I often host or attend events where we begin by saying that the discussion is based on “Chatham House Rules”, ie any comments made cannot be attributed to individuals outside of the meeting.
So it was a great pleasure to host a visit by Lord Williams, the leading Asia scholar from Chatham House (London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs).
Michael Williams has had a very distinguished career: a diplomat for the United Nations, a Special Adviser to former British Foreign Secretaries and an academic and BBC journalist. He is an expert both on Asia, particularly South East Asia, and the Middle East.
We helped to arrange a busy programme for him in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. He met officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Office of National Assessments, as well as a large number of foreign policy experts at think tanks and universities in the three cities. He gave several well attended lectures. Both Australia and Britain have strong traditions of Asian scholarship, so Lord Williams’ visit attracted much interest here.
Listen to Lord Williams’ public seminar at Griffith University’s Asia Institute: ‘Troubled Waters: Tensions in South China Sea’.