Lowy Institute

Latest Episodes:

Nicholas Lardy on The state strikes back: The end of economic reform in China? May 23, 2019

Show notes

China’s economic future is more uncertain than ever. Challenges have mounted on multiple fronts, including slowing growth, rising financial risks, and increasingly difficult external relations, not least with the United States.
Lowy Institute International Economy Program Director Roland Rajah hosted a conversation with one of the world’s foremost experts on the Chinese economy, Dr Nicholas Lardy of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Dr Lardy will present the findings from his latest book, arguing that China’s future growth prospects could remain as bright as they were in the past, but are overshadowed by the spectre of resurgent state dominance.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maurice Obstfeld on managing the next global economic crisis: New thinking in macroeconomics May 23, 2019

Show notes

More than a decade since the global financial crisis, economic thinking has continued to evolve, shaped by the harsh realities of recent experience. With global economic governance also under pressure and potentially fraying, the kind of cooperation needed to contain potential crises and sustain global economic prosperity is vastly more difficult and uncertain. What are the key lessons from the 2008 crisis and what does this mean for managing future economic crises?
Lowy Institute International Economy Program Director Roland Rajah and Professor Maurice Obstfeld, former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund and Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, discussed the latest economic thinking on the future of the global economy and where policymaking is headed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Normal - The Future of US-China relations with David Shambaugh May 20, 2019

Show notes

In the first episode of Rules Based Audio, Kelsey Munro talks to Professor David Shambaugh from George Washington University about the shift to full-spectrum competition between the US and China, and what it means for the rest of the world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conversation: Thitinan Pongsudhirak on from coups to crises: where next for Thailand? May 17, 2019

Show notes

After a coup, a new constitution and a controversial election, Thailand’s political future remains as uncertain as ever. The general election in March, the first since the 2014 coup, was marred by allegations of irregularities and the election commission will not announce the final results until May. In the meantime, the commission has brought sedition charges against the leader of a pro-democracy party that did better than expected in the election.
Thailand is stuck in a protracted seesaw between democracy and military rule. How will the final election results affect this balance? What role, if any, will King Vajiralongkorn play in determining Thailand’s future trajectory after his coronation in May? And how will the political impasse impact Thailand’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year?
Leading Thai political scientist Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak and Director of Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Project Ben Bland had a discussion on what happens next in one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile nations.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies and Associate Professor of International Political Economy at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
Thitinan’s visit to Australia is part of the ASEAN–Australia Visiting Fellows Program at the Lowy Institute, which is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia–ASEAN Council of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
This event was presented by the Lowy Institute at the NGV

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Panel discussion: The global challenge of far-right extremism May 16, 2019

Show notes

The attacks on Al Noor and Linwood Mosques in Christchurch, in which 50 people lost their lives, represent the deadliest mass killing in New Zealand’s modern history and the worst terrorist attacks ever carried out by an Australian. The events of 15 March have already prompted large-scale gun reform in New Zealand as well as a Royal Commission into the attacks. More broadly, the attacks have prompted reflection on violent extremism in all its forms – including the kind perpetrated by the far right – and on the nature of far-right extremism as a global movement.
The Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion which looked at what changes are required at the policy and law enforcement levels to reduce the risk of extremist attacks; whether the Christchurch attack is linked to other far-right and white supremacist movements around the world; the nature of reciprocal extremism and how jihadism and far-right extremism may amplify each other; how online environments contribute to radicalisation; and how the Australian far right fits into the global picture.
The panel featured:
Professor Michele Grossman, Research Chair in Diversity and Community Resilience, Alfred Deakin Institute
Dr Kristy Campion, Lecturer in Terrorism Studies, Charles Sturt University
Dr David Smith, Senior Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre
Lydia Khalil, Lowy Institute Research Fellow, Director of political and security consulting firm Arcana Partners, and specialist in Middle Eastern politics and terrorism (moderator)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rodger Shanahan on Australian terrorists’ views of the world May 09, 2019

Show notes

Since the start of the Syrian civil war, up to 200 Australians have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with jihadist groups, and dozens more have been charged with terrorism offences in Australia. The legal process against jihadists in Australia and those returning from overseas will continue for years to come. Foreign fighters claim that they simply provided humanitarian assistance or did not fight, and domestic terrorists often blame mental health issues for their acts. Yet little is known publicly about their true motivations, how they organised themselves, what role mental health has really played in their actions, how contrite they have been, and how likely they are to be rehabilitated.
Research Fellow Dr Rodger Shanahan has written widely on foreign fighters and has been an expert witness in more than two dozen terrorism cases in Australia. He attempted to shed light on the often darkened world of the Australian jihadist, using their own words and those of the courts to try to explain the motivations and worldview of Australian terrorists.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An address by Senator Penny Wong May 01, 2019

Show notes

The Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, addressed the Lowy Institute on what a Labor Government would mean for Australia’s international engagement. How does Labor see Australia’s place in the world? What would be the priorities for a Labor Government? After her address, Senator Wong joined Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove in conversation.
Senator Penny Wong, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, was first elected in 2001. She held several ministerial positions between 2007 and 2013, including Minister for Climate Change and Water and Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Since 2016 Senator Wong has been Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Dr Michael Fullilove is Executive Director of the Lowy Institute and a leading expert on Australian and US foreign policy. He is the author of Rendezvous with Destiny: How Franklin D Roosevelt and Five Extraordinary Men Took America into the War and the World.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Panel Discussion: Foreign policy, defence and the federal election Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

The economy, tax, debt and health are the issues that are most likely to dominate the federal election campaign. But there are other matters of importance to Australians that should be debated. Which party is best able to balance our delicate relationships with Washington and Beijing? Both parties have promised to give a higher priority to our relationships in the Pacific but whose plans are most likely to succeed? Both parties are committed to increasing defence spending but will this fall victim to the competition to cut income taxes and achieve sustainable budget surpluses? Will spending on foreign aid also be sacrificed because of budgetary pressures? What do the findings of the Lowy Institute Poll tell us about voters’ attitudes?
Lowy Institute experts discussed these and other important foreign policy and defence issues of the federal election campaign.
Dr Michael Fullilove is Executive Director of the Lowy Institute and a leading expert on Australian and US foreign policy. He is the author of Rendezvous with Destiny: How Franklin D Roosevelt and Five Extraordinary Men Took America into the War and the World.
Alex Oliver is the Director of Research at the Lowy Institute. She is responsible for the Institute’s research program and team. Until 2018, she directed the Lowy Institute’s program on diplomacy and public opinion, including the annual Lowy Institute Poll.
Richard McGregor, Lowy Institute Senior Fellow, is a leading expert on China’s political system and Australia’s relations with Asia. He is the author of The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers and Australia’s Reckoning: China, Japan and the Fate of US Power in the Pacific Century.
Annmaree O’Keeffe is a Nonresident Fellow of the Lowy Institute with vast experience in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea. She was a Deputy Director General of Australia’s former foreign aid agency, AusAID, and has served as Australian Ambassador to Nepal.
Sam Roggeveen, Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security program, writes about Australian defence and foreign policy, as well as China’s growing military. He is writing a book on Australia’s domestic political dysfunction and what it means for our place in the world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Panel discussion: Atrocities as the new normal Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Following a succession of severe conflicts that have caused massive loss of life, dislocation and grave human rights violations, the task of the human rights movement today is a daunting one. Has the international community become resigned to irresolvable conflicts and human rights atrocities? The Lowy Institute hosted Philippe Bolopion, Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Director for Global Advocacy, together with ABC foreign correspondent Sophie McNeill and human rights expert and legal advocate Chris Sidoti for a discussion about the challenges of working against atrocities in countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar, and how United Nations advocacy can be effective.
The discussion was moderated by Lowy Institute Director of Research, Alex Oliver.
Philippe Bolopion is the Deputy Director for Global Advocacy at Human Rights Watch, where he contributes to HRW’s advocacy strategies and its advocacy response to crisis situations worldwide. Bolopion has been with HRW since 2010, travelling extensively to conflict zones such as Burundi, South Sudan, and Mali. He has been UN correspondent with French daily Le Monde and a journalist for France 24 and Radio France International. He reported on the end of the Kosovo conflict in Pristina (1999–2000), and is the author of Guantanamo: Le bagne du bout du monde (2004).
Sophie McNeill is a reporter with the ABC’s Four Corners program and former Middle East correspondent. She has worked across the region including in Afghanistan, Yemen, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, and Gaza. She has received three Walkley awards: in 2016 both for her reporting on the war in Yemen and for her work on the starvation of Syrian children in towns under siege, and in 2010 for her investigation into the killing of five children in Afghanistan by Australian Special Forces soldiers. She has twice been awarded Australian Young TV Journalist of the Year.
Chris Sidoti is an expert on human rights law, a senior human rights advocate, and a member of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar since July 2017. He has been Australian Human Rights Commissioner (1999–2000), a commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1992–1995), and has led human rights organisations in Australia and Geneva. He is presently an adjunct professor at the Australian Catholic University.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conversation: Laura Rosenberger on Washington’s China realignment Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

The relationship between Washington and Beijing is increasingly competitive. The economic interdependence that once underwrote the relationship now undermines it. The two militaries are testing the other’s resolve in the Pacific Ocean. A new “space race” in technology – 5G, artificial intelligence, and fintech – is fuelling mistrust. Why has Washington’s view of Beijing darkened? Is the US developing a coherent strategy on China? How is Beijing responding?
Lowy Institute Senior Fellow Richard McGregor and Laura Rosenberger discussed the state of relations between the two global superpowers.
Laura Rosenberger is Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and a Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund. She has previously served in a variety of positions at the State Department including managing US–China relations, addressing North Korea’s nuclear program and serving as an adviser to senior US diplomats Bill Burns and Tony Blinken. She also worked as National Security Council director for China and Korea and foreign policy adviser for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Ms Rosenberger is a Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Visitor at the Australian National University’s National Security College. The Lowy Institute thanks the NSC for facilitating her visit.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected