Victoria

 

Great Game On

Date

From: Wednesday March 26, 2025, 5:30 pm

To: Wednesday March 26, 2025, 7:00 pm

Great Game On

Come along for an insightful talk on the modern 'Great Game'. The 'Great game’ refers to an old idea from the 19th century – a shorthand for British and Russian imperial competition in Eurasia, mainly based on thinking by the British that the Russians were after India. An idea with little validity but a widely accepted phenomenon. During this talk we will explore the parallels between the 19th century 'Great game' and today's geopolitical landscape. The new game is between China and the US – and Eurasia is the hinge. China is increasingly recognised as the established alternative to the US-led world order. Listen to the clear-eyed account of a China expert on the precarious state of world power after the 2021 fall of Afghanistan, which was vitally important to the stability of Eurasia.  

Exploring the Eurasian power shift

Great Game On is the story of the remaking of the world order. Historically, China has sought its security by building dominant relationships with pliant states that accept its pre-eminence. Its expanding role and influence in Central Asia has been as incremental and piecemeal as it has been deliberate. Without firing a shot, China could potentially end the United States' international primacy to become the most consequential global power. With its emergence as the leading power in Eurasia based on its inexorable economic rise and Putin's folly in Ukraine, China has been released from its past existential anxieties about land-based threats from Eurasia. It now has the chance to project its power globally, as the US did from the early twentieth century when it became the dominant power in the western hemisphere. What threats and risks must China address? And what happens when China becomes the established, stable, dominant power in Eurasia? Australia's former ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, takes the reader on a journey across Eurasia to understand the forces shaping its geopolitics. Raby enriches this analysis by weaving his own travel stories, experiences and adventures into the fabric of his narrative. This book is geopolitics on a grand canvas, written from the ground up.

Pre-order your copy of "Great Game On"

Book pre-order is available for an additional $40 with your event registration. Pre-order will close on Monday 10 March.  Tickets to the event will remain available until fully booked. 


About the Speaker

Geoff Raby was Australia’s ambassador to China (2007–11); ambassador to APEC (2003–05); and ambassador to the World Trade Organization (1998–2001). Since leaving government service he has been a regular columnist on China and Eurasia for The Australian Financial Review, travel writer and a non-executive, independent company director. His last book was China’s Grand Strategy (MUP, 2020). Raby was awarded the Order of Australia in 2019 for services to Australia–China relations and international trade.


Event Details

Date: Wednesday 26 March 2025
Time: 6pm and runs until approximately 7pm. Attendees welcome to arrive from 5:30pm to enjoy drinks downstairs (at own cost)
Cost:

Ticket including pre-order of the book "Great Game On": $40 for members / $50 for non-members*

Ticket only: Free for members / $10 for non-members

*Book pre-orders close 10th March. Tickets to the event (without pre-order) will remain available until fully booked. 

Venue: The Kelvin Club, 14-30 Melbourne Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

If you are not yet an ESA VIC member, this event is an opportunity for you to become a member to enjoy discounted rates on this and  other events and access to other free events throughout the year. You can become a member here.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event, 

ESA VIC Branch 

 

Click here to Book Online


Venue

The Kelvin Club

14-30 Melbourne Place, Melbourne VIC 3000


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