Virgin Galactic takes off, South Africa unrest and countering violent extremism

On 11th July, billionaire Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed test flight to space. Billionaire Jeff Bezos will soon follow suit on the first Blue Origin crewed flight on July 20. Dr Malcolm Davis speaks with Dr Cassandra Steer from the ANU Institute of Space and College of Law to discuss this new era for space tourism and its potential implications. The arrest of former South African president, Jacob Zuma, has sparked mass unrest in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Research Intern Khwezi Nkwanyana speaks to Dr Ibrahim Abraham from the Australian National University about the recent violence and the significance of Zuma’s arrest with regards to corruption and wider stability in the country. Dr Teagan Westendorf is joined by Peta Lowe from Phronesis Consulting and Training to discuss counterterrorism and the roles of countering violent extremism (CVE) and preventing violent extremism (PVE). Peta and Teagan discuss these issues with a specific focus on gender, regional complexities and the cyber realm. Mentioned in this episode: War and Peace in Outer Space: Law, Policy, and Ethics, edited by Cassandra Steer and Matthew Hersch Guests (in order of appearance): Dr Malcolm Davis: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/malcolm-davis Dr Cassandra Steer: https://law.anu.edu.au/people/cassandra-steer Khwezi Nkwanyana: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/khwezi-nkwanyana Dr Ibrahim Abraham: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/abraham-i Dr Teagan Westendorf: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/teagan-westendorf Peta Lowe: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peta-lowe