



A multilateral green trade pact?
International trade has faced multiple shocks in recent years, making the need to reform the architecture of global trade more urgent than ever. Aligning new trade rules with global net-zero ambitions will be crucial to providing the necessary incentives for firms and economies to decarbonise. Many…

The decline of the West: Samir Puri on “Westlessness” and the new global order
Samir Puri, former UK diplomat and author of Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing, joins Transnational Challenges Program Director Lydia Khalil to explore the long decline of Western dominance in world affairs. They discuss why the rise of the non-West is about far more than China's challenge…

Cartel Paradise: Unpacking the Pacific’s drug superhighway
Australia's appetite for methamphetamine and cocaine is reshaping Pacific communities, turning island nations into key transit points on a global drug superhighway, and exposing them to violence, corruption and addiction. In this special panel discussion, the Lowy Institute's Oliver Nobetau is joi…

Strait of Hormuz crisis: Iran, shipping, and Australia's strategy
When Iran deterred shipping from the Strait of Hormuz following Operation Epic Fury, it sent shockwaves through global energy markets and exposed uncomfortable truths about Australia's dependence on maritime trade. Jennifer Parker, a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute and former Royal Aust…

Globalisation always wins: Parag Khanna on the emerging world order, Iran, and Asia's multipolar future
Geopolitical strategist Parag Khanna joins the Lowy Institute's Sam Roggeveen to make sense of a world in flux. In a wide-ranging conversation recorded on the day President Trump declared the Iran war nearly over, the pair discuss what the conflict reveals about multipolarity, why Mark Carney's Da…

British MP Darren Jones on Labour, Brexit and the United Kingdom's place in the world
British Cabinet Minister the Rt Hon Darren Jones MP joins the Lowy Institute’s Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove AM for a wide-ranging conversation about politics, power and the transatlantic relationship. Serving as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for Intergovernmental Relati…

Decoding ‘America First’: The origins of Trump’s foreign policy
Stephen Biegun, former US Deputy Secretary of State and Trump administration chief North Korea negotiator, joins the Lowy Institute's International Security Program Director Sam Roggeveen at the National Press Club in Canberra for a wide-ranging conversation on American foreign policy. They discus…

The ungoverned sky: Drones and the domestic extremist threat
Drone technology is now more accessible than ever. What was once the exclusive domain of state actors now falls within reach of nearly anyone with a credit card and a data signal. Domestic extremists are no exception — they are increasingly incorporating drones into attack plots, taking inspiration…

Tariffs, Trump and the Indo-Pacific: Reading Washington’s signals
In this Lowy Institute event held in Melbourne, former US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun offers his candid assessment of how the Trump White House views the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on his experience as a son of Detroit and his deep knowledge of US trade and security policy, Stephen Biegun …

The Trump Strategy: Stephen Biegun's 2026 Owen Harries Lecture
What is the strategy driving Donald Trump's assertive use of American power? In the 2026 Owen Harries Lecture, former US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E Biegun offers a frank insider's assessment of President Trump's foreign policy across both his first and second terms. He discusses Presiden…