ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs

02/09/2026

2026 Robert O'Neill War Studies Lecture: The Transformative War: Australia in the war of 1939–45

The dominance of the Anzac legend in Australia's political culture has tended to relegate World War II to a secondary place in national memory. Professor Emerita Joan Beaumont will argue that if we shift focus to the mobilisation of the post-Depression economy for war production, and Australia's support of US troops through Mutual Aid (Lend Lease), a different story emerges. Domestically, the war transformed Australia in a way that World War I never did.

Chaired by Associate Professor Amy King, Head of our Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.

The annual Robert O'Neill War Studies Public Lecture honours the late Emeritus Professor Robert O'Neill AO, former Head of SDSC and a leading scholar in strategic and security studies.

📅 28 October 2026, 5.30–7pm @ ANU
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Australia's WWII contribution is overshadowed by the Anzac legend, but wartime economic mobilisation transformed the nation. Joan Beaumont delivers the 2026 Robert O'Neill Lecture.

01/09/2026

The recording of this much-anticipated conversation between Emeritus Professor Hugh White, from our Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, and Allegra Spender is now available.

Watch the full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uyFcP6b924

31/08/2026

Twenty-five years on from the September 11 attacks, the Bell School is hosting a public conversation on what they meant for global security and how Australia responded.

Professor Dakota Rudesill, a US constitutional-law scholar, and former Chief of the Defence Force Admiral Chris Barrie AC, RAN (Retd), join moderator Professor Mark Kenny to discuss the human toll of 9/11, Australia's invocation of ANZUS, the Afghanistan war, and the growth of counter-terror powers.

🗓️Friday 11 September, 6pm @ ANU

Registration is essential for this in-person event:

Get tickets on Humanitix - 9/11 at 25: Security, War and Democracy — What Australia Should Learn hosted by Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs . Theatrette 2.02, Sir Roland Wilson Building, 120 McCoy Cct, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia. Friday 11th September 2026. Find event information.

13/08/2026

Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Paul Hutchcroft from our Department of Political and Social Change who was awarded ANU HDR Supervisor of the Month for July 2026.

The award recognises excellent practice in HDR supervision across ANU. Paul's approach centres on mutual understanding and mutual respect, drawing on the distinctive experience, goals & expertise each candidate brings to their research.

If you know a supervisor, convener, or administrator who supports HDR candidates well, you can nominate them here: https://quicklink.anu.edu.au/7xf7

13/08/2026

Applications are now open for the Australian National Internships Program (ANIP) Semester 1 2027, with placements running February to May.

ANIP is the only university program placing students directly in the offices of MPs and Senators through Commonwealth Parliamentary Internships. Students can also intern with the ACT Legislative Assembly, government agencies, diplomatic missions, NGOs and think tanks. Internships run one, two or four days a week and include workshops on policy research and professional skills.

Open to current undergraduate and postgraduate students from all disciplines.

Applications close 30 September 2026.

Apply here: https://anip.anu.edu.au/apply

13/08/2026

Earlier this week we hosted three of the UN's most senior peacekeeping figures: Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar, and Acting Military Adviser Lieutenant General Cheryl Pearce.

This visit was held in partnership with the UN Information Centre Canberra and UNAA ACT and spanned two sessions. Our students examined the future of peacekeeping in complex conflict zones and the role of women and young people in peace and security. A second session was chaired by UNAA ACT President Brian Gleeson and brought together DFAT officials and our Bell School academics to discuss Australia's contribution to UN peace operations.

Thank you to UNIC Canberra, United Nations Association of Australia ACT, and our esteemed visiting UN delegation for your generous time, and to our students who joined these important discussions.

11/08/2026

The Coral Bell School recently welcomed 24 academics, former ambassadors and policy experts to our 'World Order After Iran' conference, examining how the conflict is reshaping politics in Australia and across the region.

Panels covered the humanitarian and political crisis in the Middle East, how countries across Asia are responding based on their own ties to the region, disruption across technology, diplomacy and international law, the security implications for global alliances, and what it all means for Australia's foreign policy.

Read more and see the full speaker line-up here: https://bellschool.anu.edu.au/coral-bell-school-asia-pacific-affairs/news/coral-bell-school-examines-world-order-after-iran

Thank you to all of our phenomenal speakers and friends who joined us for the day 🫶

10/08/2026

This month we're hosting talks on Chinese business-government relations, Cambodian land displacement, large language models in foreign policy, counter-terrorism, and more.

All free, all welcome 🤝

Join us here: https://quicklink.anu.edu.au/ixf7

10/08/2026

"No attempt at definition has been intended, only a contribution to argument." Coral Bell's words set the format for Concept Club, a gathering at the Coral Bell School where speakers get ten minutes to present one idea they're exploring in international affairs.

Convened by PhD candidate Benedict Moleta, the club has hosted talks on topics from regionalism and para-diplomacy to gender justice and revolutions. It now streams online, drawing speakers and attendees from across ANU, Australia and internationally, including speakers from Egypt and Italy.

👀 Read more about Concept Club and how it started: https://bellschool.anu.edu.au/coral-bell-school-asia-pacific-affairs/news/concept-club-two-years-ten-minute-arguments

If you would like to get involved in Concept Club, you can get in touch with Benedict at [email protected] and keep up with his musings here: https://quicklink.anu.edu.au/iovb

Concept Club, convened by PhD candidate Benedict Moleta at the Coral Bell School, gives speakers ten minutes to present one idea they're exploring in international affairs.

29/07/2026

This Friday, don't miss our next China, Development and International Order seminar.

Associate Professor Amy King (Head of our Strategic & Defence Studies Centre) will be in conversation with Dr Maria Repnikova, discussing their respective approaches to studying Chinese foreign policy, including ideas, narratives, visions, and strategic communication.

The conversation draws on Repnikova's forthcoming book, Competing for Soft Power: China's Image-Making in Africa, based on extensive fieldwork in Ethiopia. Her research challenges popular claims that China is simply replacing the West in the Global South, instead revealing the successes, inconsistencies, and limits of Chinese soft power influence.

Associate Professor Repnikova is a Rhodes Scholar, the inaugural William C. Pate Chair in Strategic Communication at Georgia State University, and author of the award-winning Media Politics in China. Associate Professor King leads research on China's historical and contemporary role in shaping the international economic order.

This is a hybrid seminar, and Zoom details will be shared upon registration.

🎟️ : https://events.humanitix.com/maria-repnikova-and-amy-king-in-conversation