Alliances face a defining test. Will ANZUS and the alliances in the Indo-Pacific be overwhelmed by disorder or stand as a collective breakwater? Leading experts are coming to Sydney to unpack it. Secure tickets → ussc.edu.au/sisf2026
United States Studies Centre
@usstudiescentre.bsky.social
The leading think tank analysing US foreign policy, defence, economics, politics and culture. At the University of Sydney. Analysis of America. Insight for Australia. Solutions for the Alliance. 📅 Events: https://www.ussc.edu.au/events
As President Trump's approval ratings drop, USSC's Jared Mondschein says cost-of-living pressures remain a key issue shaping voter sentiment. "The issue at hand is this very issue that got him into the office in the first place (or back in)."
Trump's approval rating hits historic lows ahead of midterm elections | ABC NEWS
YouTube video by ABC News (Australia)
youtube.com
What does the American Revolution have to do with the founding of Australia? More than you might think. Dr Aaron Nyerges reveals how 1776 redrew the world map — shaping both nations. Listen → ussc.edu.au/podcasts/ussc-briefing-room/geographical-implications-of-the-american-revolution
What role can alliances play amid strategic competition, economic interdependence and uncertainty about the regional order? Explore it with leading experts at #SISF2026. Secure tickets now before early bird pricing ends. ussc.edu.au/sisf2026
A moratorium on data centres won’t solve Australia’s energy challenges. It risks pushing investment offshore, slowing renewable energy and digital infrastructure, and reducing Australia’s role in the global AI supply chain, says USSC's Olivia Shen.
Should Australia pause building new data centres? We asked 5 experts
As data centres have grown in size and number in Australia, they have also become the subject of fierce public debate. So what’s the best way forward?
theconversation.com
Most Americans want to get rid of twice-yearly clock changes. The problem? Most can’t agree on a permanent solution. USSC's Samuel Garrett examines why the debate over daylight saving time is far from settled in the United States. https://bit.ly/3Rn7Qrl
What happens when globalisation fuels geopolitical rivalry instead of preventing it? Professor Nick Bisley joined the USSC to discuss The Asian Crucible and why Asia has become the centre of today’s strategic contest. Listen to the discussion on @news.abc.net.au.
Globalisation and geopolitics – the forces that will make or break Asia - ABC listen
Globalisation has powered the extraordinary economic rise of Asia. But the same components that built this success — open trade, deep supply chains, interdependence — are now fuelling the rivalries th...
abc.net.au
Opposition to the US-Iran war reached levels that took years to emerge during Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, says USSC's Jared Mondschein. It's a political reality likely to shape the upcoming US midterm elections.
US disapproval of Iran war 'almost immediate' compared to other wars | ABC NEWS
YouTube video by ABC News (Australia)
youtube.com
"The original issue about Iran's nuclear program now just seems completely remote," says USSC+@sydney.edu.au's Dr David Smith. "The next stage of conflict is going to be all about the Strait of Hormuz."
What happens next in the Strait of Hormuz could set a dangerous precedent
The fight over a vital shipping route could reshape how global chokepoints are used in future conflicts, experts say.
sbs.com.au
"The sudden and unexpected passing of Senator Lindsey Graham at age 71 will directly affect how the United States conducts itself around the globe, and not for the better," writes USSC's Lester Munson.
The challenge that Lindsey Graham leaves behind
ussc.edu.au
"Celebrations for July 4 revealed a polarised nation still anchored by civic traditions, democratic checks and enduring global confidence in the United States," writes USSC CEO Dr Michael Green. https://www.ussc.edu.au/what-the-united-states-250th-birthday-showed-the-world
What the United States’ 250th birthday showed the world
ussc.edu.au
The Sydney International Strategy Forum returns this September. Join renowned experts from the United States, Australia and across the Indo-Pacific to examine the biggest strategic questions shaping our world. ussc.edu.au/sisf2026
China dominates key critical minerals chokepoints. The Quad’s response? Up to US$20B and deeper coordination. But success hinges on execution across three fronts, write Hayley Channer and Robert Monterosso. www.ussc.edu.au/operationalising-the-quad-critical-minerals-initiative
“It’s meant to intimidate. It’s meant to be awe-inspiring, to send the signal that resistance is futile.“ China’s missile test is not just a show of capability, but a deliberate signal to Pacific states about regional power, says USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.
Missile mafia: ‘resistance is futile'
China's nuclear-capable missile test is the most significant recent show of force in the region that shows Beijing intends to be a bigger security presence in the Pacific, experts say, with some suggesting the Albanese government must reconsider the “s...
theaustralian.com.au
China’s missile launch was meant to “intimidate Pacific island nations and Australia” and signal there will be “punishment” for new security agreements, says USSC CEO Michael Green.
China goes ballistic after Albanese signs treaty with Fiji
China has sparked furious condemnation after firing a long-range missile into the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a far-reaching military alliance with Fiji that could be joined by other island nations.
theaustralian.com.au
Short-term security gains can come at the expense of long-term relationships. In the Pacific, resilience may be the more strategic investment writes @australia.csis.org Kathryn Paik. https://www.ussc.edu.au/bolstering-pacific-resilience-a-new-paradigm-for-engagement-by-us-allies-and-partners
“Vast amounts of water and energy”, land use pressures, and noise pollution. These are some of the concerns driving calls to pause new data centres. USSC's Olivia Shen weighs in.
Should Australia pause building new data centres? We asked 5 experts
As data centres have grown in size and number in Australia, they have also become the subject of fierce public debate. So what’s the best way forward?
theconversation.com
The next Mythos is just around the corner. "Australia can either be proactive with shaping the rules of access now or accept a future where the rules lock us out," writes Olivia Shen.
Why Australia shouldn't try to build its own AI - Switzer
Australia can’t brute force its way to frontier AI capability.
switzer.com.au
"The goal is not a fantasy of energy independence, nor passive dependence on the United States, but a more resilient Australia in a more equal alliance, striving to form that 'more perfect union' between our two nations," writes @lrcarey.bsky.social.
Australia’s Declaration of Energy Interdependence
America’s 250th anniversary should remind Australia that energy security is built through managed dependence, not fantasies of independence.
ussc.edu.au
What do Australians think their government should actually do about the alliance? "Despite their pessimism, just 15% of Australians want Australia to abandon it," write Samuel Garrett and Ava Kalinauskas.
After 250 years of American independence, what do Australians think about the US?
A new survey shows Australians have made their mind up on Donald Trump and are questioning why Australia needs its closest ally.
theconversation.com
America’s founding continues to shape political debates 250 years later. Prof. Brendon O’Connor examines how scholars associated with the Claremont Institute interpret the Declaration of Independence — and the influence of those ideas in the Trump era.
The Claremonters, the founding and the Trump administration
One of the most influential intellectual groupings on the Trump administration are scholars associated with the conservative Claremont Institute. What do the Claremonters think about the founding and ...
ussc.edu.au
“Perhaps most strikingly, less than a third of Australians (31%) think the Australian government has properly explained why Australia even needs the alliance at all,” write Samuel Garrett and Ava Kalinauskas.
After 250 years of American independence, what do Australians think about the US?
A new survey shows Australians have made their mind up on Donald Trump and are questioning why Australia needs its closest ally.
theconversation.com
What does the American Revolution have to do with Australia’s founding? Dr Aaron Nyerges explores how the events of 1776 reverberated far beyond North America, influencing everything from European empires to the founding of British Australia. https://www.ussc.edu.au/1776-international-geographies
1776 international geographies
The American Revolution was global in its scope and consequences. The war would remake the map of the world, including the great southern land that would become Australia.
ussc.edu.au
Why do Americans treat the Declaration of Independence and Constitution differently from almost any other nation? Associate Prof. David Smith explores how these founding documents continue to shape American politics 250 years on.
America's sacred documents
The Declaration of Independence did not just found the United States. It founded a unique political culture based on sacred — yet secular — documents. A culture where the most important political symb...
ussc.edu.au
As America marks 250 years of independence, Australians remain concerned about the United States — but steady in their view of the alliance. Jared Mondschein examines why long-term national interests appear more event-proof than ever.
Australian public opinion and eternal interests
In an era of increased geopolitics, Australians remain keen to stick with what works and, for most of them, the US alliance has continued to work despite their significant misgivings about the US poli...
ussc.edu.au
The Declaration of Independence inspired more than revolution against the British Crown. Its language of liberty and equality was later embraced by women, abolitionists and other reformers seeking rights the Founders themselves never fully envisioned, explains USSC's Dr Kathryn Schumaker.
The Declaration of Independence and the women's and anti-slavery movements
In the spring of 1776, as the Continental Congress prepared to declare independence, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John, and exhorted him to “Remember the Ladies” as they formed a new government...
ussc.edu.au
What connects the Declaration of Independence to the Moon landing? Dr Kathryn Robison argues America’s founding ideals have long fuelled its culture of innovation — while also raising enduring questions about power, progress and who benefits from it.
American innovation at 250
The first steps on the Moon were not just an extraordinary act of science and engineering — they were also a deafening statement of political power. And that, at its heart, is what the Founders sought...
ussc.edu.au
The Declaration shares “striking structural features” with conspiracy theory rhetoric, writes Dr Rodney Taveira. The critical distinction? Its charges were public, falsifiable and based on real policies that actually existed.
The Declaration of Independence in the Australian classroom
All students are struck by the infamous contradiction of slavery existing alongside the “self-evident truth, that all men are created equal,” which opens what was (at least from the perspective of the...
ussc.edu.au
Australia’s “Washminster” system has long responded to American democracy — sometimes taking inspiration, other times heeding a cautionary tale. Professor Benjamin Reilly explores what 250 years of US democracy has meant for Australia.
Australian and American democracy at 250
A century after 1776, Australia borrowed some of these same ideas as it began its own journey from a collection of British colonies to a united nation in the late 1800s.
ussc.edu.au
The first year of the second Trump administration brought striking shifts in US policy — and in Australian public opinion of the US. Our latest polling reveals where Australians stand ↓ https://www.ussc.edu.au/polling-results-or-where-do-australians-stand-on-their-most-important-ally
