Lowy Institute

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2016 Owen Harries Lecture – Jean-David Levitte on a world of shocks and disruptions Oct 13, 2016

Show notes

'On the global chessboard, we can no longer attempt to predict the future - whether of nations or of the international system - on the basis of past or present trends…We are living in a period of disruptions and discontinuity that is far from ending and is increasingly out of control.'
Jean-David Levitte, the Lowy Institute’s inaugural Distinguished European Fellow, wrote those prescient words in 2013. Jean-David Levitte is coming to Sydney to discuss this world of shocks and disruptions. Please join us at the Lowy Institute to hear his perspective on the threat of Islamic State in the Middle East and Europe, the state of the European project after Brexit, and the rise of new powers in Asia.
The annual Owen Harries Lecture honours the enormous contribution Mr Harries, a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute, has made to the international policy debate in Australia.
Jean-David Levitte was the senior foreign policy adviser to Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac and served on the presidential staff of Valery Giscard d’Estaing. He has held senior positions in the French Foreign Ministry, including as assistant secretary for Asia. He was the French ambassador to the United Nations in New York from 2000 to 2002 (chairing the Security Council on 9/11), and the Ambassador of France to the United States in Washington, DC during the war in Iraq.

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A turning tide? Angus Campbell on Australia’s strategic defence interests Oct 12, 2016

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The Australian Army has operated as an expeditionary continental army for most of its history. However, the 2016 Defence White Paper reflects an affirmation of strategic policy that positions Australia’s security within the maritime environment of the Indo-Pacific region. Does this mark a turning of the tide for Australia’s strategic defence operations?
On 4 October, the Lowy Institute hosted an address from Australia's Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, which explored the changing nature of Australia’s defence strategy in a new maritime environment and its implications for the Australian Army.
Lieutenant General Campbell was appointed Chief of the Australian Army on 16 May 2015. He served as Chief of Staff to General Peter Cosgrove and later Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston during their respective tenures as Chief of the Defence Force. He was appointed as Commander Joint Task Force 633 in 2011, responsible for all Australian forces deployed in the Middle East and Afghanistan, for which service he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Cambridge University, and is a graduate of the Australian Army Command and Staff College.

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Martin Parkinson on the future of international economic engagement Oct 11, 2016

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On 6 October the Lowy Institute hosted an address by the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Dr Martin Parkinson PSM on the government’s work to strengthen the effectiveness of the G20 and the importance of promoting dialogue between governments, business, academics and non-government organisations. This address was also be the final public event for the Lowy Institute’s G20 Studies Centre.
Dr Martin Parkinson PSM was appointed as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in December 2015. He previously served as Secretary of the Department of the Treasury between March 2011 and December 2014. Between 1997 and 2000, he worked at the International Monetary Fund on the reform of the global financial architecture. He is a former member of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and has received the Public Service Medal for his contribution to the development of economic policy.

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'Staying the Course: Keeping the door open to our economy' - An address from Scott Morrison Sep 30, 2016

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On Friday, 30 September the Lowy Institute hosted The Hon Scott Morrison MP for an address on the importance of trade, investment, and positive immigration policies to Australia’s economic future.

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Panel discussion – Anxious about the US, unsure on China: Australians & the 2016 Lowy Institute Poll Sep 29, 2016

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According to this year’s Lowy Institute Poll, Australians are anxious about the prospect of a Trump presidency, and have serious reservations about China, despite it being our largest trading partner and ‘new best friend’ in Asia.
On 27 September, Poll author Alex Oliver convened a distinguished panel with MP and co-author of Two futures: Australia at a critical moment, entrepreneur Tim Watts, youth advocate Holly Ransom, and Sky News foreign affairs correspondent Jim Middleton for a discussion of some of the many thought-provoking findings of this year’s Lowy Institute Poll.

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Quick comment: Richard McGregor on Xi Jinping Sep 28, 2016

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Interpreter Founding Editor Sam Roggeveen talks to former Financial Times China bureau chief Richard McGregor on Xi’s record as China’s leader, his reputation both at home and abroad, and how much control he really exercises over foreign policy decision-making

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In conversation: Fred Smith reflects on the Afghanistan frontline Sep 22, 2016

Show notes

With the problems of fragile and conflict-affected states increasingly impossible to ignore, the international community has learned from bitter experience that our interventions need to be well calibrated to the political and tribal dynamics on the ground to have any chance of succeeding. On 22 September Lowy Institute Deputy Director Anthony Bubalo hosted Fred Smith for a captivating conversation focusing on reflections from Fred’s two years working as a diplomat and political officer on the frontline of Australia’s mission in Afghanistan, recently distilled into his fascinating memoir, The Dust of Uruzgan.
In his 20-year career at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Fred Smith has developed a specialisation in fragile and conflict-affected states, and carved out an unusual niche. His work as a peace monitor, radio broadcaster and musician following the Bougainville crisis is the subject of the documentary, Bougainville Sky.
Fred served for two years as a diplomat in southern Afghanistan, working alongside Australian soldiers in Uruzgan Province. Working on the Multinational Base in Tarin Kowt, as well as from a forward Operating Base in the Chora Valley, Fred’s second career as a musician came to the fore. His guitar served as a bridge, not only to the troops, but also to the people and tribal leaders of that war-torn region.
His acclaimed album Dust of Uruzgan earned him comparisons to the great Australian songwriters Eric Bogle, John Schumann and Don Walker. The title track was recorded by Lee Kernaghan on his bestselling Spirit of the ANZACs album. Fred has also written a book – The Dust of Uruzgan – the first comprehensive on-the-ground account of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan. He is currently a Senior Policy Officer in the Civil Military and Stabilisation Policy Section of DFAT’s Humanitarian Division.

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Quick comment: Eve Warburton on Jokowi and Indonesian politics Sep 20, 2016

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Lowy Institute Research Fellow Aaron Connelly sat down with ANU's Eve Warburton to discuss Jokowi's consolidation of power, how Jokowi's style differs from SBY, what's on Jokowi's policy agenda, and resource nationalism in Indonesia.

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Quick comment: M Chatib Basri on Indonesian economic and politics Sep 19, 2016

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Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow Stephen Grenville speaks to Dr M Chatib Basri (former Indonesian finance minister and Thee Kian Wie distinguished visiting professor at the Australian National University), on the role of economics in Indonesian politics over the years, being humbled by political reality, where Jokowi is turning to for advice on economics, how the international economy is affecting Indonesia, and the problems with the nation's budget.

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Quick comment: Rodger Shanahan on the threat posed by foreign fighters Sep 14, 2016

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The Interpreter's Managing Editor Emma Connors talks to Lowy Institute Research Fellow Rodger Shanahan on the threat of foreign fighters leaving Iraq and Syria as Islamic State continues to weaken.

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