Making Sense of the Poly-Crisis: A View from Down Under

Please join the Australia & New Zealand Caucus and the Belfer Center Intelligence Project for a catered talk with Professor John Blaxland, one of Australia's preeminent scholars on Intelligence Studies and Security.

Topic: This talk is intended to trigger a discussion, examining the contemporary poly-crisis—the convergence of geopolitical rivalry, economic disruption, technological transformation, environmental stress, and political fragmentation—from an Australian and Indo-Pacific perspective. We will discuss the interaction of renewed great-power competition, the disruptive effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and weakening confidence in international institutions and how that has produced a qualitatively different strategic environment, one that cannot be understood through single-issue or linear analysis. The session will explore the domestic and international implications of a second Trump presidency, including shifts toward transactional nationalism, pressures on alliances, and growing uncertainty surrounding the future of the rules-based order. Informed by classical and contemporary international relations theory we will look to reassesses how states assess power, risk, and resilience. Particular attention will be paid to China’s strategic behaviour, the Global South’s growing agency, and the impact of technological change in cyber, artificial intelligence, and information warfare. The discussion will also situate Australia as a pivotal middle power whose geography, alliances, intelligence partnerships, and regional engagement shape both its vulnerabilities and opportunities. In conclusion we will consider the strategic choices for Australia and its partners for navigating an era of overlapping crises and enduring uncertainty

Bio: Dr John Blaxland is Director of the ANU North America Liaison Office and Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University (ANU). A former Australian military intelligence officer, he is a trusted and highly regarded historian who has authored or co-authored over a dozen broad-ranging works on international, military, security and intelligence affairs. He is also an occasional media commentator. 

RSVP here:

• Invitation to talk: https://partiful.com/e/1VbNpIBOBJHFJocU8xXL?c=RuyGxgjH
• Invitation to reception: https://partiful.com/e/1VbNpIBOBJHFJocU8xXL?