April 28 marked US President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office - a symbolic milestone used to measure the impact of a new administration. Peter Jennings is joined by Bruce Wolpe, Senior Fellow from the United States Studies Centre, to discuss President Biden's achievements so far, in areas such as the response to the pandemic and climate policy, and the domestic and foreign policy challenges the administration needs to manage. Recently, Taiwan has been receiving increased international attent...
Apr 30, 2021•43 min
In the earliest days of the Biden Administration, the United States has made it clear that it wants to re-engage in multilateralism. Peter Jennings is joined by Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre, to discuss Biden’s foreign policy agenda, climate policies and the importance of alliances and repairing some of America’s reputational damage. Following the first-ever leader-level Quad summit in March 2021, Michael Shoebridge is joined by Dr Lavina Lee, Senior Lecturer in Modern H...
Apr 23, 2021•42 min
Earlier this week, Australia’s second WPS National Action Plan outlines how Australia will take forward our national commitments to the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Emilia Currey is joined by Lisa Sharland, ASPI’s Deputy Director of Defence, Strategy & National Security and Head of International Program to discuss the plans strategic outcomes, how it differs from the first NAP, challenges for successful implementation and considerations for domestic concerns. Have you ever considered a care...
Apr 16, 2021•37 min
This week, ASPI has launched the Climate & Security Policy Centre, which will be headed up by Dr Robert Glasser. Anastasia is joined by Robert to discuss the Centre’s objectives as well as the new ASPI report ‘The rapidly emerging crisis on our doorstep’ which warns of climate hazards in Maritime Southeast Asia. ASPI released the report ‘Next step in the step up: The ADF's role in building health security in Pacific Island states’ which looks at the potential for the ADF to form military partner...
Apr 09, 2021•40 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Dr Marcus Hellyer speaks to Senior ASPI Fellow Dr Andrew Davies about his recent report ‘Coming ready or not: Hypersonic weapons’. They discuss what a hypersonic weapon is, whether there are ways to defend against this type of weapon and who is developing this capability. Dr Teagan Westendorf speaks to Professor Lisa Short, Design Thinker & Digital Technologist, Founder of P&L Digital Edge and Group Chair of the Global Foundation for Cyber Studies & Resea...
Apr 01, 2021•43 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Brendan Nicholson speaks to Charles Parton, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, career diplomat and China expert. Charles provides an overview of how the Chinese Communist Party operates, what China wants from Australia and the UK, and the need for like-minded democracies to be coordinated in their approaches to prevent the use of coercive and hostage diplomacy. They also discuss opportunities to improve the relationship over t...
Mar 26, 2021•44 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Dr Robert Glasser speaks to climate expert Frank Jotzo, Professor of environmental economics and climate change economics at ANU where he directs the Centre for Climate and Energy Policy. They discuss the global shifts from fossil fuels to renewables and the commercial market forces behind green energy and what China’s dominance in the sector really means. Dr Jacob Wallis and Albert Zhang talk about some of the key findings from their recent report ‘Tri...
Mar 19, 2021•31 min
In May 2020, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade adopted an inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade. Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Senator David Fawcett, joins Brendan Nicholson to discuss the report from the inquiry including some of the key findings and recommendations for government. Michael Shoebridge speaks to Dr Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow ...
Mar 12, 2021•39 min
It’s International Women’s Day! To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, we are excited to share this brilliant all-female line-up with defence, foreign policy and national security expertise. Danielle Cave, Deputy Director of ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre is joined by Dr Tanvi Madan, Director of the India Project and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, to discuss India and the Quad and the prospects for increased collaboration between the Quad countries. Lisa Sharla...
Mar 09, 2021•39 min
On February 15 this year, Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State relations, a global initiative which aims to raise awareness and stop the practice of arbitrary detention. Brendan Nicholson speaks with Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, Senior Fellow in the Institute for Science, Society and Policy at the University of Ottawa, about the effectiveness of the declaration in preventing arbitrary detention and whether more can be done through global cooperation In Dece...
Mar 05, 2021•41 min
At the end of December 2020, the EU and China agreed in principle on a trade deal that will govern bilateral investment. Negotiations for the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment began in 2013 but the strategic environment has changed significantly since then. Brendan Nicholson and Michael Shoebridge weigh the merits of this agreement. Nicholas Coppel, Australian ambassador to Myanmar from 2015 to 2018, speaks with Dr Huong Le Thu about the motivations behind the recent coup in Myanmar, the lik...
Feb 26, 2021•38 min
With the 13th National Congress held by the Vietnam Communist Party which concluded on the 1st of February this year, many thought that the current state of affairs would offer another turning point, similar to those of the Doi Moi reforms. Dr. Huong Le Thu and Dr. Robert Glasser discuss the initial results of the congress, and what the future of politics looks like in Vietnam. Daria Impiombato speaks with Dr Alexandra Phelan, Deputy Director of Monash Gender, Peace and Security and Lecturer in ...
Feb 19, 2021•31 min
In the context of Navalny’s arrest, widespread protests and Russia’s ongoing pattern of malign activities, Anastasia Kapetas speaks with James Goldgeier, Professor at American University and the Robert Bosch Senior Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. They discuss the Biden administration’s response to the Navalny arrest and the potential for a more unified approach from the US and EU towards Russia. Lisa Sharland speaks with former ASPI researcher Genevieve Feeley about their report ‘M...
Feb 12, 2021•44 min
In our first episode of Policy, Guns & Money for 2021, Dr Jacob Wallis speaks with Ariel Bogle about QAnon. They discuss the conspiracy theory’s origins, its translation from an online phenomenon into violence and the ensuing ‘real world’ consequences that encompass everything from the US Capitol riots to Australian policy responses. Anastasia Kapetas, National Security Editor for The Strategist, speaks with Russia expert Visiting Fellow at ANU Kyle Wilson, about the unfolding situation in Russi...
Feb 05, 2021•43 min
In the final episode for 2020, The Strategist’s Brendan Nicholson, Anastasia Kapetas and Jack Norton share their thoughts on some of the key events and geopolitical developments of 2020 and the areas they will be watching closely in 2021. Some of the topics they discuss include: the Australia-China relationship, climate, the Brereton Inquiry, the US elections and disinformation. Policy, Guns and Money will return in January 2021! In this episode: Brendan Nicholson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/br...
Dec 18, 2020•33 min
Coinciding with this week’s launch event of the 2020 Global Terrorism Index at ASPI, Leanne Close speaks with Peta Lowe, Principal Consultant at Phronesis Consulting. Peta has over 15 years’ experience working with young people involved with the justice system, she discusses countering violent extremism in youth populations and outlines some of the key risks for radicalisation and strategies for awareness and prevention. Anastasia Kapetas speaks with Dr Christian Downie Australian Research Counc...
Dec 11, 2020•34 min
Ariel Bogle speaks to Dr Kate Starbird, Associate Professor at the University of Washington and researcher at the Election Integrity Partnership. They discuss the growing challenges for social media companies in moderating online disinformation and misinformation in the context of the US elections and President Trump’s dispute of the election results. Michael Shoebridge speaks to Rowan Callick, double Walkley Award winning journalist and author, about his recent report for the Centre for Indepen...
Dec 04, 2020•53 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Brendan Nicholson speaks to Samantha Crompvoets, founder and director at Rapid Context who carried out the review of special forces which uncovered claims that war crimes were committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. They discuss the Brereton Report, how a dangerous ‘warrior culture’ developed unchecked, and what needs to be done to stop it happening again. Anastasia Kapetas speaks with Ben Bohane, Communications Director at ANU’s Australia ...
Nov 27, 2020•49 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Brendan Nicholson and Peter Jennings discuss Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent visit to Japan to meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the in-principle Reciprocal Access Agreement. They discuss the significance of the agreement and what it signals about the two countries’ future engagement in South East Asia and the Pacific regions. Anastasia Kapetas speaks with Robert Glasser, ASPI Visiting Fellow and former Head of the UN O...
Nov 19, 2020•36 min
Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Peter Hartcher, political editor and international editor at the Sydney Morning Herald to unpack the United States elections and the developments since, including President Trump’s refusal to concede, the dismissal of Defence Secretary Mark Esper and the disinformation that continues to spread across social media. Michael Shoebridge speaks to David Uren, writer and non-resident fellow with the United States Studies Centre about his ASPI report ‘Economic coercion: Boyc...
Nov 13, 2020•45 min
Anastasia Kapetas, National Security Editor at The Strategist speaks to Emma Herd, CEO of the Investor Group on Climate Change about the ‘Climate League 2030’ initiative, a private-sector focused initiative with the goal of deeper emissions reductions for Australia. They also discuss climate investment and the significant rise in renewable energy investments. Peter Jennings speaks to Professor James Goldrick, Adjunct Professor at UNSW with over 35 years’ service in the Royal Australian Navy. The...
Nov 06, 2020•45 min
In this podcast special, Anastasia Kapetas speaks to some of the team behind ASPI’s research on Xinjiang about their recently launched Xinjiang Data Project and the potential global implications of China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. ASPI’s Kelsey Munro and Nathan Ruser, and James Leibold, Senior ASPI Fellow and Head of Department of Politics, Media & Philosophy at La Trobe University discuss their research which extensively mapped out 380 detention facilities in Xinjiang that have bee...
Oct 30, 2020•45 min
This week on Policy, Guns and Money, Michael Shoebridge talks to Dr. Marcus Hellyer about his latest report "The cost of Defence - Part 2". They examine the recent government budget announcements and how they align with the 2020 Defence Strategic Update. Leanne Close, Head of ASPI’s Counterterrorism Program, explores the trends of counterterrorism throughout Covid-19 in light of the recent attack in France, in conversation with The Strategist’s Brendan Nicholson. Also in this episode, John Coyne...
Oct 23, 2020•43 min
In this weeks episode of Policy, Guns and Money, we speak with some of the authors of ASPI's 'After Covid vol 2' publication. Included are discussions on Soft power, the EU’s approach to China and Australia’s relations with Southeast Asia. Lisa Sharland and Professor Caitlin Byrne, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute discuss how soft power is being used by the US and China, and opportunities for middle and small powers to utilise soft power in multilateral settings. Bart Hogeveen speaks to r...
Oct 16, 2020•40 min
In this week's episode of Policy, Guns & Money; Brendan Nicholson and Anastasia Kapetas discuss the upcoming US elections, the chances of President Trump being re-elected and the potential impacts of social media on the elections. Dr Huong Le Thu is joined by Ms Petra Sigmund, Director-General for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific at the German Federal Foreign Office to discuss Germany’s recently launched Indo-Pacific Strategy, how it was developed and how it will shape Germany’s future ...
Oct 12, 2020•38 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Dr Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas discuss climate change and national security in the first conversation in our new ongoing series that will put climate change front and center in the national security debate. Tom Uren speaks with ASPI Fellow Rajiv Shah about his recent report ‘Ensuring a trusted 5G ecosystem of vendors and technology’. They discuss the importance of setting international standards and the need to encourage network providers to use ...
Oct 02, 2020•41 min
Leaders Week kicks off this week with a High-level Meeting on Monday commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations under the theme ‘The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism.’ To mark this occasion, ASPI has produced this podcast episode and with special guests to discuss the importance and relevance of the United Nations at 75. Lisa Sharland speaks with Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nat...
Sep 21, 2020•42 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Leanne Close and Elise Thomas discuss right-wing extremism, conspiracy theories and some of the different groups of conspiracy theorists. They consider the responses from social media companies and offer suggestions on how governments should respond to these growing challenges. Brendan Nicholson and Michael Shoebridge discuss Volume Two of ASPI’s After Covid-19 report series which focuses on Australia, the region and multilateralism and offers policy re...
Sep 18, 2020•36 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Michael Shoebridge speaks with Darshana Baruah, Non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They discuss India's Navy and maritime goals, the Quad and Australia-India relations. Peter Jennings and Brendan Nicholson consider the return of Australian journalists Bill Birtles and Mike Smith from China and the general state of the Australia - China relationship. Authors Fergus Ryan and Daria Impiombato speak to Tom Uren about the...
Sep 11, 2020•40 min
In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money; Brendan Nicholson, Anastasia Kapetas and Jack Norton of ASPI's 'The Strategist' discuss some of the latest movements in the vexed Australia - China relationship. Michael Shoebridge and John Coyne consider the ongoing issue of improving Fuel Security for Australia and our allies and Emilia Currey and Tracy Beattie talk to Olivia Nelson about the findings of their recently released report: "The Chinese Communist Party’s coercive diplomacy". Report: https://...
Sep 04, 2020•34 min
