Don Watson joins us to discuss Trump’s beyond-bizarre cabinet selections, Joe Biden’s tainted legacy, and what this might all mean for Australia on the final episode of After America for 2024.

Author and former speechwriter Don Watson joins Dr Emma Shortis on After America to discuss what Trump’s re-emergence reveals about the United States and how Australia might respond differently to a second Trump administration.

This discussion was recorded on Monday 9 December 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Don Watson, author of ‘High Noon: Trump, Harris and America on the Brink’

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

Donald Trump’s Meet the Press interview (December 2024)

‘High Noon: Trump, Harris and America on the Brink’ by Don Watson, Quarterly Essay (September 2024)

‘The Second Coming’ by Fintan O’Toole, NY Review of Books (December 2024)

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Zoe Daniel MP joins us to discuss the MAGA loyalists Trump is tapping for senior roles and how Australia can deal with the President-elect.

On this episode of After America, Zoe Daniel MP, Independent Member for Goldstein and former foreign correspondent, joins Dr Emma Shortis to talk about the incoming Trump administration, Australia’s relationships with the United States and China, and the role of independent politicians in Australian defence and foreign policy-making.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 28 November and things may have changed since recording.

Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: The Hon Zoe Daniel MP, Independent Member for Goldstein // @zoedaniel

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidency changed everything by Zoe Daniel and Roscoe Whalan (March 2021)

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We discuss brainworms, Elon’s new gig, and why it’s a really bad idea to micro-dose E. coli.

Dr Ruth Mitchell, neurosurgeon and founding member of the Australian Nobel Prize-winning group, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the global consequences of Trump’s cabinet picks and what his election means for efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 21 November and things may have changed since recording.

Pre-order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: Ruth Mitchell, Board Chair, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War // @drruthmitchell

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

Risky Business: An update on super funds and nuclear weapons by Rosemary Kelly and Margaret Beavis (September 2024)

Super-powered nukes: Aussie funds and weapons of mass destruction, Follow the Money (October 2024)

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Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joins the show to discuss how Australia should approach the second Trump presidency.

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s 29th Prime Minister, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss why sucking up to Trump will get Australian leaders nowhere and how the AUKUS “shocker” is making Australia more dependent on the United States, right at the time America is becoming less dependable.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 8 November 2024 US time and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: Malcolm Turnbull, 29th Prime Minister of Australia // @TurnbullMalcolm

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

‘The Bad Guys: How to Deal with our Illiberal Friends’, Australian Foreign Affairs (October 2022)

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With this presidential race now over, Emma reflects on an extraordinary campaign and the challenges that may lie ahead for Australia.

In the last of our daily election episodes of After America, Dr Emma Shortis reflects on the glass ceiling in American politics, the Democrats’ failure to address their own shortcomings over the last three decades, and why the Australian Government doesn’t need to just cop whatever challenges the next US administration throws at it.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 7 November 2024 US time and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

 Show notes:

Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom (January 2019)

‘Kidnapping, assassination and a London shoot-out: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks’, Yahoo! News (September 2021) 

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Donald Trump will return to the White House – how should Australia prepare?

On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Alice Grundy discuss what the Trump victory means for American society and democratic institutions, the soul-searching facing the Democrats after a comprehensive defeat, and the implications for Australia.

This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 6 November 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Host: Alice Grundy, Research Manager, Anne Kantor Fellows, the Australia Institute // @alicekgt

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

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Will Trump declare victory on election night, regardless of the result?

On the final pre-election episode of After America, Matthew Bevan and Dr Emma Shortis reflect on an enormous Harris rally in Philadelphia, whether the polls have anything useful to tell us, and the dangers of a contested result.

This discussion was recorded on Monday 4 November 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: Matthew Bevan, host and writer of If You’re Listening, the ABC // @MatthewBevan

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

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Emma is on the road at a Harris rally in North Carolina and Bruce Thompson, former advisor to the Obama and Clinton campaigns in the state, joins us to preview the election.

Bruce Thompson joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss what it’s like to live in a battleground state in the heat of a presidential campaign, the prospect of legal challenges from the Trump in the event of a Democratic victory, and who Harris might pick as her Secretary of State if she wins the election.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 1 November 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: R. Bruce Thompson II, Partner, Parker Poe

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

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His Excellency José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Laureate, joins us to discuss why the United States will remain an economic powerhouse despite rising tensions with China.

On this episode of After America, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the US-China relationship and his disillusionment with the Western response to the Israel’s actions in Gaza.

This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 9 October 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: His Excellency José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Laureate // @JoseRamosHorta1

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

Statement of the Secretary-General on Israeli legislation on UNRWA, United Nations (October 2024)

UNRWA cannot be replaced, say UN top officials in response to Knesset ban, United Nations (October 2024)

Occupied Palestinian Territory, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Israel passes legislation banning the work of UNRWA on Israeli soil, ABC News (October 2024)

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Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis joins us to talk about the presidential election, Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy and the future of America’s role in the world.

On this episode of After America, Yanis Varoufakis joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the prospect of a grand deal between the US and China on climate, how Trump emerged from the Obama presidency, and why America isn’t a real democracy.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 1 November 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute

Guest: Yanis Varoufakis, economist, politician, author and the former finance minister of Greece // @yanisvaroufakis

Host: Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

‘The end of capitalism with Yanis Varoufakis’, Follow the Money (March 2024)

Yanis Varoufakis – Technofeudalism, National Press Club Address (March 2024)

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

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