The Lowy Institute

On 19 April at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, Dr Rodd McGibbon explained the background to the current difficult bilateral tensions between Australia and Indonesia over Papua.Dr Rodd McGibbon will be the author of a Lowy Institute Paper on Papua scheduled for publication later this year and has recently returned to Australia after working for 6 years in Indonesia for the United Nations, USAID and the United States Institute of Peace. He has also worked as a Southeast Asia analyst for the Office of National Assessments.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy on 17 May 2006, the Institute launched the new Lowy Institute Paper, The Paramount Power: China and the Countries of Southeast Asia, by Dr Milton Osborne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a speech to the Lowy Institute on 27 August, the Australian Prime Minister, the Hon. John Howard MP, outlined his objectives for the Sydney meeting of APEC, the most significant international gathering ever held in Australia. Mr Howard spoke about APEC activities in the fields of trade, regional security challenges and climate change, and about his expectations for some of the significant bilateral visits that will accompany the APEC meeting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 5 March 2009, the Lowy Institute hosted a roundtable discussion in the run-up to the G-20 meeting of world leaders to be held in London on 2 April this year. The roundtable was supported by the British High Commission in Canberra and was part of the British Government's efforts to reach out to the wider community for ideas before this critical summit meeting. The forum was addressed by the Hon. Paul Keating who analysed the opportunity offered by the London Summit to reshape the global order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday 20 April 2009, the Lowy Institute was pleased to host Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water, who addressed the Institute on the subject of Australia's contribution to a global agreement on climate change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Raja Mohan, Strategic Affairs Editor of the Indian Express, and one of India's most influential commentators on India's foreign and strategic policy, delivered the inaugural Australia-India Strategic Lecture on the subject of India and East Asia in Melbourne on 21 February.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a part of its Distinguished Speaker Series, the Lowy Institute for International Policy was proud to host Dr Ezzedine Choukri-Fishere, Counselor for Middle East Peace Process and Regional Security in the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. Dr Choukri-Fishere discussed Hamas' military takeover of the Gaza Strip and examined its implications for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 29 August at the Lowy Institute, Thales Chairman and CEO, Denis Ranque, in his only public speech while visiting Australia, discussed the implications for national sovereignty arising from the procurement of defence material and services from foreign-based corporations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 8 November, the Lowy Institute for International Policy co-hosted the Fiji and Vanuatu Update 2010 with the Crawford School of Economics and Governance, Australian National University. As part of the 2010 Update a distinguished panel was assembled to discuss these very challenges and to discuss Fiji’s international relations, politics and governance, in relation to Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2010 Lowy Institute Poll, 'Australia and the world: public opinion and foreign policy', was launched on 31 May by Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Wesley, followed by an interactive discussion with panelists Stephen Loosley, Miranda Devine and Arthur Sinodinos.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 13 September as part of our Distinguished Speaker Series, Mr Haruhiko Kuroda, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of the ADB's Board of Directors, presented a lecture to the Lowy Institute. Headquartered in Manila, the ADB is the regional multilateral financial institution tasked with reducing poverty in the Asia Pacific region. The title of Mr Kuroda's lecture was 'Economic prospects, challenges, and regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific'. He discussed the economic success of developing Asia and outline the ADB's views on regional cooperation and integration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s regular Lowy Lunch, which took place on Tuesday 24 April, was presented by Lieutenant Colonel Mark O'Neill, the Army Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.On ANZAC Day Australians reflect upon the sacrifices made by the men and women in the service of our nation during war. The ANZAC legend was created during the First World War and subsequently reinforced during the Second World War. This has created an enduring public perception that the nature of our wars is predominately 'state on state' or 'conventional'. This paradigmatic perception has shaped public policy thinking on defence and security issues. Mark O'Neill argued that this perception is erroneous. He suggested that our participation in conventional wars is the exception rather than the norm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 23 April at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, James A. Kelly, discussed how American policy towards Asia has changed on recent years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy on 13th February, Dr Malcolm Cook discussed the results of recent elections in South Korea and Taiwan. Malcolm analysed whether South Korean and Taiwan voters are trying to return to the past and what this might mean for Northeast Asia's two most dangerous flashpoints, the Korean peninsula and the Taiwan strait, and Australia's vital interest in Northeast Asian stability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy on 28 November, Professor Michael Wesley, in a presentation entitled 'Planning Australia's future in Asia', examined the major challenges and great opportunities that make it essential that Australia takes seriously the task of foreign policy planning in its regional diplomacy. Professor Michael Wesley is the Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 29 May, in a lecture in our Distinguished Speaker Series, Dr Michael Green from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington discussed America's position in Asia and the challenges for the next Administration. The presentation first looked at what the Bush administration's Asia policy is and what the approaching debates are in Washington, and beyond, over this policy, in the run-up to the US elections. Also, the presentation looked at the role of the US-Australia alliance in the present policy and what changes to this policy may mean for the alliance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The third Lowy Lecture on 'Australia in the World' was given in Sydney on 19 November by Lord May of Oxford. It deals with one of the most urgent problems we face - the consequence for the international system of the range of environmental challenges facing the planet. Informed by his deep scientific and public policy experience, Lord May's lecture, entitled 'Relations among Nations on a Finite Planet', warns us of the changes that are needed in the way world politics operate as we enter this 'post-Metternich' age. Lord May is one of the most distinguished scientists Australia has produced. His Lowy Lecture is a major contribution to the Institute's mission of informing and deepening the global debate about international policy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 18 October at a special Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, three Lowy Institute scholars spoke on the rise of China. Mark Thirlwell, Program Director, International Economy and author of a recent Perspective entitled 'Shaking the world?' talked about China and the world economy. Dr Malcolm Cook, Program Director, Asia and the Pacific and author of 'Regional Australia's China boom' spoke on China's Asia strategy. Dr Michael Fullilove, the Program Director, Global Issues, spoke on China and the United Nations, which is also the subject of an article he has published in the current edition of The National Interest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 11 October 2006 at the Wednesday Lunch at Lowy, the Institute launched a Lowy Institute Paper entitled Pitfalls of Papua: Understanding the Conflict and its Place in Australia-Indonesia Relations. The author is Dr Rodd McGibbon, one of Australia's best young Indonesia analysts with a background in government, development aid and academia. The new Lowy Institute Paper boldly addresses these problems by carefully analysing the history of the Papuan conflict in Australia-Indonesia relations and the arguments of those in Australia advocating support for West Papuan self-determination. The paper calls on the government to actively engage in the public discussion of the Papua conflict and to focus more attention on the large strategic pay-offs of good relations with a stable and democratic Indonesia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the Wednesday Lunch on 12 September, Dr Douglas Ramage led the discussion on the progress of Indonesia's political reforms triggered by the collapse of Suharto’s New Order. In the last decade, Indonesian politics have been fundamentally transformed as the world's fourth most populous country has shifted from a one-party, centralised political order to a multi-party democracy with a very significant transfer of funds and power to local governments. He discussed how the political system is changing and what this means for government accountability and social and economic development. Dr Douglas Ramage is the Asia Foundation's country representative in Indonesia where he directs the Foundation's governance, democracy, economic, and business policy reform programs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.