216 research outputs found
G20 2014: reform of the international organisations, financial regulation, trade, accountability and anti-corruption
No full textThis issue of the G20 Monitor discusses the reform of international economic institutions, financial regulation, and the trade, accountability and anti-corruption agendas at the forthcoming Brisbane G20 Summit.
It also provides a summary of the key ideas from the ‘G20 Conference: Strengthening Accountability and Effectiveness’ hosted by the Lowy Institute.
Key findings:
If the G20 is truly to be the world’s premier forum for international economic cooperation, fostering the reform of international economic institutions needs to be a fundamental objective.
Ex ante regulatory impact assessments are an important tool for strengthening financial regulation and fostering financial stability globally.
Trade, anti-corruption, and the accountability of the G20 are important agenda items for the forthcoming Brisbane Summit and go to the heart of the G20’s aim to boost growth and resilience
Big enough for all of us: geo-strategic competition in the Pacific Islands
No full textChina\u27s growing engagement in the Pacific Islands has fueled talk of great-power competition in the region. But viewing China\u27s activities in the region in geo-strategic terms is inappropriate and potentially counter-productive. Australia and the United States should focus on cooperating with China in aid and investment activities that support Pacific Island development priorities rather than building new security arrangements designed to compete with or manage China.
Key findings:
The rise of Chinese influence, which is driven predominantly by diverse commercial interests, does not presage a new era of geo-strategic competition in the Pacific Islands.
China’s engagement in the Pacific Islands is overshadowed by the dominance Australia enjoys in aid, trade, investment and defence links with the Pacific Islands region.
Increased external interest presents a new opportunity for Pacific Islands to achieve their development goals
Australia's costly investment in Solomon Islands: the lessons of RAMSI
No full textSummary
In this Analysis Lowy Institute Melanesia Program Director, Jenny Hayward-Jones, argues that Australia’s massive expenditure of 2.6 billion on the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands over ten years was a high price to pay for stability in a country of 500,000 people.
The RAMSI experience showed the value of integrating Australia’s foreign, economic, aid and security policies and just as importantly of working with Pacific island partners in the region.
Large-scale missions like RAMSI would benefit from clearly defined exit strategies and rigorous assessment of performance in order to control costs and maximise impact
Tensions in the East China Sea
No full textIntroduction: This workshop report comprises four papers presented at an international workshop, \u27Tensions in the East China Sea\u27, which was held at the Lowy Institute in Sydney in June 2013. The papers are written by Ms Bonnie Glaser, Ms Linda Jakobson, Prof Jin Canrong and Mr Wang Hao, and Lt Gen (Ret) Noboru Yamaguchi.
They assess decisions in Beijing, Taipei, Tokyo and Washington after Japan’s central government’s purchase in September 2012 of three of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands sparked a downward spiral in relations between Japan and China.
Key findings:
Lt Gen Yamaguchi reasons that in Japan the island purchase was driven by an unsettled relationship with the landowner, upcoming elections, and a desire by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to burnish his national security credentials.
Prof Jin argues that Tokyo’s tougher stance since the 2010 fishing boat incident combined with demands by special interest groups in China compelled Beijing to react to Japan’s attempts to what Beijing perceives as a unilateral change in the status quo.
Ms Glaser contends that Washington walks a diplomatic tightrope between Tokyo, a US ally, and China. Glaser argues that given the limited viable policy options available to the US, the current strategy is the most appropriate.
Ms Jakobson’s paper explores the landmark fishing agreement signed between Taipei and Tokyo in April 2013. In the report’s Concluding thoughts, she notes that the sovereignty dispute is but one element of complex power politics unbalancing China-Japan ties
Playbook for the G20 Brisbane summit
No full textAustralia will chair the G20 for 12 months from 1 December 2013. It will be the largest international economic meeting ever held in Australia. This paper outlines the strategy, priorities and steps required for the Brisbane G20 summit to be a success – it is a ‘playbook’ for Australia’s G20 presidency.Key findings:For the Brisbane summit to be a success, Australia will need to improve the way the G20 works, define a focused agenda and directly engage leaders. A pragmatic, business-like approach is required. Priorities for the Brisbane leaders’ summit should include: developing a ‘G20 coordinated growth strategy’; breathing life back into the multilateral trading system; tackling climate change financing; delivering tangible progress in the international effort to combat tax evasion and avoidance; and, mainstreaming development into the G20 agenda. To achieve these outcomes will require a strategic game plan and a co-ordinated 12 month campaign, led by the Prime Minister and involving all aspects of Australian society
Australia and nuclear power: the road ahead
No full textPODCAST Dr Ziggy Switkowski, author of the report Uranium mining, processing and nuclear energy review - opportunities for Australia? speaks on the topic \u27Australia and nuclear power: the road ahead\u27 for the Lowy Institute
Correction: Farshadmand et al. Utility of Cardiac Power Hemodynamic Measurements in the Evaluation and Risk Stratification of Cardiovascular Conditions. Healthcare 2022, 10, 2417
No full textZachary Lowy was not included as an author in the original publication [...
More talk than walk: Indonesia as a foreign policy actor
No full textIndonesia is unlikely to become a significantly influential international actor in the medium term, despite its size, strategic location and economic potential.
Key findings:
Indonesia’s influence in international affairs is growing, but it will not become a major power in the short to medium term.
Facing public pressure to exert influence globally, Indonesia will pursue a far-reaching foreign policy agenda, but without the resources to flex its muscles in support of its ideas.
Countries can engage now on regional and global issues that are important to Indonesia and that help it be seen as a global player, thereby building trust and relationships that are a long term investment in Indonesia’s future potential
The history of MI6
No full textAt the Lowy Institute, Professor Keith Jeffery reflects on the challenges, rewards and frustrations of writing an authorised history of the most secretive department of the British state.
Keith Jeffery is Professor of British History at Queen\u27s University Belfast and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. He is author or editor of fourteen books, including a prize-winning biography of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson. His ground-breaking official history, MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service, 1909-49, was published in September 2010.
Duration: 32:41
Watch the video at Slow T
Malaysia: tolerant reputation, troubled reality
No full textThe recent vandalisation of a string of Christian churches in Malaysia has, again, focussed attention on the challenges of communal politics in modern Malaysia. At the Wednesday Lowy Lunch on 10 February, Barry Wain discussed how these attacks reflect a deep crisis at the heart of Malaysian politics today and how this crisis developed during the 22-year rule of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and since his retirement in 2003. Barry Wain, author of the recently released \u27Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times\u27, is Writer-in-Residence at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore
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