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USSC Briefing Room: Daily Summaries Delivered
by United States Studies Centre
The USSC Briefing Room is a podcast from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. It gives you a seat at the table for a briefing on the latest US news and foreign policy. Co-hosts Mari Koeck, Jared Mondschein and Samuel Garrett talk to experts to cover what you need to know and what's beneath the surface of the news.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 5 days ago27 min
America at 250 | Geographical implications of the American Revolution
America’s independence was a catalyst for the founding of Australia and the pursuit of land that drove the settlement of America continued in new ways after the Revolutionary War. How did the American Revolution remake maps across the globe? What role has the pursuit of land played in America’s founding and beyond? How did this play out in Australia versus America? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the fifth episode in the series we are speaking with Senior Lecturer in American Studies Dr Aaron Nyerges to discuss his article: 1776 international geographies. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- 1 weeks ago29 min
America at 250 | Innovation from America’s founding to the space race
When Americans landed on the moon, it was a political statement heard around the world. But the innovation that accelerated the space race didn’t start with the Cold War, it goes back to the founding of America. What was it about the Declaration of Independence that set the trajectory for American innovation? How has the throughline of innovation played out through American history? What does this mean as we look to the next phase of the space race? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the fourth episode in the series we are speaking with Lecturer in American Studies Dr Kathryn Robison to discuss her article: American innovation at 250. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- 2 weeks ago27 min
America at 250 | Addressing the contradictions in the Declaration of Independence in an Australian classroom
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This line from the Declaration of Independence is known around the world, but how did this sit alongside the existence of slavery? What broader themes should influence our interpretation of the language of the declaration? And how do you address these themes in a classroom setting? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the third episode in the series we are speaking with Academic Director and Senior Lecturer in American Studies Rodney Taveira about his article: The Declaration of Independence in the Australian classroom. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- Jul 3, 202638 min
America at 250 | America’s sacred (yet secular) documents with David Smith
The words of the Declaration of Independence are world famous and, in many ways, America’s founding documents are “sacred” although they are secular. What makes America’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution unique? How are Australia’s founding documents different? How have these differences played out in the relationship between these foundational documents and their people? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the second episode in the series we are speaking with Associate Professor David Smith about his article: America’s sacred documents.
- Jun 29, 202639 min
America at 250 | US influence on Australian democracy
Australia’s history over the past 250 years is inextricably linked with the American experiment. What are the successes and challenges of the US diverse and decentralised governance model? How have US politics influenced Australian politics? Can One Nation become like the MAGA movement under a different political system? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we will release a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the first episode in the series we are speaking with Professor Benjamin Reilly about his article: Australian and American democracy at 250.
- Jun 22, 202642 min
How is economic security changing the politics and foreign policy in the UK and Australia?
The term “economic security” is having a bit of a moment. While generally unheard of a few years ago, the past three Australian budget speeches have all mentioned economic security and this year, the Australian government announced $38.9 million in funding to increase economic security and resilience and countries around the world are starting to move beyond free trade or investment deals to ink economic security deals. What is economic security? How does it relate to issues like the Iran war and competition with China? What can allies and partners do to bolster their economic security?This year, the United States Studies Centre has joined forces with the UK High Commission to run two track 1.5 workshops on economic security – one in London and one here in Sydney. Olivia O’Sullivan, Chatham House Director of the UK in the World Programme and Hayley Channer, USSC Director of Economic Security joined the USSC Briefing Room podcast to discuss key findings from these closed-door discussions. This podcast was recorded in May, before the UK special election.Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- Jun 4, 202627 min
What next for the AI race?
From online chatbots to enormous data centres, it is increasingly difficult to ignore artificial intelligence in our daily lives. Do governments still stand a chance to shape the future of AI development? What could Australia’s data centre boom mean for the nation’s energy grid? Does Australia have a role to play when it comes to the Indo-Pacific’s regional AI capabilities? Director of Strategic Technologies at the United States Studies Centre Olivia Shen, and Research Associate in Strategic Technologies Johanna Lim joined the USSC Briefing Room to answer these questions.
- May 26, 202650 min
Will the largest US defence budget clear Congress?
Last month the Trump administration submitted the largest defence budget request in history – US$1.5 trillion, which is a 40% increase from the prior year. At the same time, the administration is seeking to circumvent Congress’ ‘power of the purse’ through various legislative manoeuvres, effectively expanding the powers of the executive branch. What can the budget request tell us about the Trump administration’s defence priorities? How are they changing the balance of powers through the budget process? Are these changes likely to be long-lasting or easily reversable? Research Fellow Tom Corben and Senior Research Associate Esther Soulard recently published an explainer: Trump, Congress and the battle for the defence budget and they sat down with Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
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About USSC Briefing Room
The USSC Briefing Room is a podcast from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. It gives you a seat at the table for a briefing on the latest US news and foreign policy. Co-hosts Mari Koeck, Jared Mondschein and Samuel Garrett talk to experts to cover what you need to know and what's beneath the surface of the news.
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