INSIGHT: Assessing the impact of the next President – Stephen Loosley AM, Visiting Fellow, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

Geopolitics & Policy
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By: Robyn Tongol
Stephen Loosley

President-elect Joe Biden promises a return to ‘normality’ for America’s global engagement following the turmoil of the Trump administration, with direct impacts for Australia.

President-elect Joe Biden promises a return to ‘normality’ for America’s global engagement following the turmoil of the Trump administration, with direct impacts for Australia.

  

On this episode of the Defence Connect: Insight podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Steve Kuper are joined by Stephen Loosley AM to discuss the fall out of the tumultuous US election and the election of Joe Biden.

They 
cover the dramatic shift in foreign policy and the challenges that face a Biden administration in Europe, the Middle East and, critically for Australia, the Indo-Pacific. As part of this they unpack the Australia-US alliance and how it will move forward under the 46th President, including overhauling the nation’s response to the COVID pandemic and setting the course for economic recovery.

The trio also 
talk about the return to traditional alliance structures and enhancing the international order, abandoned by President Trump, and the importance they will play in reasserting American leadership in the face of great power competition and the way in which the US under President Biden will move to counter the increasingly belligerent rise of the People’s Republic of China.

Finally, they discuss the regional response to the election result and what nations throughout the Indo-Pacific are saying
, as well as the economic impact for Australia and its regional partners over the coming decade.

Enjoy the podcast,


The Defence Connect team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 10: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 9: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 8: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison
Episode 7: CONTESTED GROUND: When AI goes rogue – the emerging threat Australia isn’t ready for
Episode 6: PODCAST: Frontier AI, cyber warfare, and defending Australia’s military networks, with Wendi Whitmore and Tom Scully
Episode 5: PODCAST: Australia’s 2026 Intergenerational Report and national security implications, with Phillip Tarrant and Robert Dougherty
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: AUKUS, deterrence, and the deepening Australia–UK strategic partnership
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Unlocking Australia’s Defence estate through divestment, with Stantec Australia
Episode 2: CONTESTED GROUND: Is Australia ready to secure its place in an increasingly contested space domain?