Big Ideas

We love tough guys in movies and it seems the same is true in global politics. From a bare-chested Vladimir Putin to Donald Trump vowing to make America great again the strongman style of political leadership is winning hearts and minds. As an antidote to this authoritarian trend advocates of citizen participation say it strengthens democracy from within and promotes long-term thinking.

Holocaust history is under siege – in several countries across Eastern Europe, Russia and also Turkey. A new state-sanctioned narrative doesn’t deny the murder of Jews but negates the involvement of the local population, claiming that it was all the Germans alone. Disregarding the historic facts in itself is bad enough, says historian Jan Gabrowski. But this trend forms part of a new ‘national identity’, and that’s for him a truly scary development.

Nothing seems certain anymore. Threats to our security are everywhere – terrorism , floods, fires, pandemics and climate change. And there’s no time to relax. You have to pick yourself up when disaster strikes and then think about how to prepare for the next one. We hear from four specialists who are in the business of moderating all kinds of risk - arson, extremism, climate change and risks in our built environment.

A new Prime Minister, and a new federal government, has given fresh. momentum to the push for a constitutional enshrined 'Voice to Parliament' for First Nations people. A referendum is expected to be held this term, perhaps as early as next year. Will Australians support it? How will the ‘Voice’ operate, and what could it achieve? What about proposals for a treaty, and truth telling? At a Constitution Day forum, held by the National Archives of Australia, Paul Barclay speaks with 3 First Nations Australians

The war in Ukraine is giving NATO a renewed sense of purpose and urgency, at a time when many were questioning the value of this multinational partnership and predicting its soon demise. The transatlantic alliance is now more important to the international security than it has been for decades. And a big part of the new unity among the member states is the US’s new approach based on consultation and listening.

Is happiness the natural order of things and,  if so,  should you be worried if you’re not happy? Psychologist Paul Bloom says that happiness isn’t guaranteed if you only do the things you find instantly easy and pleasurable . He says happiness is on the other side of tough and uncomfortable challenges and experiences. The key is to find meaning and purpose in the challenge.

In a global community it’s more important than ever to understand what’s going on in the rest of the world. Despite instant communication over the internet there's nothing like the considered view of a seasoned foreign correspondent.

They bring you the news from conflict zones, at high powered summits, or the views of ordinary citizens . But are they telling you the stories you want to hear?  Who sets the news agenda?

Much of medicine doesn’t do what it is supposed to do: improve health. That is the view of orthopaedic surgeon, Ian Harris. Ian believes too many drugs are being prescribed, too much surgery is being performed, and there are too many unhelpful tests, scans, and overdiagnosis. The 'business' of medicine, he says, is taking precedence over what the science tells us. We should go back to the first principles of the Hippocratic oath and ‘first, do no harm’.

The European Union has become a focal point for the pushback against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It now has a greater focus on European defence and security with more states wanting to join. Meanwhile the war in Ukraine continues with no diplomatic solution in sight and no-one sure of Russia’s ultimate goal.

Science and religion – for some they are strict opposites (and always shall be), for others they are in broad harmony with one another (and always shall be). Religious scholar Nick Spencer explores how science and religion have, do and can relate to one another. And how the connection of the two is shaping the world we live in. It’s a relationship that has very practical implications.