We are hitting a point in this banner year where major milestones are converging. Earlier this month, we had the honour of hosting former Prime Minister John Howard OM AC for a dinner commemorating 20 years since he announced funding to establish the United States Studies Centre (USSC). With the endowment administered by the American Australian Association administered the endowment for the USSC and the University of Sydney selected as host, the Centre formally opened in 2007 and we welcomed our first students in 2008.

Since then, nearly 20,000 students have taken USSC courses, and we have grown to be one of the largest think tanks in Australia. Our partnership with the University of Sydney is central to our growth: it underpins our interdisciplinary approach to our research and provides access to a diverse community of experts we can collaborate with on solutions for the alliance.

This Saturday also marks a watershed moment in American history — 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To mark the occasion, we published a special collection of essays and new polling on the alliance and exploring the US-Australia relationship in light of this milestone. Alongside this, we are publishing conversations with our Reflections on America at 250 authors on our USSC Briefing Room podcast.

If these weren’t enough to celebrate, we are also gearing up for the 75th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS Treaty. We will reflect on this milestone at our upcoming Sydney International Strategy Forum in September – mark your calendars now for 23 September 2026. Speakers will be announced soon, but in keeping with this banner year, our lineup is the biggest yet and you do not want to miss it.

To be one of the first to know when tickets become available, please email us at ussc.media@sydney.edu.au, and we will make sure that you are subscribed to our event invitations.

We are truly grateful for the generous support we have received over the past 20 years. There is a genuine sense of partnership in our work that takes us beyond admiring problems to the sort of hands-on, innovative and evidence-based solution seeking that would not be possible without you. Over the momentous weekend marking 250 years of the United States, we recommend checking out the collection of essays from our scholars. Equal parts educational, insightful and thought-provoking, they are a great way to reflect on the significant impact of the American experiment on Australia and the world.

Spotlight

Reflections on America at 250

To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, USSC is releasing Reflections on America at 250, a special collection of articles from USSC experts, including new polling on the US-Australia relationship and essays reflecting on different aspects of American history and what it means today.

Articles include:

• American Independence at 250: Reflections from Down Under
  CEO Dr Michael J. Green
• America at 250: Australian public opinion and eternal interests
  Director of Research Jared Mondschein
• Polling | Where do Australians stand on their most important ally?
  Senior Research Associates Samuel Garrett and Ava Kalinauskas with Research Director Jared Mondschein
• Australian and American democracy at 250
  Senior Fellow Prof. Benjamin Reilly
• America’s sacred documents
  Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy David Smith
• The Declaration of Independence and the women’s and anti-slavery movements
  Senior Lecturer in American Studies Dr Kathryn Schumaker
• The Declaration of Independence in the Australian classroom
  Academic Director and Senior Lecturer in American Studies Dr Rodney Taveira
• American innovation at 250
  Lecturer in American Studies Dr Kathryn Robison
• 1776 international geographies
  Senior Lecturer in American Studies and Honours Coordinator Dr Aaron Nyerges
• The Claremonters, the founding and the Trump administration
  Professor of US Politics and US Foreign Relations Brendon O’Connor

The USSC will also be releasing a special USSC Briefing Room podcast series with the authors of Reflections on America at 250. The first episode with Prof. Benjamin Reilly is available now.

News

USSC celebrates 20th anniversary at dinner with the Hon John Howard OM AC

This year, the USSC celebrates 20 years since its founding. Over the course of these two decades, the Centre has grown to be one of the largest and most influential think tanks in Australia and has enrolled nearly 20,000 students in its American Studies courses. The USSC held a dinner to celebrate this milestone featuring former Prime Minister John Howard OM AC, who originally announced the endowment to establish the Centre.

Book talk with Nick Bisley

This month, USSC hosted a special book talk with Professor Nick Bisley, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Professor of International Relations at La Trobe University, about his new book Asian Crucible. USSC CEO Dr Michael Green moderated the discussion about Asia’s economic rise — powered by globalisation and supply chains — and what role Australia can play in the world’s most dynamic region.

Pacific Islands dialogue and public event

Last week, the Centre hosted a half-day Track 1.5 dialogue looking at bolstering resilience in the Pacific, with support from the National Endowment for Democracy. Across the dialogue, experts convened to discuss allied approaches to the Pacific Islands, regional challenges to democratic governance and electoral and maritime security. This was followed by a public event featuring CSIS Senior Fellow and Deputy Director with the Australia Chair Kathryn Paik, Lowy Institute FDC Pacific Research Fellow Serena Sasingian, USSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Dr Lavina Lee and Macquarie University researcher Ryosuke Hanada, in a conversation moderated by ABC Foreign Affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic.

Academic talk with Terry Garcia

The Centre hosted Terry Garcia, former Executive Vice President and Chief Science and Exploration Officer for the National Geographic Society for an academic roundtable. The conversation covered a range of pressing topics, including the future of exploration, the frontiers of science, media and technology and the current direction of US environmental policy.

Roundtable with ASEAN fellows

On 15 June, USSC hosted Dr Lina A. Alexandra and Dr Ja Ian Chong, along with the Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, Dr Hunter Marston, for a roundtable discussion. The conversation canvassed how Southeast Asian countries are viewing the region and the role of the United States within it given changes to US foreign policy under the second Trump administration as well as strategies for Southeast Asian nations moving forward and the future of ASEAN.

Recent content from us

Upcoming event

Student opportunities and awards

Join our US Midterms Study Tour 

University of Sydney students have the opportunity to experience the US midterm elections firsthand as they unfold in Washington, DC and Philadelphia this November. 

Across two weeks of academic sessions, policy‑focused site visits and on‑the‑ground engagement, students taking part in the US Midterms Study Tour will explore how US elections influence government, public policy, media, diplomacy, democracy and America’s role in the world. Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from all faculties, the tour offers academic credit upon successful completion. Scholarships are available, and eligible students may also access OS‑HELP loans. 

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University of Sydney NSW 2006