Lowy Institute

When Myanmar’s military seized power on 1 February, it sent the country spiralling into a political and economic crisis. Despite killing hundreds of peaceful protesters and detaining thousands of activists and politicians, the military has been unable to break the civil disobedience movement. It is unable to govern Myanmar, and risks turning the country into a failed state. As the situation deteriorates, what can the world do to help resolve the Myanmar crisis?

Scot Marciel, a former US ambassador to Myanmar; Khin Ohmar, a veteran democracy activist from Myanmar; Rizal Sukma, an Indonesian foreign policy expert; and Janelle Saffin, a Labor MP and the founder of the Australia-Myanmar Parliament Group, joined Ben Bland, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, for a discussion on the Myanmar crisis.

This Lowy Institute Live event was recorded on 7 May 2021 at 1pm AEST.

- Event Speakers -

Scot Marciel is a Visiting Scholar and Practicioner Fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University. He was the US ambassador to Myanmar from 2016 to 2020, and previously served as US ambassador to Indonesia, US ambassador for ASEAN affairs and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific at the State Department.

Khin Ohmar is a democracy and human rights activist from Myanmar. She is the founder and chair of the advisory board of Progressive Voice, a human rights research and advocacy organisation. She was a student activist during the 1988 democracy uprising.

Janelle Saffin is a Labor MP in the New South Wales parliament and a former MP in Australia's federal parliament. She is the founder of the Australia-Myanmar Parliament Group and has extensive experience working on development and legal issues in Myanmar and Timor-Leste, where she served as a special adviser to former president and prime minister José Ramos-Horta.

Rizal Sukma is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, and the former executive director of Indonesia’s leading international think tank. He was the Indonesian ambassador to the UK from 2016 to 2020 and has served as a foreign policy adviser to President Joko Widodo.

Ben Bland is the Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute. Before joining the Lowy Institute, Ben was an award-winning foreign correspondent for the Financial Times. He has an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Cambridge.

In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with Dr Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a leading Indian think tank.

Michael and Samir talk about India’s devastating second wave of COVID, the time it will take for India to recover from the crisis, and what the pandemic means for US-China relations. Samir speaks about his own experiences with the virus and analyses how the crisis may affect India’s position in the world.

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Alexandre Dayant, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, sits down with David Malpass, President of the World Bank, to discuss the Bank’s COVID-19 response and developing countries’ long road to recovery, as well as the hurdles the institution has faced during the pandemic.

David R. Malpass is the 13th President of the World Bank Group. He previously served as US Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs.

Conversations is a Lowy Institute podcast in which Institute researchers and some of the world's leading experts delve into the big issues in international affairs.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Alexandre Dayant, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, sits down with David Malpass, President of the World Bank, to discuss the Bank’s COVID-19 response and developing countries’ long road to recovery, as well as the hurdles the institution has faced during the pandemic.

David R. Malpass is the 13th President of the World Bank Group. He previously served as US Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs.

Conversations is a Lowy Institute podcast in which Institute researchers and some of the world's leading experts delve into the big issues in international affairs.

In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with the distinguished policymaker and policy entrepreneur Michèle Flournoy. Michèle is a former senior Pentagon official, managing partner of WestExec Advisors, and chair of the Center for a New American Security.

Michèle is a leading expert on US defence and strategic policy. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy in the Clinton administration. Michèle also served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Obama administration, which made her, at the time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Pentagon.

Michael and Michèle discuss the rise of China, the resilience of America and Australia’s and New Zealand’s approach to the world. Michèle also reflects on the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq, the workplace environment at the Pentagon, and risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

On Wednesday 21 April, the Lowy Institute's Aus-PNG Network held a panel discussion with health professionals from provinces in PNG to talk about the Covid-19 situation and how local officials are contending with the virus.

Papua New Guinea is dealing with a widespread outbreak of Covid-19 that has placed already stretched health services across the country under intense strain. While the situation in the capital Port Moresby is difficult, the pandemic’s impact is also being felt in provinces across the country.

Panellists included Dr Pamela Toliman, PNG Institute of Medical Research, Goroka; Dr Stella Jimmy, Provincial Coordinator Covid-19, West Sepik Provincial Health Authority, Vanimo; Professor Brendan Crabb, CEO, Burnet Institute, Melbourne; and Shane McLeod, Project Director, Aus-PNG Network (host).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Wednesday 21 April, the Lowy Institute's Aus-PNG Network held a panel discussion with health professionals from provinces in PNG to talk about the Covid-19 situation and how local officials are contending with the virus.

Papua New Guinea is dealing with a widespread outbreak of Covid-19 that has placed already stretched health services across the country under intense strain. While the situation in the capital Port Moresby is difficult, the pandemic’s impact is also being felt in provinces across the country.

Panellists included Dr Pamela Toliman, PNG Institute of Medical Research, Goroka; Dr Stella Jimmy, Provincial Coordinator Covid-19, West Sepik Provincial Health Authority, Vanimo; Professor Brendan Crabb, CEO, Burnet Institute, Melbourne; and Shane McLeod, Project Director, Aus-PNG Network (host).

On Thursday 15 April, the Lowy Institute launched the new Lowy Institute Paper by John Edwards, one of Australia’s leading economists: Reconstruction: Australia After COVID.

The book was launched with a panel discussion with Lowy Institute board director, former APEC ambassador and OECD staffer Joanna Hewitt AO, Lowy Institute Papers editor Sam Roggeveen and author John Edwards on the fractured state of the global economy, America’s epic economic contest with China, and what it all means for Australia.

Dr John Edwards is a Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He was a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia from 2011 to 2016. He was principal economic adviser to Treasurer and then Prime Minister Paul Keating.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Thursday 15 April, the Lowy Institute launched the new Lowy Institute Paper by John Edwards, one of Australia’s leading economists: Reconstruction: Australia After COVID.

The book was launched with a panel discussion with Lowy Institute board director, former APEC ambassador and OECD staffer Joanna Hewitt AO, Lowy Institute Papers editor Sam Roggeveen and author John Edwards on the fractured state of the global economy, America’s epic economic contest with China, and what it all means for Australia.

Dr John Edwards is a Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He was a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia from 2011 to 2016. He was principal economic adviser to Treasurer and then Prime Minister Paul Keating.

On Monday 19 April, Peter Khalil MP and Dave Sharma MP had a discussion about Australia’s place in the world with Lowy Institute’s Director of Research Alex Oliver. They covered: what Australia should be doing in the world as an engaged middle power, Australia-China relations, and the fight against climate change.

Peter Khalil is the Federal Labor Member for Wills, elected to Parliament in 2016 and re-elected at the 2019 election. Prior to his parliamentary career, Mr Khalil was a Victorian Multicultural Commissioner, an Executive Director at SBS and a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington DC. He was foreign policy adviser to the prime minister (2007–08), served in Iraq (2003–04) with the Department of Defence and worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mr Khalil has bachelor’s degrees in arts and law from Melbourne University and a master’s degree in international law from Australian National University.

Dave Sharma was elected to Parliament as the Liberal Member for Wentworth at the 2019 federal election. He was formerly a career diplomat, serving in Papua New Guinea and Washington, DC before being appointed Australia’s Ambassador to Israel in 2013. He has been an adviser to Australia’s foreign minister and was head of the International Division of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2010 to 2012. He graduated in law with first class honours from the University of Cambridge.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.