The Lowy Institute

With the US out of Iraq and on its way out of Afghanistan American military strategy may be reverting back to large war scenarios for its future planning. The lecture will consider the basis for this reversion, including a reassessment of the war on terror, frustration with COIN (counter-insurgency) and concerns about China, and ask whether it will be any easier for the US to avoid the lesser contingencies in the future than it has been in the past. Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King's College London since 1982, and Vice-Principal since 2003. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1995 and awarded the CBE in 1996, he was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. He was awarded the KCMG in 2003. In June 2009 he was appointed to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War. Professor Freedman has written extensively on nuclear strategy and the cold war, as well as commentating regularly on contemporary security issues. His most

In this lecture under the Lowy Institute's Canberra Food for Thought series, leading nuclear expert Professor Scott Sagan of Stanford University weighs up the achievements and the challenges ahead for the Obama nuclear agenda. This event, moderated by the Lowy Institute's Rory Medcalf, was supported by the Lowy Institute's partnership with the Nuclear Security Project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. In 2009 President Obama began an ambitious bid to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons globally. Critics have labelled this unrealistic, but US efforts have made notable progress, including an arms-reduction treaty with Russia, a successful 2010 conference to support the Non-Proliferation Treaty, new limits on the roles of US nuclear weapons, and fresh global cooperation on securing nuclear facilities against terrorists. In this lecture under the Lowy Institute's Canberra Food for Thought series, leading nuclear expert Professor Scott Sagan of Stanford University weighs up the achievements and the chall

On Monday 11 April, Professor Michael Grubb of the University of Cambridge addressed the Lowy Lunch Club on the climate change 'policy triad' of technology, pricing and energy efficiency. Professor Grubb argued for a new framing of the problem aligned with security and geopolitical concerns, and a refreshed approach to international coordination based upon the needs of effective and efficient domestic implementation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halting biodiversity loss requires rethinking how humans do business with the biosphere. Innovation is needed in accounting of the goods and services nature provides humanity. Dr Aaron Bernstein discussed these issues at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy on 21 April. Dr Bernstein is on faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Center for Health and Global Environment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'A Careful War’ was a compelling two-part documentary program which appeared on the ABC’s Four Corners earlier this month. Distinguished reporter Chris Masters undertook a ground-level exploration of one corner of the Afghanistan conflict. Focusing on the work of an Australian mentoring company, the program delivered important and moving perspectives on this complex battlefront from the soldiers who are fighting and the people they are fighting for. On 30 July Chris Masters delivered a public lecture on the documentary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Food for Thought series in Canberra, Malcolm Cook, Director of the Lowy Institute’s East Asia program, and Hugh White, a Visiting Fellow at the Institute and head of the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, debated what the Asian strategic order will look like in 20 to 30 years time and what that will mean for Australia’s strategic policy options.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the evening of 17 March, the Lowy Institute was very pleased to host a lecture by Professor Wang Gungwu entitled 'US and China: Respect and Equality'. The evolving US-China relationship is now the single most important and complicated major power relationship globally and one of immense importance to Australia. As Professor Wang noted, in a world of hierarchies and league tables, the semblance of equality has symbolic value. How can that translate into mutual resOn the evening of 17 March, the Lowy Institute was very pleased to host a lecture by Professor Wang Gungwu entitled 'US and China: Respect and Equality'. The evolving US-China relationship is now the single most important and complicated major power relationship globally and one of immense importance to Australia. As Professor Wang noted, in a world of hierarchies and league tables, the semblance of equality has symbolic value. How can that translate into mutual respect between the United States and China? Professor Wang is one of the world’s lead

How do China's leaders and political elites view the world? What kind of an international role would they like China to assume? At our Food for Thought on Friday 29 April, the new Director of the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program, Linda Jakobson, discussed these issues.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the Lowy Lecture Series on 20 July, a high-level panel, with Sandy Hollway AO, Jack De Groot and Rowan Callick, considered how well Australia's aid program is placed to respond to evolving development challenges. Annmaree O'Keeffe, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, chaired the discussion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Based on research including consultations with 180 officials in ten Asia-Pacific countries over the past six years, this careful and balanced assessment of the strengths and limitations of Asia’s rise, notably the rise of China, along with the strengths and weaknesses of the United States and its ongoing leadership position in the region, demonstrates that neither China nor any other power or coalition of powers has either the ability nor the will to challenge US leadership in the Asia-Pacific.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global context for foreign aid is changing rapidly as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approach their deadline for cutting extreme poverty by half by 2015. The traditional donor club of OECD countries is handing much of the development leadership role to emerging powers such as Brazil, China, India and Korea. At the Lowy Lecture Series on 23 November 2011, John W. McArthur examined trends in thinking about how future aid programs can be structured.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute was delighted to launch its 2011 Distinguished Speaker Series with a presentation by leading economist, analyst and writer Richard Koo. Drawing on his detailed work on Japan's 'Great Recession', Richard described the lessons Japan's experience holds for the US and world economies, assessed the likely effectiveness of the policy response to date, and gave his views on the prospects for the global economic outlook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s superannuation system is one of our nation’s great public policy success stories. With more than $1.3 trillion in assets it underpins Australia’s standing as the world’s 4th largest pool of funds under management. While our diverse and well-regulated superannuation system was credited with helping Australia weather the Global Financial Crisis better than other advanced economies, the global nature of investment resulted in members losing a substantial proportion of their retirement savings in the market turmoil. David Whiteley, Chief Executive of Industry Super Network, addressed the question of whether there is a more proactive role the superannuation industry can play in reducing systemic risk through global engagement and co-operation?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'There Goes the Neighbourhood' is a loud and clear wake-up call to Australians: the challenges that will most demand our attention and effort in the decades ahead are international, not domestic. Michael Wesley, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, argues in his book that the benign and comfortable world that has allowed Australia to be safe and prosperous is vanishing quickly. 'There Goes the Neighbourhood' was launched by the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull at the Lowy Institute on 3 May 2011. Copies can be purchased from all leading book stores.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of the Pacific matters deeply to Australia – it is our neighbourhood and our roots run deep. Australia is working with the region to help confront significant challenges, most importantly in security, economic development and climate change. The Australian government is making sure that we are equipped to deliver on these priorities in the Pacific through increased aid and political engagement. At the Lowy Lecture on Wednesday 28 September 2011, Richard Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, spoke on why the Pacific matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an address to the Lowy Institute on 9 December 2011, the Premier of New South Wales, Mr Barry O'Farrell, set out his vision for building strong economic and societal links between Australia's largest state and the government, people and business community of a rising India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific President comes to Australia The White House announced that US President Barack Obama will visit Australia in mid November to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Australia-US alliance. At the Food for Thought event in Melbourne on 6 October 2011, the Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion with Daniel Flitton, Andrew Shearer and Judith Sloan previewing President Obama's visit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 19 October 2011, in the Lowy Lecture Series, Professor Nicholas Tarling reviewed some of the legacies, actual and perceived, of the pre-colonial and colonial periods to the post-colonial period in Southeast Asia, and their relationship to the 'ASEAN Way'. Nicholas Tarling is a Fellow of the New Zealand Asia Institute at The University of Auckland and Emeritus Professor of History at the University. He has published many books on Southeast Asian history and edited The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Troubled Thailand Wednesday Lunch at Lowy - Dr Milton Osborne presentation - 9 June 2010 For the past few weeks our TV news and newspaper front pages have shown us chaotic images from downtown Bangkok. These pictures and the violent political tensions they portray run counter to the touristic stereotype of Thailand as a relaxed country of smiles. On 9 June, Dr Milton Osborne, recently back from a trip to Thailand, discussed the present political situation in Thailand and its struggle between the Yellow and Red Shirts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unravelling rivalry China and India by Lowy InstituteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.