Coral Bell School examines world order after Iran

Last month the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs hosted "World Order After Iran," a one-day conference bringing together 25 academics, former ambassadors, and policy experts across five panels at ANU. Coral Bell School Director, Professor Kirsten Ainley, and Professor Cian O'Driscoll who heads our Department of International Relations, opened proceedings.

Professor George Lawson chaired the opening panel on Iran and the Middle East, with Dara Conduit, Jesse Marks, Jessie Moritz, and Shadi Rouhshahbaz examining the humanitarian and political crisis in the region. The panel covered the impact on civilians, regional energy security, the American response, and the differing political narratives shaping Iranian and American perspectives.

Dr Sarah Logan chaired the second panel, Iran and Asia, with Dr Sana Jaffrey, Dr Deepak Nair, Dung Phan, and Associate Professor Graeme Smith discussing how countries across the Asia-Pacific are responding to the conflict according to their own geopolitical and economic circumstances. The panel gave particular attention to the roles of social media, religion, and trade dependencies in shaping those responses.

The third panel, Law, Diplomacy and Institutions, was chaired by Professor Cian O'Driscoll. Professor Toni Erskine, former Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely, Professor Shahar Hameiri, and Professor Donald Rothwell addressed disruption across the technology, diplomatic, economic, and legal spheres, including the role of Big Tech, the use of AI in warfare, changing approaches to diplomatic negotiation, consequences for the global green transition, and whether international law and multilateral institutions can help chart a path to resolution.

Shakthi Da Silva chaired the fourth panel, Security, with Professor Bina D'Costa, Dr Merriden Varrall, and Dr Thomas Wilkins. Discussion ranged from human security and institutional accountability to the strategic implications for China, closing with an assessment of shifting global alliance networks under the Trump presidency and the growing assertiveness of non-Western nations.

The final session, Australia and World Order after Iran, was chaired by Professor Kirsten Ainley. Former Australian ambassador to China Graham Fletcher, Dr Darren Lim, Kirsty Needham, Susannah Patton, and Sam Roggeveen debated Australia's position within the current world order, what a positive outcome would look like for Australia after the conflict, and how the country's past foreign policy choices bear on its options now.

The Coral Bell School, part of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, thanks all speakers, chairs, and attendees for making the conference a success. You can view a snippet of the conference here.