The Annual John Bonython Lecture

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The annual John Bonython Lecture Series began in 1984 to honour the founding Chairman of its then Board of Trustees. The lectures present and encourage debate on social, economic and political forces and how they shape the individual.The lectures have grown to become the most anticipated events initiated by the Centre, delivered by leading thinkers from around the world and attended by prominent leaders paving the way for the future of Australasia.

These Lectures have also become part of our Occasional Paper Series of books (please email cis@cis.org.au if you would like a list of John Bonython Lecture books available).

The 25th Anniversary John Bonython Lecture 2008 The CIS regrets to announce that this year's lecture will be postponed due to the illness of our speaker, leading US political satirist and journalist, PJ O'Rourke. We extend our best wishes to PJ for a full and speedy recovery, and will reschedule the event in due course. For more information, please contact CIS Events Manager, Meegan Boughton at mboughton@cis.org.au or on (02) 9438 4377.

The 24rd Annual John Bonython Lecture 2007 Anglo Primacy at the End of History: The Deep Roots of Power [Click here] to download a transcript of this lecture in PDF format. This lecture will be published as a CIS Occasional Paper in 2008.

	Whether the United States should lead the world is much debated. But American primacy in some form is unavoidable. It has roots deep in history, as did the British primacy that preceded it. All the Anglo nations became rich and powerful because of qualities that Britain developed deep in the Middle Ages: good government, a market economy and an individualist society. They accept a responsibility for the world order that other rich nations avoid, while non-Western countries show nothing like the same development. At the end of history, liberal democracy has prevailed and deeper historical differences dominate world affairs. Sunny visions of globalisation cannot obscure them. Only the Anglo nations possess all the ingredients of power: economic, military and moral. They are fated to lead the world—and to bear heavy burdens for the less fortunate. Professor Lawrence Mead specialises in public policy and American Government at New York University. He is a renowned scholar on welfare reform. His academic career includes visiting professorships at Harvard, Princeton and the University of Wisconsin, and as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford. He has consulted with US governments on social policy and is a prolific author whose most recent book Government Matters won the 2005 Louis Brownlow Book Award.

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