Professor William Tow
BA (Redlands), MA (USC), PhD (USC)
Professor, Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs,
ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
Areas of expertise
- International Relations 160607
- Defence Studies 160604
Research interests
Alliance politics, US security policy in the Asia-Pacific, security politics in the Asia-Pacific, Australian security policies
Biography
Previously Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland and at Griffith University, and an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). He has been a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, and a Visiting Research Associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.
Career highlights
Co-director of ANU projects for the MacArthur Foundation's Asia Security Initiative and for the Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (2008–); Editor of the Australian Journal of International Affairs (2001–2006); Served on the Foreign Affairs Council, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1998–2003) and the National Board of Directors, Australian Fulbright Commission (1992–1997); Recipient of an Australian Award for University Teaching in the Social Sciences Category for 2001.
Publications
- Tow, W 2018, 'Minilateral security's relevance to US strategy in the Indo-Pacific: Challenges and prospects', The Pacific Review, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 232-244.
- Tow, W 2018, 'Sea Change or More of the Same? Trump’s Security Policies in Asia', Asia Policy, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 10-16.
- Tow, W 2017, 'President Trump and the implications for the Australia-US alliance and Australia's role in Southeast Asia', Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 50-57pp.
- Taylor, B & Tow, W 2017, 'Crusaders and pragmatists: Australia debates the American alliance', in Michael Wesley (ed.), Global Allies: Comparing US Alliances in the 21st Century, ANU Press, Canberra, pp. 77-89p.
- Tow, W 2017, 'Trump and Strategic Change in Asia' ASPI STRATEGIC INSIGHTS PAPER (Canberra: Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
- Taylor, B & Tow, W 2016, 'Conclusion: What Is the Asia-Pacific's Likely Security Future?', in Joanne Wallis and Andrew Carr (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security: an introduction, Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 259-270.
- Tow, W 2016, 'U.S.-Southeast Asia Relations in the Age of the Rebalance', in Malcolm Cook et al. (ed.), Southeast Asian Affairs 2016, ISEAS Publishing, Singapore.
- Heinrichs, R & Tow, W 2016, 'Hard Power and Regional Diplomacy: The Dibb Legacy', in Desmond Ball and Sheryn Lee (ed.), Geography, Power, Strategy and Defence Policy: Essays in Honour of Paul Dibb, ANU Press, Canberra, pp. 183-203.
- Tow, W 2016, 'US Rebalancing: ASEAN and America's Maritime Allies', ISEAS Perspective, vol. 2016, no. 10, pp. 1-12.
- Tow, W 2016, 'America's Emerging Choices in Asia', ISEAS Perspective, vol. 2016, no. 45, pp. 1-10.
- Tow, W & Limaye, S 2016, 'What's China Got to Do With It? U.S. Alliances, Partnerships in the Asia-Pacific', Asian Politics and Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 7-26.
- Tow, W 2015, 'International relations and foreign policy in the Australian Journal of Political Science: A review', Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 627-638.
- Prasirtsuk, K & Tow, W 2015, 'A reluctant ally? Thailand in the US balancing strategy', in William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart (ed.), The New US Strategy towards Asia: Adapting to the American Pivot, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 129-142.
- Tow, W & Stuart, D, eds, 2015, The New US Strategy towards Asia: Adapting to the American Pivot, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York.
- Tow, W 2015, 'Rebalancing and order building: Strategy or illusion?', in William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart (ed.), The New US Strategy towards Asia: Adapting to the American Pivot, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 30-52.
- Stuart, D & Tow, W 2015, 'Setting the context', in William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart (ed.), The New US Strategy towards Asia: Adapting to the American Pivot, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 1-6.
- Tow, W 2015, 'The United States and Asia in 2014 Reconciling Rebalancing and Strategic Constraints', Asian Survey, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 12-20.
- Tow, W 2015, 'Bipolarity and the Future of the Security Order in East Asia', Trends in Southeast Asia, vol. 2016, no. 10, pp. 1-33.
- Tow, William T. and Envall, HDP (2015) 'Australia debates American primacy in Asia’, in Yoichiro Sato and Tan See Seng (eds) United States Engagement in the Asia Pacific: Perspectives from Asia, Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, pp. 297-323.
- Tow, W 2014, 'Coral Bell's Alliance Politics: Practitioner and Pundit', in Desmond Ball and Sheryn Lee (ed.), Power and International Relations: Essays in Honour of Coral Bell, ANU Press, Canberra, pp. 106-118.
- Tow, W & Yoshizaki, T 2014, 'Beyond the Hub and Spokes: Introduction', in William Tow and Tomonori Yoshizaki (ed.), Beyond the Hub and Spokes: Australia-Japan Security Cooperation, The National Institute for Defense Studies, Tokyo, Japan, pp. 1-11.
- Tow, W 2014, 'Pursuing U.S. Strategic Interests in the Asia-Pacific: Pivoting Away From Disorder?', in John R. Deni (ed.), Augmenting Our Influence: Alliance Revitalization and Partner Development, United States Army War College Press, Carlisle Barracks, PA, USA, pp. 9-51.
- Tow, W 2014, 'The United States and Asia in 2013 From Primacy to Marginalization?', Asian Survey, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 12-21.
- Tow, W 2014, 'The "East Wind" and Australia's Alliance Politics', Asian Survey, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 273-296.
- Tow, W 2014, 'The Six Party Talks: Can 'Ad Hoc Multilateralism' Foster Security Regime Politics', ASEAN, Thailand, and the Korean Peninsula: A need for a new security arrangement in East Asia?, http://www.asia.tu.ac.th/, Bangkok Thailand.
- Tow, W 2014, 'The Nuclear Waltz: Rational Actors, Deterrence and Nuclear Non-Proliferation', Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 541-546.
- Tow, W & Taylor, B 2013, 'Introduction', in William T. Tow and Brendan Taylor (ed.), Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security: Contending Cooperation, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 1-7.
- Tow, W 2013, 'Conclusion', in William T. Tow and Brendan Taylor (ed.), Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security: Contending Cooperation, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 183-192.
- Choi, A & Tow, W 2013, 'Bridging alliances and Asia-Pacific multilateralism', in William T. Tow and Brendan Taylor (ed.), Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security: Contending Cooperation, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 21-38.
- Tow, W & Taylor, B, eds, 2013, Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security: Contending Cooperation, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York.
- Tow, W 2013, 'Asian Approaches to Human Security', in William T. Tow, David Walton and Rikki Kersten (ed.), New Approaches to Human Security in the Asia-Pacific: China, Japan and Australia, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Farnham, Surrey, pp. 175-193.
- Tow, W 2013, 'Introduction', in William T. Tow, David Walton and Rikki Kersten (ed.), New Approaches to Human Security in the Asia-Pacific: China, Japan and Australia, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Farnham, Surrey, pp. 1-11.
- Tow, W, Walton, D & Kersten, R, eds, 2013, New Approaches to Human Security in the Asia-Pacific: China, Japan and Australia, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Farnham, Surrey.
- Tow, W 2012, 'Great powers and multilateralism: the politics of security architectures in Southeast Asia', in Ralf Emmers (ed.), ASEAN and the Institutionalization of East Asia, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York, pp. 155-167.
- Tow, W 2012, 'The Broader Context: How Australia-Japan Relations 'Fit' Into Regional and Global Security Dynamics', in William T Tow and Rikki Kersten (ed.), Bilateral Perspectives on Regional Security Australia, Japan and the Asia-Pacific Region, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Basingstoke, pp. 147-159.
- Tow, W & Kersten, R 2012, 'Conclusion', in William T Tow and Rikki Kersten (ed.), Bilateral Perspectives on Regional Security: Australia, Japan and the Asia-Pacific Region, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Hampshire, England, pp. 241-244.
- Tow, W & Kersten, R 2012, 'Introduction', in William T Tow and Rikki Kersten (ed.), Bilateral Perspectives on Regional Security: Australia, Japan and the Asia-Pacific Region, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Hampshire, England, pp. 1-10.
- Tow, W & Kersten, R, eds, 2012, Bilateral Perspectives on Regional Security: Australia, Japan and the Asia-Pacific Region, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Hampshire, England.
- Tow, W & Choi, A 2011, 'Facing the crucible: Australia, the ROK, and cooperation in Asia', Korea Observer, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 1-19.
- Tow, W & Rigby, R 2011, 'China's pragmatic security policy: The middle-power factor', The China Journal, vol. 65, pp. 157-178.
- Tow, W 2011, 'Guest Editor's foreword', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 1-4.
- Kersten, R & Tow, W 2011, 'Evolving Australian Approaches to Security Architectures in the Asia-Pacific'. Recent Articles from the Tokyo Foundation Website, May, Tokyo: Tokyo Foundation, pp34-45.
- Tow, William T. and Envall, HDP (2011) 'Realising "convergent security" through the back door?', paper presented to the Trilateral Workshop on 'Bilateral alliance politics and intra-spoke relations in Asia', Keio University, Japan, 15 September.
- Tow, William T. and Envall, HDP (2011) 'The U.S. and implementing multilateral security in the Pacific: Can convergent security work?', IFANS Review, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 49-72.
- Tow, William T. and Envall, HDP (2011) 'The United States, Asia and "convergent security"', ANU-MASI Policy Background Paper, no. 7, 13 December.
- Tow, W & Albinski, H 2002, 'ANZUS - Alive and well after fifty years', Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 153-173.
- Tow, W & Taylor, B 2010, 'What is Asian security architecture?', Review of International Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 95-116.
- Tow, W, ed., 2009, Security Politics in the Asia-Pacific: A Regional-Global Nexus?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
- Taylor, B & Tow, W 2009, 'Challenges to Building an Effective Asia-Pacific Security Architecture', in Michael J Green and Bates Gill (ed.), Asia's New Multilateralism: Cooperation, Competition, and the search for community, Columbia University Press, New York, pp. 329-349.
- Tow, W & Taylor, B 2009, 'Emerging Regional Security Architecture: An Australian Perspective', in Tow, William T., Chin Kin Wah (ed.), ASEAN-India-Australia: towards Closer Engagement in a New Asia, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, pp. 3-21.
- Tow, W 2009, 'Setting the context', in William T Tow (ed.), Security Politics in the Asia-Pacific: A Regional-Global Nexus?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 1-28.
- Tow, W & Loke, B 2009, 'Rules of Engagement: America's Asia-Pacific Security Policy under an Obama Administration', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 443-457.
- Tow, W 2009, 'A New President: A New Dawn?', New Zealand Journal of Defence Studies, no. 4, pp. 5-12.
- Fukushima, A & Tow, W 2009, 'Human security and global governance', in William T Tow (ed.), Security Politics in the Asia-Pacific: A Regional-Global Nexus?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 167-187.
- Tow, W 2008, 'Contending Visions?', China Security, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 27-30.
- Tow, W 2008, 'Asia's Competitive "Strategic Geometries": The Australian Perspective', Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 29-51.
- Tow, W 2008, Two Different Visions for Asia, The Straits Times.
- Tow, W & Parkin, R 2007, 'Small State Security Postures: Material Compensation and Normative Leadership in Denmark and New Zealand', Contemporary Security Policy, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 308-329.
- Tow, W 2007, 'Strategic Dimensions of Energy Competition in Asia', in Michael Wesley (ed.), Energy Security in Asia, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon, UK, pp. 161-173.
- Tow, W 2007, ''Contingent Trilateralism': Applications for the Trilateral Security Dialogue', in W Tow, M Thomson, Y Yamamoto and S Limaye (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, UK, pp. 23-38.
- Tow, W, Thomson, M, Yamamoto, Y et al, eds, 2007, Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, UK.
- Tow, W 2007, 'The Koreas and Multilateralislm: Order-Building or War-Footing?', New Zealand International Review, vol. XXXII (32), no. 1 (Jan/Feb), pp. 4-6.
- Tow, W 2007, 'Conclusion [to Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle]', in W Tow, M Thomson, Y Yamamoto and S Limaye (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, UK, pp. 190-195.
- Tow, W 2007, 'Introduction [to Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle]', in W Tow, M Thomson, Y Yamamoto and S Limaye (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, UK, pp. 1-8.
- McCausland, J, Stuart, D, Tow, W et al, eds, 2007, The Other Special Relationship: The United States and Australia at the Start of the 21st Century, Strategic Studies Institute, USA.
- Tow, W 2007, 'Alliances and Alignments in the Twenty-First Century', in Brendan Taylor (ed.), Australia as an Asia-Pacific regional power: Friendships in Flux?, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, United Kingdom, pp. 12-29.
- Tow, W 2007, 'Panel II: Foreign Policy: The Alliance in the Asia-Pacific Region', in Jeffrey D McCausland, Douglas T Stuart, William T Tow, Michael Wesley (ed.), The Other Special Relationship: The United States and Australia at the start of the 21st century, Strategic Studies Institute, USA, pp. 65-76.
- Tow, W 2007, 'America's Asia-Pacific Strategy Is Out of Kilter', Current History: a Journal of Contemporary World Affairs, vol. 106, no. 701, pp. 281-287.
- Watanabe, T & Tow, W 2007, 'Trilateralism, southeast Asia and Multilateralism', in W Tow, M Thomson, Y Yamamoto and S Limaye (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security: US, Australia and Japan and the New Security Triangle, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, UK, pp. 125-138.
- Tow, W & Yen, C 2007, 'Australia-Taiwan relations: the evolving geopolitical setting', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 330-50.
- Tow, W 2006, 'Post-Cold War US Foreign Policy in Asia', in Purnendra Jain, Felix Patrikeeff and Gerry Groot (ed.), Asia-Pacific and a New International Order: Responses and Options, Nova Science Publishers Inc., New York, pp. 91-107.
- Tow, W 2006, 'East Asian Community and Australia', International Affairs (Kokusai Mondai), vol. 551, pp. 26-38.
- Tow, W & Trood, R 2006, 'The 'anchors': collaborative security, substance or smokescreen?', in Brad Williams, Andrew Newman (ed.), Japan, Australia and Asia-Pacific Security, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, USA, pp. 70-88.
- Tow, W 2006, 'Evolving Australian Security Interests in the Asia-Pacific: Policy Coherence or Disjunction?', in Derek McDougall & Peter Shearman (ed.), Australian security after 9/11: new and old agendas, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Hampshire, UK, pp. 87-103.
- Tow, W 2006, 'Bush and Asia: the evolving strategic context', in Mark Beeson (ed.), Bush and Asia, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon, UK, pp. 80-93.
- Tow, W 2006, 'Alliance Interests, Costs and Benefits in a 9/11 Context: The ANZUS Case', Taiwanese Journal of Australian Studies, vol. 7, pp. 1-44.
- Tow, W 2005, 'Sino-American Relations and the Australian Factor: Inflated Expectations or Discriminate Engagement?', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 451-467.
- Tow, W & Lyon, R 2005, 'The future of the US-Australian security relationship', Asian Security, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 25-52.
- Tow, W 2005, 'Regional Security in the Asia-Pacific: an ANZUS Perspective', International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 197-216.
- Tow, W 2004, 'Geopolitics, the 'National Interest' and the Sino-Australian Conundrum', in Nicholas Thomas (ed.), Re-orienting Australia-China Relations: 1972 to the Present, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Aldershot and Burlington, VT, pp. 51-66.
- Tow, W 2004, 'Deputy sheriff or independent ally? Evolving Australian-American ties in an ambiguous world order', The Pacific Review, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 271-290.
- Tow, W 2004, 'Convergent Security Revisited: Reconciling Bilateral and Multilateral Security Approaches', in See Seng Tan and Amitav Acharya (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation: National Interests and Regional Order, M E Sharpe Inc, New York, USA, pp. 19-32.
- Tow, W, ed., 2004, Changing Utterly? Australia's Internatinal Policy in an Uncertain Age, Lowy Institute for International Policy, Sydney.
- Tow, W 2003, 'Reconciling Theory and Policy', Griffith Review, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 98-104.
- Tow, W 2003, 'Apocalypse Forever? International Relations Implications of 11 September', Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 314-326.
- Tow, W 2003, 'Australian-American Relations in the New Century: Applying Resuscitation or Pursuing Illusions?', in David W. Lovell (ed.), Asia-Pacific security: policy challenges, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, pp. 185-201.
- Kerr, P, Tow, W & Hanson, M 2003, 'The Utility of the Human Security Agenda for Policy-Makers', Asian Journal of Political Science, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 89-114.
- Tow, W & Thomas, N 2002, 'The Utility of Human Security', Security Dialogue, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 177-192.
- Tow, W & Albinski, H 2002, 'ANZUS - Alive and Well after Fifty Years', Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 153-172.
- Tow, W 2002, 'The United States', in Bruce Vaughn (ed.), The Unraveling of Island Asia?: Governmental, Communal, and Regional Instability, Praeger Publishers, Westport, USA, pp. 173-189.
- Tow, W & Hill, C 2002, 'The ASEAN Regional Forum: Material and Ideational Dynamics', in Mark Beeson (ed.), Reconfiguring East Asia: Regional Institutions and Organizations after the Crisis, Routledge Curzon, London, pp. 161-184.
- Tow, W 2001, 'Australian and the United States', in James Cotton and John Ravenhill (ed.), The National Interest in a Global Era: Australia in World Affairs 1996-2000, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Australia, pp. 171-192.
- Tow, W & Hanson, M 2001, 'Introduction', in Marianne Hanson and William T. Tow (ed.), International Relations in the New Century-An Australian Perspective, Oxford University Press, Victoria, Australia, pp. 1-20.
- Tow, W 2001, 'Alliances and Coalitions', in Marianne Hanson and William T. Tow (ed.), International Relations in the New Century-An Australian Perspective, Oxford University Press, Victoria, Australia, pp. 17-37.
- Tow, W 2001, 'Alternative Security Models: Implications for ASEAN', in Andrew T H Tan and J D Kenneth Boutin (ed.), Non-Traditional Security Issues in Southeast Asia, Select Publishing, Singapore, pp. 257-285.
- Tow, W & Choong, W 2001, 'Asian Perceptions of BMD: Defence or Disequilibrium?', Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 379-400.
- Tow, W & Edwards, P 2001, 'Introduction', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 167-174.
- Tow, W & Hanson, M, eds, 2001, International Relations in the New Century: An Australian Perspective, Oxford University Press, Victoria, Australia.
- Tow, W & Hay, L 2001, 'Australia, The United States and a 'China Growing Strong: Managing Conflict Avoidance'', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 37-54.
- Tow, W 2001, Asia-Pacific Strategic Relations: Seeking Convergent Security, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- ANU-Thammasat Collaboration: Bualuang ASEAN Chair Professorship/Fellowship Program (Primary Investigator)
- The ROK, US Alliance Politics and Evolving International Security Challenges (Primary Investigator)
- Global Allies: Comparing Alliances in Europe and Asia Phase 2 (Primary Investigator)
- Pivotal powers: Korea, Indonesia and Australia in a contested Asia (Secondary Investigator)
- Global Allies: Comparing alliances in Europe and Asia (Primary Investigator)
- America's Asian Allies: Managing Competitive and Co-operative Pressures (Primary Investigator)
- New Approaches to Human Security in Asia (Primary Investigator)
- The Australia-Japan Security Relationship and New Regional Security Architecture: Bilateral and Domestic Momentum (Primary Investigator)
