Join us in conversation with Ashley Townshend and Dr Andrew Carr who will discuss Trump’s approach to Asia.

How the US approaches Asia under President Donald J. Trump could be one of the most consequential choices of the 21st century. In this ‘In Conversation’ event Ashley Townshend from the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney, and Dr Andrew Carr from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, ANU will explore what we know– and what we don’t–about Trump’s approach to Asia. Townshend’s new report suggests the Trump administration will adopt a more muscular and self-interested security policy in the Asia–Pacific which will likely produce more volatile relations with China, as well as US allies and partners. The discussion will look at what this means for Australia and what people and policies ‘Trump Watchers’ should focus on to understand the Donald J. Trump Administration’s approach to Asia.

Central to their discussion will be Ashley Townsend’s new report, published by the United States Studies Center, University of Sydney.

Ashley Townshend is a Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He works on international security and strategic affairs with a focus on the Asia–Pacific, including maritime security, alliance politics, and US, Chinese, and Australian foreign policy. A frequent contributor to the Australian and international media, Ashley’s research has been widely published in think tank, policy, and academic outlets.

Previously, Ashley was a Research Associate at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, and a Visiting Lecturer and Senior Tutor in Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Fudan University, Shanghai; an Instructor on the Warrior-Scholar Project at Yale University; and a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. He completed his studies at the University of Oxford, Peking University, Sciences Po, Paris, and the University of Sydney.