AIIA National Conference 2024

Facing Fragmentation

Possibilities and Partnerships in a Fragile World

11-12 November 2024, Hotel Realm, Canberra

with masterclasses on 10 November for successful applicants.

  • Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA

    AIIA National President

  • Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP

    Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP

    Treasurer of Australia

  • Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham

    Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham

    Shadow Foreign Minister

    Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Senate

  • Dr Shashi Tharoor MP

    Former United Nations Under-Secretary General

    MP in the Lok Sabha for Thiruvananthapuram

  • Cynthia Veliko

    Regional Representative to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Regional Office for South-East Asia

  • Emeritus Professor Hugh White AO FAIIA

    The Australian National University

  • Hon Dr Penelope Wensley AC FAIIA

    Former Ambassador of Australia to the United Nations in New York & Geneva

    Former Governor of Queeensland

  • Mike Pezzullo

    Former Secretary of Home Affairs

  • Latika Bourke

    London-based writer-at-large for The Nightly

  • Tim Yeend

    Former Associate Secretary at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Former Chief of Staff at the World Trade Organisation

  • Professor James Chin

    University of Tasmania

  • Dr Henry Ivarature

    Deputy Director, Pacific Security College, ANU

  • Zara Kimpton OAM FAIIA

    AIIA National Vice President

  • Jon Apted

    Partner at Munro Leys

  • Margaret Twomey AM

    Former High Commissioner of Australia to Fiji

  • Nanthini Sambanthan

    Associate Research Fellow, RSIS, Singapore

  • Helen Mitchell

    Sir Roland Wilson Scholar, ANU National Security College

  • Dr Bryce Wakefield

    AIIA Chief Executive Officer

  • Dr Connie Cai Ru Gan

    Lecturer in Planetary Health, Griffith University

  • Professor Peter J. Dean

    Director, Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney

  • Dr Emma Shortis

    Senior Researcher, Australia Institute

  • Professor Baogang He FASSA

    Alfred Deakin Professor at Deakin University

  • Dr Amy King

    Associate Professor of Strategic and Defence Studies, ANU

  • Daweena Tia Motwany

    Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor, PowerHousing Australia

  • Dr Danielle Chubb

    Associate Professor, Deakin University

  • Ryōya Tasai

    Programme Policy Officer, UN World Food Programme

  • Graeme Dobell FAIIA

    Senior Fellow, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

  • Dr David Hundt

    Associate Professor of International Relations, Deakin University

  • Dr Kiriloi Ingram

    Research Fellow, Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Charles Sturt University

  • Salote Tagivakatini

    Lawyer and Former Fijian Career Diplomat; Recipient of the 2022 Gaddes Gavel Award, Australian War College

  • Professor Shirley Scott

    Professor of International Law and International Relations at UNSW

  • Maualaivao Maima Koro

    Pacific Research Fellow (Geopolitics, Pacific Security, Development)

The world has entered a period of fragmentation. Daunting economic, ecological, social, and geopolitical challenges will influence Australian foreign policy for decades to come. Strategic rivalry between the United States and China looks set to sharpen over the next decade, while war in Europe has ground on into its third year with no sign of abatement. Both global temperatures and inequality between and within states continue to rise. Amid these challenges is the spectre of domestic political uncertainty among Australia’s key friends and allies, particularly the United States. What partnerships and possibilities can Australia cultivate to deal with fragmentation? How can it best approach its relations with its closest neighbours? How can we better prepare for unexpected regional shocks that nature throws at us? Is there a role for the private sector in promoting Australian national interests? Can Australia play a constructive role in shoring up and even rebuilding the multilateral system? How might Australia look back to learn about changes in great power politics and their impact of international affairs? What will be the immediate consequences of the 2024 US presidential election, and what will be the state of future relations between Australia and its “great and powerful friend”?

Great and Powerful?

Trump v Harris:

The Aftermath

Does Australia’s major ally have what it takes to maintain its position in this region? Or do US domestic political imperatives point to retrenchment and isolationism? Is Uncle Sam still a safe bet, or do we need to think more deeply about what a post-American world looks like? What’s the immediate “post-match analysis” of the presidential election? Whether or not we have to actually deal with Trump in 2025, is “Trumpism” now fully entrenched on the American political landscape? If so, what does this mean for Australia and its alliance? How does an Australia deeply invested in the United States, best promote its interests among the American population and political class?

Pacific Possibilities

Media in Australia portray the South Pacific as a new area of strategic contestation between China and the United States. However, actors within Pacific Island nations tend to emphasise the importance of their nations’ sovereignty and claim they are managing the influence of their “aid partners” responsibly. Climate is the major issue in the Pacific Island nations. Geostrategic tensions are a second order problem when waves threaten to engulf your home. Domestic politics in these countries are also an intervening factor that is largely unaccounted for in outside narratives of foreign influence. What can Australia expect from the region, and how do actors in the Pacific Islands view Australian foreign policy?

Getting Down to Business

In a world where we need to be more agile and where all arms of statecraft are now considered as providing leverage in Australian foreign policy, what is the potential of private firms in advancing Australia's national interests on the global stage? From innovative approaches on cooperation in space, addressing environmental concerns, to forging strategic partnerships for economic growth, and broader socio-economic challenges, how can business contribute to shaping Australian foreign policy? Can government forge new strategic partnerships with the private sector, unlocking new avenues for economic growth and diplomatic influence on the global stage?

Australia in Asia

Australia has been described alternatively as seeking security both from and within Asia throughout its history. But how does Australia’s foreign policy look from Asia? What regional dynamics, geopolitical tensions, and cultural sensitivities influence how Australia is viewed in the region? What might Australia do to enhance its position among its neighbours to the north? Which partnerships and possibilities with particular players in the region are likely to bring Australia the most benefit. How are relatively new “Indo-Pacific” initiatives such as AUKUS, IPEF and the Quad, within which Australia is embedded, really seen in South East Asia? How can Australia best play a constructive role within longstanding regional institutions such as APEC and ASEAN. Do Asian leaders believe that Australia can provide “strategic equilibrium” to shape the region that they want?

Multilateralism minimalised?

Economic and political friction between great powers has placed multilateral institutions under enormous strain. The frictions are reflected in accusations that China is attempting to occupy and dominate United Nations agencies, that the United States is stymying the World Trade Organization’s disputes resolution mechanisms, and that Russia is making a mockery of the UN Security Council over action on Ukraine. What can Australia, an avowed proponent of the “rules-based international order,” do to shore up and even mend the institutions on which it has relied for its peace and prosperity since the end of the Second World War? Or are these systems largely beyond repair?

Realising Resilience

In an era of increasing natural disasters and climate challenges, how do different countries across the Indo-Pacific build resilience against such threats? From Japan’s earthquake preparedness to the cyclone responses in Fiji and Tonga, what innovative strategies are proving most effective? How can these diverse approaches inform and inspire global efforts in disaster resilience? Featuring insights from the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network (IPCN), co-organised by the AIIA and the Japan Foundation, a panel at the conference will explore how early career professionals are contributing to resilience initiatives. What lessons have they learned from study tours to Japan, Fiji, and Tonga, and how are they applying these experiences to their home countries? Can fostering such international cooperation and knowledge exchange unlock new possibilities for building a more resilient world?

Australia in World Affairs: A Return to Great Power Rivalry

Book Launch: Between 2016 and 2020 Australia's foreign and security policies were significantly impacted by profound changes in geopolitics and geoeconomics, particularly as great power competition re-emerged between the United States and China. The AIIA's new volume, Australia in World Affairs 2016–2020: A Return to Great-Power Rivalry examines Australia's engagement on the international stage in light of these events. Meet editors and authors of the thirteenth volume in the Australia in World Affairs series, which builds on the history of Australia's foreign policy covered in volumes on Australia’s foreign policy from 1950. Organised thematically, chapters cover Australia's foreign policy response to climate change, Australia's strengthened ties to the Indo–Pacific region, and its security interests in Southeast Asia. Australia's increasing security dependence on the US in an age of great-power rivalry is evident throughout.