Between the Lines

Today a special episode dedicated to Australia's place in the world in terms of the big foreign policy stories of 2015

Today we revisit the events surrounding the signing of the Dayton Peace Accord and wonder if the same kind of agreement could be used in Syria and Iraq. We also meet our 29th Prime Minister through the eyes of his unauthorised biographer.

Today, the world is on the cusp of a new climate deal to slash carbon emissions. Or is it? According to one of America’s former leading diplomats whatever world leaders say at Paris, they won’t sacrifice their nation’s prosperity and regulate their economies in the name of tackling global warming.  Plus, we’ll learn about Wall Street’s first black millionaire… in the mid 19th century.

Today, is Malaysian politics going down a dark path and if it when will there be light? Also Argentina has a new President and he's a conservative! What might that mean for Argentina and South Argentina?

Today the Islamic State after Paris. How should we respond? Do we send in the troops or might there be other, perhaps more effective things that the world can do to defeat terrorism?

Today, the Paris Climate Conference will take place later this month but is there any chance of an agreement and what responsibility for climate change should developing countries, like India take? Also, for the first time in 25 years free elections have been held in Myanmar, were they fair and what was the result?

Today , experts keep writing him off and he keeps saying extraordinary things and yet Donald Trump is still leading the Republican polls - why? Plus is there a crisis brewing in the South China Sea and if there is what should Australia do?

Today we discuss neo-cons and realists and the foreign policy magazine at the centre of it all - The National Interest. We then find out how the humble and slightly odd Chiko roll changed Australian history!

Today we we find out why Japan no longer has a pacifist Constitution and we also discover the role of the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, apparently it's all about pest control

This week we discuss whether Stephen Harper can win next weeks Canadian election and we find out what Donald Trump is really like from a friends point of view. We then discuss what Australia might do if the US and China went to war. Would the ANZUS treaty force us to join the US ? How could we juggle our relationships with these two super powers?