After decades of enjoying peacetime dividends and American protection, Germany is now re-arming in a hurry. 

Troop numbers in the Bundeswehr had withered since the 1990s and spending dipped well below 2%. 

But with bellicose Russia on Europe’s borders and US support no longer a guarantee, that's all changing. 

The real question is: are Germans ready to be a military power once again?

Guest: Dr Benedikt Franke, CEO of the Munich Security Conference

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From the volatile fault lines of the Middle East, a dangerous new chapter has unfolded as the confrontation between Israel and Iran up-ends the region's delicate balance. 

The big question is whether the US will enter the fray to assist their ally Israel. 

Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline on that crucial decision, will he risk dividing his MAGA base? And will he heed the history of US foreign entanglements? 

The world waits with baited breath to find out. 

Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times United Nations bureau chief and Iran specialist

Recommendations:

Geraldine: 'Will the U.S join Israel's war with Iran', The Daily podcast from the New York Times

Nick: The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne

Plus: Our bonus interview with Dr Afshon Ostovar on the question of regime change in Iran

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Israel's assassination of high-ranking military and political figures in Iran is raising questions about the regime's ability to survive this war, especially if the US enters the fight. 

But the regime won't be easy to topple, despite its isolation, because of the enduring grip on power of military ideologists and the lack of a domestic opposition.

So how might this war end?

Guest: Dr. Afshon Ostovar, author of Wars of Ambition: The United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East, associate professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School.  

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Leaders of the world's great industrial nations will gather in Canada at the G7 over the weekend. 

As the tectonic plates of international relationships continue to shift under the pressure of the Trump presidency, the summit is an opportunity to observe new diplomatic relationships.

With the world sliding closer to chaos this week, could this be the moment for leaders to restore stability?

Guest: Ian Bremmer, founder and President of the Eurasia Group

Recommendations:

Geraldine: 'Sub Text' by Sam Roggeveen, The Monthly

Nick: When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter

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If the West really is in decline, are we watching the creation of a new world order? 

This question is being asked with fresh urgency in capitals around the world as Donald Trump shakes the global system to its roots. 

How can Australia prepare to meet the challenge head on? 

Guests: Philippe Sands, professor of law at University College London, barrister and author of 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia

Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent and former Beijing Bureau chief, New York Times, author of At the Edge of Empire: A family's reckoning with China

Bec Strating, Director of La Trobe Asia, co-author of Girt by Sea: re-imagining Australia’s Security

Recommendations: All our guests' books!

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Who is a conservative and who is a radical in American politics right now? It’s not entirely clear when the Republican party has dramatically shifted its policies on tax, industry and trade.

Oren Cass has an important part in this identity shift, he is influential in the New Right, a movement that also counts JD Vance and Marco Rubio as important figures. 

Guest: Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass, author of The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry

Recommendations:

Geraldine: Why Empires Fall: Rome, America and the Future of the West, Peter Heather and John Rapley

Hamish: 'This Instability May Be Worth It. Here’s Why.' New York Times

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Some news stories shake the world, others barely make the front page. 

In the era of Donald Trump, many important stories are being forgotten.

Lindsey Hilsum is one of the journalism's most experienced and fearless foreign correspondents.

She shares reflections on a career spent running towards atrocities and how to balance covering Trump and the stories we're missing.

Guest: Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor, author of I Brought The War with Me; Stories and Poems from the Front Line

Recommendations:

Hamish: Lindsey Hilsum on Desert Island Discs, BBC

Kylie: You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, Elizabeth Becker

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Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East was three days of glitz, gold and billion-dollar deals. 

The big surprise was a meeting with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Does this signal an intent to reshape the region and some of its enduring conflicts? 

And does the decision not to visit Israel signal a cooling relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu?

Recommendations:

Kylie: Jerusalem the biography by Simon Sebag Montefiori 

Hamish: Donald Trump seeks bromance and billions as he heads to Gulf, FT

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The Australian Signals Directorate is one of Australia's most secretive agencies, responsible for decoding enemy messages, protecting us from cyber threats and collaborating with allied intelligence services. 

Rachel Noble knows how the machine works, as the former head of ASD she helped shape Australia's role in the Five Eyes alliance. 

Now, with Trump's return and Signal-gate leaks, can Australia still trust its closest ally?

Guest: Rachel Noble, former Director-General of Australia Signals Directorate 

Recommendations:

Geraldine:  The Crisis of our Time by Christopher Clark

Hamish: East West Street by Philippe Sands

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As the world awaits the sitting of the conclave and the appointment of a new Pope, Geraldine sits down with the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Apostolic Palace.

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