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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Until his retirement from government this year, Nick Rasmussen has worked in counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism under successive Republican and Democratic administrations in the United States since the September 11 attacks in 2001, including under the first Trump administration.  In this conversation, the Lowy Institute’s Lydia Khalil speaks with Nick about the significant changes the Trump administration has made to CT/CVE policy and how allies can adjust. 

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Join Sam Roggeveen and Interpreter Managing Editor Daniel Flitton for a conversation about what we covered this month in Australia’s best foreign affairs magazine, The Interpreter.

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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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Washington’s foreign policy establishment is still reluctant to internalise the fact that the United States has entered a multipolar era, says Emma Ashford, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center. In this conversation, Ashford talks with the Lowy Institute’s Sam Roggeveen about her new book, First Among Equals, and the urgent need for a more realistic American foreign policy.

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Southeast Asia is one of the most geopolitically diverse and contested regions of the world. But does China or the United States have more influence? And is it even accurate to describe the region’s geopolitics in these terms? Research Director Hervé Lemahieu talks with two of the authors of the newly launched Southeast Asia Influence Index, Susannah Patton and Rahman Yaacob.

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We're in a global democratic recession. Not only is the number of democratic nations in decline, but so are democratic institutions and norms. What's going on? Sam Roggeveen talks with Lydia Khalil, co-author of the Lowy Institute's newest interactive, Understanding Democratic Erosion, about the complex dynamics and whether there is a way back.

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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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Bougainville has set 2027 as the deadline to declare independence from Papua New Guinea. But the economic and institutional foundations of sovereignty in the autonomous region remain fragile. In this episode of Pacific Change Makers, the Lowy Institute’s Director of the Pacific Islands Program Mihai Sora speaks with Oliver Nobetau, Director of the Aus–PNG Network Project, about the roadmap needed to ensure Bougainville’s future prosperity.

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Join Lydia Khalil and Interpreter Managing Editor Daniel Flitton for a conversation about what we covered this month in Australia’s best foreign affairs magazine, The Interpreter.

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