The United States Studies Centre and Perth USAsia Centre host a monthly web series reviewing the latest in US politics and policy and what this means for Australia.

This month hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake were joined by guests Dr Victoria A. Farrar-Myers, a dedicated civic leader, an award-winning educator and a distinguished scholar; and Professor Valerie Hudson, the George H.W. Bush Chair in the Department of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where she directs the Program on Women, Peace, and Security. She will join hosts Simon Jackman and Gordon Flake to discuss the latest in US politics and policy.

Dr Victoria A. Farrar-Myers currently serves on the Arlington City Council, District 7, representing the entire city in an at-large position, and as Mayor Pro Temp after previously serving as Deputy Mayor. Previously, she was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Tower Scholars Program at Southern Methodist University and has also held the rank of full professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. As a scholar, she published five books and numerous articles and book chapters on topics related to leadership, political institutions, and democratic processes.

Valerie M. Hudson is a University Distinguished Professor and holds the George H.W. Bush Chair in the Department of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where she directs the Program on Women, Peace, and Security. She has previously taught at Brigham Young, Northwestern, and Rutgers universities. Her research foci include foreign policy analysis, security studies, gender and international relations, and methodology. Hudson’s articles have appeared in such journals as International Security, the American Political Science Review, Population and Development Review, the Journal of Peace Research, Political Psychology, and Foreign Policy Analysis, as well as policy journals such as Foreign Policy and Politico. She is the author or editor of several books, including (with Andrea Den Boer) Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia’s Surplus Male Population (MIT Press, 2004).