Susannah Patton

Director, Southeast Asia Program
Susannah Patton
Biography
Publications
News and media

On leave until April 2024

Susannah Patton is Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute and the Project Lead for the Asia Power Index, the Institute’s annual data-driven assessment that maps the changing distribution of power in the region. Her research on Southeast Asia is focused on strategic alignment dynamics and the roles of external powers including the United States, China and Australia.

Before joining the Lowy Institute, Susannah was a Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre. Her commentary and analysis have featured in Australian and international outlets, including The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Australian Financial Review and The Interpreter. Before leaving government, she worked in various Southeast Asia-focused positions in the Australian government, including as a Senior Analyst in the Southeast Asia Branch at the Office of National Intelligence, in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit Taskforce in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and as a diplomat in the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. Susannah holds first class honours degrees in law and political science from the Australian National University.

What to watch at the ASEAN-Australia summit
What to watch at the ASEAN-Australia summit
The summit will succeed if the prime minister can build relationships, articulate a clear narrative, and avoid controversy.
Power in Asia: Six surprising facts
Power in Asia: Six surprising facts
Following the launch of the 2023 Asia Power Index, the authors dig into data that reveals how power is shifting in Asia.
What’s next for sanctions on Myanmar?
Commentary
What’s next for sanctions on Myanmar?
Originally posted in East Asia Forum
Making the US-Philippine alliance count
Commentary
Making the US-Philippine alliance count
Originally posted in War on the Rocks
Conversations: Vietnam’s foreign policy outlook
Podcasts
Conversations: Vietnam’s foreign policy outlook
In this episode of Conversations, Susannah Patton, Director of the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Program, talks with Dr Nguyen Hung Son, Vice President of the Diplomatic…
Decoding diplomatic dynamics in Asia: The numbers tell a captivating story
Decoding diplomatic dynamics in Asia: The numbers tell a captivating story
China, Japan and Indonesia each lead the US with a higher tempo of top-level diplomatic activity in the region. But defence ties differ.
Thailand’s watershed election
Commentary
Thailand’s watershed election
Originally posted in Inside Story
Thailand’s election: will the country move forward?
Thailand’s election: will the country move forward?
The Kingdom’s conservative forces may have little option but to give way to the elected parties, at least for now.
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