About Ben Ben is a researcher and academic in international relations. He is currently undertaking a PhD at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. His thesis interrogates Australia’s foreign policy and international relations amid US-China tensions, and the challenges for independent policy-making in light of Australian national identity, existing alliance relationships, and the influence of a historical collective anxiety and insecurity in Australia towards the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to commencing his doctoral studies, he completed the Master of International Relations degree with 1st class honours at the University of Melbourne. Originally from Perth, Western Australia, he also holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from Curtin University. He has completed internships with the Perth USAsia Centre at the University of Western Australia, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs (Victoria). In 2019, he is also assisting Emeritus Professor Joseph Camilleri OAM, of La Trobe University, with EARTH@PEACE. The year-long, multifaceted project seeks to advance an awareness and dialogue around the necessity of a just and ecologically sustainable peace as the ethical imperative of our time.