USSC Briefing Room

This is the third in a series of four panel discussions recorded from the United States Studies Centre’s inaugural Sydney International Strategy Forum . This episode is the “Navigating de-risking, disruption and emerging technology” panel featuring: Michaela Browning, Vice President Government and Public Policy for Asia Pacific – Google   Dr John Kunkel, Senior Economic Adviser – United States Stu...

This is the second in a series of four panel discussions recorded from the United States Studies Centre’s inaugural Sydney International Strategy Forum . This episode is the “US politics at the crossroads” panel featuring: §  Ryan Lizza, Chief Washington Correspondent – Politico   §  Olivia Nuzzi, Washington Correspondent – New York Magazine   §  Associate Professor David Smith, Professor in Ameri...

This week on the podcast, we’re bringing you a special series of recordings from the United States Studies Centre’s inaugural Sydney International Strategy Forum . These will each share one of the four panel discussions from the day. This episode is the “How far will US-China confrontation go?” panel featuring: Michele Flournoy – Co-Founder of West Exec Advisors and former US Under Secretary of De...

We are one year out from the 2024 US presidential election. If we ignore the actuarial possibilities or something that completely derails the polling reports we’re seeing, it will be a 2020 repeat of Trump v. Biden. But what are they like behind the scenes? Do their public personas match their private personas? How does this impact their 2024 campaigns?   To discuss this, we interviewed Chief Wash...

This week, co-hosts Director of Research Jared Mondschein and Research Editor Victoria Cooper discuss their latest polling report, One year from the 2024 US presidential election: The stakes for Australia and the alliance which surveyed respondents in Australia, the United States and Japan. It covers all the issues most relevant to the Australia-US alliance and regional relationships at this time....

This month has been incredibly tumultuous in US politics. We had the historic ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, courtroom drama in the cases against former president Trump and war breaking out in Israel. Republican disunity appears to be near breaking point. To help make sense of the fast-moving dynamics, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy David Smith provides a bre...

Next week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is heading to the United States for an official visit with President Biden, including a state dinner. Two USSC experts have staffed state visits before, one on the US side and one on the Australian side – CEO Dr Michael Green  and Senior Economic Adviser Dr John Kunkel . Their inside perspectives can give us a better understanding of what goes...

AUKUS Pillar II is focused on accelerating advanced capabilities, but innovation in technology is dominated by tech companies and financed through private finance. In order advance this technology for defence new funding sources, collaboration and mindset shifts across government and industry is essential. Over 2023 USSC Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer and Senior Economic Advisor Dr J...

In this special episode, we share a recording of the panel discussion at the launch event for USSC’s new Women in the Alliance initiative. It featured Aurora Education Foundation CEO and American Australian Association Ltd in Australia Chair Leila Smith , Representative for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh MP and ABC journalist and broadcaster Geraldine Doogue in conversation with Research Editor Victoria...

USSC CEO Dr Michael Green was working for the White House National Security Council during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He describes the chaos of the evacuation and the significant changes for US alliances with Australia and others across the globe in the wake of the attack.   What was the atmosphere in the White House when they heard the news? What changed after 9/11? What did thi...

The Foreign Policy and Defence team co-host the deterrence dialogue with the Pacific Forum. This year was the first year back in DC since COVID. Defence representatives from both the United States and Australia were there and Ambassador Kevin Rudd presented a keynote address. What are the areas of alignment and difference between the US and Australia? What issues rose to the fore? What changed as...

As the US 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls prepare for the first debate, USSC Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy David Smith and Research Editor Victoria Cooper spoke with Research Director Jared Mondschein to give a breakdown on the candidates and the odds of anyone besting former president Trump.   What happened to Ron DeSantis? Will the legal challenges to Trump derail hi...

With the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) and the joint Talisman Sabre exercise between Australian and US defence forces now officially wrapped up, USSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean and Research Fellow in the program Blake Herzinger give a deep-dive on all the latest developments in the maritime security space.     Why are submarines getting so much at...

United States Studies Centre Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic attended the NATO Vilnius Summit at the end of her sabbatical in Europe. At the summit this year, Ukraine was once again the main focus. Will Ukraine be given a timeline to enter NATO and what conditions do they need to meet? What is NATO going to do about Russia’s invasion which has brought war to Europ...

After decades of unprecedented growth the Chinese economy slowed due to COVID-19 and the easing restrictions did not bring the anticipated economic boom. USSC Visiting Fellow and former White House staffer Dan Rosen speaks with Research Director Jared Mondschein about the stagnating growth of China’s economy and implications for the region. Did China’s growth based on so much debt mean they will “...

USSC Honorary Associate Dr Harry Melkonian breaks down the recent major US Supreme Court decisions from affirmative action to dismantling President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. While most cases may not seem as significant as when the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the repercussions of this year's decisions will still have a lasting effect. Ending affirmative action undoes nearl...

USSC Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow Bruce Wolpe released his latest book, Trump’s Australia: How Trumpism changed Australia and the shocking consequences of a second term the week after former President Trump was officially indicted on federal charges. In this episode, Bruce and USSC Research Editor Victoria Cooper, who worked as a research assistant on the book, sit down with Mari Koeck to b...

Are we in a Cold War and are there parallels from President Reagan’s term to now? On this episode of the USSC Briefing Room, we were joined by Dr William Inboden, Executive Director and William Powers Jr Chair at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin and author of The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War and the World on the Brink . He wrote the US Governme...

After a recent trip to Washington featuring high-level discussions at the White House, Pentagon, State Department and Congress, the United States Studies Centre’s Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean and Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer talk with Research Associate Victoria Cooper about the common threads and key takeaways from discussions with Washington and Can...

In April, USSC hosted the Sunnylands Initiative, which brought together more than two dozen thought leaders on democracy from across the Indo-Pacific to advance ideas that strengthen democratic governance in the region. United States Studies Centre CEO Dr Michael Green and Founder and CEO of the Development Intelligence Lab Bridi Rice talk with USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein about the...