Australia does elections pretty well - in fact, we might be the world's hottest ambassador for democracy. But according to former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers we need to be wary of 'the curse of the sausage'; the idea that our own success makes us vulnerable. In this discussion with Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue he offers a simple idea to protect our elections against growing threats, both at home and abroad. 

Recommendations:

Hamish and Geraldine: Annabel Crabb's Civic Duty : ABC iview

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If you thought Netflix's hit series The Diplomat was pure fiction, think again…

According to creator Deborah Cahn the show was inspired by a real-life diplomat that she has described as "a superhero in a pant suit" — Ambassador Beth Jones.

We tracked down Ambassador Jones and her husband Don to ask what it's really like to work in places like Kabul, Cairo, Baghdad and Kazakhstan and it turns out the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Recommendations:

Hamish: "Anchored in the region" — What the new Australia–Indonesia security treaty really means, article by Natalie Sambhi

Geraldine: Saturday Extra's Diplomacy mini-series from 2021, featuring interview with former diplomats:

• John McCarthy
• Sue Boyd
• Geoff Raby
• US Consul General Sharon Hudson Dean (Kylie Morris hosted)
• The late Martin Indyk

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Geraldine has returned from London where she had a front row seat as the BBC was engulfed in it's biggest crisis in decades. She joins Hamish for a conversation about how the BBC got here, what the various forces are at play and why the BBC might need to get "down and dirty" to combat Donald Trump's threats. 

Plus, we unpack some fascinating listener feedback on our recent China episodes, which has sparked quite a debate in the Global Roaming planning room... 

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This week democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian Mayor, beating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. At a time when faith in the Democratic Party is at an all-time low, Mamdani found a way to reach – and win over – disaffected voters, becoming a household name not just in New York, but all over the world.  

Hamish Macdonald and special guest host Amelia Lester (Foreign Policy) ask whether there is more to Mamdani than just 'rizz'? Are there lessons in his campaign for a flailing Democratic Party? Or is it simply a distraction from the real work required to win back voters?

Then they speak to Timothy Shenk, a historian of modern American politics at George Washington University to discuss some of the ideas he's put forward in a thought-provoking essay for The New York Times entitled Democrats Are in Crisis. Eat-the-Rich Populism Is the Only Answer. 

Recommendations:

Amelia: Equator magazine and article ‘He’s an African Leader’: Why my Ethiopian relatives voted for Trump by Adom Getachew.

Hamish: Amelia Lester's Boyer Lecture: AI on Australia's terms

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It may have been the most significant hour and forty minutes in global geopolitics this year...

If the highly anticipated summit between Presidents Xi and Trump in South Korea was about putting out the fires of a great power trade war, the flames seem to be under control... for now. But was it a win-win for everyone? 

Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald discuss which cans made it onto the negotiating table and were kicked down the road. Then they have a frank conversation with the former Singaporean diplomat Bilahari Kausikan about how South-east Asian countries responded to Trump's whirlwind tour through Asia and why they might be uniquely positioned to deal with a character like Donald Trump. 

Recommendations:

Geraldine: The Myth of the Asian Century | A Lowy Institute Paper: Penguin Special by Bilahari Kausikan

Hamish: Aiming Higher: Universities and Australia's Future by George Williams

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If you thought we'd never see a repeat of the GFC or even the dotcom bubble, think again... 

So far financial markets have proved remarkably resilient to the geopolitical shocks and uncertainty brought about by Trump 2.0, but economists are warning that this could be largely thanks to an AI bubble that is artificially propping up the US economy. 

Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald discuss the growing fears of what happens if and when this bubble bursts and how Australia is particularly exposed to a downturn through our superannuation system. 

Then Geraldine sits down with the acclaimed Irish economist and author David McWilliams to put this moment in historical perspective and get his frank assessment of what comes next.   

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While we were all preoccupied with Prime Minister Albanese's meeting with Donald Trump, another hugely important meeting was taking place behind closed doors in Beijing. At the highly anticipated Fourth Plenum there were political purges, hints at succession, and clues about what one of the world's great superpowers is planning to achieve over the next five years.

Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by China analyst Neil Thomas to unpack everything you need to know about the Fourth Plenum and how it might affect President Xi jinping's thinking as he heads into his own highly anticipated meeting with President Trump next week in South Korea.

Recommendations:

Geraldine: Adam Tooze -  Chartbook

+ A House of Dynamite now on Netflix

Hamish: Season 3 of The Diplomat on Netflix

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Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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 

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.