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December 2024
Year in review message from the CEO
This year has probably been the busiest and most productive in the history of the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney. We introduced new lines of work on economic security, added fellows from Japan and India to our research team, hosted conferences on the Quad, deterrence, and relations with Japan and Korea, convened sessions on AUKUS with business and trade union leaders, and launched our new sprint executive education course on geopolitics and business with the Business School. And then, of course, there was the US election, where the Centre has a particular mandate to provide analysis, insights and – if possible – solutions.
We were very pleased with our inaugural conference on Economic security in a turbulent world in June, which included participation by former Senior Advisor on China to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Dr Elizabeth Economy, Australian Treasury Secretary, Dr Steven Kennedy PSM, the Financial Times' Alan Beattie, and the heads of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Office of National Intelligence and Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, along with other senior officials and business leaders from Japan, Korea, Indonesia and the EU. We will continue our economic security work in 2025 with a series of workshops unpacking specific themes that emerged from the conference, including: minerals, AI, trade policy, and energy. In June we also hosted the first ever Australia-Japan-South Korea 1.5 Track trilateral dialogue, and then in December a dialogue on deterrence in Australia, the United States, Japan and Korea in Seoul – just two of the collaborative projects we are doing with those key US allies and partners of Australia.
Our election coverage started with events in January, but our publication of Red Book | Blue Book in May ensured international decision makers were well prepared for either election outcome. When the election rolled around in November, it was no surprise that all eyes were on the USSC. If you turned on your TV on election day, you probably saw a member of our team. We appeared on ABC, Sky News, Channel 7, Channel 9, Channel 10 and SBS, in addition to international media outlets. While our students in Sydney joined a watch party with staff, our academic team led a US Presidential Election Study Tour for University of Sydney students to watch the election unfold in Washington DC. While there they met with Ambassador Rudd and a range of political experts, policymakers and diplomats.
Two weeks after the election we hosted the second Sydney International Strategy Forum: The future of American leadership and a contested Asia. A full house in the Fullerton Hotel heard insights from a range of speakers, including former US Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret’d), former US Ambassador to the European Union Kristen Silverberg, 2022 US National Defense Strategy author Dr Mara Karlin, Japanese House of Councillors Member Rui Matsukawa, former US National Security Council Director for Asia Matthew Turpin and many more experts who helped explain the US election results and how Australia and other US allies can think strategically about approaching a new US administration. In our final conference of the year in early December, we hosted officials and scholars from the Quad countries – Australia, the United States, Japan and India – for both a closed-door strategy session with governments and a public event at the Mint in Sydney.
Our publications also went from strength to strength this year and I encourage you to check out the featured publications below. The interest in analysis about the United States continues to grow. In November this year, we broke a USSC record for most visits to the website in a single month.
As I reflect on the past year, I could not be prouder of the scholars, researchers and non-resident fellows who have produced such an impressive volume of conferences, articles, reports, books, and media appearances – including the largest share of voice in the media of any think tank in Australia. Our theory of impact is based on the premise that the problems of the world are increasingly crossing traditional bureaucratic, government and business lines and that a think tank like ours can provide value by convening stakeholders across all those sectors to use our research to seek solutions to problems like economic security, the energy transition or alliance management. We could not do that work without the partnerships we enjoy with government departments, private firms, trade unions, scholars and civil society in Australia and the United States and increasingly across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to NATO. We are grateful for your support and insights and hope to continue winning your trust in 2025.
Sincerely,
Dr Michael Green
Chief Executive Officer, United States Studies Centre
2024 Highlights
Event highlights
USSC hosted a number of high-profile visitors for impactful events in 2024.
Economic security in a turbulent world | We hosted the first-of-its-kind economic security conference in Australia which featured heads of five Australian Government departments and several international officials including remarks from US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
Sydney International Strategy Forum | Held two weeks after the presidential election, this year's theme was: The future of American leadership and a contested Asia. Speakers included: Dr Kurt Campbell, Stephanie Murphy, Matt Turpin, Rui Matsukawa, Dr Mara Karlin and many more. Ambassador Kevin Rudd shared video remarks with his first public comments after the US presidential election.
Who will be America's next president: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump? | We partnered with the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) to look at the state of the race in the US presidential election. The panel featured SMH Political and International Editor Peter Hartcher, SMH Senior Writer and Columnist Jacqueline Maley, Mike Green and Jared Mondschein in conversation with SMH Editor in Chief Bevan Shields.
Quad Leadership Track 1.5 Dialogue | Earlier this month, we partnered with DFAT to host a one-day track 1.5 dialogue with a mix of experts and officials from the four Quad countries. That evening, we hosted a public forum to discuss the future of the Quad.
Understanding the 2024 US election: A webinar for educators | Ahead of the election the American Studies team hosted a special webinar for educators in NSW to cover how the electoral college works, the impact of the election on the Indo-Pacific and public opinion and polling.
Red Book | Blue Book: A guide to the next US administration | In May, we launched our comprehensive guide for government and business wanting to know how to work with the next US administration. The report was launched at Parliament House in Canberra and a public launch was held in Sydney.
New Cold Wars in a year like no other | We welcomed Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist David Sanger to Australia to talk about his latest book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West, which considers America’s global position in this pivotal time.
American Studies Program
Once again, USSC's American Studies program saw high levels of enrolment and strong engagement in our various activities. Highlights for the year include:
Study abroad
This year the USSC Study Abroad program returned to Washington DC for the first time since COVID. Two cohorts ran this year with one group travelling to study at UCLA for the summer sessions in June and July and the US Presidential Study Tour went to California and Washington DC in October and November.
Student events
In addition to the highly popular student trivia nights, the American Studies team hosted a watch party on election day where students and staff could sit together, watch and analyse the results as they came in.
Enrolments
The American Studies program had record enrolments again this year. Courses offered this year included: America and Australia: The Issues Compared; Global America; Public Opinion and Voting in the US; and #America: Media, Industry, Technology.
Publications
USSC published 24 major reports, six briefs, 11 explainers, four debate papers and 150 op-eds in 2024. Here are some of the most popular publications:
Tune in
USSC event replays are available on our YouTube channel and USSC Live podcast. We also hosted distinguished guests on our USSC Briefing Room and Asia Chessboard podcasts. Here are some of the most popular recordings from 2024.
EVENT
Geopolitical trends to watch in 2025
On Monday, 20 January 2025, President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. He has said he’ll end the war in Ukraine before he takes office and war continues to escalate in the Middle East. Australia itself will host a federal election in 2025 which may shift international relationships.
What sort of impact would Trump’s economic, trade, and technology policies have on Australian businesses? How do the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East impact the Indo-Pacific? What are the key international watch points for Australia in 2025?
To discuss these issues and provide a briefing on geopolitical trends and what they mean for government and business, United States Studies Centre (USSC) CEO Dr Michael Green and Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer will host a public briefing followed by audience Q&A.
Dr Michael Green and Hayley Channer are also leaders of the University of Sydney | Sydney Executive Plus+ Geopolitics and business sprint. Registrations now open for the 20 March – 03 April 2025 cohort. Download a sprint outline here.
DATE & TIME
6:00-7:00pm AEDT
Thursday, 30 January 2025
LOCATION
The Michael Spence Building (F23) at the Corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney
COST
Free, but registration is essential
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United States Studies
Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
