The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by Elise Hu, the host of TED Talks Daily, a correspondent for VICE News Tonight and a host-at large at NPR, where she spent nearly a decade as a reporter. She has reported stories from more than a dozen countries as an international correspondent, and opened NPR’s first-ever...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 93
President Biden’s recent Leaders Summit on Climate returned the United States to the centre of global climate change action. On the road to the Glasgow climate conference later this year, the United States is ramping up its efforts urging world leaders to adopt more ambitious emissions reductions targets. With Australia’s climate policies labelled “insufficient” by a Biden administration official, how will the US government’s ambitions on climate change impact the future of the US-Australian rel...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 92
NATO and Australia relations date back over a decade with Australia being one of the most important contributors to NATO’s missions and operations. Today, NATO and Australia face a new set of global security challenges — from systemic competition, authoritarian powers and non-state actors — that challenge the rules-based order. These occur through cyber threats and the malicious use of new technologies, as well as, other asymmetric threats. The NATO2030 initiative, led by NATO Secretary General ...
May 03, 2021•56 min•Ep. 91
As Washington Bureau Chief for the ABC, Zoe Daniel had a front-row seat to the ascension and decline of Donald Trump. Seeing how he masterfully harnessed fear and anger, coupled with a reality-TV honed entertainment instinct, she bore witness to the dawn of a new era in US politics. With a new steady, staid and significantly unassuming presidential administration, who is the anomaly – Trump or Biden? What happens to Trump followers when he’s not in the White House? How does this change perceptio...
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 90
It is now well accepted in Canberra and Washington that the Australia-US alliance needs to be operationalised in new ways to meet Indo-Pacific strategic challenges. Against a backdrop of intensifying Chinese assertiveness and the United States’ declining capacity to uphold a favourable balance of power by itself, our shared interests in deterrence and defence require greater coordination, alignment and collective action. This cooperation must also be carefully dovetailed with regional needs and ...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 89
The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The conference closed with a session featuring The Honourable Arthur Sinodinos AO, Australia’s Ambassador to the US (joining via Zoom from the United States) in conversation with Professor Simon Jackman, CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Pr...
Mar 24, 2021•40 min•Ep. 88
The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The topic for session three of the conference was "Transforming the alliance for collective defence challenges." Speakers included Greg Moriarty, Secretary of the Department of Defence, Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy Canberra, D...
Mar 24, 2021•46 min•Ep. 87
The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The topic for session two of the conference was "Managing geoeconomics, contestation and coercion". Speakers included James Carouso, Managing Director of BowerGroupAsia (joining via Zoom from Singapore), Katherine Mansted, Senior Adviser Public Polic...
Mar 24, 2021•46 min•Ep. 86
The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The topic for session one of the conference was "The Australia-United States bilateral economic relationship in a global context." Speakers included Jonathan Coppel, Commissioner of the Productivity Commission and Dr Brett Williams, Principal of Will...
Mar 24, 2021•47 min•Ep. 85
The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The opening session of the conference featured Ambassador Atul Keshap, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (joining via Zoom from the United States) in conversation with Professor Simon Jackm...
Mar 24, 2021•58 min•Ep. 84
Almost as soon as he entered office, President Trump brought to a boil the long-simmering rivalry between the United States and China. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, Trump’s love-hate relationship with Xi had sparked a trade war, while China’s aggression — including foreign-influence operations, human rights abuses, and digital authoritarianism — had pushed the world to the brink of a new Cold War. In his just-released book, Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for ...
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 83
The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there was much to discuss and interpret. This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by guest Zoe Daniel, former ABC Washington Bureau Chief and co-author of the recently released book Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidenc...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 82
The Biden administration is seeking approval of its first major piece of legislation, the second impeachment trial for Donald Trump has begun, and battles within the Democratic and Republican parties are being fought for all to see. Will the Biden administration successfully pass a US$1.9 trillion stimulus package? Will the Republican Party ever veer away from Donald Trump? What are the prospects for bipartisanship? The United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Mia Love, USSC Non-R...
Feb 18, 2021•54 min•Ep. 81
The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. The first edition of 2021 was on Friday 5 February. With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there was much for CEO of the United States Studies Centre Simon Jackman and CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre Gordon Flake to discuss and interpret.
Feb 08, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 80
President-elect Biden has made clear that his administration will be different than any before. He has also pledged his team will reflect the diversity of America and he is seeking known collaborators, rather than "a team of rivals" that President Obama famously referenced with his first Cabinet. Yet President-Elect Biden was elected by an exceedingly divided and polarised country and he will need to reconcile a number of factions, even within his own party. Will Biden’s Cabinet reflect his camp...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 79
The United States is in the grips of a singular moment in history. An emboldened community of conspiracy theorists is spreading rampant disinformation about the presidential election and the efficacy and intention of COVID-19 vaccines. Record numbers of Americans are testing positive for the virus and President Trump, who downplayed its threat, is taking credit for the arrival of vaccines while disputing President-elect Biden’s win. The spread of online conspiracy theories has already had tangib...
Dec 15, 2020•57 min•Ep. 78
The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the US elections and US-Indo-Pacific relations. USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake shared their insights on the top stories in US politics from an Australian perspective.
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 77
In a year when so much has changed, it is important to step back and search for silver linings. This is the spirit of the American Thanksgiving tradition, and it is with this noble practice in mind that the United States Studies Centre would like to invite you to a gathering of friends for a Thanksgiving webinar featuring US Ambassador to Australia Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. and Australian Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos in conversation with USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman. What ...
Nov 26, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 76
It has become conventional wisdom in Washington that despite entrenched political polarisation, a tougher stance on China is bipartisan. But with only two months until the Biden administration begins, will this be proven correct? How will the Biden administration's approach to China and the Indo-Pacific be different from the Trump administration's? What issues with China will the Biden administration prioritise? To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar event with Axios China Reporter, ...
Nov 23, 2020•59 min•Ep. 75
To carry out China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China promises to spend more than US$1 trillion on new ports, railways, fibre-optic cables, power plants, and other connections across more than one hundred and thirty countries. The United States has cautioned that the BRI, President Xi Jinping’s flagship foreign-policy effort, amounts to “debt trap diplomacy”, “white elephants”, and an unprecedented expansion of Chinese military power. Yet some have said the United States and allies have fai...
Nov 23, 2020•59 min•Ep. 74
he Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations. This month's distinguished guests Jeff Bleich, former US Ambassador to Australia and Chelsey Martin, former Australian Consul-General in Los Angeles discussed the US election results with USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake.
Nov 06, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 73
Every US general election carries implications for Australia. But as they say: this time, it’s different. To most casual observers, the trajectories of the United States under a second Trump administration or a Biden administration seem quite different, as do the implications for Australia. But what is really at stake for Australia? What policy arenas — or elements of politics, the economy, or culture and society of the United States — are likely to be impacted by either election outcome? Among ...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 72
No US president has been more media focused than President Trump. And likewise, no US president has consistently dominated global news cycles like President Trump. While most Australians watch the US presidential election from afar, intrepid Aussie journalists have spent the year in the epicentre of American political drama: Washington. How does the 2020 election compare to others? How do the candidates campaign and how do you cover them during a pandemic? What aspects of campaign journalism hav...
Oct 27, 2020•59 min•Ep. 71
With the US election less than three weeks away, a lot of commentaries are focused on the “horse race”: who is ahead, who is behind? But regardless of the outcome in November, will Americans unite behind the next administration? What will be the policy priorities of either a Biden administration or a Trump administration’s second term? Will there be room for foreign policy and an Indo-Pacific strategy as America grapples with the health and economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic? Australia has ...
Oct 21, 2020•59 min•Ep. 70
With just weeks until the US 2020 presidential election, we examine what is at stake for Australia in either election outcome. Australia's national interests will be impacted very differently under a second Trump term than a Biden administration. What points of continuity and change are we likely to see under either scenario? Aside from the foreign policy implications of the US election results, how else does US politics and policy impact Australian politics, society and culture? Why are so many...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 69
America’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific is under unprecedented strain. Facing an increasingly strong and assertive China and the erosion of its own military-technological edge, the United States can no longer be sure of its ability to maintain deterrence and unilaterally uphold a regional balance of power. Whoever wins the US presidential election will have to address this reality in the context of growing geopolitical and economic disruption wrought by COVID-19. This will require hard ...
Oct 16, 2020•57 min•Ep. 68
The 2020 campaign continues to break norms and defy expectations. With the bickering and banter from the first debate still resounding, how will Vice President Pence and Senator Harris handle their encounter? Will policy and ideology feature more prominently in the Vice-Presidential debate? Will this presumably less personal, more substantive debate yield insights about the likely policy priorities of either a second Trump administration or a Biden administration? And if so, what are the implica...
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 67
The US-China nuclear relationship is growing increasingly complex. In recent years, Beijing has continued to modernise and diversify its nuclear arsenal and Washington has made changes to its nuclear policy that could reinforce these trends. While there is still the relatively low risk of the use of nuclear weapons during a conflict between the two, that risk is rising as political tensions increase. Australia’s interests would be best served by an allied military strategy for balancing China th...
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 66
The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the upcoming US election and US-Indo-Pacific relations. This month's guests were Jeff Flake, a Republican who represented Arizona in the US Senate from 2013 to 2019, and Dr Gorana Grgic, Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre. Flake and Grgic joined USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake for t...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 65
The Indo-Pacific has rapidly emerged as the world’s most strategically consequential region in the Asian century. But the regional order is straining under China’s assertive use of coercive statecraft and doubts about the United States’ capacity and willingness to uphold a favourable balance of power. These dynamics are deeply troubling for Australia’s strategic outlook and for the security and prosperity of US allies and partners across the region. A stable and rules-based regional order is, ho...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 64
