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The Hon. Alexander Downer AC addressed a range of geopolitical issues for an AIJAC Live Online webinar on 30 August 2021. He is currently the Executive Chair of the International School for Government at King’s College London.

Mr. Downer has had a long and distinguished career in public service. He served as an advisor to Liberal Party leaders Malcolm Fraser and Andrew Peacock. He was elected to federal parliament at the 1984 federal election, winning the seat of Mayo in South Australia. He was added to the opposition frontbench in 1987.

Appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1996, Mr. Downer served until 2007, making him the longest-serving foreign minister in Australian history. He left politics in 2008, and was subsequently named Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus. He held that post until 2014, when he was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom by the Abbott Government.