Lowy Institute: Live Events

In this episode of COVIDcast, Sam Roggeveen, Lowy Institute’s Director of the International Security Program, sat down with Professor Hugh White to discuss the connection between the pandemic and the changing balance of power in Asia. Hugh White is an Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. In each episode, Lowy Institute experts and invited guests discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with former diplomat, traveller, author and politician, Rory Stewart, a man whose life so far has been both conventional and highly unconventional. Born in Hong Kong, Rory spent his childhood in Malaysia and Scotland, and passed through a number of establishment institutions including Eton, Balliol, the Black Watch, the Foreign Office and, according to speculation, the Secret Intelligence Service. He was a summer tutor to Princes William and Harry. And yet he has also repeatedly gone off-piste and done interesting and sometimes remarkable things, including walking 10,000km across Asia, and running as an independent candidate for mayor of London. Rory and Michael speak about Rory's prescient response to the Covid-19 crisis, the disappointment of political life, the hollowing of the centre ground in British politics, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In this episode of COVIDcast, Natasha Kassam, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, sat down with Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Joseph Wu. Dr Wu was appointed Foreign Minister by President Tsai Ing-wen on 26 February 2018. He was previously the head of the National Security Council, and the Chief Representative in the United States as the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington DC. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. In each episode, Lowy Institute experts and invited guests discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

On Thursday 11 June, Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove hosted an in conversation online event with Kurt Campbell and Michèle Flournoy. They discussed the US presidential election, Washington’s relations with Beijing, the global implications of the coronavirus pandemic, and the unrest on America's streets. Kurt Campbell served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Obama administration, where he is widely credited as a key architect of the “pivot to Asia.” He is CEO of The Asia Group, and serves as Chairman of the Board of the Center for a New American Security. Michèle Flournoy served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2012. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors and Co-Founder and former CEO of the Center for a New American Security, where she serves on the board.

Lowy Institute Research Fellow Ben Bland led a discussion on the future of Hong Kong with three people who have been at the heart of recent events: pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok, human rights activist Bonnie Leung and Financial Times correspondent Sue-Lin Wong. China’s decision to unilaterally implement national security legislation in Hong Kong has dealt a heavy blow to the city’s freedoms and autonomy. This latest move comes after years of intensifying pressure from Beijing, which has struck at the foundations of Hong Kong’s success as a global financial centre: individual liberties and the rule of law. With thousands of democracy activists already arrested in the last year and Beijing’s interventions becoming ever more intrusive, is this the end of Hong Kong as we know it? PANEL Dennis Kwok is a practicing barrister and a pro-democracy member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, representing the legal profession. First elected to LegCo in 2012, Dennis is a member of the executive committee of the Civic Party. Dennis graduated and received his LLB from King’s College London in 1999 and was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 2006. Bonnie Leung is a democracy activist and a member of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised the massive peaceful protests against Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill last year. A former district councillor, she also served as an international spokesperson for the anti-extradition bill movement. Sue-Lin Wong is the Financial Times' South China correspondent, covering the pro-democracy protests on the ground in Hong Kong. In 2019, she opened the FT's bureau in Shenzhen, where Chinese tech giants Huawei and Tencent are headquartered. She will be joining The Economist as a China correspondent in July. Sue-Lin graduated from the Australian National University. Ben Bland is a Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute who focuses on Hong Kong, as well as directing the Institute's Southeast Asia Program. He is the author of Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China’s Shadow and was formerly the South China Correspondent for the Financial Times, based in Hong Kong.

In this episode of COVIDcast, Richard McGregor, Lowy Institute Senior Fellow, sat down with Chris Buckley of the New York Times to discuss Xi Jinping’s China. Chris is widely acknowledged as one the world’s leading authorities on Chinese politics. He was back in his hometown of Sydney after the Chinese government refused to renew his visa allowing him to work as a journalist in China. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. Each week for the next few weeks, Lowy Institute experts will sit down to discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with legendary Australian official Dennis Richardson about his storied career in the public service, prime ministers he has known, and the foreign policy challenges facing Australia – including how to manage our relationships with the United States and China. Over the course of his 48-year career, Dennis Richardson AO served in many important jobs including Ambassador to the United States, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Secretary of the Department of Defence, and Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In this episode, Roland Rajah, Lowy Institute lead economist, sits down with Adam Tooze, Professor of History at Columbia University and the Director of its European Institute, to discuss how the COVID-19 economic crisis is evolving and reshaping the world economy. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. Each week for the next few weeks, Lowy Institute experts will sit down to discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

In this episode Jonathan Pryke, Director of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Program, sits down with Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting health, economics, local communities, climate change, regionalism and geopolitics in the Pacific region. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. Each week for the next few weeks, Lowy Institute experts will sit down to discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

On Wednesday 27 May, the Lowy Institute’s Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove hosted an in conversation event via live video stream with Carl Bildt. Carl Bildt was Sweden’s foreign minister from 2006 to 2014 and prime minister from 1991 to 1994, when he negotiated Sweden’s EU accession. A renowned international diplomat, he served as EU Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN Special Envoy to the Balkans, and Co-Chairman of the Dayton Peace Conference. He is Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations. The conversation examined topics such as such the state of the European Union after Brexit and COVID-19, Sweden’s controversial approach to controlling the pandemic, and the transatlantic alliance as America’s presidential election approaches and Angela Merkel’s term draws to a close.

The Aus-PNG Network at the Lowy Institute was pleased to host this online event bringing together key figures with unique perspectives on the PNG-Australia relationship. Once-in-a-century levels of disruption for the world economy as a result of Covid-19 have wrought their impact on the traditionally strong economic links between PNG and Australia. Shutdowns, travel bans and the potential of a public health crisis in both countries have sidelined the two-way traffic between our two countries. As both PNG and Australia start to ease the restrictions that have marked the first phase of the coronavirus response, how is business faring? How can people on both sides of the PNG-Australia relationship be ready to rebuild the ties between our two countries and prepare for recovery? PETER AITSI is the group Chief Executive Officer of Credit Corporation Ltd and is well-known for his active roles in community and business organisations in PNG including Transparency International PNG and the Badili Club. PRISCILLA KEVIN is an IT professional, entrepreneur and consultant, and was founder of the organisation PNG Women in STEM, and helped establish the PNG ICT cluster. In April 2020 she was appointed to the board of PNG's largest bank, Bank South Pacific. PETER BOTTEN recently retired as Managing Director of Oil Search and has been a key figure in PNG-Australia business for three decades, with roles in community and business organisations in both countries. This event was hosted as part of our 2020 Event Program with sponsorship from Bank South Pacific and Coca-Cola Amatil. The Aus-PNG Network appreciates and acknowledges the ongoing support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In this episode of The Director's Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with former British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, about Brexit, leadership of the Labour Party, the future of internationalism, and the direct impact of COVID-19 on unprepared health care systems and populations with pre-existing vulnerabilities. David Miliband served as a Cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including as Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010. He is President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, where he oversees the agency’s humanitarian relief operations in more than forty war-affected countries and its refugee resettlement and assistance programs in over twenty US cities. For more information on IRC's work, visit https://www.rescue.org/

In this episode, Roland Rajah, Director of the International Economy Program, sits down with Brad Setser, Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss the impact of the pandemic on emerging markets and the role of the US dollar. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. Each week for the next few weeks, Lowy Institute experts will sit down to discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

In this episode, Jonathan Pryke, Director of the Pacific Islands Program sits down with Dave Sharma, Liberal member for the federal seat of Wentworth, NSW, to discuss strengthening ties between Australia and the Pacific, and a potential Pacific travel bubble. COVIDcast is a Lowy Institute pop-up podcast for anyone interested in understanding the effect of coronavirus on global politics. Each week for the next few weeks, Lowy Institute experts will sit down to discuss the implications of coronavirus for the world.

A conversation with two long-serving and distinguished former Australian foreign ministers, Julie Bishop and Gareth Evans. They discussed Australia’s response to COVID-19, relations with China, the government’s call for an international inquiry on the origins of the pandemic, the world order after COVID-19, and the future of international education in Australia. Hosted by Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove, this Lowy Institute Live event was a live webcast via Zoom and included questions from the audience. Julie Bishop is the Chancellor of the Australian National University. She served as Australia's foreign minister from 2013 to 2018 and was deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia for 11 years from 2007 to 2018. In a political career spanning over 20 years, Julie also served as Minister for Education, Science and Training, Minister for Women's Issues and Minister for Ageing. Gareth Evans AC QC is Distinguished Honorary Professor at the ANU, where he was Chancellor from 2010 to 2019. He was a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating Labor governments from 1983 to 1996 and served as foreign minister from 1988 to 1996. He was also president and CEO of the International Crisis Group from 2000 to 2009. Dr Michael Fullilove AM is the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute. He writes widely on global issues in publications including The New York Times, Financial Times and Foreign Affairs, as well as in the Australian press.