Council of Councils
On 24 and 25 February, the Lowy Institute hosted the Council of Councils, a grouping of the world's leading think tanks. The conference was co-chaired by Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute and Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations. It was the first Council of Councils meeting to be held in Australia.
The conference brought together some of the world's leading thinkers to discuss key topics such as the future of the G20, the challenge of Iran's nuclear program, and maritime security in Asia. A number of leading Australian political figures and officials addressed the conference, including the former Prime Minister of Australia the Hon. John Howard OM AC, Assistant Treasurer Senator the Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO, the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Varghese AO (click for transcript), and the Chancellor of the Australian National University, the Hon. Gareth Evans AC. The session discussing maritime security challenges in Asia Pacific region was held aboard HMAS Choules.
At the conclusion of the conference, Dr Richard Haass delivered a lecture on the challenges to global order a quarter-century after the end of the Cold War.
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The Council of Councils is an international initiative led by the Council on Foreign Relations connecting leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a common conversation on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation. Its membership is drawn from more than 20 countries and includes Chatham House and the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United Kingdom, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, the Observer Research Foundation in India, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies in China, and the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel. For more information on the Council, visit http://www.cfr.org/councilofcouncils
