Lowy Institute Events

Entering the second year of the Russia–Ukraine conflict the Lowy Institute hosted a a conversation with two compelling speakers about what 2023 will bring. Retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan has become a globally recognised commentator on the military campaign in Ukraine, while Ukrainian-born journalist Zoya Sheftalovich (POLITICO) has recently returned from Europe, where she covered President Zelenskyy’s visits to London and Brussels. The conversation was chaired by Sam Roggeveen, Director of the International Security Program.

Major General (Ret’d) Mick Ryan is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He spent 35 years in the Australian Army. His operational service includes deployments to East Timor, Iraq and southern Afghanistan. His book, War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, was published in 2022.

Zoya Sheftalovich is a contributing editor for POLITICO, currently based in Sydney. She is also a regular commentator on the Ukraine war for ABC News 24.

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Over the past decade, there has been more emphasis on gender in foreign policy and national security. What does this mean? Should foreign policy be a vehicle for the promotion of gender equality and how is that in Australia’s interest? How are women in foreign policy and national security leadership positions making an impact on the world stage? And are we witnessing a global backlash against women’s rights?

To mark International Womens Day the Lowy Institute hosted this event featuring researchers Jennifer Hsu, Jessica Collins and Meg Keen for a conversation chaired by Lydia Khalil to discuss these issues and offer their perspectives as women working in the field.

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On Monday 6 February, the Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion at the National Gallery of Victoria featuring Institute experts to discuss the key issues likely to dominate the international agenda in 2023. The panel was chaired by Daniel Flitton, Managing Editor of the Lowy Institute’s international magazine The Interpreter, and included Meg Keen, Director, Pacific Islands Program; Richard McGregor, Senior Fellow for East Asia; Sam Roggeveen, Director, International Security Program; and Lydia Khalil, Research Fellow, Transnational Challenges.

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The Asia Power Index 2023 is the fifth edition of the digital analytical tool that ranks 26 countries according to the power they wield in the Indo-Pacific Region.
 
In this video event, Project Lead Susannah Patton and Director of Research Hervé Lemahieu discuss the findings from the 2023 Asia Power Index with Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove. They discuss the rankings for the 2023 Index, the impact of Covid-19 on the influence of countries such as China, and the reasons why the United States continues to be the top-ranked country for power in Asia.
 
ABOUT THE ASIA POWER INDEX
 
The Asia Power Index was first published in 2018. It evaluates the balance of power in Asia through 133 indicators across eight thematic measures: Military Capability and Defence Networks, Economic Capability and Relationships, Diplomatic and Cultural Influence, as well as Resilience and Future Resources. More than half of our data points involve original Lowy Institute research, while the rest are aggregated from hundreds of publicly available national and international sources. 
 
This year, the Index includes three new indicators based on primary research that track high-level diplomatic engagement between all Index countries, enabling new comparisons of diplomatic and defence influence across Asia. These new indicators quantify the number of bilateral and multilateral diplomatic dialogues at foreign minister level and above held by each Index country, along with their convening power — the number of visits by regional leaders or foreign ministers hosted by each country.
 
In 2023, the top ten countries for overall power are: the United States, China, Japan, India, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. The only country to improve its comprehensive power ranking in 2023 is Cambodia, which has risen two places to become the 20th ranked power in the region.
 
Find out more: https://power.lowyinstitute.org

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In a special in-person conversation with Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove, Bill Gates spoke about global health, pandemic preparedness, food security and climate change.

Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Breakthrough Energy. He co-founded Microsoft in 1975, growing the company into a global leader in business and personal software. In 2008, Gates shifted focus to the Gates Foundation’s work on increasing opportunities for the world’s most disadvantaged people. Through the Foundation, he has spent more than 20 years working on global health and development issues including pandemic prevention; disease eradication; maternal, newborn and child health; agricultural development; and water, sanitation and hygiene. In 2010, he co-founded the Giving Pledge to encourage the wealthiest families and individuals to publicly commit more than half their wealth to philanthropic causes and charitable organisations during their lifetime or in their will. Monday 23 January 2023

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On 2 December 2022, the Lowy Institute hosted the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, for an address titled “How a strong Europe can contribute to a more secure world”. In May 2022, Ms Marin’s government took the historic decision for Finland to apply for NATO membership. In this address, Marin spoke about Finland’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Europe’s broader security priorities. After her address Ms Marin spoke in conversation with Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove and take audience questions.

Sanna Marin was appointed Prime Minister of Finland on 10 December 2019. She has been actively engaged in politics since 2006. In 2015, she was elected to Parliament and has been a member of the Grand Committee, Legal Affairs Committee and Environment Committee. Ms Marin is the third female Prime Minister of Finland and the youngest prime minister in Finland’s history.

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In this event, 2022 Rothschild & Co Distinguished International Fellow Gideon Rachman reflected on 'The Age of the Strongman' - our new era of authoritarian leaders who have become a central feature of global politics in capitals as diverse as Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Brasilia, Budapest, Ankara, Riyadh and Washington. The speech was followed by a Q&A session moderated by Lowy Institute Research Fellow Lydia Khalil, author of Rise of the Extreme Right: The New Global Extremism and the Threat to Democracy.

Gideon Rachman became chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times in July 2006. He joined the FT after a 15-year career at The Economist, which included spells as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Washington, DC and Bangkok. He also edited the business and Asia sections of The Economist. His interests include US foreign policy, the European Union and globalisation. His most recent book is The Age of the Strongman: How the cult of leader threatens democracy around the world was published in 2022. 

This event was recorded at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne on 24 November 2022.

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The 2022 Lowy Lecture was delivered by World Trade Organization Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at Sydney Town Hall on 22 November 2022. Dr Okonjo-Iweala's address was titled The Multilateral Trading System in a Changing World: De-globalization or Re-globalization?

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and first African to hold the office of Director-General of the World Trade Organization. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is an economist and international development professional with more than 40 years of experience. She has twice served as Nigeria's Finance Minister (2003–06 and 2011–15). In 2021, Time magazine recognised her as one of the world's most influential people.

The annual Lowy Lecture is the Lowy Institute’s flagship event, at which a prominent individual reflects on Australia and the world. Past Lecturers include German Chancellor Angela Merkel; UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson; US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan; Lowy Institute Chairman Sir Frank Lowy; and several Australian prime ministers including Prime Minister John Howard, who delivered the inaugural Lowy Lecture in 2005.

The full text of Dr Okonjo-Iweala's address is available at the Lowy Institute website.

The Lowy Institute acknowledges the generous support of the 2022 Lowy Lecture by King & Wood Mallesons.

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The 2022 Lowy Institute Media Lecture was delivered by the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman, who reflected on the place of foreign news coverage in a fracturing media environment.

Gideon Rachman became chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times in July 2006. He joined the FT after a 15-year career at The Economist, which included assignments as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Washington, DC, and Bangkok. He has also edited the business and Asia sections of The Economist. His interests include American foreign policy, the European Union and globalisation. His most recent book is titled The Age of the Strongman: How the cult of leader threatens democracy around the world.

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The 2022 Owen Harries Lecture was delivered by the Lowy Institute's 2022 Distinguished Fellow for International Security Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world’s most respected military strategists. Sir Lawrence's Harries Lecture, titled ‘Inhumane War?’, discussed Moscow's assumption that Kyiv can be forced to capitulate by attacks on its citizenry and infrastructure even when Russian forces have been pushed back in the land battle. The Lecture was followed by a Q&A session moderated by Lowy Institute Director of Research Hervé Lemahieu.

Sir Lawrence Freedman is Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1995 and awarded the CBE in 1996, he was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. In 2003, he was awarded the KCMG. In June 2009, he was appointed to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War. He has written widely on international history, strategic theory and nuclear weapons issues, as well as commenting on current security issues. Among his books are Strategy: A History (2013) and Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine (2022)​​​​.

Since 2013, the annual Owen Harries Lecture has honoured the significant contribution made to the international debate in Australia and the United States by Owen Harries, who was a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute.

The Distinguished Fellowship for International Security is supported by the Australian Department of Defence’s Strategic Policy Grants Program.

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