Know more. Understand more. Engage more.

Join Australia's largest open conversation on international affairs.
Get Involved
Learn About the AIIA

Upcoming Events

View All
Trump, Putin and the War in Ukraine
07
Aug
Trump, Putin and the War in Ukraine

Richard Iron CMG OBE, AIIA Victoria

Aug 7, 2025 18:00 - Aug 7, 2025 19:00
Level 13, 356 Collins Street, Melbourne; Hybrid
Careers Evening 2025
07
Aug
Careers Evening 2025

Hayley Channer, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney; Crispin Conroy, NSW State Office of DFAT; Dr Elsina Wainwright, Office of National Intelligence

Aug 7, 2025 18:00 - Aug 7, 2025 20:00
Glover Cottages, Millers Point, Sydney; In person
From Oceans to Alliances: Redefining the Indo-Pacific with the Quad
13
Aug
From Oceans to Alliances: Redefining the Indo-Pacific with the Quad

Dr. Samuel Bashfield, Dr. Teesta Prakash, Prof. (Dr) Gitanjali Sinha Roy, Dr. Apila Sangtam

Aug 13, 2025 18:00 - Aug 13, 2025 19:00
356 Collins Street Melbourne
Four Years since the Taliban’s Return
14
Aug
Four Years since the Taliban’s Return

H.E. Mr. Wahidullah Waissi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Aug 14, 2025 17:30 - Aug 14, 2025 19:00
356 Collins Street Melbourne
Cybersecurity as Part of National Security and Foreign Policy: Insights from Estonia
19
Aug
Cybersecurity as Part of National Security and Foreign Policy: Insights from Estonia

Kersti Eesmaa, Vertical Scope Group

Aug 19, 2025 18:00 - Aug 19, 2025 19:00
Stephen House, Canberra; Hybrid
AIIA QLD Annual Dinner with the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC
20
Aug
AIIA QLD Annual Dinner with the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC

Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC, 29th Prime Minister of Australia

Aug 20, 2025 18:00 - Aug 20, 2025 21:00
Tattersalls Club, Grand Ballroom, Brisbane; In person
International Careers Conference
10
Sep
International Careers Conference

Save the date!

Sep 10, 2025 09:00 - Sep 10, 2025 17:00
La Trobe University, City Campus, 360 Collins Street, Level 2, Melbourne; In person
AIIA National Conference
17
Nov
AIIA National Conference

Save the date!

Nov 17, 2025 09:00 - Nov 17, 2025 21:00
Canberra
View All

Video and Audio

View All
Ep. 163: PM Albanese visits China
Podcast
23 May 2025
Ep. 163: PM Albanese visits China
52:44
Play this Episode
Is the Age of Empathy Over? | Dr Claire Yorke
Youtube
08 Jul 2025
Is the Age of Empathy Over? | Dr Claire Yorke
Play this Episode
Adventures in Representation in Japan and External Affairs’ first fatality | Emeritus Professor James Cotton
Youtube
03 Jul 2025
Adventures in Representation in Japan and External Affairs’ first fatality | Emeritus Professor James Cotton
Play this Episode
Closing Down Hong Kong: 5 Years of the National Security Law | Kevin Yam
Youtube
03 Jul 2025
Closing Down Hong Kong: 5 Years of the National Security Law | Kevin Yam
Play this Episode
View All
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

View All
Harbors of Power: How China’s African Ports Are Shaping India’s Ocean Strategy
Analysis
06 Aug 2025
Harbors of Power: How China’s African Ports Are Shaping India’s Ocean Strategy
By Dr Amit Kumar Singh
A new maritime chessboard is emerging across the Indian Ocean. Over the past decade, China has transformed several African ports into strategic outposts. What began as trade-focused infrastructure under the
Australia-South Korea Maritime Capacity Building Cooperation in Southeast Asia During the Lee Jae Myung Administration
Analysis
06 Aug 2025
Australia-South Korea Maritime Capacity Building Cooperation in Southeast Asia During the Lee Jae Myung Administration
By Dongkeun Lee
Despite strategic shifts under South Korea’s new administration, maritime cooperation with Australia in Southeast Asia remains promising. By combining Australia's expertise in maritime training and domain awareness with Seoul’s strength in delivering
Sri Lanka: From Economic Collapse to Remarkable Recovery: Policy Lessons and Recommendations
Analysis
05 Aug 2025
Sri Lanka: From Economic Collapse to Remarkable Recovery: Policy Lessons and Recommendations
By Talal Rafi and Prakash Mirchandani
After a catastrophic economic collapse marked by sovereign default, hyperinflation, and political upheaval, Sri Lanka embarked on a difficult IMF-led recovery path. Against expectations, the country has shown surprising resilience—but the hardest reforms
AI’s Great Power Paradox: Cooperation and Competition in the US-China Tech Rivalry
Analysis
04 Aug 2025
AI’s Great Power Paradox: Cooperation and Competition in the US-China Tech Rivalry
By Emmie Hine
As AI accelerates, the US and China shape the global governance landscape through parallel ambitions and contrasting ideologies. Understanding their policy trajectories reveals key inflection points for potential engagement.
UNESCO’s Failure to Confront Conflict
Analysis
04 Aug 2025
UNESCO’s Failure to Confront Conflict
By Professor Benjamin Isakhan and Professor Lynn Meskell
As UNESCO convened in Paris to celebrate global heritage, its silence on state-led destruction in conflict zones revealed a growing disconnect between lofty ideals and political realities. Without bolder action, the World Heritage Convention risks becoming a
View All

Get in-depth analysis sent straight to your inbox

Subscribe to the weekly Australian Outlook mailout

Publications

View All
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
Diplomatic History
04 Mar 2024
An Enduring Contribution? Australia’s Term on the United Nations Security Council (2013-2014)
Michael Bliss
View All
Support Our Work

Help us help Australia to know more, understand more, and engage more in international affairs.

Discover the ways your organisation can support the AIIA beyond membership.

Sponsor Events
Explore Partnership

AIIA News

AIIA National President Visits Chatham House
AIIA Board, AIIA National President, International Interaction
04 Aug 2025
AIIA National President Visits Chatham House

LONDON — Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) National President Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA met with Ben Bland, Director of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House. Their conversation ranged across […]

French and German Embassies Launch Climate Talks with AIIA in Sydney
AIIA National Office, Events, New South Wales, Projects
31 Jul 2025
French and German Embassies Launch Climate Talks with AIIA in Sydney

SYDNEY – The German Embassy Canberra and the Embassy of France in Canberra, in collaboration with the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), have launched the first event in a […]

AIIA Champions Regional Voices in Submission to Senate Inquiry on Australia’s Climate Army
AIIA National Office, Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network
21 Jul 2025
AIIA Champions Regional Voices in Submission to Senate Inquiry on Australia’s Climate Army

CANBERRA – The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) has lodged a powerful submission to the Senate Inquiry into the proposed National Volunteer Incentive Scheme—popularly known as the “Climate Army”—highlighting […]

AIIA QLD Set to Host Premier Annual Dinner with Former PM Malcolm Turnbull
Events, Queensland
13 Jul 2025
AIIA QLD Set to Host Premier Annual Dinner with Former PM Malcolm Turnbull

BRISBANE – The Queensland branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA QLD) has officially announced its highly anticipated 2025 Annual Dinner, scheduled for Wednesday, 20 August, at the prestigious […]

Call for Applications for a Funded Internship in The Hague
Get Involved, Internships, Scholarships
11 Jul 2025
Call for Applications for a Funded Internship in The Hague

The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) and the Australian Branch of the International Law Association (ILA (AB)) are pleased to present the Peter Nygh Hague Conference Internship. The award will support […]

Changing of the Guard as AIIA Welcomes New National Vice President
AIIA Board
01 Jul 2025
Changing of the Guard as AIIA Welcomes New National Vice President

CANBERRA – The Australian Institute of International Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of the Honourable Paul Lucas, current president of AIIA Queensland and former deputy premier of Queensland, […]

AIIA at Flagship NZ Policy Conference
AIIA National Office
17 Jun 2025
AIIA at Flagship NZ Policy Conference

WELLINGTON – AIIA National Programs and Publications Manager Emily Mosley spoke at the 2025 New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (NZIIA) National Conference, delivering remarks on a panel titled “Trump […]

AIIA Hosts Expert Panel at ANU Student Conference
AIIA National Office
17 Jun 2025
AIIA Hosts Expert Panel at ANU Student Conference

CANBERRA – As part of its ongoing commitment to youth engagement, the AIIA National Office partnered with the ANU Asia Pacific Week Conference to host a careers panel focused on […]

AIIA in the Media

14 July 2025
The Nightly: Hungary says ‘novelty’ of Trump approach is gone as Russia-Ukraine war rages on
AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield quoted in the Nightly: “Orban, along with Slovakia’s Robert Fico, will continue to be the European leader most sympathetic to the MAGA cause,” Dr Wakefield said. “However, the longer Trump continues to engage Putin on Ukraine without deliverables, the more Budapest will be uncomfortable giving Washington a blank cheque.”
Go to source
12 July 2025
BBC: Trade trumps geopolitics as Australia PM visits China
AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield quoted by the BBC: "This is part of a broader, understated and mature diplomacy from the current government and it does not fall into the recriminations of previous years."
Go to source
24 June 2025
The Nightly: Indo-Pacific leaders skip NATO, leaving New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon in the cold
AIIA CEO Bryce Wakefield quoted in the Nightly: “The US strategy on pressuring allies with a one-size-fits-all approach may work with NATO, where there is a hot war near the eastern flank and a history of European nations coordinating on policy, but it’s less effective against the individual countries of the Indo-Pacific, which have different and specific political contexts within which they must operate.”
Go to source
18 June 2025
Radio New Zealand: Why NZ's involvement in possible US-Iran war may hang on Europe
AIIA Programs and Publications Manager Emily Mosley cited by Radio New Zealand: "The choice before us is clear: Engage with the whole breadth of American institutions and demand accountability and stability, or panic and risk eroding one of the most effective checks."
Go to source
3 June 2025
Frankfurter Rundschau: "Putins Technologie-Problem: Russland liegt „zehn Jahre hinterher"
Jack Jarmon's Australian Outlook article "In Russia, the Chips are Down" cited in the Frankfurter Rundschau: A problematic legacy of outdated equipment and a lack of personnel hampered Russia's efforts to build its own world-class industry. According to the Australian Institute of International Affairs, this continues to have repercussions for the Russian chip industry.
Go to source
27 May 2025
Frankfurter Rundschau: Putin-Kampfjets über Ostsee: Nach „gefährlichem“ Manöver gestoppt
Former AIIA National Office Intern Jasper Hufschmidt Morse's Australian Outlook article covered extensively in Frankfurter Rundschau: "What would happen if Russian aircraft were intercepted in German or another NATO member state's airspace, Jasper Hufschmidt Morse asked in his analysis for the Australian Institute of International Affairs."
Go to source
14 May 2025
The Australian: Australia must counter Russian influence, says Anthony Albanese
AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield quoted in The Australian: "Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield said the Indonesia relationship was crucial and required a sustained effort by Australia to deliver meaningful benefits."
Go to source
4 May 2025
The Australian: Albanese plans foreign trips as world leaders laud his election win
AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield quoted in The Australian's first article since the 2025 Federal election to cover the Albanese government's foreign policy approach. "Wakefield said as the US slapped tariffs on the rest of the world, Australia needed to work even more closely with Southeast Asia to create new economic opportunities."
Go to source
29 April 2025
The Australian: Coalition promises extra $2bn for Pacific, Timor infrastructure fund
AIIA Tasmania Vice President Professor James Chin's Australian Outlook article on Chinese interests in the South Pacific cited in the Australian.
Go to source
6 April 2025
The Guardian: What does Australian sovereignty look like? It’s a question we now must answer thanks to Donald Trump
AIIA National President Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA: "The biggest challenge to overcome is the inability of our political class to position Australia for this new world.”
Go to source
4 April 2025
SBS: 'Pipe dream': Can Donald Trump's tariffs bring back America's 'golden age'?
AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield: "The 'golden age' in nationalist rhetoric is simply an imagined time in the past where things were always better, and in every nationalist's mind, the actual period of that golden age might be different. It's left vague for a reason."
Go to source
2 April 2025
The Australian: Malcolm Turnbull’s AUKUS plea will fall on deaf ears
AIIA President Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA: "The post-Cold War order isn’t collapsing, it has collapsed. The US is dismantling the foundations of its global hegemony, along with the norms and values that have underpinned the US-Australia relationship."
Go to source