The Australia-US alliance: Views from the region

As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Australia-US alliance continues to evolve in response to a changing regional context in the Indo-Pacific. How do Australia’s neighbours in Southeast Asia understand the purpose of the alliance in 2021? Is the alliance seen as limiting Australia’s autonomy, or enhancing its influence? Is the alliance seen as distracting Australia from engaging its neighbours, or as contributing to regional security? This event explored how various trends, including the emergence of a more regionally assertive China and the development of networked security arrangements, have affected regional perceptions of ANZUS and its role in Australian foreign policy. Hosted by Susannah Patton, Research Fellow in the United States Studies Centre's Foreign Policy and Defence Program, this webinar featured perspectives from three leading Southeast Asian foreign and defence policy experts: Sarah Teo, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Regional Security Architecture Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; Evan A. Laksmana, Wang Gungwu Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore; and Shahriman Lockman, Director in the Chief Executive's Office of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia.