Navigating Conflict in a Contested World

In an increasingly contested global environment, the international community faces growing pressure to respond to current and emerging wars and instability across the full conflict spectrum: from prevention, to managing active conflict, to post-conflict reconstruction. Effective conflict prevention requires states to draw on a broad toolkit of policy levers, including security and defence initiatives, development assistance, and diplomatic engagement. Yet in practice, these tools are often applied unevenly. Focusing on contemporary dynamics in Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East, this discussion asks: What are the conflicts that Australia should be alert to? And how can diverse levers of statecraft be deployed to prevent and address conflict? Panel: Dr Lisa Denney (Director, Centre for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University) Anna Naupa (Research and Engagement Fellow, Pacific Security College, Australian National University) Professor Michelle Burgis-Kasthala (La Trobe Law School) Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security) Recorded on 4th May, 2026