Events

“Prosperity” has been a significant theme in several of President Xi Jinping’s major speeches over the past year, both at home and abroad. But what does he mean by prosperity? And what challenges does this nebulous concept create? Domestically, Xi’s promise to transform China into a “moderately prosperous society” by 2020 has been well-received. But does it have global resonance? 

In recent years, Russia has asserted itself against neighbouring Ukraine, become a key player in the Syria conflict, allegedly interfered in US domestic politics, and been labelled by the US as a great-power competitor on the world stage. Join one of Russia’s finest political commentators, Igor Yurgens, to hear about these and other major developments in modern Russia, in a wide-ranging conversation with Lowy Institute Senior Fellow Sam Roggeveen. Yurgens will also take questions from the audience.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will launch its flagship publication, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018, with its focus on “How Technology Impacts Jobs”. The report examines how, as increased automation displaces some tasks, new occupations emerge to take their place. The displacement of workers due to technology is real, but with the right skills, training, and regulation, Asia can overcome this challenge.

 

As Russian president or prime minister, for the last 18 years Vladimir Putin has been one of the most prominent but enigmatic figures on the global stage. He has led Russia’s evolution from a deep post-Soviet torpor to an authoritarian power which asserts itself abroad, is a key player in the Syria conflict, and faces allegations of interfering in the US presidential elections. But in the West, Russia remains shrouded in myths and stereotypes, its behaviour often misdiagnosed. In this Lowy Institute address, one of Russia’s finest political commentators, Igor Yurgens, examines the West’s misunderstanding of Russia.

The Korean Peninsula has historically been a battleground for the major powers. But with successful economic modernisation and transition to democracy, South Korea has sought to navigate rising tensions between the United States and North Korea, and to strategically benefit from China’s economic growth while relying on the United States for security. Dr Snyder will discuss debates over South Korea’s strategic choices in the context of rising tensions in Northeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific, including in partnership with Australia.
 

Announced in late 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is both a colossal infrastructure development scheme and a grandly ambitious undertaking of geostrategic proportions. Mixed responses to the BRI are now emerging as it begins to reshape economic and political decisions across Eurasia. In Europe, Germany’s foreign minister recently stated his view that the BRI is designed to promote a value system different to that in the West. In response to the BRI, Australia, India, Japan, and the United States are reported to be considering an Asian infrastructure development plan of their own. Our panel will consider the BRI’s implications for China’s role in the region, and for Australia’s interests going forward.
 

Following a period spent in Japan developing its national security apparatus and international security cooperation with partners from Europe to the Indo-Pacific, Yukio Okamoto, Adjunct Professor at Ritsumeikan University and former Japanese diplomat, will address Japan’s evolving security role in the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on Japan–China relations. This will be followed by a discussion with the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program Director, Dr Euan Graham, about how Japan will adapt and respond to future regional security concerns.

Join us on Tuesday 6 March in Brisbane for the second quarterly Aus-PNG Network event aimed at bringing as many people from this diverse and talented group together as possible. This will be an informal gathering and an excellent opportunity to make new connections with people with an interest in Papua New Guinea and the Australia–PNG relationship.

Now that Islamic State has been defeated militarily, what does the future hold for Iraq? Deputy Director of the Lowy Institute Anthony Bubalo will discuss these and other issues, inlcuding Iraq’s forthcoming elections and evolving relations with its neighbours, in conversation with Hayder al-Khoei.

New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt Hon Winston Peters, will address his governments's plans to work with its Pacific partners to meet the many strategic and development challenges facing the region.

New Zealand’s place is in the Pacific. Culturally, geographically, and politically, New Zealand is a Pacific Islands country. But the Pacific is an increasingly complex strategic environment, with a broad range of external factors affecting its present and future. 
 

Join Alyssa Ayres, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and Aaron Connelly, Research Fellow for the East Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, to discuss Alyssa’s latest book, Our Time Has Come: How India Is Making Its Place in the World. Dr Ayres will discuss how a fiercely independent India pursues its place as a leading power, and how the United States should respond.

Over the past fifty years, Singapore has become one of the world’s most prosperous countries and a dynamic node in the world economy. A new Lowy Analysis Paper examines not only what has driven Singapore’s success in establishing itself as a competitive base of high-value manufacturing and other value-added services, but also how the country, amid regional and global challenges, must adapt its model so as to retain its position at the centre of flows of trade, investment, and people.

The Lowy Institute’s Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove will chair a discussion examining the key issues likely to dominate the international agenda in 2018.