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Upcoming Events

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Apr

9 April: The rise of middle power climate diplomacy: an Australia India partnership?

The Hon Lisa Singh, CEO of the Australia India Institute

Apr 9, 2026 17:30 - Apr 9, 2026 19:00

Univ of Tasmania Hobart; in person

Apr

Ukraine: After over 10 years of war is peace any closer?

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia

Apr 9, 2026 18:30 - Apr 9, 2026 20:00

32 Thesiger Court, Deakin ACT; hybrid

Apr

‘Sirens in Diplomacy’ A Crisis Management Workshop

Steve Northcott; Vice Consul of British High Commission Canberra

Apr 14, 2026 17:30 - Apr 14, 2026 19:00

Level 13, 356 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000; In-Person Event

Apr

Intern debate: “There’s never been a better time to be a middle power”

Apr 14, 2026 18:00 - Apr 14, 2026 19:30

Glover Cottages, Kent Street 124-134 Millers Point, NSW; In-Person Event

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Video and Audio

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Ep. 182: Another wild 48 hours on Iran, plus the Australian lens

Podcast

01 Apr 2026

Ep. 182: Another wild 48 hours on Iran, plus the Australian lens

Play this Episode

Video, Youtube

07 Apr 2026

The Ukraine War-how much longer?

Play this Episode

Can China’s PLA Wage Wars Without as well as Within?

Video, Youtube

16 Mar 2026

Can China’s PLA Wage Wars Without as well as Within?

45:20

Play this Episode

Video, Youtube

14 Feb 2026

So You Want to Own Greenland?

1:00:17

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 Week in Australian Foreign Affairs

10 Apr 2026

10 April 2026: The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs

By Alexandra Desailly

This week in Australian foreign affairs: The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence travel to Japan; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travels to Singapore; in a joint statement Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Sierra Leone

Amidst Regional Uncertainty, Japan-Indonesia Defence Partnership is Taking Shape

Analysis

09 Apr 2026

Amidst Regional Uncertainty, Japan-Indonesia Defence Partnership is Taking Shape

By Alfin Febrian Basundoro

Over the decades, Tokyo has been one of Jakarta’s largest financial partners. Prabowo’s visit, however, marks the strengthening of a new sector: defence partnerships, with promises of new frigate procurement

Convergence Alignment: Australia and Indonesia Could Bring ASEAN and PIF Closer Together

Analysis

09 Apr 2026

Convergence Alignment: Australia and Indonesia Could Bring ASEAN and PIF Closer Together

By Ridvan Kilic

As regional cohesion falters under the weight of US-China great power competition, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the erosion of international law and multilateralism in the region,

How the US-Israel War in Iran May Change the South China Sea Trajectory

Analysis

08 Apr 2026

How the US-Israel War in Iran May Change the South China Sea Trajectory

By Aristyo Rizka Darmawan

Although the South China Sea dispute mainly involves China and some ASEAN countries, the United States has played an important role. Some ASEAN states, especially the Philippines, have depended on

Good Order at Sea: Australia’s Quiet Shift in Maritime Security Policy

Analysis

07 Apr 2026

Good Order at Sea: Australia’s Quiet Shift in Maritime Security Policy

By Dr Sean Andrews CSC

Since 2009, Australian maritime security policy has rested on four interlocking pillars: practical engagement with Indo‑Pacific partners; regional defence cooperation through initiatives such as the Pacific Maritime Security Program; contributions

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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 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

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

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 an intensive study tour of […]

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

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 flagship professional […]

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 Fellows

30 Dec 2025

AIIA Welcomes Seven Fellows for 2025

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 and Japan Foundation Program Informs Senate Hearing on Climate Army Proposal

AIIA National Office, Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network

29 Sep 2025

AIIA and Japan Foundation Program Informs Senate Hearing on Climate Army Proposal

SYDNEY — Dr Bryce Wakefield, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), appeared before the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee to give evidence […]

AIIA in the Media

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.”

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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 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).

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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

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. “There are clear differences in alliance relations between Australia and Canada. While Carney has emerged as a critic of the Trump administration, we will not see Australia follow his lead in that direction,” Dr Wakefield said.

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18 February 2026

The Nightly: Richard Marles warns Ukraine war may run for years despite Donald Trump's claims

AIIA CEO Bryce Wakefield: “Australia has been rhetorically consistent in opposing Russia’s war, but until now has sometimes struggled with criticism from Ukraine that it is not doing enough,” Dr Wakefield said. “To be fair, it is hard for a country so far away to commit to expensive initiatives. However, providing at least consistent financial support through the PURL sends a clear message to Europeans with more skin in the game that they should be consistent too.”'

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16 February 2026

Lowy Interpreter: Indonesia–Australia Security Treaty: Middle powers choosing consultation over blocs

RSIS Postdoctoral Fellow Emirza Adi Syailendra: "As Foreign Minister Penny Wong put it in her 17 November 2025 keynote address at the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Australia and its partners are not “just residents” of the region but architects building its future through landmark agreements, enhanced partnerships, and collective engagement with neighbours and multilateral institutions."

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13 February 2026

Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ): Flexible Partnerships Instead of Fixed Blocs (German)

Read AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield's op-ed in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on minilateralism in the Indo-Pacific. Wakefield argues that what Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has labelled "variable geometry" has long been the practice in Australia's region, and that if Europeans and others wish to operate in the Indo-Pacific, they must better understand its strategic fundamentals.

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5 February 2026

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: This is why the South Pacific is Important for Germany (German)

In an op-ed for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, AIIA CEO Dr Bryce Wakefield writes on German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's travel to and engagement with the South Pacific. He argues that in a world where Europeans need to forge new partnerships, Germany needs to work with Australia and New Zealand, but also develop an approach to the region based on pragmatic cooperation that views the Pacific Island Countries as agents in their own right.

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25 January 2026

NewsX World: US Uncertainty and Indo-Pacific Security with Bryce Wakefield

Bryce Wakefield, CEO of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, joins NewsX World to assess the impact of Donald Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric, the future of the Quad and AUKUS, Japan’s evolving strategic posture, China’s response to uncertainty, and how India and Australia can protect their interests in an increasingly fragmented global order.

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