After a quiet start to his presidency, United States President Joe Biden has made some recent decisive steps in engaging with Asia by selling nuclear submarines to Australia and establishing the AUKUS pact, outlining an approach to trade with China, and hosting a Quad summit at the White House, gathering with key U.S. partners in Asia.

A major part of this strategy is building up alliances to offer both the region and world at large to drive ‘responsible competition’ with China. With the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan signals a step away from the wars of the past two decades, Biden now has an opportunity to focus the US on the region it is says is its highest priority, Asia.

Guest: Professor Nick Bisley (Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University)

Recorded on 9 November, 2021.

Australia, the UK and the US have announced a historic security agreement, dubbed ‘AUKUS’, in response to regional security concerns about China’s rising power and influence in the Indo-Pacific. Under the deal, Australia will build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology provided by the United States. It also signals to a greater presence of the three powers in the region with a focus on military and technological capabilities, including in long-range weapons, cyber and undersea technologies.

How do the three states see AUKUS as contributing to regional security? How have regional states responded to this agreement? And what are the broader implications of Australia’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines?

Panel:

Dr Anna Powles (Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at Massey University, New Zealand)

Associate Professor Maria Rost Rublee (Politics and International Relations, Monash University)

Professor Peter Dean (Director, Defence and Security Institute, University of Western Australia)

Natalie Sambhi (Executive Director, Verve Research)

Dr Rebecca Strating (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University)(Chair)

Recorded on 27 October, 2021.

The Islamic fundamentalist group the Taliban have returned to power in Afghanistan twenty years after being ousted by the United States, sparking concern for a harsh rule imposed on Afghans, a neglect of human rights and the beginning of a humanitarian crisis for the region.

For neighbouring countries the initial shock of transition is being met with pragmatism of coping with the aftermath. The Taliban has sought to boost diplomacy with neighbouring countries such as China, Pakistan and Russia, and many are looking to make the most of the power vacuum left by U.S. forces. For other regional countries the Taliban’s return to power represents a security risk, and the proliferation of violent extremism could pose a threat to security in the region.

Guest: Dr Niamatullah Ibrahimi, Lecturer in International Relations, La Trobe University)

Recorded on 21 October, 2021.

In June 2020 there was a clash between India and China at a disputed border site in the Himalayan Galwan Valley, in which twenty India soldiers were killed. A wave of anti-Chinese sentiment swelled across India, with Chinese-made televisions thrown from balconies, restaurants boycotted and Chinese goods burnt. With the covid-19 pandemic devastating India the anti-Chinese sentiment has only worsened.

While bilateral trade between the two countries is now recovering, there is a conscious effort of decoupling. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has banned hundreds of Chinese apps, slowed approval for Chinese investment and called for self-reliance. With Indian public discourse on China worsening, have the two countries have walked away from shaping the ‘Asian century’ together?

Guest: Snigdha Poonam (Author and independent Journalist)

Recorded on 14 October, 2021.

While the twentieth century saw the collapse of monarchies across Europe, recent events are a reminder that hereditary monarchies still matter in Asia. In some countries like Malaysia and Bhutan the institution is thriving, but they can struggle for relevancy given the pro-democracy movement in Thailand and fast-modernising landscape of Japan.

In an era of autocratic populism, does constitutional monarchy provide some safeguards against the megalomania of political leaders? Are they just feudal relics and ceremonial figureheads which should be abolished, or does the division between ceremonial and actual power act as a brake on authoritarian politicians?

A virtual book launch of God Save the Queen: The strange persistence of monarchies by Dennis Altman, published by Scribe Publications.

Speakers:

Recorded 12 October, 2021.

As strategic competition between the US and China increasingly shapes the region, Vietnam has reoriented its national foreign and defence policy. Vietnam has a major stake in the international rules-based order. One of its key priorities is defending sovereignty and maritime claims in the South China Sea, which are coming under challenge by an assertive Beijing.

Vietnam has been increasingly vocal in its opposition to Beijing's coercive activities and claims in the maritime domain. It has also been deepening diplomatic and defence links with the US and other regional partners, such as Australia. How has strategic competition between the US and China influenced Vietnam's foreign and defence policy? Is Hanoi likely to move closer to the US, or "hedge" against choosing between either power? And what does this mean for Vietnam's relations with China and the wider region?

Guest: Dr Huong Le Thu (Senior Analyst, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and Non-resident Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC)

Recorded on 29th September, 2021.

Modern China is seen variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanisation, a propaganda state or an aggressive superpower seeking world domination. From kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China has influenced cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics and philosophy across the world for thousands of years.

China’s history is full of heroes who are also villains, prosperous ages and violent rebellions, cultural vibrancy and censorious impulses, rebels, loyalists, dissidents and wits. The story of women in China, from the earliest warriors to twentieth-century suffragettes, is rarely told. And historical spectres of corruption and disunity, which have brought down many a mighty ruling house, continue to haunt the People’s Republic today.

Panel:

Linda Jaivin (Author and co-editor of the China Story Yearbook)

A virtual launch of Linda Jaivin’s book ‘The Shortest History of China’, available from Black Inc books.

Recorded 28 September, 2021.

India and Australia stand to benefit greatly through deep and ongoing engagement. But despite some share interests between the two states, there is a shallow public interest and understanding of India in Australia, and the coverage of the country is often cursory and limited in scope. How can we better promote understanding of India in Australia, leverage shared interests, and strengthen national, business and societal relations?

Guest: Lisa Singh (Deputy Chair, Australia India Council and Former Australian Senator (2011-2019)).

Recorded on 19th August, 2021.

Why does gender matter when thinking about security? In Asia, discussions and policies concerning conflict, peace and security remain dominated by male voices and views. The exclusion of women’s voices has significant implications for the types of ideas, strategies and policies that are proposed and adopted in security-related fields.

A live recording of the Asia Rising podcast for 'India Week' - in collaboration with the Australia India Institute.

Guest: Dr Meenakshi Gopinath (Director, Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace and member of the La Trobe Asia Advisory Board)

Recorded on 11th July, 2021.

The recent emergence of China as an economic and military super-power, rivalling the United States, is one of the most significant and challenging developments of the present era.

A La Trobe Asia / Ideas and Society event

Speakers:

- The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC (29th Prime Minister of Australia)

- The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC (26th Prime Minister of Australia)

- Professor John Dewar (Vice-Chancellor, La Trobe University (Introduction)

- Dr Rebecca Strating (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) (Chair)

Recorded on 10th August, 2021.