Asia Rising

US Engagement With Pacific Island Nations 06.07.2026 20min

The United States has, over recent years, significantly deepened its engagement with Pacific Island nations — reopening embassies, renewing funding compacts, and positioning itself as a committed partner in a region of growing strategic importance. Since the return of the Trump administration in January 2025, questions have been raised about the continuity of that commitment, and what a changed US posture means for the Pacific and for the countries that share an interest in its stability. Guest: Professor Alan Tidwell (Director of the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies, Georgetown University) Recorded on 28th May, 2026.

The Continued Repression of Uyghurs 12.06.2026 19min

An escalating crisis faces the Uyghur in China. The newly enacted Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress legalises forced assimilation, erases linguistic rights, and expands state surveillance. It provides a permanent legal framework for the ongoing campaign of mass re-education camps, long-term imprisonment, and cultural erasure of China’s minorities. Guest: Yalkun Uluyol (China Researcher, Human Rights Watch) Host: Emeritus Professor James Leibold (Asian Studies, La Trobe University) Recorded 22nd May, 2026.

Interview: Pragmatic China and Multilateral Organisations 30.05.2026 25min

Over the past decade, China has launched a remarkable number of multilateral initiatives — from the Belt and Road to BRICS to a suite of so-called Global Initiatives covering development, security, and civilisation. Western analysts have tended to read these as evidence of a Chinese project to displace the existing international order. Guest: Dr Joel Ng (Senior Fellow and Head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore) Book: The Dragon’s Emerging Order: Sinocentric Multilateralism and Global Responses Recorded on 27th March, 2026.

Event: Navigating Conflict in a Contested World 12.05.2026 1godz

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? A La Trobe Centre for Global Security / Centre for Human Security and Social Change event 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

Event: When Engineers Shape Asia 05.05.2026 57min

Over the past two decades, China and India have undergone one of the most dramatic expansions of engineering education in human history. In 2020 alone, India awarded 1.5 million science and engineering degrees, and China awarded 2 million. In China, engineering now makes up a third of all university degrees, and this rate far outpaces the United States. China and India are producing engineers at an unprecedented scale, with significant implications for governance, social mobility, gender equity, and the labour market. What does it mean for a society when efficiency and measurable outcomes become the dominant lens through which its most educated citizens — and its leaders — see the world? Do you need an “engineered” society to replicate China’s economic growth? And how might India’s path differ? A webinar from La Trobe Asia and the Asian Smart Cities Research and Innovation Network (ASCRIN) at La Trobe University. Speakers: Dr Trissia Wijaya (McKenzie Research Fellow, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne) Abhiram Haridas (PhD Candidate, ASCRIN and IIT (Kanpur) Akkapeddi Rama Krishna Satya Srinivas (Graduate researcher, ASCRIN and IIT (Kanpur)) Dr Ruth Gamble (Director, La Trobe Asia)(Chair) Recorded on 28th April, 2026.

Interview: Preserving Tibetan Culture and Knowledge 01.05.2026 19min

Tibet’s story is one of the most profound of the modern era — a civilisation forced into exile, carrying its language, philosophy, and sacred texts across the Himalayas in an act of collective survival. Preserving that heritage, while also engaging the modern world, has become one of the defining challenges for Tibetans in diaspora. Few people embody that challenge more personally than Geshe Lhakdor. Born in Tibet in 1956, he fled to India as a child, went on to spend sixteen years as the personal English translator and religious assistant to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and has since become the Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala — one of the most important repositories of Tibetan knowledge in the world. Guest: Geshe Lhakdor Recorded 23rd March, 2024

Interview: Ethnic Unity and Assimilation in China 02.04.2026 21min

China’s new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress mandates Mandarin as the language of education, encourages the breakup of minority-majority neighbourhoods, and criminalises expressions of ethnic separatism — including by Chinese citizens living abroad. Critics say it formalises a decades-long push toward assimilation that has already reshaped the lives of Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian and other minority communities. Guest: Professor James Leibold (Professor of Politics and Asian Studies, La Trobe University). Recorded on 25th March, 2026.

Book Launch: The Dragon's Emerging Order: Sino-centric Multilateralism and Global Responses 30.03.2026 59min

China’s rise is often framed as a challenge to the Western-led international order, with attention focused on how Beijing works within — and pushes back against — liberal institutions. Yet a more consequential shift is underway. China is increasingly shaping global politics through new, Sino-centric forms of multilateralism, building parallel forums that operate alongside, and sometimes beyond, existing institutions. What is driving this strategy, and how do these new arrangements function in practice? How is China combining hard and soft power to expand its influence? And what does the spread of Sino-centric multilateralism mean for the future of global order? The Melbourne launch of The Dragon’s Emerging Order: Sino-centric Multilateralism and Global Responses, with editor Joel Ng. Panel: Dr Joel Ng (Head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Dr Alan Chong (Senior Fellow, Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Dr Su-Hyun Lee (Senior Associate Fellow, Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Professor Nick Bisley (Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), La Trobe University) Dr Mark Manantan (Research Fellow, La Trobe Centre for Global Security)(chair) Recorded on 27th March, 2026.

Event: Healthy Ageing in Asia-Pacific 25.03.2026 48min

Across the Asia-Pacific, people are living longer than ever before. From rapidly ageing societies in Northeast Asia to younger but fast-transitioning populations in South and Southeast Asia, countries across the region are confronting the social and economic implications of longer lives. These shifts are generating diverse challenges — and innovative responses — as governments, communities and families rethink how to support ageing populations. What does it mean to age well in societies undergoing rapid economic and social change? How can families, communities and health systems across Asia better support people to remain healthy and independent for longer? And what innovations — social, medical or technological — are emerging in the region to help societies adapt to this new demographic reality? Panel: Professor George Liu (Associate Dean (Partnerships International), School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University) Professor Irene Blackberry (John Richards Chair and Director, Care Economy Research Institute, La Trobe University) - Dr Hiromasa Okayasu (Director of Division of Healthy Environments and Populations. World Health Organization) - Professor Bianca Brijnath (Health Communication in Society at La Trobe University) (Chair) Recorded on 23rd March, 2026.

Interview: How the Media Shapes Territory in Asia 19.03.2026 20min

Traditional security debates focus on maps, borders, naval deployments, and treaties. But increasingly, territory in Asia is also constructed through narratives, media coverage, digital platforms, and public emotion. Journalists are not just observers — they help shape how territory, sovereignty, and security are understood by the public and policymakers. Guest: Dr Lupita Wijaya (Research Fellow at the La Trobe Centre for Global Security and Co-ordinator of the Southeast Asia Maritime Media Visits Project). Recorded 16th March, 2026.

Book Launch: Asian Crucible: Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future 12.03.2026 58min

Asia’s modern resurgence has transformed the global economy, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty through globalization, supply chains and market integration. Yet this success has also generated new geopolitical rivalries and nationalist tensions, placing the region at a critical crossroads between continued prosperity and growing risk. What powered Asia’s economic transformation — and are globalization and supply chains now becoming sources of vulnerability rather than strength? How are intensifying geopolitics and nationalism reshaping the region’s future? And what leadership and policy choices will determine whether Asia’s next chapter is defined by cooperation or conflict? The launch of Asian Crucible: Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future by Nick Bisley. Speakers: Professor Nick Bisley (Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), La Trobe University) Dan Flitton (Managing Editor, Lowy Interpreter) The Hon. John Brumby AO (Chancellor, La Trobe University) Dr Ruth Gamble (Director, La Trobe Asia) Recorded 5th March, 2026.

Interview: Land and Identity in Nagaland 04.03.2026 27min

The far north-eastern Indian state of Nagaland has a distinct history, and the Naga communities who call it home face a range of complex dilemmas. Preserving cultural rights and traditions within the framework of the Indian state presents ongoing challenges — particularly in relation to the intricacies of land ownership and governance. Guest: Menokhono Sakhrie (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tata Institute of Social Sciences) Host: Dr Ruth Gamble (Director, La Trobe Asia) Recorded 26th November, 2025.

Event: Who Won? Trade Wars and Australia 02.03.2026 1godz 4min

The global trading system is under growing strain. Security risks are increasing, free trade is in decline, and a new economic order is emerging in which nations increasingly view trade as a tool for gaining strategic and political advantage. Long-standing assumptions about openness, efficiency, and interdependence are being challenged by rising protectionism and geopolitical rivalry. How will changes in trade impact global supply chains? How can Australia respond as trade becomes weaponised? What role can diplomacy play in rescuing global trade? The launch of the new issue of Australian Foreign Affairs. Panel: Professor Shiro Armstrong (Director, Australia-Japan Research Centre, Australian National University) Melissa Conley Tyler (Executive Director, Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue) Professor Nick Bisley (Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), La Trobe University) Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security) (Chair) Recorded 26th February, 2026.

Event: Enhancing Australia-Korea Cooperation in Contested Asia 20.02.2026 58min

Despite differing geographies and security pressures, Australia and the Republic of Korea face shared challenges arising from intensifying strategic competition and growing regional uncertainty. Both countries have an opportunity for a closer collaboration to promote regional stability and help shape a resilient multipolar order. How can Australia and Korea move beyond defence-industrial cooperation to advance a broader security partnership? Where do opportunities for practical, mutually beneficial collaboration lie? And how can institutional cooperation be strengthened to give the Australia–Korea relationship greater strategic depth and durability? Read the issue of the La Trobe Asia Brief here. Panel: Mr Jimin Kim (Charge d’affaires, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Australia)(introduction) Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security) Associate Professor Danielle Chubb (International Relations, Deakin University) Professor Sungyong Lee (Peace and Conflict Studies, Soka University) Dr Ruth Gamble (Director, La Trobe Asia) (Chair) Recorded on 19th February, 2026.

Interview: America and Trump's Asia Strategy in 2025 10.02.2026 38min

The United States — and indeed the world — is now one year into Donald Trump’s second presidency. While many developments were foreshadowed during his first term, 2025 has nevertheless been an eventful year, marked by decisions and dynamics that have had wide-ranging global consequences. Guests: Professor Nick Bisley (Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), La Trobe University) Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security) Recorded on 4th February, 2026.

#256: Blue Security in the Indo-Pacific 22.01.2026 24min

The Indo-Pacific is often described as a maritime region, but the oceans here are far more than geography. They are trade corridors, food sources, energy highways, and increasingly, sites of strategic competition. How states think about security at sea—what some now call blue security—is becoming central to regional order. Dr Troy Lee-Brown (Research Fellow, University of Western Australia Defense and Security Institute, and Project Manager of the Blue Security Program) Recorded on 19th January, 2026.

#255: Is Russia Turning East? 07.01.2026 29min

Russia has long imagined itself as a great power looking westward while sitting firmly in the east. That tension—between geography and identity, ambition and capability—shapes the way it approaches Asia. Guest: Dr Ian Storey (Senior Fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore)

#254: China's Evolving Role in Latin America 10.12.2025 20min

China’s presence in Latin America has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, reshaping the region’s economies, politics, and strategic landscape. From major infrastructure projects and digital ecosystems to shifting patterns of trade, finance, and influence, Beijing’s role is becoming both more complex and more contested. Guest: Margaret Myers (Managing Director, Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins SAIS; Senior Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue) Recorded 19th November, 2025

Putin's Asia Strategy 27.11.2025 45min

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has upended global geopolitics — and its ripple effects have reached deep into Southeast Asia. How has the Kremlin’s “pivot to Asia” evolved under Vladimir Putin and has Russia been able to advance its economic and geopolitical interests in Southeast Asia? How did regional states react to Russian aggression against Ukraine and what explains their differing responses to the invasion? In this book launch event, Dr Ian Storey discusses his new book Putin’s Russia and Southeast Asia: The Kremlin’s Pivot to Asia and the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War, exploring Russia’s strategic aims, energy diplomacy, and defence ties in the region. How resilient are these relationships in the face of war, sanctions, and shifting alliances? And what does this mean for Southeast Asia’s future place in a fragmenting world order? Recorded on 25th November, 2025.

Conflict Prevention in the Indo-Pacific 21.11.2025 1godz 2min

Across the Indo-Pacific rising geopolitical tensions, democratic backsliding, and climate-related instability are increasing the risk of violent conflict. Yet far less attention — and funding — is devoted to preventing crises before they occur. Early-warning, multi-track diplomacy, locally grounded peacebuilding, and whole-of-government coherence are all strategies that can be employed to develop a more effective approach. How can governments, aid agencies, and regional bodies work together to spot risks early and build resilience? What part should Australia play in linking diplomacy, aid, and security? And how can prevention be woven into regional cooperation across Southeast Asia and the Pacific? Panel: William Leben (Senior Analyst, Development Intelligence Lab) Assoc. Professor Jasmine Westendorf (Co-Director of Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne) Dr Natalie Sambhi (Executive Director, Verve Research) Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Asia) Recorded on 20th November, 2025.