Australian soft power (and soft thinking) in the Indo-Pacific

Australia is a country with considerable, if under-utilised, reserves of soft power – the ability to achieve influence internationally via attraction rather than compulsion. This presentation will discuss some claims regarding Australian soft power, including our democratic political system, multicultural society, and open economy, all based on broad-based norms of social equality and the rule of law. It will then discuss how these ideas have found their way into recent Australian foreign policy doctrine via recent White Papers, in which norms and values have been elevated to frame the Indo-Pacific region.

*** Capacity at the venue is limited and door sales may not be available. Pre-purchase tickets early to avoid disappointment!
This event is being held at the University Club Case Study Room on level 1 ***

If you are unable to purchase tickets online, please call the Secretary on (08) 6225 2515 or email wa.branch@internationalaffairs.org.au to book a seat.

About the speaker:

Professor Benjamin Reilly is a Professor of International Politics at the University of Western Australia.
He was formerly Dean of the Sir Walter Murdoch School at Murdoch University, and head of the Policy and Governance Program and Director of the Centre for Democratic Institutions at the Australian National University (ANU). He has also worked with the Australian government, the United Nations and other international organisations, and held visiting appointments at Harvard, Oxford, and Johns Hopkins universities. He has authored or edited seven books and over 100 scholarly papers, and received financial support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the United States Institute of Peace, the East-West Centre, the National Endowment for Democracy and the Australian Research Council. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the ANU.