USSC Live

Americans will vote in the midterm elections ― a referendum on the president and his party ― at a time when US President Donald Trump's approval rating is at a record low. The Democrats are fighting to win back Congress, leading Trump to push for new voter requirement laws and toy with suggestions he will call a national security emergency ahead of the polls. At this event, Herald editor Jordan Ba...

With much of the world’s attention focused on global flashpoints, Tibet’s uncertain future is often sidelined in geopolitical conversations. Yet the Tibetan plateau holds major implications for the region’s balance of power, climate security, and human rights around the world. What is the geopolitical significance of Tibet in the 21st century? How could Tibet’s environmental future affect millions...

China, Russia and North Korea have significantly deepened strategic ties in recent years. China and North Korea have played significant roles in enabling Russia to prosecute its war on Ukraine, providing direct and indirect military, technological, economic and diplomatic support. Beyond the Ukraine war, the three countries share a common resistance to the US-led world order, promoting their own d...

Almost all advanced technology today depends on critical minerals. Rare earths, in particular, are necessary for a range of applications, including powering electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, industrial motors, and defence systems. Yet the supply chain behind them is highly concentrated. China accounts for over 90% of the world’s rare earth refining and permanent magnet production, leavin...

Amid rising strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, US relations with nations such as the Philippines are increasingly in the global spotlight. But the history of the United States in the Indo-Pacific extends well beyond the modern age and is often forgotten. International migration, conflict and war have shaped a century of US Indo-Pacific influence and alliances, with implications for the mod...

From striking down President Trump’s IEEPA tariffs to undoing core pillars of the Voting Rights Act, the US Supreme Court docket this year has already made history. Some of the most consequential decisions will be released at the end of the court’s calendar, including the future of birthright citizenship in the United States and whether the president can remove leaders of independent federal agenc...

The Pacific Islands are increasingly an arena of strategic competition between global powers. Yet amid these geopolitical circumstances, the challenges the Pacific Island countries themselves face are often overlooked. While many nations provide important development assistance to the region, such efforts are often duplicative, poorly implemented and sometimes even counterproductive. How can regio...

Asia's extraordinary economic rise — powered by globalisation and supply chains — lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, increased the region’s global influence and reshaped the global order. Yet the same forces that drove that transformation define many of the tensions now threatening to undo it. Understanding Asia’s past, present and potential future has never been more critical to defining...

Errol Flynn was the first Australian to become a Hollywood icon. His portrayal of Robin Hood in 1938 is one of the most legendary performances on the silver screen. The US Library of Congress selected The Adventures of Robin Hood for preservation in the National Film Registry. From his childhood in Tasmania and London, to his time as a young adult in New Guinea, before he found fame in America, hi...

In February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, killing former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and triggering a wider conflict that now involves most of the Middle East. Missile strikes have killed hundreds of civilians across the region. The crisis has also caused severe economic disruption, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz driving up consumer...

The Quad partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States has emerged as major pillar of diplomatic architecture in the Indo-Pacific with a sweeping agenda from maritime cooperation to economic security and disaster relief. In 2025, two Quad Foreign Ministers Meetings helped consolidate a refreshed agenda between the four countries. However, the lack of a leaders-level summit unde...

The Indian Ocean is fast becoming one of the world’s most geo-strategically contested maritime arenas. The region’s littoral and island states are grappling with how to respond to this strategic competition but also face multi-dimensional maritime security challenges. These, in turn, are exacerbated by climate change and other economic and social vulnerabilities. As the two largest maritime democr...

The last 10 months have seen the longest federal government shutdown in US history, the highest levels of US tariffs imposed in nearly a century, unprecedented actions by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a dramatic reshaping of federal government departments. Meanwhile, USSC polling ahead of the successful Albanese-Trump summit showed that Australians had negative views of President Tru...

In the wake of recent Australia-India Defence and Foreign Ministers’ meetings, the United States Studies Centre and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) co-hosted a webinar to explore this evolving bilateral relationship. Moderator Dr Lavina Lee, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the USSC, was joined by leading voices from India and Australia, including ORF’s Sayantan Haldar and Pratnash...

Panel discussion at the Sydney International Strategy Forum featuring Dr Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, General David Berger (Ret’d), former Commandant in the US Marine Corps, Takashi Yamashita, Member of the Japanese House of Representatives, and The Hon Arthur Sinodinos AO, Chairman of the United States Studies...

Keynote address at the Sydney International Strategy Forum from General David Berger (Ret’d), former Commandant of the US Marine Corps on the topic of " Can allies shape US strategy? " About the Sydney International Strategy Forum President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at a breakneck pace, often to be overturned days or weeks later. At the same time, the wars in Uk...

Panel discussion at the Sydney International Strategy Forum featuring Dr Jeffrey Wilson, Director of Research and Economics at the Australian Industry Group, Yoshiaki Wada, former Representative (2016–24) in the Japanese House of Representatives, and Olivia Shen, Director, Strategic Technologies at the United States Studies Centre. Moderated by Hayley Channer, Director, Economic Security, United S...

Panel discussion at the Sydney International Strategy Forum featuring Dr John Kunkel, Senior Economics Adviser at the United States Studies Centre, Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore, Jo Masters, Chief Economist at Barrenjoey Capital Partners, and Ziad Haider, Partner and Global Director of Geopolitics at McKinsey & Company. Moderated...

A keynote address at the Sydney International Strategy Forum from His Excellency the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States. About the Sydney International Strategy Forum  President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at a breakneck pace, often to be overturned days or weeks later. At the same time, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have entered new...

Panel discussion at the Sydney International Strategy Forum featuring Dr Lavina Lee, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre, Lisa Curtis, Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, and Professor Peter Dean, Senior Adviser for Defence Strategy at the United States Studies Centre. Moderated by Cameron Stewart, Chief In...

Panel discussion at the Sydney International Strategy Forum featuring General David Berger (Ret’d), former Commandant of the US Marine Corps, Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper, Partner at The Asia Group, Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore, and Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara, Executive Director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. Moderated by Matthew Knott,...

Former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines joined the Sydney International Strategy Forum live by video link to discuss with Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre, Dr Michael Green, the topic, "Is China winning in the Indo-Pacific?" About the Sydney International Strategy Forum President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at a breakneck p...

Panel discussion featuring Lisa Curtis, Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper, Partner at The Asia Group, Dr Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and Clay Lowery, Executive Vice President for Research and Policy at the Institute of International Fina...

To open the 2025 Sydney International Strategy Forum, former US Deputy Secretary of State, Chairman and Co-Founder, The Asia Group, Dr Kurt Campbell, spoke with Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre, Dr Michael Green.  About the Sydney International Strategy Forum President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at a breakneck pace, often to be overturn...

Russian disinformation and foreign influence campaigns have increasingly become defining features of today’s information landscape. Their reach extends beyond Ukraine, shaping debates around the globe, including in the United States, Southeast Asia, and Australia. With democratic trust and resilience under increasing strain, this event will explore: The tactics and narratives commonly used in Russ...