Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Last week New Zealand parliament went viral when MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke performed a haka and tore up a controversial bill. And this week tens of thousands of New Zealanders marched in protest, opposing the bill.  At the heart of the debate is the Treaty of Waitangi and a bill that seeks to reinterpret it, with some fearing it will dilute Maori rights.    Guest: Taiha Molyneux, Māori News Editor Radio New Zealand      RECOMMENDATIONS:  Hamish - Rear Vision episode on the Treaty of Waitangi and the podcast The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior Geraldine - Fateful mix: Great powers, strongman leaders and manifest destinies, essay by Michael Wesley in Australian Foreign Affairs   GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Much has been going on around the world this year so climate and environment have taken a back seat. Now with the US electing a president who calls climate change a hoax, how will conversations and actions change globally? Perhaps there are opportunities for Australia as China increases its dominance.  Martijn Wilder joins us to discuss - and it's not all bad. Martijn founded Pollination, a climate change advisory and investment firm that's working to speed up the transition to net zero. But he's worked in climate law and policy for many years, advising governments and organisations.  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Documentary film Martha on Netflix  Hamish:  The Jury: Death on the Staircase  directed by Tosca Looby on SBS on Demand GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Donald Trump has a mandate to do what he promised after winning easily. But how far will he actually go and how fast? And will he try to unite the country a little, as hinted at in his victory speech?  Jonathan Swan, who’s been covering Trump for close to a decade, warns that Trump's been emboldened to take more risk, and little stands in his way this time. Swan is a reporter for The New York Times covering national politics and the US government but known for his Emmy-award winning interview with Trump when he was president. RECOMMENDATIONS: Hamish:  The Great Global Rebalancing with Dr Samir Puri  - episode of War Studies podcast Geraldine: Noble Fragments: The maverick who broke up the world’s greatest book, by Michael Visontay GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

An election on a knife-edge, and a nation seemingly on the brink. How do we make sense of this fever-pitched moment?  First a snapshot from USA Today political reporter Deborah Berry, who's been in Georgia a lot lately. Then we hear how strategist Rachel Bitecofer has advised the Democrats to beat the Republicans at their own game, with less focus on policies and more on  negative attacks. And we discuss the deluge of listener feedback to our Niall Ferguson episode.  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine:  Don Waton's Quarterly Essay - High Noon Stopping the Steal documentary on SBS  Hamish: Elon Musk's Secret Conversation with Vladimir Putin GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Our friends at If You're Listening have a new series about the US presidential election that we want to tell you about.  Donald Trump still refuses to accept the result of the 2020 election. Now he’s on the ballot again, and in his campaign against Kamala Harris he’s calling on his supporters to make the race ‘too big to rig’. In America's Last Election, Matt Bevan leaves his basement and heads to the US, examining the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 election and what it means for the vote this November.  Find the latest episodes by searching for If You're Listening in the ABC listen app.

In this extended conversation with Geraldine and Hamish, renowned historian Sir Niall Ferguson warns that Donald Trump is not the biggest threat to American democracy. A bigger threat, he says, lies much closer to Australia... RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Niall Ferguson: The Treason of the Intellectuals article in The Free Press Hamish: The tragedy of a 50-50 America article in the Financial Times by Janan Ganesh GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Like it or not, we all have a stake when Americans head to the polls in November. So what would a Harris or Trump presidency mean for the global economy, conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, and an increasingly powerful China? Guest: Edward Luce - US national editor, Financial Times. RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Secret Documents Show Hamas Tried to Persuade Iran to Join Its Oct. 7 Attack by Ronen Bergman in The New York Times Hamish: The World from Down Under by George Negus. GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In the final instalment of our New Frontlines mini-series, we look at the ideological fault-lines that are dividing countries from within. Identity, values and fears are being weaponised by those on the political extremes, and it's working.  Guest: Margaritis Schinas - the European Commission vice president for Promoting our European Way of Life. RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Europe Takes a Trumpian Turn by Hans Kundnani in Foreign Affairs Magazine Hamish: Kosciuszko: The incredible life of the man behind the mountain by Anthony Sharwood GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Iran talks a big game, but in the last two weeks Israel has dealt some serious blows to the ‘axis of resistance’, while Tehran has done little to deter Netanyahu from going even further. Is the balance of power in the Middle East swinging away from Iran and towards Israel? Or is there more going on inside Iran than meets the eye? Guests:  Ali Ansari - Professor of Iranian History & Founding Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews  David Hale - Global Fellow, Wilson Center; Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; Former Ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon, and Jordan. RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Kaos, series on Netflix Raf:  English teacher, series on Disney + VOTE FOR US: Love the pod? Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here: Voting - Australian Podcast Awards GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Exploding pagers, attacks on underwater gas pipelines and deepfake videos - we’ve entered a terrifying new realm of hybrid warfare, where the aim is to sow discord deep within our democracies. But how do you fight a war that isn’t really a war, against an invisible enemy? We visit a centre in Finland where they are urgently trying to find the answers to that question.   Teija Tiilikainen - Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.  Elina Valtonen - Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Ezra Klein podcast with David Remnick: Israel vs. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran — and Itself Hamish: We have changed, says Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiah leader Para Wijayanto by Amanda Hodge in The Australian VOTE FOR US: Love the pod? Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here: Voting - Australian Podcast Awards GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

As the war in Ukraine spills into Poland, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski makes an impassioned call to countries around the world to wake up to what he sees as Putin's true imperialist intentions.  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: America’s Role in the World Is Hard. It Just Got Much Harder. Thomas Friedman in The New York Times. Hamish: Take Me To Your Leader Season 3: Dictators & Demagogues on ABC Listen App. VOTE FOR US: Love the pod? Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here: Voting - Australian Podcast Awards GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

We kick off this Global Roaming mini-series by looking at the ways wars will be fought in the future. From drones to electronic warfare and even social media, war today looks completely different to what it did even a decade ago. Russia’s war on Ukraine is providing a breeding ground for testing and innovation of new weapons, but are we in Australia prepared for any of this? Do we need to be?    Guest: Dr Jack Watling - Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute. His 2023 book is The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: A Trump loss could stabilise US politics for a generation by Janan Ganesh, Financial Times Hamish: ‘Whatever Happens in the Sauna Stays in the Sauna’: Diplomacy, Conducted in the Nude By Alison Krueger, The New York Times VOTE FOR US: Love the pod? Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here: Voting - Australian Podcast Awards GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Sure, we have great beaches, but when it comes to forging strong economic and security ties, does Australia leave something to be desired? Guest: Dr Kyung-wha Kang – President and CEO of the Asia Society; South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021) under President Moon Jae-in  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: Kiss the Future documentary - SBS On Demand Hamish: Zhou Enlai: A Life - review in London Review of Books VOTE FOR US: Love the pod? Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here: Voting - Australian Podcast Awards GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

With 40 million eligible Gen Z voters, the tight US presidential race has become a battle for followers, likes and shares on social media. But will this actually translate to votes in November?  GUEST: Katie Harbath - founder and CEO of technology policy firm Anchor Change; Former Facebook Public Policy Director for global elections  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: The Born in the USA fallacy - The New Statesman  Hamish: This wasn't 't the social media election everyone expected - BBC VOTE FOR US: Love the pod? Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here: Voting - Australian Podcast Awards GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

With the rest of the world swinging left and right, how do we make the progressive centre of politics more attractive, and its proponents sound less like 'pious schoolteachers'? Rory Stewart thinks Australia may hold the key... GUEST: Rory Stewart is the co-presenter of the hit podcast The Rest is Politics. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Penrith and The Border between 2010 and 2019, representing the Conservative Party.  Rory is coming out to Australia at the end of October to discuss his political memoir Politics on the Edge. RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: BBC podcast The Long History Of... Ignorance Hamish: ABC Rear Vision The Kamala Harris Story GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

At the eleventh hour, journalist Masha Gessen has been granted a visa to enter Australia, but why are they considered so dangerous?  Guest: Masha Gessen - Russian-American journalist and author. Masha is due to appear at The Edge, Fed Square in Melbourne for the Wheeler Centre (21 August) and at Carriageworks in Sydney, as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (24-25 August). KEEP AN EYE OUT: Our main episode will drop Friday, with special guest Rory Stewart, co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast.

In a sign of our deepening strategic ties, Australia will play host to more frequent US military deployments across air, land, and maritime domains. At the same time, an updated AUKUS agreement provides a 'get-out' clause for the US and the UK. Former prime minister Paul Keating has raised his concerns, but he's not alone is asking: Is Australia getting the short end of the stick?  Guest: David E. Sanger is chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times and the author, most recently of New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West. Recommendations: Geraldine - When Keating went to war with the White House  Australian Financial Review article by James Curran.  Hamish - The Places in Between by Rory Stewart. Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

The sudden departure of Sheikh Hasina after weeks of student protests sparked jubilant celebrations, which stretched all the way to Australia. It’s paved the way for a new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is heralding this as a 'second liberation' for Bangladesh. Guests:  Dr Mubashar Hasan - Bangladesh born academic and social justice activist. Post Doctoral Researcher at the University of Oslo, Norway and an adjunct research fellow at Humanitarian and Development Research Initiatives, Western Sydney University.      Associate Professor C. Christine Fair - Professor in the Security Studies Program within Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.  Recommendations: Geraldine: Lies, Politics and Democracy on SBS on Demand Hamish: Bangladesh has achieved its second liberation, says Muhammad Yunus, The Economist Bonus episode: Hamish speaks to Gov. Tim Walz Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate, but who is he? It turns out he was actually in Australia last November for a trade mission and he spoke remarkably openly with Hamish Macdonald.  GET IN TOUCH: Love this bonus discussion? Have your own thoughts on Gov. Tim Walz that you need to share? We're listening! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In the wake of two major assassinations of a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and a Hamas leader in Tehran, both at least ostensibly by Israel, former Mossad director Efraim Halevy issues a surprisingly critical assessment of Israel’s strategy for the broader Middle East. Plus, former US Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale gives some much-needed context on Hezbollah’s engagement in the conflict, and what diplomacy might achieve, should cooler heads prevail. Recommendations: Hamish: Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan Geraldine: The Lammy Doctrine by Jason Cowley in The New Statesman VOTE FOR US: We've been announced as a finalist in the Radio Today Australia/NZ podcast awards! You can vote for us here. Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

There's been a whole lotta love for Kamala, particularly on social media this week. But is she really a better candidate than Biden? What are her economic; her foreign policy credentials? Does she have what it takes to beat Trump? Geraldine and Hamish have thoughts...  GET IN TOUCH: Love this bonus discussion? Have your own thoughts on Kamala that you need to share? We're listening! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Turn on the news and you are confronted with the fact that the United States, and US-led systems, are not what they once were. Kishore Mahbubani argues that the West has lost its shine and that Australia should be looking to its Asian neighbours for a stronger future. But is this really the Asian century?  Guest: Kishore Mahbubani, Singaporean Diplomat and former president of the UN Security Council.  Recommendations:  Geraldine: Biden, Trump, and Washington's Wishful Thinking - A conversation with Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs  Hamish: Measuring the power of the Global South - Kishore Mahbubani, Chatham House  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

What could another Trump Presidency mean for the world order?

A weekly examination of world affairs with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald.

Where have all the centrists gone? And how have the far-right taken hold of politics in the west?

Do you ever want to hide from the headlines? With 1 in 4 people now saying they are worn out by the news and many turning to a fragmented social media news landscape for their information we explore what's gone wrong in recent years, and what we might do about it.  Guests: Marty Baron: American Journalist, Editor of The Washington Post 2012 to 2021 and author of a new memoir called Collision of Power.  Recommendations: Geraldine: The Bright Side with Sabra Lane on ABC Listen Hamish:  All the Presidents Men, book by Woodward and Bernstein  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

You know things aren't good when Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un sign a mutual defence pact... could it be that a powerful new anti-western axis is emerging between Russia, China, North Korea and Iran? Plus, we get an insight into how Ukrainians feel about being caught in this geopolitical quagmire.  Guests: Alisa Sopova - Ukrainian journalist and anthropologist. Sir Lawrence Freedman - Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London. Recommendations: Geraldine: We’re in 1938 now: Putin’s war in Ukraine and lessons from history - Patrick Wintour in the Guardian. Hamish: Premier Li Qiang’s visit has Malaysia wanting more from China pivot - Financial Times. Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

​The high-profile visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang signals warming relations between Canberra and Beijing, but could it be indicative of deeper economic and political anxieties in China? What is it, really, that China wants from us?  Guest: Richard McGregor - former Beijing bureau chief for the Financial Times, author of Xi Jinping: The Backlash and Senior Fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute. Recommendations: Geraldine - reading: We’re in 1938 now’: Putin’s war in Ukraine and lessons from history article by Patrick Wintour Hamish - reading: The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall book by Eliot Cohen You can also listen to Hamish's interview with Eliot Cohen and Fintan O'Toole on the Big Weekend of Books on the ABC Listen App  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In India, Mexico and South Africa, frustrations and hopes have been borne out at polling booths, with extraordinary results. Geraldine and Hamish take an in depth look at South Africa, which is about to enter an exciting new phase both at home and abroad. Guests: Lynsey Chutel - reporter for The New York Times based in Johannesburg.  Melanie Verwoerd - former Member of Parliament for the ANC, the former Ambassador to Ireland, and the former Director of UNICEF- Ireland.  Recommendations: Geraldine - watching: A Life in Ten Pictures Season 2 - Nelson Mandela on ABC iView Reading: Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage book by Jonny Steinberg Hamish - watching: Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Nkosi Sikelela (Live At Montreux 1989) on Youtube Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

One week into the UK election campaign and to say things have been unexpected is an understatement. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come out firing, announcing a controversial national service scheme that caused Gen Z to have a meltdown. But is it enough to close the gap between the Tories and Labour, led by Sir Keir Starmer?  Guest: Krishnan Guru-Murthy - one of the main anchors of Channel 4 News. He also fronts the podcast Ways to Change the World and reports for the foreign affairs series Unreported World.  Recommendations: Hamish - reading: The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself book by Nick Bryant Geraldine - reading: In death as in life, Yael Dayan is an inconvenient Israeli by Noah Efron Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Well, it's happened. Donald Trump is a convicted felon. In this bonus episode, former Republican speechwriter David Frum reacts to the historic verdict and discusses whether Trump has any hope now of being re-elected. Guest: David Frum - staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of 10 books, most recently Trumpocracy (2018) and Trumpocalypse (2020). In 2001 and 2002, David was a speechwriter for President George W. Bush.  You can read his latest on the Trump verdict here.

The International Criminal Court is considering whether to issue an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu - the first time in history such a move has been made against a pro-Western leader. It's sparked a mixed reaction, internationally, but it's unclear whether Israeli or Hamas leaders will ever be held accountable for potential war crimes. It's also unclear what impact, if any, this development will have on the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  Guest: Julian Borger - World Affairs Editor at The Guardian; author of The Butcher's Trail and I Seek A Kind Person. Recommendations: Geraldine: Reading - Friendly Fire: How Israel Became Its Own Worst Enemy and the Hope for Its Future book by Ami Ayalon Hamish: Reading - Netanyahu and Khamenei find themselves in a tightening vice article in the Financial Times by Kim Ghattas  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Treasurer Jim Chalmers touched a nerve when he suggested Australians should start having more kids, but does he actually have a point? Fertility rates are falling dramatically across the world and it's stoking all sorts of fears.   Guest: Dr Jennifer Sciubba - one of the foremost experts in the field of political demography & the author of 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World Recommendations: Geraldine: Reading - You can’t even pay people to have more kids by Anna North, Vox. Hamish: Reading - China's high stakes struggle to avoid demographics disaster by The Economist.  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Some Europeans certainly think so, with polls predicting a swing to the hard-right in upcoming EU elections. So, what would a more conservative Europe mean for us?  Geraldine and Hamish travelled to Canberra to ask the EU Ambassador to Australia in person, and to find out whether a free trade deal between the EU and Australia really is dead.  Guest: His Excellency Mr. Gabriele Visentin, the EU Ambassador to Australia.  Recommendations: Hamish: Watching - The 2022 Schuman Lecture: Strengthening Relationships in Challenging Times Geraldine: Watching - Freud's Last Session (2023 drama film) Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Australia is buddying up to India and Modi as a counter-weight to China, but what kind of country - and leader - are we really befriending? Guests: Avani Dias - ABC's South Asia Bureau Chief. Ravi Agrawal - editor in chief of Foreign Policy and host of the podcast and video channel FP Live. Recommendations: Hamish: Listening - Looking For Modi ABC News podcast Geraldine: Listening - India is transforming. But into what? episode of the Ezra Klein podcast. Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Not only has the war of words between Prime Minister Albanese and Elon Musk grabbed global headlines, its prompted debates about whether the unelected leaders of multinational tech companies have more power than democratically elected leaders. Tech governance expert Dr Alexis Wichowski says other world leaders will be watching how this plays out, closely. Guest: Dr Alexis Wichowski – Professor at Columbia University and author of The Information Trade: How Tech Companies Act Like Countries Recommendations: Geraldine - reading/watching: Salman Rushdie’s memoir is horrific, upsetting – and a masterpiece by Erica Wagner / Salman Rushdie interview ABC 7:30 Hamish - reading/listening: What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise by Lachlan Cartwright in the New York Times and on 'The Daily' podcast.  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

As the first ever criminal trial of a former US president gets underway in New York, we speak to ‘The Mooch’ - Anthony Scaramucci – who famously served as White House Communications Director in the Trump Administration for 11 days. He now warns that Donald Trump is a ‘lunatic’ and that a second Trump term would be disastrous for America, and the world.   Guest: Anthony Scaramucci - American financier who served as the White House Director of Communications from July 21 to July 31, 2017. He has a new book coming out: “From Wall Street to the White House and Back: The Scaramucci Guide to Unbreakable Resilience”.  Recommendations: Geraldine - reading: Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts' response to The Economist calling the flat white "Australia's greatest culinary export"  Hamish - watching: The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson on ABC iview Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hinted that Australia might recognise Palestinian statehood. It's a significant move, politically, but will it have any impact on what's happening on the ground in Gaza? Hamish and Geraldine sit down with Tirana Hassan, the Australian who has just become head of Human Rights Watch, to discuss this, and whether we'll ever see Nuremberg-style justice for the war crimes being perpetrated around the world today. Guest: Tirana Hassan - Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Note: The Israeli Embassy has been contacted for comment. Recommendations: Geraldine - watching: The Cold War of Spies, docuseries on SBS on Demand Hamish - reading: Tonnes of food is stuck on Gaza’s border while the enclave nears famine FT Visual Story Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

It's worrying when one of Europe's most influential leaders says that the world is in a 'pre-war state', similar to 1939. But just how worried should we be, here in Australia? Ian Bremmer gives us his frank assessment of where things stand and reveals why Australia might just be a geopolitical haven.  Guest: Ian Bremmer - president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group and author of 11 books on global affairs.  Recommendations: Geraldine - watching: The American Führer documentary on SBS on Demand Hamish - listening: Dark Shining Moment podcast by Ranieri & Co Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In the absence of decisive US leadership, it could fall to Middle Eastern leaders to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and create sustainable pathways to peace. A stable, post-American regional order is in the interests of most Middle Eastern powers, but does anyone have the political will to take the lead? Guest: Dr Sanam Vakil - director of the Middle East and North Africa programme, Chatham House. Recommendations: Geraldine - Reading: 10 books to help you understand Israel and Palestine, recommended by experts (The Conversation) Hamish - Reading: Royal Bodies, essay by Hilary Mantel (London Review of Books) Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

When it comes to Chinese politics, reading the tea leaves is never easy. In this episode Hamish and Geraldine are joined by Rana Mitter, the man dubbed the 'rockstar' of China studies by former PM Kevin Rudd, to break open the black box of the Politburo and reveal just how stable (or unstable) Xi Jinping's leadership is, given the economic and demographic headwinds that China is facing. Guest: Rana Mitter - ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. Recommendations: Rana - Listening: Face-Off: US vs China podcast, dropping on April 9. Hamish - Reading: Restless Empire: China and the World Since 1750 by Odd Arne Westad Geraldine - Watching: Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War docuseries on Netflix Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

A new global arms race is on, to develop and control AI. But with so much power and profit tied up in this transformative new technology, is it in anyone's interest to ask where this new age of empire might lead? AI expert Anu Bradford says if we don't put proper guardrails in place soon, the consequences could be dire.  Guest: Anu Bradford - Professor at Columbia Law School and author of Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology. Recommendations: Hamish: The Age of AI Has Begun by Bill Gates and 'Way too much news': US conservatives face a fragmented media map - Financial Times Geraldine: Israel Must Decide Where It’s Going—and Who Should Lead It There - Ehud Barak in Foreign Affairs Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

As a resistance fighter turned statesman, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão has devoted his life to the struggle for Timorese independence. On the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia summit, he opened up to Geraldine and Hamish about why he is such a staunch advocate for processing the gas from the Greater Sunrise project onshore in Timor-Leste and what his dreams are for his country.

Sitting down with Geraldine and Hamish on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed his desire for Australia to adopt a more 'mature' approach on China, his frustration at Western 'hypocrisy' concerning Gaza, achieving 'spiritual enlightenment' through Shakespeare and why being Prime Minister is no 'bed of roses'.  Recommendations: Past episodes of Global Roaming

As the war in Ukraine grinds into its third year, it's increasingly becoming a battle for hearts and minds. Angela Stent has met Putin - 16 times - and she says it's this war for global influence that Putin thinks he is winning.  Recommendations: Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski speaking at the UN Security Council - listen here BBC The Briefing Room podcast - How is technology changing warfare? Masha Gessen in the New Yorker - The Death of Alexei Navalny, Putin's Most Formidable Opponent  Correction: Hamish incorrectly referred to Masha Gessen using she/her pronouns. Masha Gessen is nonbinary and trans and uses they/them pronouns.

Big decisions are being made about the future of Australian defence, with very little public debate. Highly esteemed defence strategist Hugh White is trying to inspire this national conversation. He joins Geraldine and Hamish to discuss why he thinks AUKUS is a mistake and what he thinks Australia needs to do instead, if we really want to secure ourselves in a rapidly contested region. Recommendations: Geraldine: Navalny - documentary. Available on SBS On Demand until 20 April 2024 Hamish: Essay by Hervé Lemahieu in Australian Foreign Affairs journal (AFA20 - February 2024), proposing that Australia pursue a common travel area and an integrated digital market with the Pacific.

Financial Times journalist Gideon Rachman says the world order is fundamentally shifting, and not in a good way. Recommendations:  Hamish: In the Time of Madness – Richard Lloyd Parry (Book)  Geraldine: Lunch with Prabowo, by Ben Bland at the Financial Times  Nemesis, Series 1 Episode 3 The Morrison Years, ABC

What might this upcoming election mean for the Indonesia - Australia relationship?  Recommendations: Hamish: Sarah Snook on The Today Programme – BBC Radio 4 Geraldine: A Year Of Living Dangerously – Book by Christopher Koch

Following the death of three Americans, pressure is growing on President Biden to take a stronger stance against Iran. Few, however, are asking what the mood is inside Iran, and who is pulling the strings? Iran scholar Ali Ansari argues that understanding this is imperative in determining what should come next.  Recommendations:  Hamish: Tom Friedman - A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle is Underway - New York Times. Geraldine: A Separation - Film available Apple TV Reading Lolita in Tehran - Book by Azar Nafisi

With the Israel-Gaza war spilling into the broader Middle East and a US election looming that could see the re-election of Donald Trump as president, the start of 2024 feels incredibly volatile. Geraldine and Hamish ask former US national security advisor John Bolton where he sees the situation heading, and how the US and its allies should respond.  Recommendations: Hamish: Ghost of Beirut - television series Geraldine: Anthony Blinken playing the guitar - YouTube

A war breaks out, a leader emerges, a revolution unfolds. How did it happen, and what are the implications for you? Two award-winning journalists with decades of experience reporting on major world events, Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald join forces for a fresh conversation about global news and how to make sense of it.