ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs

Dr Paul Lushenko (US Army War College) recently joined us at the Coral Bell School for a session in our 'Discussing AI, Automated Systems, and the Future of War Seminar Series', presenting his research on military and public attitudes toward emerging battlefield technologies.

This series is part of Professor Toni Erskine's research project "Anticipating the Future of War: AI, Automated Systems, and Resort-to-Force Decision Making," funded by the Australian Government through a Defence grant.

Listen here:

Military and Public Attitudes for Emerging Technologies on the Battlefield - Dr Paul Lushnko [AUDIO] Discussing AI, Automated Systems, and the Future of War Seminar Ser...

Australian expert on climate change and the Pacific, Dr George Carter (Director of the ANU Pacific Institute at the Australian National University) visited Belgrade this week and spoke to RTS Predstavlja, see the wide-ranging interview at:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUXFlr3UNzM
This interview canvasses the climate change challenge we all face, how Pacific island states are already being impacted - plus more on this great global challenge. You will also learn about Australia and Türkiye’s collaboration for this year’s COP 31, where Australia has a lead negotiating role.
Thank you RTS for hosting Dr Carter and dedicating this live program to this issue.

Salā Dr Siaosi Carter, Head of our Department of Pacific Affairs, was recently in Belgrade speaking at the Faculty of Law on climate change and the upcoming COP 31.

Dr Siaosi Carter spoke about the climate crisis facing Pacific communities, where rising seas and extreme weather are already reshaping daily life.

Democracy Sausage Episode: China in the world | Australian Studies Institute Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash2 June, 2026Can Australia manage the tensions between our strategic relationship with China and the alliance with the United States? Does membership of AUKUS and the Quad damage our China relationship? How significantly are societal and economic issues...

A big few months ahead at the Coral Bell School. Check out what's happening and grab a spot!

🎟️ Register here: https://bellschool.anu.edu.au/news-events

Asia & the Pacific at ANU

Reminder that SELT-care is self care.

Thanks for doing your SELTs 🫶

Last night we had the honour of welcoming Professor Amitav Acharya to deliver the 2026 Des Ball Public lecture. Professor Acharya examined whether world order can survive the decline of the West, drawing on his research into the long history of world ordering, as well as recent developments, including the second Trump Presidency.

Many thanks to Associate Professor Amy King, Head of our Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), for her opening remarks and for chairing a lively and wide-ranging Q&A, and to Jascha Ramba Santoso for closing the evening with some thoughtful remarks.

Professor Acharya joins our Strategic and Defence Studies Centre as the 2026 Des Ball Visiting Chair in Strategic Studies. A UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance and Distinguished Professor at the School of International Service, American University, his research has had world-leading impact on Asia-Pacific security, global order, and the study of Southeast Asia in International Relations.

The Des Ball Visiting Chair in Strategic Studies brings leading strategic thinkers to ANU to promote research, teaching, and scholarship in strategic studies, defence studies, and regional security. The Visiting Chair is supported by the Des Ball Strategic Endowment, which builds on the remarkable legacy of Professor Desmond Ball AO and his work in nuclear strategy and intelligence, Asia-Pacific security, and Thailand-Myanmar security.

➡️ Professor Acharya has written some thoughtful reflections on Des Ball and SDSC which you can read here: https://quicklink.anu.edu.au/jbp5

Congratulations to Professor Toni Erskine, from our Department of International Relations, and co-editors Peng Lu, Stefano Guzzini, and Xiao Ren, along with all contributors, on receiving the 2026 International Studies Association Theory Section's Best Edited Volume Award!

The award recognises their guest-edited symposium Dialogue with the Chinese School of IR Theory, published across two issues of The Chinese Journal of International Politics (CJIP) and subsequently compiled as a Reader.

➡️: https://academic.oup.com/cjip/pages/dialogue-with-chinese-school-ir-theory

Australia's intelligence community has one of the most consequential and least understood histories in the region. For those working in or moving toward national security, defence or intelligence, understanding how that community operates, and why it operates the way it does, is foundational.

Mastering Honeypots and Overcoats is a five-day intensive course (6-10 July 2026) covering the foundations of intelligence collection and analysis, the evolution and oversight of Australia's national intelligence community, and its place within the Five Eyes network. The course culminates in a highly realistic crisis simulation in which participants prepare intelligence briefs and respond to urgent tasks as a security scenario unfolds in real time.

The course is convened byJohn Blaxland, Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies and Director of the ANU North America Liaison Office in Washington DC. A former military intelligence officer and Defence Attaché in Southeast Asia, Professor Blaxland brings direct professional experience and a substantial body of academic work on intelligence, espionage and cyber security to the course.

Ideally suited to those aspiring to careers in the national security community, or professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of Australia's intelligence landscape.

Limited spots. Enrol now via ANUHub. ➡️ https://programsandcourses.anu.edu.au/course/stst8017

If you need a permission code, email [email protected].

Asia & the Pacific at ANU

Congratulations to the March graduating cohort of our dual degree program with 立命館大学／Ritsumeikan University graduating with two degrees, Bachelor of Global and Liberal Arts (GLA) & Bachelor in Asia Pacific Affairs (BAPA), from two universities.

Our graduates spent four years between Canberra and Osaka, building fluency in the politics and complexities of the Asia-Pacific from the inside out.

A special shoutout to Oliver Johnstone, Dux of both the BAPA and GLA programs, who accepted the award on behalf of his cohort at the main ceremony and spoke at the GLA graduation in Osaka.

Congratulations to the class of 2025! The region you've spent the last four years studying needs people who understand it as well as you do 💛

Learn more about our innovative dual degree program: https://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/study/bachelor/asia-pacific-affairs-global-liberal-arts