Norwegian Australian Chamber of Commerce President - Sophia Demetriades Toftdahl - participated in the EABC's recent Forum 'The US Federal Elections & Transatlantic Relationships' on Wednesday 4 November, 2020, together with many distinguished guests located in Sydney, Melbourne, New York City as well as participants across Australia and Europe.
The expert panel included EABC Board Member Stephen Loosley AM, Deputy Chair of Thales Australia and former Federal Senator and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee and former National President of the Australian Labor Party; Dr Gorana Grgic, Lecturer at the Department of Government & International Relations and the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney; and Hon Andrew Robb AO, former Australian Trade Minister and Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia.
EABC Forum Photo Gallery - The US Federal Elections & Transatlantic Relationship, 4 NOV 20
The proceedings on the evening included welcome remarks from EABC Chair and Deputy Chancellor of Monash University Hon Simon Crean. At the conclusion of the session, EABC Corporate Council Member and Principal of Trade and Investment Advisory Zoe McKenzie proposed the Vote of Thanks to all speakers and panellists.
The event was held following the final day of voting in the 2020 US Elections and offered participants the opportunity to hear from a panel of expert commentators, who shared their views and takeaways on the campaigns for the Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives races; on significant trends in the emerging results; and the final outcome’s implications for Australia, the transatlantic relationship, and the many critical issues on the global affairs agenda including defence and security, multilateral institutions and the rules-based order, climate change, and many others. Following remarks from our panellists, we were joined for ‘live crosses’ from New York and received direct insights from Sky News correspondent James Morrow and Politico Senior Editor Ryan Heath on the political dynamics and situation on the ground.
For further information on the implications of President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory and the expected divergences from a second Trump administration; here is the link to the United States Studies Centre’s Guide, which includes key insights on the trajectory of US Foreign Policy in Europe from Dr Gorana Grgic.
