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No campaign promise, rumour mill or day one executive order is as revelatory of a US president’s strategic intentions than the men and women they trust to guide them. A president’s Cabinet and key policy advisors have the extraordinary power of controlling the day-to-day decisions of the federal government. In essence, ‘personnel is policy’ and, as such, the key players of the Biden administration say a lot about the next four years of American politics. How does Antony Blinken’s upbringing by refugees inform the Biden administration Middle East policy? Why is John Kerry seemingly the only household name of the president’s many advisors? Which names does Australia need to know? At this webinar, United States Studies Centre Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper — author of Key players in the Biden administration — discussed these questions and more with host and USSC Senior Research Fellow Jared Mondschein.

In the midst of the biggest pandemic in a century, Sky News Host Annelise Nielsen headed to the epicentre – the United States. Bringing a cameraman she ventured into the heart of the 2020 election to talk directly to citizens to understand the people behind the political polarisation. Why were Americans so much more divided over mask mandates than Australians? How many people truly believe the 2020 election was stolen? What has changed since President Biden took office?This month’s US Politics and Policy Web Series featured Annelise Nielsen, the first dedicated Washington Correspondent for Sky News Australia, in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake.Annelise NielsenIn 2020, Washington DC-based political reporter Annelise Nielsen was announced as Sky News Australia’s first Washington Correspondent. She is currently on the ground in the US reporting live for Sky News Australia. Previously, Annelise was Sky News Australia’s Canberra based political reporter and co-anchor of AM Agenda with Tom Connell.A journalist with a wide range of experience covering stories across Australia, Asia, the US and the Middle East, she holds a bachelor’s degree in law and experience working in a professional services firm. Her work as a journalist is often driven and informed by a strong interest in justice, the Australian legal system and politics. Annelise is also the author of Money Spinners which explores the Banking Royal Commission and the financial services sector in Australia.

Geoeconomic threats to American primacy are prompting the Biden administration to explicitly connect domestic recovery to external strength, with reviews of supply chains and strategic, government-led investments to secure US technological supremacy. Given increasing threats to the rules-based order, it is imperative that Australia and the US work together to reinforce a secure Indo-Pacific economy. How can Australia work together with the Biden administration to manage geoeconomics, contestation and coercion in the Indo-Pacific region? To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar discussion with Perth USAsia Centre Research Director Dr Jeffrey Wilson, Senior Policy Fellow Hayley Channer and United States Studies Centre Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr John Lee in conversation with Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by Elise Hu, the host of TED Talks Daily, a correspondent for VICE News Tonight and a host-at large at NPR, where she spent nearly a decade as a reporter. She has reported stories from more than a dozen countries as an international correspondent, and opened NPR’s first-ever Seoul bureau, in 2015. She is based in Los Angeles.

President Biden’s recent Leaders Summit on Climate returned the United States to the centre of global climate change action. On the road to the Glasgow climate conference later this year, the United States is ramping up its efforts urging world leaders to adopt more ambitious emissions reductions targets. With Australia’s climate policies labelled “insufficient” by a Biden administration official, how will the US government’s ambitions on climate change impact the future of the US-Australian relationship? How do attitudes towards climate change policy differ between Americans and Australians? What do differing positions on climate action mean for other areas of the US-Australian relationship? What quick wins can the United States and Australia achieve on climate change? The United States Studies Centre hosted a conversation featuring University of Queensland Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures and Director at Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership Professor Peta Ashworth, POLITICO Global Translations Editor Ryan Heath and USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman in which they discussed the implications for Australia under the pressure of an ever-climate conscientious United States, and the global climate challenges ahead of us.

NATO and Australia relations date back over a decade with Australia being one of the most important contributors to NATO’s missions and operations. Today, NATO and Australia face a new set of global security challenges — from systemic competition, authoritarian powers and non-state actors — that challenge the rules-based order. These occur through cyber threats and the malicious use of new technologies, as well as, other asymmetric threats. The NATO2030 initiative, led by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, envisages a more global approach of NATO to world security. Under this new vision, Australia and other Asia-Pacific partners work with NATO to expand shared security interests beyond the Atlantic. The United States Studies Centre and the NATO Public Diplomacy Division present joint NATO Expert Talks. This series of talks with USSC and NATO experts will explore the challenges ahead of NATO and Australia and propose areas where furthering and deepening cooperation can offer solutions. One of the identified solutions in fighting disinformation has been to build societal resilience. How have NATO and its member states fared so far and what is NATO’s strategy in fighting disinformation? How has Australia performed on this front? What can NATO and Australia learn from each other? This first panel discussion brought together NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Baiba Braže and USSC Non-Resident Fellow Dr Jennifer Hunt to explore how disinformation and propaganda, pursued by state and non-state actors, aims to erode the trust and credibility of democratic institutions and systems. The discussion was moderated by USSC Lecturer and NATO Defense College Partners Across the Globe Fellow Dr Gorana Grgic.

As Washington Bureau Chief for the ABC, Zoe Daniel had a front-row seat to the ascension and decline of Donald Trump. Seeing how he masterfully harnessed fear and anger, coupled with a reality-TV honed entertainment instinct, she bore witness to the dawn of a new era in US politics. With a new steady, staid and significantly unassuming presidential administration, who is the anomaly – Trump or Biden? What happens to Trump followers when he’s not in the White House? How does this change perceptions of US power and influence? To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar featuring Zoe Daniel, co-author of the new book Greetings from Trumpland in conversation with Jim Middleton, former foreign correspondent and ABC political editor. Zoe Daniel was the ABC’s US bureau chief in Washington from December 2015 until December 2019. She is the co-author of Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidency changed everything. She was the ABC's South East Asia correspondent from 2009 to 2013 and Africa correspondent from 2005 until 2007. Zoe co-hosted the international news program The World on News 24 and Australia Plus. Jim Middleton has a career spanning 50 years as a political reporter. From 1980-86 he was the ABC's North America correspondent and from 1988-2007 he was the ABC's Chief Political Correspondent and later Political Editor in Canberra reporting six federal elections. From 2008-2014 he was Chief Anchor for the Australia Network.

It is now well accepted in Canberra and Washington that the Australia-US alliance needs to be operationalised in new ways to meet Indo-Pacific strategic challenges. Against a backdrop of intensifying Chinese assertiveness and the United States’ declining capacity to uphold a favourable balance of power by itself, our shared interests in deterrence and defence require greater coordination, alignment and collective action. This cooperation must also be carefully dovetailed with regional needs and security preferences to ensure a broadly collective approach to strengthening stability, sovereignty and resilience across the Indo-Pacific. How should Australia work with the Biden administration to transform the alliance for collective deterrence and defence? Is there a shared understanding between Canberra, Washington and other regional capitals over the ends, ways and means of Indo-Pacific strategy? What does bolstering resilience look like in the maritime domain where China’s grey zone activities are steadily expanding? How can Canberra and Washington make faster progress towards the kind of defence industrial base cooperation that is needed to empower the alliance for future strategic challenges? To discuss these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar discussion with United States Studies Centre Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend, Research Fellow Brendan Thomas-Noone and Australian Strategic Policy Institute Senior Analyst Dr Huong Le Thu in conversation with United States Studies Centre Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Mari Koeck.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The conference closed with a session featuring The Honourable Arthur Sinodinos AO, Australia’s Ambassador to the US (joining via Zoom from the United States) in conversation with Professor Simon Jackman, CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The topic for session three of the conference was "Transforming the alliance for collective defence challenges." Speakers included Greg Moriarty, Secretary of the Department of Defence, Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy Canberra, Dr Huong Le Thu, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and Ashley Townshend, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre. The session was moderated by Brendan Thomas-Noone, Foreign Policy and Defence Program Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The topic for session two of the conference was "Managing geoeconomics, contestation and coercion". Speakers included James Carouso, Managing Director of BowerGroupAsia (joining via Zoom from Singapore), Katherine Mansted, Senior Adviser Public Policy at the National Security College, Dr Jeff Wilson, Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre and Hayley Channer, Senior Policy Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre. The session was moderated by Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The topic for session one of the conference was "The Australia-United States bilateral economic relationship in a global context." Speakers included Jonathan Coppel, Commissioner of the Productivity Commission and Dr Brett Williams, Principal of Williams Trade Law and was moderated by Dr Stephen Kirchner, Trade & Investment Program Director at the United States Studies Centre.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia hosted a conference for the launch of their joint publication, “State of the United States: An evolving alliance agenda”. The opening session of the conference featured Ambassador Atul Keshap, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (joining via Zoom from the United States) in conversation with Professor Simon Jackman, CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre.

Almost as soon as he entered office, President Trump brought to a boil the long-simmering rivalry between the United States and China. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, Trump’s love-hate relationship with Xi had sparked a trade war, while China’s aggression — including foreign-influence operations, human rights abuses, and digital authoritarianism — had pushed the world to the brink of a new Cold War. In his just-released book, Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century, The Washington Post award-winning columnist, Josh Rogin details the behind-the-scenes story of the Trump administration’s confrontation with Beijing. The USSC hosted a discussion on this timely work as well as the broader issues in the US-China relationship with Josh Rogin in conversation with Non-Resident Senior Fellows Dr Charles Edel and Dr John Lee.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there was much to discuss and interpret. This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by guest Zoe Daniel, former ABC Washington Bureau Chief and co-author of the recently released book Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidency changed everything.

The Biden administration is seeking approval of its first major piece of legislation, the second impeachment trial for Donald Trump has begun, and battles within the Democratic and Republican parties are being fought for all to see. Will the Biden administration successfully pass a US$1.9 trillion stimulus package? Will the Republican Party ever veer away from Donald Trump? What are the prospects for bipartisanship? The United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar featuring Mia Love, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and former member of Congress, in conversation with Bruce Wolpe, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow and former Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill.

The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia. The first edition of 2021 was on Friday 5 February. With the transition of power behind, a new administration and Congress ahead, there was much for CEO of the United States Studies Centre Simon Jackman and CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre Gordon Flake to discuss and interpret.

President-elect Biden has made clear that his administration will be different than any before. He has also pledged his team will reflect the diversity of America and he is seeking known collaborators, rather than "a team of rivals" that President Obama famously referenced with his first Cabinet. Yet President-Elect Biden was elected by an exceedingly divided and polarised country and he will need to reconcile a number of factions, even within his own party. Will Biden’s Cabinet reflect his campaign promises? What does the proposed Biden Cabinet mean for Australia and its national priorities? What is the best approach for Australia to engage with new leadership in Washington? To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar event featuring USSC experts Dr Gorana Grgic, Dr Jennifer Hunt, Professor Simon Jackman and Bruce Wolpe.

The United States is in the grips of a singular moment in history. An emboldened community of conspiracy theorists is spreading rampant disinformation about the presidential election and the efficacy and intention of COVID-19 vaccines. Record numbers of Americans are testing positive for the virus and President Trump, who downplayed its threat, is taking credit for the arrival of vaccines while disputing President-elect Biden’s win. The spread of online conspiracy theories has already had tangible impacts. After vicious anti-5G conspiracy theories, the rollout of 5G towers in the United Kingdom was interrupted by dozens of fire bombings and attacks. How can the United States and Australia traverse this clash of online disinformation and conspiracy theories with the real-world rollout of a vaccine program and a presidential transition? How has this landscape enabled hostile actors to influence US politics, and what are the implications for Australia and the world? The United States Studies Centre hosted a discussion on these issues and more with the award-winning investigative journalist for NBC News Brandy Zadrozny and USSC Non-resident Fellow and Lecturer at the National Security College at ANU, Dr Jennifer Hunt in conversation with USSC Research Associate Elliott Brennan.

The Perth USAsia Centre and United States Studies Centre host a monthly web series in which our CEOs review the latest in US politics with a focus on the US elections and US-Indo-Pacific relations. USSC CEO Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake shared their insights on the top stories in US politics from an Australian perspective.