Programs & Projects

The International Security Program

The International Security Program

The International Security Program looks at strategic dynamics and security risks globally, with an emphasis on Australia's region of Indo-Pacific Asia. Its research spans strategic competition and the risks of conflict in Asia, security implications of the rise of China and India, maritime security, nuclear arms control, Australian defence policy and the changing character of conflict. The Program draws on a network of experts in Australia, Asia and globally, and is supported by diverse funding sources including grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. It convenes international policy dialogues such as the 2017 Australia-ROK Emerging Leaders International Security Forum and has a record of producing leading-edge, influential reports.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Remarks at the launch of the India Poll 2013
Speeches
Remarks at the launch of the India Poll 2013
On 20 May 2013, The Lowy Institute launched the India Poll 2013 at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. Indian Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr Manish Tewari…
China's worrying blue-water ambitions
[youtube:HUPVW2ep4oc#] Compared with the Rudd Government's 2009 Defence White Paper, which was criticised for what many viewed as its alarmist treatment of China's rise, the most…
Australia-France Strategic Dialogue: Co-Chairs' Report
Speeches
Australia-France Strategic Dialogue: Co-Chairs' Report
Australia and France are well-placed to help each other advance their security interests in a rapidly changing world. Despite differences of geography, these two countries share…
Michael Hayden reveals true scale of US-China intelligence competition
Anyone remotely interested in security and intelligence issues would have to be living under a rock to have missed this recent interview with the former head of the CIA and the…
Short film: The Flying Man
Via Sullivan, I came across a rather dark short film called The Flying Man, which takes a subversive look at the superhero genre. The critic Sullivan links to describes it as a…
Kevin 2.0: Looking for a Regional Solution on Asylum Seekers
Commentary
Kevin 2.0: Looking for a Regional Solution on Asylum Seekers
In this commentary for for CSIS' CogitAsia blog, Lowy Institute research associate Jack Georgieff analyses the contours of the asylum seeker debate in Australia alongside its…
Australia's South China Sea chance
All those countries (including Australia) that so solemnly call for a 'rules-based order' in Indo-Pacific Asia have a chance today to show they mean it. At a major gathering in…
What you can do for us, not what we can do for you
Commentary
What you can do for us, not what we can do for you
International Security Program Director Rory Medcalf looks at what the results of the 2013 Lowy Institute Poll reveal about Australia-US relations in light of the appointment of a…
Two nations take lead in securing Indo-Pacific century
Commentary
Two nations take lead in securing Indo-Pacific century
In this opinion piece in The West Australian, International Security Program Director Rory Medcalf and Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow Dr C Raja Mohan argue that Western…
Why Syria is not like Bosnia
Gorana Grgic is a PhD candidate in the Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney. Ever since the Obama Administration announced it would provide…