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Upcoming Events

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195 Voices But One Leader: Will the next UN Secretary-General be a Woman?
14
May
195 Voices But One Leader: Will the next UN Secretary-General be a Woman?

Nayomi Kannangara, Australian Council for International Development (ACFID); Adrian Morrice, Australian Peace and Security Forum; Daphne Cui, DFAT

May 14, 2026 17:30 - May 14, 2026 19:00
Level 13, 356 Collins Street 356 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000
The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West
14
May
The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West

Amitav Acharya, Distinguished Professor and the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance at the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC

May 14, 2026 18:00 - May 14, 2026 19:00
32 Turbot Street, Brisbane QLD; hybrid
In Conversation with Ian Kemish: Diplomacy, Papua New Guinea, and Storytelling
14
May
In Conversation with Ian Kemish: Diplomacy, Papua New Guinea, and Storytelling

Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor at UQ

May 14, 2026 18:00 - May 14, 2026 20:00
Lane Bookshop 52c Old Theatre Lane 52c Claremont Western Australia
The future of international law in light of recent US foreign policy
19
May
The future of international law in light of recent US foreign policy

Shirley Scott, Professor of International Law and International Relations at UNSW, Canberra

May 19, 2026 18:00 - May 19, 2026 19:30
Glover Cottages Kent Street 124-134 Millers Point New South Wales
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Video and Audio

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Ep. 183: Hormuz–the new nuclear
Podcast
22 Apr 2026
Ep. 183: Hormuz–the new nuclear
Play this Episode
Ukraine at a Crossroads | A Panel Discussion
Video, Youtube
05 May 2026
Ukraine at a Crossroads | A Panel Discussion
50:44
Play this Episode
Michael J Green: Carney or Takaichi? How Allies are Managing the US
Video, Youtube
22 Apr 2026
Michael J Green: Carney or Takaichi? How Allies are Managing the US
38:58
Play this Episode
Rowan Callick OBE FAIIA: Can China’s PLA Wage Wars Without as well as Within?
Video, Youtube
16 Mar 2026
Rowan Callick OBE FAIIA: Can China’s PLA Wage Wars Without as well as Within?
45:20
Play this Episode
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Towards the AIIA Centenary

100 Years of International Affairs

The AIIA was founded in 1933 by member organisations that date back to the 1920s. The AIIA as a whole celebrates those founding branches as they reach 100 years of advancing knowledge and exchange on international affairs.

Australian Outlook

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The Limits of Indigenisation behind India-Germany Submarines Deal
Analysis
15 May 2026
The Limits of Indigenisation behind India-Germany Submarines Deal
By Kumail Mehdi
India’s push for defence self-sufficiency has reshaped procurement policy and set an ambitious 2047 deadline for a fully indigenous navy. Yet its largest defence deal in years reveals how ambition
Gendered and Reproductive Vulnerabilities in Australia’s PALM Scheme 
Analysis
14 May 2026
Gendered and Reproductive Vulnerabilities in Australia’s PALM Scheme 
By Tanisha Lamichhane and Women in International Security – Australia Inc.
Women migrant workers under Australia’s PALM scheme face layered vulnerabilities. Legal dependence on employers has heightened visa precarity, constrained reproductive autonomy, and limited maternity care, suggesting that reproductive justice is
Book Review: Transformed by the People- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Road to Power in Syria
Reading room
14 May 2026
Book Review: Transformed by the People- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Road to Power in Syria
By Jasper Hufschmidt Morse
In Transformed by the People, Patrick Haenni and Jerome Drevon outline the emergence, development, deradicalisation and ultimate victory of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham over the Assad regime of Syria, in December
Australia’s Fight for Algorithmic Sovereignty
Analysis
14 May 2026
Australia’s Fight for Algorithmic Sovereignty
By Muhammad Amir
Australia’s defence debate is no longer centred primarily on ships, aircraft or missiles. It has now shifted the discussion to the software, data and AI systems embedded within them. As
Why Trincomalee Matters More Than Ever to India
Analysis
14 May 2026
Why Trincomalee Matters More Than Ever to India
By Vrinda Malik
Sri Lanka is India’s closest maritime neighbour, and New Delhi has long cast itself as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean. The island nation is central to India’s
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Publications

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Publications
12 Mar 2026
Tides of Memory: Cultural Storytelling and Disaster Resilience in the Indo-Pacific
Authored by Rebekah Baynard-Smith, Illustrated by Rohit Rao
Australia in World Affairs
15 Nov 2024
Australia in World Affairs 2016-2020: A return to great power rivalry
Baogang He, David Hundt, Danielle Chubb (eds)
Diplomatic History
22 Nov 2023
Let’s Dance: A History of LGBTIQ Staff in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Rhonda Piggott
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AIIA News

AIIA Welcomes Gary Quinlan as National President as Heather Smith Retires
AIIA National President
04 May 2026
AIIA Welcomes Gary Quinlan as National President as Heather Smith Retires

CANBERRA—The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) marks a leadership transition this month, with Gary Quinlan AO FAIIA assuming the role of national president as Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA […]

AIIA at ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific Working Group Conference in Bali
International Interaction
11 Mar 2026
AIIA at ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific Working Group Conference in Bali

BALI–Dr Bryce Wakefield, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), has once again contributed to regional policy discussions at the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) […]

IPCN 2026 Cohort Completes Japan Study Tour on Disaster Resilience
Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network, Projects and Study Tours
10 Mar 2026
IPCN 2026 Cohort Completes Japan Study Tour on Disaster Resilience

TOKYO, ISHINOMAKI, MINAMISANRIKU, KOBE, and KYOTO–The 2026 cohort of the Australian Institute of International Affairs–The Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network (IPCN) has completed the first stage of its program with […]

AIIA and Japan Foundation Announce New Cohort for Key Indo-Pacific Initiative
Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network
28 Feb 2026
AIIA and Japan Foundation Announce New Cohort for Key Indo-Pacific Initiative

TOKYO and CANBERRA–The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) and the Japan Foundation are pleased to announce the selection of the latest cohort for the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network (IPCN), a […]

AIIA Convenes Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue at Munich Security Conference
AIIA National Office, International Interaction
15 Feb 2026
AIIA Convenes Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue at Munich Security Conference

MUNICH – The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) partnered with the Munich Security Conference (MSC) to host a panel on “Minilateralism and Security in the Indo-Pacific” at the Public […]

AIIA WA Hosts Special Dinner with Embassy of the Republic of Angola
Events, Western Australia
04 Feb 2026
AIIA WA Hosts Special Dinner with Embassy of the Republic of Angola

PERTH – The Australian Institute of International Affairs Western Australia (AIIA WA) hosted a special dinner event in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Angola at the Duxton […]

AIIA Welcomes Seven Fellows for 2025
AIIA Fellows
30 Dec 2025
AIIA Welcomes Seven Fellows for 2025

CANBERRA–The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) is pleased to announce the appointment of seven distinguished Australians as 2025 AIIA Fellows. The Fellows award, established in 2008 to mark the […]

Australian Foreign Minister Delivers Landmark Speech at AIIA National Conference
AIIA Board, AIIA National Conference, AIIA National Office
17 Nov 2025
Australian Foreign Minister Delivers Landmark Speech at AIIA National Conference

CANBERRA — Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong delivered a focused and forward-looking keynote at the AIIA National Conference Gala Dinner on 17 November, outlining Australia’s […]

AIIA in the Media

11 May 2026
The Australian: Anthony Albanese set to attend G7 in France
Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield said an in-person meeting with Mr Trump could be a hazardous undertaking, particularly given the crisis in the Middle East... Dr Wakefield said the US’s major allies had responded in their own way to Mr Trump’s “confrontational approach to foreign policy”. “In the Indo-Pacific, Canada’s Prime Minister (Mark) Carney has tended to confront Trump directly, Japan’s (Prime Minister Sanae) Takaichi has cautiously embraced Trump, while Australia’s Albanese has largely tried to stay off Trump’s radar,” Dr Wakefield said. “That is a wise approach. The challenge for Canberra is to remain in Washington’s good graces without drawing attention to its discomfort with the current US position in the Middle East.”
Go to source
5 May 2026
The Nightly: Anthony Albanese hosts Sanae Takaichi in Canberra as Australia-Japan deals criticised as weak
Bryce Wakefield, CEO of the Australian Institute for International Affairs who has lived in Japan and is fluent in Japanese, said Ms Takaichi’s trip appeared time to coincide with Japan’s week of national holidays known as Golden Week. “Takaichi’s visit was more about convenience and relationship management than coming up with anything new. It’s the typical mode of diplomacy favored by Japanese politicians at this time of year, when a series of national holidays at home gives them space to travel abroad,” Dr Wakefield told The Nightly.
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17 April 2026
The Nightly: France to back EU-Australia trade deal saying brutal global shifts forced the mindset change
Bryce Wakefield, CEO of the Australian Institute for International Affairs, welcomed the change in France’s influential position... “If France cannot build domestic support for prioritising the strategic value of cooperation with like-minded partners over narrower sectoral pressures, its ambitions for greater global influence will remain out of reach. This shift in attitude is therefore as good for France as it is for Australia.”
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15 April 2026
Pakistan TV Digital: Pakistan achieved a diplomatic coup bringing US and Iran together
Watch AIIA ACT Branch President Dr Claude Rakisits' analysis of Pakistan's role in negotiations between Iran and the United States on Pakistan TV digital.
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14 April 2026
Asialink: Pakistan: the unexpected peace facilitator
According to AIIA ACT Branch President Dr Claude Rakisits "In many ways, Pakistan was an obvious choice as convenor. Islamabad has good relations with Washington today—which wasn’t always the case, and a workable one with Iran, with which it shares a 900 km-long border."
Go to source
10 April 2026
Bloomberg: Australia turns to Asia for fuel, security as US ally distracted
“The Albanese government’s foreign policy has been quite smart in prioritising its own neighbourhood,” said Bryce Wakefield, head of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and an expert on Japanese foreign policy. “The relationships forged with Indonesia, with Japan, have given the Australians a way in to cooperate with those countries.”
Go to source
3 April 2026
Heraldo USA: Is the U.S. looking for allies or vassals?
Dr Pierre Pahlavi's 13 January 2026 piece in Australian Outlook quoted in Heraldo USA: "Disrupting [global] order—even at the cost of diplomatic friction—is therefore not an unintended consequence of Trump’s foreign policy, but one of its central objectives."
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2 April 2026
Dot.world: An Australian security expert's view on the security of the Indo-Pacific region (Japanese)
Read a long interview AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield gave during the Munich Security Conference in February, exploring differences in how Europe and Australia and other nations in the Indo-Pacific were viewing geopolitical developments (in Japanese).
Go to source
26 March 2026
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Zwischen Rindern und Rüstung - Between Cattle and Armaments (German)
Read AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield's analysis in German of the Free Trade and Defence and Security Agreements concluded by Canberra and Brussels.
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26 March 2026
Indo-Pacific Defence Forum: Japan vital to allied deterrence across Indo-Pacific
Japan must “continuously reinforce its indispensability” through deeper defense integration, expanded access to facilities and robust spending, defense analyst Daiki Tsuboi wrote in a January 2026 essay published by the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
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18 March 2026
The Nightly: Donald Trump’s ‘petulant’ Iran war tirade against allies criticised for lack of respect
Bryce Wakefield, CEO of the Australian Institute of International Affairs said that Trump risked making a bad situation even worse. “Uniquely among US allies, Japan might play a proactive diplomatic role in ending the conflict, as Tokyo has very productive, pragmatic ties to Iran — in fact it is already engaged in talks with Tehran,” Dr Wakefield said.
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18 March 2026
Lowy Interpreter: Trump says America needs no one’s help – Australia included
Lowy Interpreter Editor Daniel Flitton quotes Penny Wong's speech to the AIIA Gala Dinner in November 2025 to illustrate how Wong's statements are "premised not on America alone but an active America, providing trusted partnership and pledges."
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4 March 2026
The Australian: Middle powers must unite or be ‘on the menu’, Canada’s leader tells Australia
Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield said Mr Carney’s take on the breakdown of the rules-based order “may be a bitter pill for some in Canberra to swallow”. But he said that the practical relations between small and middle powers that Mr Carney was calling for was already the reality in much of the rest of the world, including Australia’s immediate region.
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4 March 2026
NHK: Indo-Pacific regional government officials learn about the damage and lessons learned from the earthquake in Minamisanriku (Japanese)
View video from Japan's national broadcaster of the AIIA-Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network's visit to Minamisanriku, one of the locations devastated during the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
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Kahoku Shimpo: Researchers from 11 countries, including the US and Australia, visit Ishinomaki to study disaster prevention policies and make recommendations, aiming to share lessons and insights with the world (Japanese).
Read a front page article in a local newspaper about the AIIA-Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network's visit to Ishinomaki, one of the locations devastated during the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and their discussion with local leaders who experienced the disaster.
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4 March 2026
Tohoku Broadcasting Corporation: Passing on the lessons of the earthquake to the world (Japanese)
View video from a local TV station of the AIIA-Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network's visit to the ruins of the Okawa Elementary School, destroyed during the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Go to source
20 February 2026
Nikkei: Thinking about "disaster risk reduction" with the next generation of leaders in Indo-Pacific countries (Japanese)
This one-year program (The Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network) aims to deepen participants' knowledge and exchanges through training in Japan, as well as approximately one-week training sessions in two other countries in the Indo-Pacific region (planned to be Australia and an Oceania island nation), and online meetings. The goal is for participants to reflect the insights gained in this program in proposals and policy recommendations for regional cooperation in areas such as disaster prevention and resilience enhancement.
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