The United States Presidential election is underway and President Biden’s poor debate performance has many  pundits calling for him to step down as the nominee. Meanwhile the Supreme Court decreed that Presidents presidents have absolute immunity for exercising their core constitutional powers and are entitled to a presumption of immunity for other official acts – with obvious implications for the many charges against Donald Trump, and any future presidency.

As the election heats up, what are the implications of this year for Australia the rest of the world? What are the risks, and the rewards, of waltzing in-step with the United States – no matter who is in charge?

Join Professor Mark Kenny, Director of the ANU Australia Studies Institute, Dr Emma Shortis, Senior Researcher in the Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs Program, and Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director of The Australia Institute in conversation for this Politics in the Pub.

SPEAKERS:

Professor Mark Kenny — Director of the ANU Australia Studies Institute. Professor Mark Kenny came to ANU after a high-profile journalistic career culminating in six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times. He is a fixture on the ABC’s Insiders program, Sky News Agenda, and is a sought after commentator on radio programs across the country. Before Fairfax, Kenny was political editor at The Advertiser having moved across from the AB.

Dr Emma Shortis – Senior Researcher, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute. Dr Emma Shortis is historian and writer, focused on the history and politics of the United States and its role in the world. She uses her expertise in history to interpret and explain what is happening in the world today, and what it means for Australia, in a compassionate and accessible way. In a conversation often dominated by the same voices, Emma offers a fresh perspective on international relations grounded in moral questions about how we might imagine a post-American future.Emma’s first book, Our Exceptional Friend: Australia’s Fatal Alliance with the United States, was published by Hardie Grant in 2021. She writes regularly for Australian and international outlets, and appears regularly on Australian radio and television.

Ebony Bennett – Deputy Director of the Australia Institute and host of its webinar series and Follow the Money podcast.