NEWS WRAP

Vice President Harris counters China in Africa visit

• Vice president visits Africa | Amid growing concerns over China's influence among African states, Vice President Kamala Harris visited the continent this week. The "charm offensive" also came with a US$100 million security aid pledge to help West African states combat extremists in the region. READ MORE HERE
   
• President Biden renews call for assault weapons ban | A deadly school shooting in Tennessee has sparked calls by the president to “do more to protect our schools." President Biden is pushing for a ban on assault weapons, though Republican support for the policy remains unlikely. READ MORE HERE
   
• Former US President Barack Obama visits Australia | The visit is Barack Obama's first to Australia in five years. The former president met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and will discuss global challenges and leadership while on a speaking tour across the country with former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop. READ MORE HERE
   
• Trump links looming indictment with election fraud | Citing the political agenda of District Attorney Alvin Bragg, former US President Donald Trump has claimed in a Fox News interview that an investigation into claims he paid hush money to an adult film star was "a new way of cheating in elections." READ MORE HERE

EVENT

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 followed by a panel discussion.

Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell spent much of his professional career studying the Myanmar economy and moved there to advise the State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi. After the February 2021 coup d’état toppled the democratically elected government and the military assumed control of the country, Turnell was detained and imprisoned for nearly two years along with almost 6,000 others while more than 800 people were killed in the violent uprising.

Panel discussion: Regional approaches to supporting democracy

Moderated by Dr Michael Green, CEO, United States Studies Centre, panellists include: 

• 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

WHEN
PUBLIC FORUM | Tuesday, 4 April, 5:00pm–6:30pm AEST

WHERE
Auditorium, The Michael Spence Building, Administration Building (F23), Corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney Camperdown NSW 2006

COST
Free, but registration is essential

ANALYSIS 

Why the AUKUS announcement sparked surprise in some circles

Hayley Channer, Director of Economic Security

The submarine program costings sparked surprise in some circles. Why do you think this is?

Many people didn’t anticipate the extent to which AUKUS would dwarf previous cost estimates for a new submarine fleet. In 2016 we were told to expect over A$50 billion for a new fleet, and as recently as 2021 projections topped out at A$171 billion. At between A$268–$368 billion, AUKUS stands to be the largest defence procurement in Australia’s history and involves a significant increase to defence spending as a percentage of GDP (from 2.05–2.20 per cent).

However, the headline price is spread over 30 years and no other national expenses are expressed over a similar time frame – all of them would look completely out of proportion. Moreover, the A$268–$368 billion cost is comprehensive. It includes purchasing between three and five US Virginia-class submarines, designing and building eight new AUKUS-class submarines, upgrading naval infrastructure, investments in submarine production lines, workforce education and training, and sustainment. The original figures weren’t as comprehensive.

This is an excerpt from a USSC Insights analysis by Hayley Channer on the USSC website.

BY THE NUMBERS

Our time spent online is higher than you might think

A study by creative agency We Are Social analysed the amount of time spent online broken down by country. The study found that, between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, US citizens spend the most amount of time online.

Overall, the study found a five per cent decrease in internet usage from the prior year. The study clarified that a growing return to relative normality post-COVID will see these trends continue to shift, but in which directions is yet to be seen.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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