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.

Can Australia defend itself?

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.

Along with expert guests, they take a single topic and examine it with Australian eyes. Challenging, thoughtful and fun, Global Roaming is your user's guide to what the world is talking about.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

News

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

Sunak vs Starmer: Who will rule Britannia?

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

Who's afraid of the ICC?

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

Let's make babies: The coming population crisis

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

Can Australia defend itself?

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