The Director-General of Security Mike Burgess delivered the 2025 Lowy Lecture before a packed Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday 4 November 2025.

In his address and subsequent conversation with the Lowy Institute's Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove, Mr Burgess spoke about the interplay between threats to Australian security, including those which emanate from abroad, and our country’s social cohesion.

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In this interview, the Lowy Institute's Sam Roggeveen speaks with one of Asia’s most respected and trenchant observers of modern geopolitics, Bilahari Kausikan, as he discusses his new Lowy Institute Paper, “The Myth of the Asian Century”.

"The Myth of the Asian Century" is published by Penguin. It is available in bookstores and as an e-book: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-myth-of-the-asian-century-a-lowy-institute-paper-penguin-special-9781761357992.

The Lowy Institute Papers are the Lowy Institute’s flagship publications. They are peer-reviewed essays and research papers on key international issues affecting Australia and the world.

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Two of Washington, DC's most respected journalists, Susan Glasser and Peter Baker, join the Lowy Institute's Executive Director, Dr Michael Fullilove, for a special conversation at the 2025 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.

Susan Glasser, appointed to the Lowy Institute Board in January 2025, is a staff writer at The New Yorker and has served as the top editor of several Washington publications, including Politico. Her books include Kremlin Rising and the New York Times bestseller The Man Who Ran Washington, covering Donald Trump’s first four years in the White House — both co-written with her husband, Peter Baker.

Peter Baker is the Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration. He joined The Times in 2008 after 20 years at The Washington Post and has covered the White House across six presidencies. Baker has written seven books, most recently The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021, also co-authored with Susan Glasser.

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Under new leadership, Indonesia continues to face a persistent and complex challenge: governance. As the country strives to maintain political stability and meet ambitious economic targets, governance reform has become central to meeting both domestic development goals and international commitments. Will political and economic developments in Indonesia enable it to escape the middle-income trap? How can Indonesia balance its climate change pledges with its industrial agenda, and what role does the carbon market play? Can the pursuit of OECD and CPTPP membership act as leverage to drive necessary governance reforms?

This panel discussion features Professor Shiro Armstrong (Australian National University), Dr Ida Aju Pradnja Resosudarmo (Australian National University), Dr Liam Gammon (Australian National University) and Dr Axel Michaelowa (University of Zurich). The discussion was moderated by Lowy Institute Research Fellow Dr Hilman Palaon.

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Two prominent Australian commentators from opposite sides of the defence debate meet to discuss Australia’s security, America’s role in Asia, the AUKUS partnership and more. Jennifer Parker from the National Security College, ANU, makes the case for an Australian defence policy with a maritime focus. The Lowy Institute’s Sam Roggeveen argues for a continental strategy that is less centred on the US alliance.

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In 2025 Malaysia hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), putting it at the centre of regional geopolitics. Its prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has an ambitious agenda to steer the group through the challenges posed by rising geopolitical tension. How will Malaysia navigate a trade war and competition between the United States and China? And how will its identity as a diverse Muslim majority country and advocate for the global south shape its positions at a time of multiple crises and conflicts? Associate Professor Ngeow Chow-Bing (University of Malaya), Associate Professor Syaza Shukri (International Islamic University of Malaysia), Associate Professor Ross Tapsell (Australian National University), discuss these issue with Lowy Institute Southeast Asia Program director Susannah Patton.

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Listen to the highlights of a special invitation-only event to hear from The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs as he chats with Dr Michael Fullilove AM.

The Foreign Secretary delivers an address on the evolving Australia-UK strategic relationship and global challenges followed by a Q&A.

Watch the full length video here: https://youtube.com/live/SLKFANYC7YA?feature=share

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Listen to the highlights of this discussion recorded in Sydney on how Australians are grappling with seismic shifts in the global order. Drawing on the perspectives of Shadow Assistant Minister and former ambassador Dave Sharma, ABC senior journalist Isabella Higgins, Southeast Asia expert Susannah Patton, and Lowy Institute Poll author Ryan Neelam, this event explores how Australians view the country’s relations with the United States and China, their perceptions of threats, their thoughts on the conflict in Ukraine, and their views on influence in the Pacific, foreign aid, democracy and more.

Watch the full event here: https://youtube.com/live/ni1O-plt3f4

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Listen to this timely discussion about how Australians see the world and their place in it. Drawing on the experience of Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh, SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson, ABC Foreign Affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic, and Lowy Institute Poll author Ryan Neelam, this event, recorded on Tuesday 24 June 2025, explored Australians’ views on the fracturing of the rules-based international order, attitudes towards the superpowers, Donald Trump’s policies, defence and security, the economy, climate change and more.

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In August 2020, Cheng Lei, a Chinese-Australian journalist, had her life turned upside down.  

An anchor in Beijing for a business television program, Cheng Lei was arrested by officers of China’s Ministry of State Security on charges of espionage.

Detained, isolated and interrogated, she was cut off from her family and friends for more than three years, until her release in late 2023. Cheng Lei is now telling her story in her new book, A Memoir of Freedom.

On Tuesday 17 June 2025, the Lowy Institute launched Ms Cheng's book story. She was interviewed on stage by the Lowy Institute’s Richard McGregor, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

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