One week on from the ceasefire deal and the commencement of the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, things look fragile. At this point, peace seems to be very much in the hands of one man: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has a reputation as a wily political player, and the personal and political stakes for him are sky high. So, what are the calculations he’s making? Can he, and will he, deliver peace? Former speaker of the Israeli Parliament Avraham 'Avrum" Burg shares his thoughts. 

Plus, to find out what 'peace' actually looks like at the moment on the ground in Gaza, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue spoke to Ahmed Kamal Junina – Linguistics professor at Al-Aqsa University, in Gaza City.

Recommendations:

Geraldine: Nepalese hostage's final poem to mum before Hamas death revealed, Wall Street Journal via The Australian.

Hamish: Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari.

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Japan has entered a new political era after the election of Sanae Takaichi who is poised to become the country’s first female prime minister. A protege of the late Shinzo Abe and a fan of Margaret Thatcher, she styles herself as Japan's 'Iron Lady' and she could be one of its most right-wing and nationalistic leaders since the Second World War. 

Asia editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Richard Lloyd Parry has lived in Japan and covered it for 30 years. He joins Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue to discuss what Takaichi's leadership might mean for Japan, and for Australia. 

Recommendations:

China's middle class rides migration wave to Tokyo - AFR

In The Time Of Madness - Richard Lloyd Parry

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Geraldine and Hamish were live on air on ABC Sydney when Donald Trump broke the news this morning that a deal had been reached on the 'first phase' of a Gaza ceasefire deal. They raced into another studio to record a bonus episode of Global Roaming about this enormous development in the Middle East. 

Here's everything you need to know about what's just happened, what's still to come and whether peace might really be within reach. 

Recommended reading and listening:

Northern Ireland, Gaza and the Road to Peace - The New York Times 

ABC Rear Vision 

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Hamas has responded to Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza saying it is prepared to release all Israeli hostages - dead or alive. However it did not signal that it was completely prepared to lay down its arms or step away from negotiations...

So is this the crucial turning point in the conflict that we've all been waiting for? What happens next from here? 

From the streets of Vietnam and an airport in Melbourne, Hamish and Geraldine got in touch to unpack the latest breaking developments. 

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Fears that the United States might be headed towards civil war feel slightly less overblown than they did just weeks ago...

With the US government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats in deadlock, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth 'unleashing' federal troops into cities like Memphis, America increasingly looks like a dangerous and divided nation. 

In a rare face-to-face conversation in Sydney, Geraldine Doogue sat down with veteran journalists Peter Baker (chief White House correspondent for The New York Times) and Susan Glasser (New Yorker correspondent and Lowy Institute board member) to discuss the psychology behind Donald Trump's war on 'the enemy within' and why a country like Australia should see this as a cautionary tale. 

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The anti-science crusade in the United States extends beyond President Trump's flourishing statements about climate change being a 'con job' and a 'hoax' and claiming links between Tylenol (or paracetamol) and autism. Under the second Trump administration and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, long-standing medical and scientific institutions are being hollowed out and misinformation and disinformation is rife. There are a number of actors who stand to capitalise on this trend, from foreign states like Russia, to big pharma companies and 'wellness' influencers. And experts say it poses an existential threat not just for America, but for the world. 

In this episode Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald speak to Radio National's Science Editor Jonathan Webb and prominent vaccine scientist Dr Peter Hotez (co-author with Michael Mann of Science Under Siege) about the forces at play in the global war on science and Dr. Hotez also reveals what it's like to be personally targeted by RFK Jr, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk. 

Recommendations:

Geraldine: Good Night, and Good Luck - 2005 film 

Hamish: Australian Story - The River (Part 1 and 2) - ABC iView

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The 80th UN General Assembly is heating up in New York, just as a major UN report finds that Israel is committing genocide. Countries like Australia have pledged to recognise a Palestinian State at next week's UNGA, but there are doubts about whether that will have anything more than symbolic significance. In fact, there are serious questions about the United Nations' ability to resolve today's conflicts and concerns that, in the age of Trump, this once lauded institution has become damaged beyond repair. 

So can the UN be fixed, and what exactly will that take? According to former UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths it comes down to one thing: courage.  

Recommendations:

Geraldine: PNG’s half-century report card - Hamish Macdonald, Inside Story 

Hamish: A Dirty Little War by John Martinkus

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As celebrations get underway marking the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia, the two nations are about to enter a deal that will see our defence forces become 'totally integrated'. 

Geraldine Doogue, Hamish Macdonald and special guest Oliver Nobetau (Project Director of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Network at the Lowy Institute) discuss why this particular Pacific neighbour continues to hold so much significance to Australia and what this historic new defence treaty might actually mean for PNG and us. 

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Geraldine is back and feeling uncharacteristically pessimistic about the state of the world. So as the Australian government works hard to cement stronger ties in the Indo-Pacific region following China's display of military and political might, Hamish and Geraldine are joined by the Chief of the Australian Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart for a frank conversation about whether Australians need to come to terms with the possibility of a war in our region.  

Recommendations:

Geraldine Doogue: Address by Former senior Chinese diplomat Madame Fu Ying to the AFR Asia Summit 2025. Once available, it can be found HERE. 

Hamish Macdonald: ABC 7:30 Monday 8 September - interview with Julie Inman Grant (commences about 9:00 minutes in)

+ The News Agents podcast - Nick Clegg: What really happened at Facebook?

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All eyes have been on China this week, as dozens of world leaders arrived to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and China's 'Victory Day' military parade, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in WW2. 

Not only was it a chance for leaders like Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un and - perhaps most surprisingly - Narendra Modi, to mingle, it sent a striking image to the Western world that while the US-led global order under Donald Trump seems to be decaying, a powerful new alignment of countries is taking place, with China at the forefront.

Guests:

Einar Tangen - Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute and the founder and chairman of Asia Narratives.

Bob Carr - Former Australian Foreign Minister and former Premier of NSW.

Recommendations:

Hamish: Trump says he’s determined to weaken China. He’s doing the opposite - Peter Hartcher, SMH

Kylie: The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Vuong

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