Join AIIA WA for drinks and festive food as we celebrate another successful year with AIIA’s National President, Allan Gyngell. Drawing on his book Fear of Abandonment: Australia in the World since 1942, a history of Australian foreign policy since 1942, Allan will look at the looming challenges for Australia in the Indo-Pacific. Australian politicians and policymakers agree that the country is facing strategic changes in the world greater than any we've known since the end of the Second World War. The United States is retreating from some of the institutions and values it has supported in the past, and China is asserting a greater role for itself in the region. Nationalism and protectionism are on the rise. What does all this mean for Australia? Is a new Cold War brewing? And how can we navigate the hazards? Food and drinks are included in the price of admission and will be served to all guests on the University Club Balcony following Allan's presentation. We will also be continuing the tradition of the Christmas book swap. Guests are encouraged to bring along a wrapped book to receive one in return. For catering purposes, all Christmas Party tickets must be purchased by Friday 7 December. There will be no door sales for the December Christmas Party event. Purchase tickets online, or contact Secretary Jeremy on 0432 956 895 to organise cash/cheque payments cheque payments. About the speaker Allan Gyngell is National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, an Honorary Professor at the ANU, and a Board Director of China Matters. His long career in Australian foreign and national security policy included appointments as Director-General of the Office of National Assessments (ONA), as the inaugural Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, and to senior positions in the Prime Minister's office, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is the author of Fear of Abandonment: Australia in the World Since 1942, and co-author of Making Australian Foreign Policy. Allan is an Officer in the Order of Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Join AIIA WA to hear from His Excellency, Mr Wahidullah Waissi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan, speaking about the geopolitical context of Afghanistan, its location and resources, and future prospects. The event will take place at 6pm for a 6.15pm start at the Karrakatta Club in the Perth CBD.  Refreshments will be available for purchase at the venue.  About the speaker His Excellency Mr Wahidullah Waissi has been Ambassador to the Commonwealth of Australia since March 2017. Ambassador Waissi has extensive professional experience working in international economic development and diplomacy. He served as Senior Advisor to the minister on regional cooperation and later as Director-General for Economic Cooperation for four years, where he was responsible for coordinating and promoting regional mega projects from negotiation through to implementation, including the TAPI Gas Pipeline; CASA1000 electricity project; Chabahar transit agreement between Afghanistan, Iran and India; and the Lapis Lazuli transport corridor connecting Afghanistan to Europe between Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.  Mr. Waissi also worked as a Director and Formulation Manager for Afghanistan’s National Development Strategy and has been involved in coordination and organizing 24 national and international conferences for Afghanistan between 2004 and 2016. Mr. Waissi is a PhD Scholar of the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Australian National University and is also a co-founder and Chair of the Green Club, a voluntary based community for environmental protection and promoting the green economy.

AIIA WA, in partnership with the Confucius Institute of UWA, invite you to the University Club to hear from Tao Xie, James Laurenceson, and Mark Beeson, on Australia-China relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, the Australia China relationship has expanded to encompass economic, cultural, educational, person to person and geopolitical interactions. The recent rise of nationalism and populism in the Western world has impacted how these connections are viewed, casting China’s rise in Australia as a threat. As politicians, academics and business people grapple with the complexity of the relationship, forums of transcultural discussion have never been more important. This instalment of China in Conversation is also the keynote presentation for the Australia China Transcultural Studies (ACTS) Symposium, this year held at UWA. Our panel of experts bring decades of research to this conversation, providing a level of nuance which is essential for understanding the multifaceted engagement between Australia and China. Is it time to redraw the relationship? Will this help to pave the road to ongoing mutual benefit? We hope you can join us for an evening of transcultural discourse and lively discussion.   About the speakers   Tao XIE is professor of political science and associate dean at the School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University. He holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University (2007). His research interests include U.S. Congress, public opinion, U.S.-China relations, and Chinese foreign policy. Along with several journal articles, he is also the author of U.S.-China Relations: China Policy on Capitol Hill (Routledge 2009) and Living with the Dragon: How the American Public Views the Rise of China (with Benjamin I. Page, Columbia University Press, 2010).     James Laurenceson is Deputy Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at UTS. He has previously held appointments at the University of Queensland, Shandong University and Shimonoseki City University. He was President of the Chinese Economics Society of Australia from 2012-2014. His work focuses on contemporary Chinese economic developments and the Australia-China economic relationship. His writing has been published in leading scholarly journals and media outlets including the China Economic Review, China Economic Journal, Australian Financial Review, South China Morning Post and the China Daily.   Mark Beeson is Professor of International Politics at the University of Western Australia. Before re-joining UWA in 2015, he taught at Murdoch, Griffith, Queensland, York (UK) and Birmingham. He has also had visiting positions in the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and Hong Kong. His is the author or editor of 19 books, focusing on the politics, economics and security of the broadly conceived Asia-Pacific region. He is currently the Research Chair of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts.   To register for this free event please click here.

Sue Boyd spent thirty four years with the Australian Foreign Service that involved coups, floods, Stasi in East Germany, The Pacific Solution, Disarmament and Outer Space, as well as The Portuguese Carnation Revolution and The Timor Crisis. Since returning to Perth Sue has continued an active involvement in international relations. She has been a driving force within the AIIA and has been made a Fellow of the Institute. Sue has worked with universities and aboriginal communities; was recently Chair of the Hong Kong Selection Panel for the New Colombo Plan Scholarships; was a board member of the Pacific Regional Human Rights Organisation; and has recently finished her book based on these experiences. She will share some of the highs and lows of her career in this - her Fellows Lecture for the AIIA.  About the speaker Dr Sue Boyd was a student activist at UWA and was Guild President in 1969, beating Kim Beazley and Tim Blain for the job. She joined DFAT in 1970 and served in Portugal, East Germany and at the UN in New York. She was High Commissioner in Bangladesh and Fiji, Ambassador in Vietnam, and Consul General in Hong Kong. She was a pioneering woman in DFAT, striving to create better career options for women, and a better workplace for everyone. Note: The top image is an illustrated impression of the 1974 Portuguese Carnation Revolution, from Gaiola Aberta Magazine. Portugal was Sue's first overseas posting in 1970.

Garry Rodan will discuss his new book: Participation without Democracy In Southeast Asia, as conflicts have emerged, there has been a proliferation of new forms of political participation. This includes public policy feedback mechanisms, participatory budgeting, and nominated members of parliament. Paradoxically, expanded political representation—in both its democratic and non-democratic forms—has served more to constrain political competition than to enhance it. Drawing from his new book—Participation without Democracy (Cornell University Press, 2018)—Garry compares Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia to illustrate this argument and explain the differing trajectories of these political regimes.   About the speaker Garry Rodan is Professor of Politics & International Studies and Director of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He is the author of Participation without Democracy: Containing Conflicts in Southeast Asia (Cornell University Press, 2018), Transparency and Authoritarian Rule in Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2004), The Political Economy of Singapore’s Industrialization (Macmillan 1989), and co-author (with Caroline Hughes) of The Politics of Accountability in Southeast Asia (Oxford University Press, 2014).

Through the combined use of compelling imagery and storytelling, award-winning photographer and Argentinian-born, now Perth-based world adventurer Nicolás Marino will take us on an adrenaline-filled journey across far-flung corners of the planet where very few travellers dare to go.   This special presentation following the 2018 AGM will offer a different view on aspects of the world and humanity that are rarely presented in the media or through official channels.   From dodging Boko Haram in Nigeria, searching for gold at the depths of the Nubian Sahara in Sudan to experiencing the incredible hospitality of Mongolian nomads, Nicolás’ personal experiences will show a way in which having an open attitude towards others can have the potential to transform life in unimaginable ways.   Through his international experiences, Nicolás will offer his perspectives on the role he sees travel and photography playing in citizen diplomacy, improving cross-cultural understanding and relations between countries.   About the speaker Nicolás Marino is an architect by profession, an award-winning photographer and an avid storyteller.  He is a world adventurer who has been wandering the globe for the last 22 years across 88 countries with the aim of understanding life and human existence. During these years he has taken buses, trucks, trains, planes, rickshaws, motorbikes, ferries, boats, canoes, donkeys, horses, elephants and camels, but for the last 13 years, he has chosen to ride a bicycle to explore the world, clocking up 87,000 km so far to date. This form of transport allows him to relate very intimately to the places and the peoples he visits.   Nicolás speaks 6 languages (Spanish, English, Chinese, German, French and Portuguese) and is currently studying Tibetan and Italian. His photographic work has been published worldwide. For a sneak peek at the world through his eyes visit, www.nicolasmarino.com

Please join the AIIA WA, in partnership with Curtin University and Young Australians in International Affairs, for a discussion with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia, His Excellency Mr Grigory Logvinov.   This will be a unique opportunity to engage in a conversation with the Ambassador about Russia’s view of the world today, the key drivers of Russia’s foreign policy, and Russia's relations with Australia and the West.   Tea and coffee will be provided.

Looking for a career in diplomacy, or to represent your country at the UN? Want to hone your negotiating and crisis management skills? Hosted by the AIIA WA Young Professionals Network, Curtin International Relations Society and Young Australians in International Affairs in partnership with the ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, the hypothetical will give students and young professionals a taste of what it takes to tackle a regional crisis. Participants will be divided into five different government agencies which will respond to the hypothetical crisis as it unfolds over five 'days'. The groups will then present their recommendations to a 'National Security Council' to develop an official response on behalf of the Australian Government. Dr Jeremy Youde from the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs will lead this workshop.  Dr Jeremy Youde is Senior Lecturer and Fellow in the Department of International Relations in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. He also serves as the Deputy Director (Education) for the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. He joined the ANU in January 2016 and previously held appointments at colleges and universities in Minnesota, Iowa, and California. He is also a founding member, past treasurer, and current chair of the Global Health Section of the International Studies Association. His research focuses on the politics of global health and how the international community responds to infectious disease outbreaks. This is a free event but places are limited. Link to flyer

Please join AIIA WA with Ross Burns to discuss some of Syria’s principal historical sites and how they have been deliberately damaged in the conflict that has raged since 2011. Among the hundreds of archaeological sites and monuments in Syria, two cities, Aleppo and Palmyra, have been specifically targeted.  Between them they account for a significant proportion of the damage to Syria’s rich store of monuments, some of which date back as far as 3000 BC. Their targeting shows different patterns in the destruction of monuments as a tactic of war. Despite their significance, it would be wrong to write off Syria’s historical treasures as ‘lost’ or ‘destroyed’.  A large portion of the country’s treasures still remain and, in most cases, reconstruction is possible.  Given the importance of tourism to the country’s economy before 2011, reconstruction will be necessary for the country’s recovery and integral to the task of rebuilding Syrian society in all its dimensions including health, education, housing and infrastructure.   About the Speaker Ross Burns has written extensively on the archaeology and history of Syria including histories of both Aleppo and Damascus (Routledge 2005, 2016) and a PhD on colonnaded streets in the cities of the Roman East (Oxford University Press 2016). His first book, Monuments of Syria, was the first detailed survey of Syria’s archaeological and historical sites in English. It appeared in 1992 with later editions in 1999 and 2009. It gives both visual coverage to all of the sites in Monuments through hundreds of photos and maps and provides a cumulative catalogue of the damage to historic buildings in the current conflict. His most recent book, Aleppo, has received international acclaim. Ross was Australian Ambassador to Syria in 1984–87 and since his retirement from DFAT in 2003 has had honorary appointments at Macquarie University in Sydney. He has also worked with Oxford University contributing to a survey of how Roman temples became Byzantine churches (or mosques/synagogues in a few rare cases) to the Manar al-Athar online and free database of photos of archaeological and historical sites around the Mediterranean.  

Changes to international laws regarding personal information and trade secrets having been coming thick and fast, notably in the EU. Much of this ties into government and community concerns about what data aggregators like Google and Facebook are doing with personal information. But these new laws also impose serious obligations upon even small companies endeavouring to do business in an international environment.  Join us with prominent intellectual property and information technology lawyer, David Stewart to discuss personal data laws and what the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal means for business globally and in Australia.    About the Speaker Dave Stewart is a Principal at Bennett + Co, Corporate and Commercial Lawyers, and an adjunct professor in law at Murdoch University. He works with laws and contracts relating to software, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data mining, social media and search engine optimization, trade secrets protocols, and other areas of intellectual property and technology law. In 2017 Dave was recognised by the industry journal AsiaLaw as a “leading lawyer” in the Asia Pacific region. 

Please join AIIA WA with Professor Phil Cerny who will outline some contrasting scenarios for a future he calls The New Anarchy. The nation-state and the states system are under increasing stress.  Social, economic and political processes above states, such as globalisation, and processes below states, such as civil and ethnic wars, the new tribalism, the erosion of borders, and new technologies, are interacting in ways that states find increasingly difficult to control.  Professor Cerny will discuss some examples that illustrate these processes and their effects in a world that is becoming more open yet more fragmented. Attendees are invited to review Phil's recent article The New Anarchy and a chapter titled Functional differentiation, globalization and the new transnational neopluralism,from the boo Bringing Sociology to IR: World Politics as Differentiation Theory. About the Speaker Philip G. Cerny is Professor Emeritus of Politics and Global Affairs at the University of Manchester and Rutgers University-Newark. He was educated at Kenyon College, Sciences Po (Paris) and the University of Manchester, where he received his Ph.D. in 1976. He has also taught at the Universities of York and Leeds, and has been a visiting scholar or professor at Harvard University, Sciences Po (Paris), Dartmouth College, New York University and the Brookings Institution. He is the author of The Politics of Grandeur: Ideological Aspects of de Gaulle’s Foreign Policy (Cambridge University Press 1980), The Changing Architecture of Politics: Structure, Agency and the Future of the State (Sage 1990) and Rethinking World Politics: A Theory of Transnational Neopluralism (Oxford Univeristy Press 2010), and he has been editor or co-editor of several books on French politics, international political economy, global finance and international political theory, most recently Rethinking World Politics: A Theory of Transnational Neopluralism (2010). His most recent article is "The New Anarchy: Globalisation and Fragmentation in World Politics" (with Alex Prichard), in the Journal of International Political Theory (2017). He received the Distinguished Scholar Award of the I.P.E. Section of the International Studies Association in 2011 and until recently chaired Research Committee No. 36 (Political Power) of the International Political Science Association.