Australia and the Future of Deterrence & Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is the most economically vibrant area of the globe, also featuring intense geopolitical competition and numerous territorial disputes. Perry World House and the Center for the Study of Contemporary China are pleased to host a timely conversation with His Excellency Kevin Rudd, Australia’s ambassador to the United States and former prime minister. Ambassador Rudd will explore Australia’s perspective about what is required to advance security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, discussing regional deterrence, how Australia’s partnership with the United States has evolved, including through initiatives such as AUKUS and the Quad, and key challenges for alliance building in the 21st century—from burden sharing and technological innovation to the resilience of critical minerals supply chains. As global dynamics shift, how will Australia navigate a changing Indo-Pacific?

Speaker

HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC is Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, taking up his posting in Washington in March 2023.

Ambassador Rudd served as Australia’s twenty-sixth Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, then as Minister for Foreign Affairs, before a second term as Prime Minister in 2013. He was Member for Griffith in the Australian Parliament from 1998 to 2013.

Since leaving government, Ambassador Rudd has resided in the United States where he is recognised as a leading analyst of China. In 2015, he became inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. In 2020, he was appointed President and CEO of the Asia Society globally and, in 2022, he founded the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.In 2019, Ambassador Rudd was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to Indigenous reconciliation, innovative economic initiatives, and major policy reform, and through senior advisory roles with international organisations. Ambassador Rudd holds honorary positions at the Atlantic Council and Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC; the Asia Society, Schwartzman Scholars and Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New York; the Paulson Institute in Chicago; the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris, France; the Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation in Hamburg, Germany; and Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra. He is founder and co-chair of an Australian charity, the National Apology Foundation, and a trustee of the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City.

Ambassador Rudd started his diplomatic career in 1981 with postings to Beijing and Stockholm. In 1988, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Hon Wayne Goss and served him as Premier of Queensland. He was Director-General of the Cabinet Office in Queensland from 1991 to 1995, and Senior China Consultant for KPMG from 1996 to 1998.

Ambassador Rudd graduated with Honours in Asian Studies from the Australian National University and received his PhD from Oxford University in 2022. He also studied at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei.

Ambassador Rudd is accompanied on his posting by his wife, Thérèse Rein.

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