Recorded at Malcolm Turnbull’s Sovereignty and Security forum held in Canberra. Is Trump 2.0 an aberration, or a seismic 8 on the Richter scale of international relations? We cannot grit our teeth and ride this out. We must confront reality. Professor James Curran reminds us of the history between Australia and America, and what it can tell us about our future prospects. These are the closing remarks to the Sovereignty and Security forum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 02, 2025•16 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Recorded at Malcolm Turnbull’s Sovereignty and Security forum held in Canberra. This panel examines how Australia pursues its national interest in a “might is right” world, and if we should work with other countries to mitigate the economic damage from Trump’s tariff war. Panellists include: Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC KC FASSA FAIIA, Cabinet Minister throughout the Hawke-Keating governments, and Australian National University Chancellor 2010-19; Professor Shiro Armstrong, professor of eco...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Recorded at Malcolm Turnbull’s Sovereignty and Security forum held in Canberra. In the absence of support from America, should Australia adopt an Echidna Strategy - friendly to those who don’t mean us harm, and spikey and indigestible to those who do? This panel discusses the big question of whether Australia can defend itself’, and how. Panellists include: Sam Roggeveen, Director at the Lowy Institute, and author of The Echidna Strategy: Australia’s Search for Power and Peace, senior strategic ...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Recorded at Malcolm Turnbull’s Sovereignty and Security forum held in Canberra. This panel discusses the viability of AUKUS in its current form, and what needs to change to deliver sovereign undersea warfare capabilities that Australia can afford to own and man. Panellists include: Dennis Richardson AO, served as Secretary of Defence, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, was the Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) for almost a decade to 2005, and was the Austral...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Recorded at Malcolm Turnbull’s Sovereignty and Security forum held in Canberra. This panel discusses the nature of the security threats Australia faces, and reassesses the assumptions that have informed our economic, foreign and defence policies. Panellists include: Professor Hugh White, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU, founding Director of ASPI, worked for several Labor Leaders, and served in the Defence Department; Dr Geoff Raby , Australia’s Ambassador to China from 2007-11, se...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Is our affection for America and Americans blinding us to the reality that Trump’s political values are more aligned to the “might is right” world view of Putin than they are to ours in Australia? Malcolm Turnbull’s opening remarks to the Sovereignty and Security forum held in Canberra with over 100 national security and foreign policy experts to discuss policies including the AUKUS submarine project, trade, defence and regional diplomacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 02, 2025•11 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Malcolm is on the ground in the US in the final days of the battle for the White House. The race is tight. If Donald J Trump wins, what would a second term look like? What would it mean for Australia? With the prospect of Trump riding back into Washington for another four years, Malcolm tells the story of his own interactions with Trump and how he knew immediately the best strategy to adopt to take on a notorious bully. This is an incredible insight from a former prime minister who dealt directl...
Oct 25, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Chinese President Xi Jinping's unshakable determination to unite mainland China and Taiwan is one of our most significant threats to geopolitical stability. Shirley Lin, a Taipei native, is the founder and chair of the Center for Asia Pacific Resilience and Innovation, or CAPRI. For decades, she's been at the forefront of defending democracy in Taiwan, a testament to the island's unwavering spirit. In this episode, she delves into the evolution of Taiwan's identity, the soft power China has empl...
Jul 18, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 7
The clock of war is ticking in Taiwan – and it’s up to the west to stop it. Matt Pottinger worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in China. He's a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was President Trump's Deputy National Security Advisor. In recent decades, Taiwan has cemented itself as a cornerstone of technological manufacturing, producing chips essential to almost every aspect of modern life. It is also of immense geographical importance in the region and vital...
Jul 18, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 8
The potential of a second Trump Presidency has far-reaching implications, particularly in Europe. Cecilia Malmstrom is a Swedish-born politician elected to the European Parliament in 1999, later serving as European commissioner for trade and as European commissioner for home affairs. When Trump was elected, Cecilia promoted free trade worldwide, including an EU/Australia free trade deal when the President imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium. In this episode, Malcolm and Cecilia discuss how im...
Jul 11, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 6
How can we build a society where different opinions are met with curiosity and understanding? Dame Louise Richardson is a counter-terrorism expert, author and the President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and she has some thoughts. In this episode, Dame Louise and Malcolm argue how our environments can bring people back to the centre, reduce division, and inoculate against extremism. Dame Louise believes the public is less divided than politicians would lead you to believe, but the Amer...
Jul 11, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Donald Trump's MAGA movement has inspired a following of non-college-educated, working-class Republican voters; but it's also had a profound impact on Republican policy. Ben Ginsberg is a Republican lawyer who wrote Lost, Not Stolen: The Conservative Case that Trump Lost and Biden Won the 2020 Presidential Election. He says the Republican party would be better off arguing for conservative policy solutions rather than pandering to Donald Trump's personalised wishes. Malcolm and Ben discuss the ch...
Jul 05, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Could a Trump 2.0 bring more blatant and dangerous violations of the norms and rules of democracy than we've seen before? Larry Diamond, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, has dedicated his life to the cause of liberal democracy. Malcolm and Larry discuss the success of centrist candidates in Australia, which is improbable in America because of a combination of primary elections, the sore loser rule and first-past-the-post voting. They discuss how, in 2020, Alaska en...
Jul 05, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In a world of social media echo chambers, misinformation and partisan media, the lines between truth and lies are blurrier than ever. Jonathan Rauch knows this well - he's the author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth , which describes the crisis in our society, in which we are no longer divided based on different opinions but on other realities. Malcolm and Jonathan discuss the norms and rules of reality-based politics and journalism and how communities interact to seek the tr...
Jul 04, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 2
As the US election looms, Malcolm talks to Eric H. Holder, Jr., about the United States electoral system, how it compares to Australia, and the significant challenges to democracy the US faces today. Eric H. Holder Jr, served as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States of America from 2009 to 2015 in the Obama Administration. Holder argues that the health of a democracy can be measured by the number of people who can easily engage in the electoral process. America has voluntary voting and ...
Jul 04, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Barbara Walter has been part of a CIA task force looking at predictive models for where civil wars might break out around the world. As the task force looked closely at the data, they discovered that the two most predictive factors were well-established in America. Barbara says the 2024 U.S. Presidential election is a genuine trigger for violence, and if the U.S. does not change its course, it could end up in a second civil war. Malcolm talks to Barbara about what leads modern democracies toward...
Sep 04, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 7
What do you do when a country suddenly falls into darkness? Afghan Australian businessman Saad Mohseni is Chairman, Chief Executive, and CEO of Moby Group, which runs Afghanistan's 24/7 Tolo News channel. Saad is widely applauded for advancing press freedom and defending women's rights; Time Magazine recognized him in 2011 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In this episode, Saad relives the chaotic 48 hours inside his Tolo news network when the Taliban took over as U.S. forc...
Aug 27, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Climate change and the decline of democracy are two global crises that have come to a head in recent years. Transitioning to green energy is key to tackling both. Can we make enough progress fast enough to save the planet and democracy? Energy security expert Anna Mikulska discusses how Vladimir Putin weaponised gas for decades before the ground invasion of Ukraine and warns that Europe is not yet clear from danger. Malcolm and Anna discuss if the transition to clean energy could save European d...
Aug 21, 2023•20 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Who are the new autocrats and what’s their playbook? We are now living in the era of the strongman - and every dictator has built on the accomplishments of his predecessors. Hitler watched Mussolini, and Gaddafi learned from Lt Col Gamal Abdul Nasser. So why, despite the evidence of history, do strongmen still hold such appeal for us? What does the playbook reveal about Donald Trump’s run for the 2024 Presidency? Malcolm talks with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Author of Author, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Pr...
Aug 14, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Congressman Adam Kinzinger reflects on the toxicity that has overtaken the United States and why it’s almost certain Donald Trump will be the Republican Presidential nominee. What would a Trump 2.0 Presidency look like and what does this mean for the allies and democracy around the world? Available on LiSTNR See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 07, 2023•20 min•Season 2Ep. 4
How is artificial intelligence reshaping the battlefield? As a teenager, Palmer Luckey designed the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset he then founded Oculus VR and sold it to Facebook for $2.3b. Now he is bringing the ingenuity of Silicon Valley to defence technology. Founder of Anduril Industries Palmer is on a mission to reshape our defence forces. Find out how his technologies are helping Ukrainians fight against Vladimir Putin. In this episode, Malcolm and Palmer discuss if killer robot...
Jul 31, 2023•25 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Even the founders of generative AI ChatGPT say they are “super nervous” about how autocrats will use the platform. This new release of artificial intelligence has the potential to unleash disinformation at a pace and scale that is unprecedented. We won’t be able to fact-check ourselves of this problem. Malcolm Turnbull talks to one of the world's leading voices on AI Toby Walsh, Author of Machines Behaving Badly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 24, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Should Tik Tok be banned for Australian users? Is our social media data safe? How much power do foreign-owned apps have in a free and open society? Last year the Australian government banned TikTok from staff devices over security concerns, while many experts say it should be banned full-stop. Still, over seven million Australians log on each month. Justin Bassi is the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He was also Malcolm Turnbull's national security advisor when h...
Jul 17, 2023•25 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Democracy around the world is being challenged from forces within and afar. Autocrats are gaining momentum and the release of generative AI models like ChatGPT could play to their advantage. Join Malcolm Turnbull in his podcast, Defending Democracy as we open up a discussion about the future of democracy. Hear how insiders are thinking about the challenges and ultimately how we chart a pathway to a more secure and peaceful world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 13, 2023•3 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has settled with Dominion for $787.5 USD; he's also fired the network's most popular host Tucker Carlson. Former Guardian newspaper editor, Alan Rusbridger and Malcolm Turnbull have both known Rupert Murdoch for decades. In this episode, they unpack the chaos inside the network and evaluate the carnage wrought by the reckless embrace of Donald Trump’s big lie. Alan Rusbridger was the editor of the Guardian for over 20 years and during that time he took on Rupert Murdoch...
Apr 26, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took the infamous phone call from Donald Trump in which he repeatedly urged him to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential vote. A fellow Republican, Secretary Raffensperger stood up to Trump but after the call he was doxxed and his family received death threats. A grand jury is now considering whether to charge Trump for crimes against Georgia’s electoral laws. Malcolm Turnbull and Brad Raffensperger discuss elections, politics and Trump. See omn...
Apr 06, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In a rare interview, former British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks with Malcolm Turnbull about the state of democracy in Europe. As British Prime Minister at the time of the successful Brexit referendum, it fell to Theresa May to lead her country out of the European Union. When her own Conservative Party voted against the withdrawal deal for the third time she resigned as PM. May reflects on the Brexit vote and speculates on what Putin will mean for the future of democracy in Europe. Availabl...
Mar 18, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Almost exactly two years on from the January 6 attacks in the U.S., a similar attack took place in Brazil. Brazil shares some of Australia’s electoral mechanics including compulsory voting and an independent electoral commission. So why has Australia moved to the centre while Brazil has shifted so dramatically to the right? What’s the future of democracy in the South American nation? And what does it mean for us here in Australia? Available now on LiSTNR. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Mar 18, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Drug wars, death threats and disinformation. This is the story of how journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Ressa, stood up to a dictator, the Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. Maria’s reporting on the Philippines’’ war on drugs and killings has seen her on the receiving end of death threats and legal cases designed to silence her. But she won’t stop. Why? Maria talks with Malcolm Turnbull about what it takes to fight back. Audio clips from this podcast were from Ramona Diaz's Front...
Mar 11, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The majority of Republicans in the U.S. still don’t believe Joe Biden won the 2020 election.Can the United States find a way out of the lies and anger-tainment chaos? And is anyone safe from the online mob? Nina Jankowicz briefly led President Biden’s newly established Disinformation Governance Board before an online disinformation attack forced her out of the job. Veteran Homeland Security official John Cohen says the language we’re seeing today isn’t too dissimilar to that used by Hitler. Avai...
Mar 11, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 3
