Lowy Institute

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David Hicks and the war on terror Apr 26, 2012

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On 13 June, at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, award-winning journalist Leigh Sales addressed the difficult case of David Hicks and its implications for the global war on terror.
Now that Mr Hicks is back in an Australian prison, what lessons should we take from the drawn-out saga? What has this case taught us about how the US and its allies are fighting the war on terror? How are America’s detention policies (and in particular the facility at Guantanamo Bay) affecting that country’s international standing? How is US public diplomacy faring? And what does the Hicks case say about the state of the US-Australia alliance?

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THE PARTY: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers Apr 25, 2012

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Over the last thirty years, China has emerged as a major political and economic power on the international stage, and the pace of this growth has been astonishing. Though China's presence in the global arena continues to grow rapidly, the most remarkable part of this country's transformation has been largely left untold – the central role of the Chinese Communist Party. In THE PARTY: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers former Financial Times China bureau chief Richard McGregor delves into the hidden world of the Communist Party, revealing how this ruling organisation works and how it has contributed to China's rise as a global superpower and rival to the United States.

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Japans 21st century China Policy Apr 25, 2012

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As a part of its Public Lecture Series, the Lowy Institute for International Policy was pleased to host an address by Professor Akio Takahara from Tokyo University.
The Japan-China relationship is one of the longest, deepest, and most important great power relationships in the world and the last decade has been a turbulent one. China’s increasing regional and global influence is keenly felt in Japan as it is fundamentally changing Japan’s strategic and economic environments and questioning Japan’s future role in East Asia.

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China reform Apr 25, 2012

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Liu Xiaobo, one of the most celebrated public intellectuals in China, was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison for incitement to subversion. Diplomats and human rights activists have joined in condemning the sentence on grounds both of its lack of legal validity and its severity. A groundswell of international sentiment has begun to build, reversing the tendency in recent years to avoid confronting China on its human rights record. The international concern is closely paralleled by concern in China’s domestic intellectual circles.
On Thursday, 4 March, the Lowy Institute hosted an in-conversation event with two prominent Sinologists, David Kelly and Feng Chongyi, who joined Michael Wesley to discuss the significance and implications of this event for China’s internal politics and Australia-China relations.

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Nuclear weapons in Asia Apr 25, 2012

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In the Lowy Institute's first Food for Thought lecture in Melbourne, on 23 March, International Security Program Director Rory Medcalf explored how the dangers of nuclear-armed confrontation between states might be minimised in the Asian century. He focused on relations among the United States, China, India and Pakistan, considered Japan’s difficult position, and touched upon whether a middle power like Australia could make a difference.

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Barack Obamas inaugural address Apr 25, 2012

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The inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States on 20 January was observed intently by billions of people around the world. One of the unusual aspects of Obama's candidacy for president was that he is such a gifted writer and speaker, a fact which has already led to comparisons with Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
Among the crowd in front of the US Capitol on the day of the inauguration was the Lowy Institute’s Michael Fullilove. Michael provided a first-hand account of the day's events via video-conference at an event at the Lowy Institute on 23 January.

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Gordons world Apr 25, 2012

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Gordon Brown recently succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister of Great Britain. Several months ago the Lowy Institute hosted a leading British commentator speaking on the likely shape of British foreign policy under Gordon Brown's leadership.
On Friday 16 February Tom Bentley spoke to the Lowy Lunch series on the topic: 'Gordon’s world: Remaking Britain's foreign policy after Blair'.
Tom was director of Demos, one of Britain's leading independent think tanks, from 1999 to 2006. He is currently Executive Director for Policy and Cabinet in the Victorian Premier's Department and Director of Applied Learning at ANZSOG, the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

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Austraila, the consequential coutry Apr 25, 2012

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After postings in Washington and South Asia, Nick Bryant came to Australia determined to avoid all the stereotypes and clichés that still tend to inform the world's view of the 'land down under.' He found an increasingly consequential country – diplomatically, commercially, economically and culturally. Politics was heading in the same direction, as well, until the coup that ousted Kevin Rudd. The national conversation again became narrowly parochial, as Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott reinforced their own insularity.
In our Food for Thought series in Canberra, Nick Bryant explored these two countervailing themes.

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Common Wealth Apr 25, 2012

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On 14 July, the Lowy Institute hosted a dinner for the globally renowned economist and author Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs. Professor Sachs discussed the current global energy, climate, and food crises and the world's sustainable development challenges as outlined in his new book 'Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet'.

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Power balances in Asia Apr 25, 2012

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On Friday 1 May 2009, in his first major foreign policy speech as Opposition Leader and first address to the Lowy Institute, Malcolm Turnbull discussed the challenges and priorities in managing sensibly Australia's vital relationships across the region.

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