Sports as an International ActorWhole-of-Nation approachIn this episode, Tom Barber joins us from Melbourne, Australia as we dive into how rugby and football aren't just about tries and goals; they're dynamic players on the global field of diplomacy. We will explore how and why countries need to huddle up and work together for success in today's complex global landscape.To find out more about Tom, check out: asiapacific4d.com

In this episode, we speak to democracy activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi on her perspective on the Spring Revolution in Myanmar and the involvement of youths in the fight for democracy. Shunlei is a notable voice in Myanmar amd has expressed her opinion on Myanmar's discrimination and militaristic hegemonism. Shunlei gave us an overview of Myanmar's political state. She indicated that political instability had been magnified due to the executive power of the military and the inability to amend the ...

In this final episode of the series, we speak to Jonald Bagasina about the Trilateral Cooperative Agreement (TCA). The TCA is a security framework that was developed in 2016 to minimise the escalation of armed conflict, terrorism and transnational crime in the Sulu-Celebes Sea. Jonald provides an in-depth overview of how the agreement has been interpreted by each country and the crimes that have happened prior and after the formation of the agreement. We also discuss the respective interests ...

In today's episode, we speak to Isadora Vadasz and Mia Dunphy on combating gender issues through the current climate crisis. Both authors had an interesting take on the topic and framed their argument on how Australia can learn from the efforts of Southeast Asian nations. Women are seen to be the agents of change in this circumstance, as they appear to be the most disadvantaged from the effects of climate change. As a result, women in countries that are more susceptible to the effects of clim...

We speak to Queenie Tomaro on this episode to delve deep into women's empowerment from the Southeast Asian lens, disconnected from western ideas of the concept. Queenie indicates that we need a different set of criteria to what is used in west to assess levels of empowerment in Southeast Asia. This criteria stretches across culture, religion, state power and family relations – which are typically not used in Western nations, but are certainly important in Southeast Asia. We also discuss examp...

In this episode, Min Punia discusses the importance of the role of youth stakeholders in Southeast Asia in contributing to the advancement of respective societies through policy change. He details both passive and active stakeholder engagement and provides examples of the Red Rose Campaign and “sating pusa” in Myanmar. We broaden the conversation to include existing youth engagement in other parts of Southeast Asia and barriers that may be in the way for youth groups to mobilise their respect...

In today's episode, we chat with Claire Woodwell on non-conventional threats, namely climate change. She argues that climate change poses a security threat to Australia and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole. We discussed why it is imminent that countries try to develop policies to combat the effects of climate change and to invest in assets that have a dual use purpose, such as surveillance in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, Claire spoke about her own personal experience as being part...

Join us on today’s episode where we talk to Muhammad Ichsan and IIlyas Taufiqurrohman on how the ASEAN-Australia grid connection affects the energy trilemma. The energy trilemma refers to energy security, energy poverty and climate change mitigation. The ASEAN-ASEAN-Australia grid connection was an initiative that began in the 2010s and aims to to utilise untapped renewable energy resources in Western and Northern Australia by exporting the produced electricity to the ASEAN region. We discuss...

In this episode we chat with Hilda Jong on how the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Australia can contribute to the enhancement of educational opportunities and labour skills. We speak in detail on this relationship through the initiatives of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector and the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA).

In this episode, we speak to Suthida Chang who wrote a piece on investing in smart cities as a solution to post-COVID recovery. Her piece centres on Singapore, Thailand and Australia's current investment in smart cities and the overall future of ASEAN smart cities. The discussion goes into depth in each of the case studies, but also extends to other countries in the region.