About this podcast
Welcome to Lowy Institute Conversations – a podcast in which Lowy Institute researchers and some of the world’s leading experts delve into the big issues in international affairs.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 100 episodes
- AI and the future of warfare · 32 minAs advanced militaries converge on similar hardware, the decisive edge in future conflict may come from how quickly commanders can sense, decide and act. Christopher Kirchhoff…
- Why the world economy could double again by 2050 · 34 minAustralia’s economic future will be shaped less by domestic policy debates than by forces beyond its borders: the US–China relationship, artificial intelligence, and the health…
- Can AI rebuild democracy? · 30 minThe public’s anxiety about artificial intelligence appears to be growing, with high-profile data security breaches and opposition towards data centres attracting negative…
- From treaty to trust: The next chapter in the Australia–PNG relationship · 30 minDespite being close neighbours, Australia and Papua New Guinea have only recently become formal allies through the Pukpuk Treaty. But what does this new alliance mean beyond…
- Pacific unity on the line: The 2026 PIF Leaders' Meeting · 20 minAs the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting opens in Palau, the region faces a series of major challenges. These include a Chinese missile test that the Forum couldn’t…
- The Pacific’s deep-sea fault line · 28 minAs great powers race for the critical minerals scattered on the ocean floor, the Pacific is splitting into two camps — those betting on deep-sea mining as an economic lifeline…
- Stabilisation with caveats: Former ambassador Graham Fletcher on the Australia–China relationship · 23 minChina blocked trade, froze out ministers, and left lobsters rotting on the tarmac, and still couldn't force Australia to budge. In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations…
- Are we entering a new illiberal order? · 28 minThe way authoritarian and illiberal states interact has changed. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have gone from defending themselves against perceived liberal pressure to…
- Neighbours, not family: Rethinking Australia’s Pacific story · 29 minAustralia calls itself the Pacific's partner of choice. But is the relationship built on mutual understanding, or is it driven by Canberra’s anxiety about China? Professor Joanne…
- Australia's Pacific diplomatic blitz and China's missile test · 27 minIt's been the busiest fortnight in Australia–Pacific diplomacy in recent memory. In the space of ten days, Australia signed the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu, the Vuvale Union…
- The India paradox: Trusted more, but not understood · 26 minAs India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Australia for the third time, new Lowy Institute polling reveals a curious paradox: Australians now trust India more than the…
- Southeast Asia in the crossfire: Can ASEAN hold the line? · 29 minSoutheast Asia has always sat at the intersection of great power competition, but the pressures bearing down on the region today are testing its institutions, alliances and sense…
- The nuclear arms race nobody is talking about · 29 minThe New START Treaty has expired, China is quadrupling its nuclear arsenal, and the Trump administration has yet to prioritise arms control. Rose Gottemoeller, a former chief US…
- The West's systemic failure to learn from modern war · 28 min"On pretty much every measure, Putin is failing and he doesn't really have a lot of options moving forward." Russia is losing ground, its defence industry has plateaued, and…
- Australia’s sports diplomacy playbook · 24 minSport can be one of the great unifying forces in international affairs. But is Australia making the most of its opportunities off the field? In this episode, Andrew Griffits…
- Myanmar at a crossroads: Five years after the coup · 24 minMyanmar has been in a state of violent upheaval since the military seized power in 2021, leading to a nationwide resistance and the collapse of vital state functions. Myanmar’s…
- Trump-Xi summit: Has America abandoned strategic competition with China? · 25 minOn the eve of the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, Donald Trump's approach to China looks less like strategic competition and more like a search for a deal. In this episode, Richard…
- Catching up and pulling ahead: Inside America’s 2025 China report · 28 minFor years, the conventional wisdom held that the United States retained a decisive lead over China in the technologies and industries that will define the 21st century. The 2025…
- The decline of the West: Samir Puri on “Westlessness” and the new global order · 28 minSamir Puri, former UK diplomat and author of Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing, joins Transnational Challenges Program Director Lydia Khalil to explore the long decline…
- Strait of Hormuz crisis: Iran, shipping, and Australia's strategy · 29 minWhen Iran deterred shipping from the Strait of Hormuz following Operation Epic Fury, it sent shockwaves through global energy markets and exposed uncomfortable truths about…
