trump will be indicted, but that does not necessarily mean he will be arrested. LISTEN TO IT HERE
Betting our future on
AUKUS
USSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean tells The Age that there is a strong case for nuclear-powered submarines in Australia given they have better and more advanced stealth capabilities. READ MORE
Data localisation could limit computer access
USSC Director of Emerging Technology Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is quoted in InnovationAus in a discussion with Google's Alex Lynch on how Australia’s access to cutting-edge computing capabilities would be restricted if the federal government was to introduce data localisation requirements for certain sensitive datasets.
READ MORE
Japan and South Korea renew ties at Tokyo summit
USSC Research Fellow Tom Corben tells the ABC that Japan and South Korea may be "frenemies", but that they share key strategic interests in the region. It came as the two countries renewed ties at a summit in Tokyo.
LISTEN TO IT HERE
USSC student events in April
Now that the academic year is in full swing, we’re excited to announce two upcoming student events for our American Studies and USSC cohort: our first student-focused USSC Cultural Competence Workshop, and our American Studies Trivia Night.
Following on from our success with our last trivia night in November 2022, this year our American Studies Trivia Night will be hosted once again by Associate Professor David Smith, a trusted commentator on America and a trivia expert. There will also be a range of American-themed activities, lots of giveaways, and free food and drinks. It will be held on Wednesday, 19th April from 6:00pm–9:30pm at The Rose Hotel, Chippendale.
The USSC Cultural Competence Workshop will be hosted by the National Centre for Cultural Competence and will examine the building blocks of cultural competence. Both events are free for all American Studies and USSC students. The workshop will be run on Friday, 14th April from 12:00pm–2:00pm in the USSC Boardroom.
Dr Robert Atkinson visits Sydney as the first Visiting Fellow for USSC's Emerging Technology program
Dr Atkinson, President and Founder of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), visited both Sydney and Canberra for a range of events with the USSC — including a public discussion with the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, moderated by Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, USSC Emerging Technology Program Director.
Their discussion covered, amongst other areas, the role of AI and automation in jobs, innovation and inequality, data sovereignty, the CHIPS Act, decoupling and technology regulation. As a Visiting Fellow, Dr Robert Atkinson also penned an analysis examining how Australia could respond to China's technological competition with the United States.
USSC perspectives
The last month has been a significant one for the USSC, with the AUKUS announcement dominating. Our experts published across a number of topics, not limited to AUKUS.
- AUKUS’ strategic deterrence good for the nation and region by Dr Michael Green and Prof. Peter Dean, first
published in The Australian.
- AUKUS' final blueprint marks an astonishing step forward for the west that puts our adversaries on notice by Stephen Loosley, published in Sky News.
- Fears AUKUS will undermine Australia’s defence sovereignty are misplaced by Dr Peter K. Lee, first published in The Conversation.
- America’s industrial policy comeback requires Australia to rationally push back by Dr John Kunkel, published in The Australian Financial Review.
- Australia’s submarine acquisition is about deterrence, not aggression by Blake Herzinger, first published in The Strategist.
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.
- WEBINAR | AUKUS briefing: What you need to know about the AUKUS report with USSC’s CEO Dr Michael Green, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Prof. Peter Dean and Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer. WATCH IT HERE
- WEBINAR | Pride and the alliance with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce AC, former US Ambassador to Australia John Berry and ABC political commentator Annabel Crabb. WATCH IT HERE
- PODCAST | The Asia Chessboard: Taking stock of US Indo-Pacific Strategy
- PODCAST | Technology and Security: Quantum developments, data localisation and ethics in AI with Google Manager of Public Policy and Government Affairs Alex Lynch and Director of Emerging Technology Dr Miah Hammond-Errey. LISTEN TO IT HERE
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United States Studies
Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
