Lowy Institute announces General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus AO as the 2015 Lowy Lecturer

The Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, Dr Michael Fullilove, today announced that General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus, former commander of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, will deliver this year’s Lowy Lecture on Wednesday, 2 September.  

“General Petraeus is one of the finest commanders in the recent history of the US military. He is widely considered the leading architect of the US ‘surge’ in Iraq. He remains an influential adviser to US policymakers on global development and America’s role in the world. We are delighted that General Petraeus has agreed to deliver the 2015 Lowy Lecture”, said Dr Fullilove.

The 2015 Lowy Lecture will be held over dinner at Sydney Town Hall, 483 George Street, on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 6.30 for 7.00 pm. The dress code is lounge suit.

Accredited Media wanting to cover the Lecture, including photographers and camera crews, must pre-register via the Lowy Institute website by Monday, 30 August 2015. Photo-call details will be forthcoming.  Media wishing to purchase a ticket to attend the dinner can do so via the Lowy Institute website.

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The annual Lowy Lecture is the Lowy Institute's flagship event. Each year a prominent individual reflects on developments in the world. Past Lowy Lecturers have included H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel,  Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; Rupert Murdoch AC, Executive Chairman of News Corp; Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times; and Prime Minister John Howard OM AC, who delivered the inaugural Lowy Lecture in 2005.

The Lowy Institute is grateful to Capital Group and QANTAS who have already confirmed their sponsorship of the event. Both organisations have partnered with us on the Lowy Lecture in previous years and we thank them for their continued support.

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General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus served over 37 years in the United States military.  He culminated his military career with six general officer commands, five of which were in combat, including as commander of coalition forces in Iraq from 2007-2008, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2010-2011, and commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), the regional command responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia.  He subsequently served from 2011 to 2012 as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Gen. Petraeus is considered the leading architect of the “surge” in Iraq, which he led while commander in Baghdad for 19 months, and which is credited with dramatically reducing the violence in that country. Since 2013, Gen. Petraeus has been the Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, the geopolitical, macroeconomic, and long-range strategy unit of the global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, where he is also a partner.  He is also a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the City University of New York’s Macaulay Honors College; a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California; and a non-resident senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Military Academy Class of 1974 and has a Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton University.