From tariffs to artificial intelligence, one word best sums up 2025: disruption. President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at breakneck pace, often to be overturned days or weeks later. At the same time, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have entered new eras with high-level negotiations, on-again off-again fighting and a new world order forming in real time to adapt to a changing strategic landscape. The 2024 trend of turfing incumbents has given way to foreign elections that many perceive to be a referendum on US politics.

What is the future of the United States’ role in the world? How can governments and businesses plan in the midst of constant change? How should allies and partners approach security challenges in 2025 and beyond?

International experts across government, business and research will share their insider insights on the discussions happening in Washington, Tokyo and Canberra and what this means for US allies and partners around the world.

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Featured speakers
Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper

Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper

PartnerThe Asia Group

Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper is a Partner at The Asia Group, where she advises clients on geopolitical risk.
David H. Berger

General David H. Berger USMC (Ret’d)

Former CommandantUS Marine Corps

Retired US Marine Corps General David H. Berger is a native of Maryland and a 1981 graduate of Tulane University. He retired in 2023 having served four years as the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Kori Schake

Dr Kori Schake

Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy StudiesAmerican Enterprise Institute

Dr Kori Schake leads the foreign and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author of Safe Passage: the Transition from British to American Hegemony, and a contributing writer at the Atlantic, War on the Rocks, and Bloomberg.
Lisa Curtis

Lisa Curtis

Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program Center for a New American Security

Lisa Curtis is the director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
Nobukatsu Kanehara

Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara

Executive DirectorSasakawa Peace Foundation

Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara is Executive Director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Professor of the Faculty of Law Department of Political Science, Doshisha University. He served as Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019.
Clay Lowery

Clay Lowery

Executive Vice President for Research and PolicyInstitute of International Finance

Clay Lowery is the Executive Vice President for research and policy at the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

About the annual forum

Now in its third year, the Sydney International Strategy Forum is the United States Studies Centre’s flagship annual event, bringing together global experts from government, business, and academia to examine the forces shaping the international landscape.

Held in Sydney each year, the Forum explores the most pressing issues in foreign policy, defence, economics, and politics, with a particular focus on the role of the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region. From emerging technologies to shifting geopolitical dynamics, the Forum provides a platform for timely, high-level dialogue on the challenges and opportunities confronting the world today.

Designed to foster informed debate and actionable insights, the Forum equips participants with a deeper understanding of how to navigate complexity and change in an increasingly contested global environment.

Two people in discussion on stage.
Former Chief of the Australian Defence Force and author of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret'd), sat down with USSC's Peter Dean at SISF 2024 to discuss the changing geostrategic landscape.
Two people in conversation on stage.
Former US Ambassador to the European Union and President and COO of Business Roundtable, Kristen Silverberg, discusses the business community's response to the incoming Trump administration at SISF 2024.
Person talking on stage at a conference panel.
American security analyst and former US Army Officer specialising in US-China relations, Matthew Turpin provides his insights on navigating economic security and technology competition at SISF 2024.
Person talking to an audience at a conference.
Former US Congresswoman, Stephanie Murphy, talks on the evolving role of Congress in Asia at SISF 2024.
Person talking on a conference panel with three others.
Government relations experts and USSC Non-Resident Fellow, Lester Munson provides insights on the new US Congress at SISF 2024.
Designed to foster informed debate and actionable insights, the Forum equips participants with a deeper understanding of how to navigate complexity and change in an increasingly contested global environment.
Two people in a discussion on stage for a conference.
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2009 to 2012, Michèle Flournoy discusses alliances and deterrence with USSC CEO, Dr Michael J. Green at SISF 2023.
Two people in conversation on stage at the conference.
The Hon. Simon Birmingham MP shares insights into the Australian Government’s foreign policy priorities during a keynote discussion at the SISF 2023.
Person on a panel addressing the audience.
Gorana Grgić, Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy at the USSC, provides her insights on AUKUS, the Quad and the future of alliances at SISF 2023.
Five people in discussion on a stage.
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Kim Beazley AC discusses how far US-China confrontation is likely to got at SISF 2023.
Person addressing an audience.
The Hon Madeleine King MP, Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia, addresses SISF 2023.