Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

After The Alliance mini-series drew a flood of listener mail, Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue open the mailbag and bring in Guardian Australia's Ben Doherty to answer the hardest question listeners asked: how much control does Australia actually have over the US military presence on its own soil?Doherty's investigation found the US has access to roughly 110 of Australia's 150 defence installations, including Pine Gap, permanently commanded by a US soldier, and bases used by nuclear-capable bombers. From 2032, we could also see nuclear-armed submarines through HMAS Stirling in Perth.Doherty reveals that, under the US policy of "strategic ambiguity," Washington won't say whether nuclear weapons are on board, and Canberra wont ask.Plus, what are the "shared values" our alliance is based upon and what are the alternatives?Guest: Ben Doherty, senior reporter with Guardian Australia.You can read Ben's full investigation here.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Nine years after Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb, the businessman accused of arranging her assassination has walked free. A jury acquitted Yorgen Fenech of complicity and criminal association by an 8–1 vote, despite his own admission that he paid €50,000 to the middleman who recruited her killers and passed him confidential police information. Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke speak to Daphne's sister, Corinne Vella, about the verdict she calls "shocking," the political web the case exposed, reaching Malta's former prime ministerial chief of staff and energy minister, and why she believes prosecutors' promised appeal is the family's last real shot at justice.Guest: Corinne Vella, sister of Daphne Caruana GaliziaGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Much has been made of Trump dispatching his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for high-stakes diplomatic missions to solve conflicts across the world, but what do we know of the rest of the Kushner family?   Jared's father, Charles Kushner, is now ambassador to France, pardoned by Trump after a criminal conviction that included tax violations and witness tampering. And his younger brother, Josh Kushner, quietly bought an NBA team after a bruising, aborted deal to sell off pieces of the World Cup earlier this year.Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke go roaming through the Kushner story with investigative journalist and author Andrea Bernstein.She traces it from the family's escape from the Nazis in Poland, through Charles Kushner's spectacular fall, to Jared's current role as a "special government employee" operating with none of the disclosure obligations that usually apply in Washington.Bernstein's verdict: the US isn't drifting toward oligarchy anymore. It already is one. Guest: Andrew Bernstein, investigative journalist and author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Global debt has passed 300 per cent of world GDP, bond yields are climbing across the world, and the U.S. war with Iran is putting pressure on households.Could we be facing the beginning of another global financial crisis?Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke sit down with the Financial Times Asia and Australia editor Robin Harding to explain how the bond market works, why it has such an impact on the economy, and why U.S. interventions have been lambasted by high-profile economists.Plus - how Australia passing one trillion dollars in debt might actually put us in a pretty safe spot, and how AI companies creating their own funding system could blow up in their faces.Guest: Robin Harding, Asia editor at the Financial Times Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament the UK will ban trade with unlawful Israeli settlements days after publicly thanking Israel for sheltering his grandmother from the Nazis. Israel has shut the British consulate in East Jerusalem in response. Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue are joined by former diplomat and Managing Editor of International Intrigue Jeremy Dicker to unpack the fallout.Plus, a bombshell Haaretz report claiming Netanyahu was warned five days before October 7 (a claim his office denies), Javier Milei's revived push on the Falklands, and the funeral for war criminal Ratko Mladic that's put Serbia's EU bid in jeopardy.Guest: Jeremy Dicker, former diplomat and Managing Editor International IntrigueMentioned in this episode: Revealed: Netanyahu Received an Explicit Warning Days Before Oct. 7. He Didn't Brief Israel's Security Chiefs - HaaretzGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

In the five years since the AUKUS agreement was announced, can we still rely on our British and American allies?While most debate on AUKUS focuses on the United States and the promised Virginia-class submarines, the ultimate goal is the British-designed vessels. So how confident should Australia be that the UK can actually deliver?Acting British High Commissioner to Australia Dr Brian Jones joins Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly to discuss defence budgets, shipyard capacity, and the timetable for Australia's most ambitious military acquisition.They also discuss Britain's new prime minister, and whether Andy Burnham can finally bring the UK into its post-Brexit place in the world.Plus - how does the UK feel about China's increasing forays into the Pacific?Guest: Dr Brian Jones, Acting British High Commissioner to Australia.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Nine years after more than a million Rohingya fled Myanmar, Bangladesh wants them to return. But return to what?As Myanmar's civil war intensifies, the Rohingya are caught between the military that drove them from their homes and the powerful Arakan Army now reshaping the battlefield in Rakhine State.Award-winning filmmaker and investigative journalist Ali Fowle joins Latika Bourke and Laura Tingle to unpack her new Al Jazeera documentary, Bloodshed on the Border. She explains how the Rohingya are being drawn into the conflict, why villages are being destroyed once again, and how a forgotten crisis has become even more dangerous.Plus: who is the Arakan Army, how did it become one of Myanmar's most effective rebel forces, and why does Bangladesh still hope to repatriate refugees despite the continuing war?Guest: Ali Fowle, documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist.You can watch Bloodshed on the Border hereGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Giorgia Meloni has become Italy's longest continuously serving prime minister since Mussolini - no small feat in a country that usually burns through leaders in under a year. Once written off as a fringe far-right risk, she's since charmed Brussels and shared a book preface with Donald Trump. That was until Trump attacked the Pope and made a demeaning remark about her at the G7, and the honeymoon soured. At home, she's just lost a referendum, wages are among the lowest in Europe, and a more radical challenger, retired general Roberto Vannacci, polling at eight per cent and rising, is squeezing her from the right. Dr Marina Cino Pagliarello joins Global Roaming to unpack the split between Meloni's international and domestic image.Guest: Dr Marina Cino Pagliarello, senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and senior research fellow at the European University Institute.Mentioned in this episode: Giorgia Meloni Cuts the Hard Right a Path to Power, New York TimesGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

A far-right party is on the verge of forming a German state government for the first time since World War II.The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has surged in Saxony-Anhalt, raising questions that extend well beyond one regional election. Is this the latest chapter in a political shift that has been building across Europe for more than a decade? Or could it mark a deeper break with the post-war order that shaped modern Germany, the European Union and NATO?Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly examine the rise of the AfD, why eastern Germany has become its strongest base, and what reunification left unresolved.They trace the broader populist wave from the global financial crisis to Orbán, Brexit, Meloni, Le Pen and Trump, and ask whether Germany's political "firewall" against the far right is beginning to crack.Plus: Waleed reflects on the arguments behind his new Quarterly Essay, What Future for Liberalism? and why he believes the challenge facing liberal democracy runs deeper than any single election result. You can find Waleed's Quarterly Essay hereGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

China shock 2.0 has arrived and this time it's not the US rust belt in the firing line, it's Germany's beating industrial heart. Geraldine Doogue and Nick Bryant are joined by Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations to unpack how a flood of Chinese exports is hollowing out the car industry that Germany built its post-war identity on.With up to 1.1 million jobs exposed and the far-right AfD looking increasingly competitive, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is clinging to the lowest approval rating of any German leader in memory.Plus, the Pentagon has sent a leaked questionnaire asking NATO allies to prove their loyalty to Washington, including whether they backed the recent strikes on Iran, and Shapiro makes the contrarian case that Obama's much-mocked Syria "red line" retreat wasn't weakness at all, but one of the smartest diplomatic wins in modern US history.Guest: Jeremy Shapiro, European Council on Foreign RelationsGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

After a week examining the history, logic and limits of the ANZUS alliance, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue turn to the American perspective.Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci joins the podcast to discuss how alliances are viewed in Washington, whether America's partners should trust Donald Trump, and why he believes the next few years could test the West's security architecture.Along the way, Hamish and Geraldine reflect on what they've learned from former prime ministers, historians and defence thinkers: Was ANZUS always driven more by interests than values? Is Australia more strategically important to the US than we realise? And in an increasingly uncertain world, can Canberra say no to Washington and still rely on the alliance when it matters most?It's the final chapter of The Alliance series and a conversation about the question at the heart of Australia's foreign policy: if the old assumptions no longer hold, where do we go from here?Guest: Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Andrew Hastie, the Liberal MP for Canning and Shadow Minister for Industry and Sovereign Capability, joins Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald for the fourth instalment of The Alliance, marking 75 years of ANZUS. A former SAS soldier who deployed to Afghanistan and Middle East, Hastie traces his own path into the military back to a family story from World War II, and argues that Australia's deepening reliance on the US, from Pine Gap to AUKUS, has come at the cost of diminishing Australia's sovereignty. He makes the case for Australia investing in its own drone and AI capability, questions whether the public is being prepared for what the alliance might demand of them in a future conflict, and reflects on why he still sees the US as indispensable to Australia's security despite his reservations about the Trump administration.Guest: MP and former military officer, Andrew Hastie.Coming up on The Alliance: former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Fear of China and Japan has long defined Australia's foreign policy. Could there be a new way forward?In the third episode of The Alliance, Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue put that question to Kevin Rudd: former prime minister, former foreign minister, and, until recently, Australia's ambassador to the United States.Rudd makes the case for what he calls "ANZUS Plus": not a straight bet on Washington, but a widening web of security arrangements layered on top of the US alliance rather than instead of it. He defends the joint facilities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia as genuinely different from US sovereign bases, arguing Australia retains the right to say no, as it did over Iraq.On China, Rudd draws on the doctorate he completed on Xi Jinping's worldview, arguing Xi has deliberately shifted Chinese politics further left on ideology, further left on economics, and further nationalist on foreign policy and warns against ever underestimating him. He also lays out the numbers behind the region's naval build-up: China's submarine fleet, its expanding surface fleet, and how the US calculates the "pacing challenge" against it.Plus, why Rudd calls Japan's military future 'a work in progress.'Guest: Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister, former foreign minister, former Ambassador to the U.S.Coming up on The Alliance: MP and former military officer Andrew Hastie; and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The ANZUS treaty might be based more on cynical self-interest than a shared system of democratic values. In this episode of The Alliance mini-series, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue trace the origins of Australia's most important strategic partnership and examine how it has evolved through the Cold War, Vietnam, the War on Terror and the rise of China.Historian Michael Wesley and U.S. politics scholar Timothy Lynch explore why ANZUS was created, why Washington wanted the deal in the first place, and whether the alliance has always been far less certain than Australians assume. They also examine the key tension between Australia's fear of being abandoned in a time of conflict, and the United States' fear of being entangled in a war it doesn't want or need. As Donald Trump forces allies around the world to question old assumptions, the discussion turns to whether Australia still needs to prove its value to Washington, or whether its geography, intelligence facilities and strategic position make it more important to the United States than many Australians realise.At 75, ANZUS remains a cornerstone of Australian foreign policy. But is the alliance stronger, more flexible and more durable than we think? Or is it time to rethink what it was designed to do in the first place?Guest: Prof. Michael Wesley & Prof. Timothy J. Lynch, University of Melbourne.Coming up on The Alliance: Former prime minister and US ambassador Kevin Rudd; MP and former military officer Andrew Hastie; and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In a special series this week, Global Roaming is checking the use-by date on our relationship with the U.S.Signed on 1st September 1951, the ANZUS treaty has been the lynch-pin of Australia's security and foreign policy.As we approach the 75th anniversary of the alliance, it is perhaps more challenged and questioned than ever before; Can Australia trust the U.S? Is the U.S a good ally? Are our interests and values aligned?  In the first episode of The Alliance, Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue put these questions to John Howard, the only Australian prime minister ever to invoke it.Howard explains how the decision to invoke ANZUS after the September 11 terror attacks came together on the flight home from Washington, defends AUKUS as a direct outgrowth of that loyalty, and repeats his on-the-record criticism of Donald Trump's refusal to concede the 2020 election.Plus, how much of the ANZUS treaty is based on fear of China? John Howard weighs in, comparing the China of Jiang Zemin with what he calls the more "aggressive and disruptive" China of Xi Jinping.Guest: former Australian prime minister John HowardComing up on The Alliance: Former prime minister and US ambassador Kevin Rudd; historians Timothy Lynch and Michael Wesley; MP and former military officer Andrew Hastie; and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

At age nine, Kbora Ali arrived in Australia as an Afghan refugee after her family fled Taliban rule. Less than a decade later, she became the first Afghan woman to join the Australian Army.In this deeply personal conversation, Kbora reflects on her journey from Afghanistan and Pakistan to suburban Adelaide, the challenges of growing up Hazara, and her determination to serve the country that gave her family safety and a future.She speaks to Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly candidly about belonging, identity, military life, and the deeply difficult choice she made to remove her headscarf when she first arrived at Kapooka. Now an Air Force flying officer, and co-author, along with her sister,  of her new memoir First of Her Kind, Kabora shares a story that sits at the intersection of migration, service, multicultural Australia and the enduring consequences of war.Guest: Kbora Ali, Air Force flying officer and co-author of First of Her Kind.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Nobel Peace laureate and Rappler founder Maria Ressa sits down with Hamish McDonald at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney to make the case that the algorithms in your pocket, not any one leader, are manufacturing the conditions for authoritarian rule worldwide. Ressa says 74 per cent of the world now lives under authoritarian rule, that only a quarter of the open web is still open, and that most internet traffic is now non-human. She lays out an "authoritarian stack": Peter Thiel bankrolling Donald Trump and JD Vance, Palantir winning a US $10 billion military contract, and Silicon Valley firms wiring themselves into state power.Closer to home, Ressa questions Australia's push for so-called sovereign artificial intelligence, and asks whether the ABC should feed its audio archive to Anthropic to train American models, a deal she calls a "Faustian bargain". She also talks to press freedom, big tech starving newsrooms of revenue, and on whether journalism can survive at all. Guest: Maria Ressa, Rappler founder, Nobel Laureate and journalistMentioned in this Episode: Is a unified Korea a lost cause? Justice Michael Kirby has hope, Global RoamingHelen Clark defends Fauci pleading the fifth and says Trump's vaccine cuts could cost lives, Global RoamingGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Helen Clark led New Zealand as Prime Minister for nearly nine years and she hasn't slowed down since.Now the Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Clark spoke to Global Roaming at a moment when vaccines have become a genuine political battleground. Clark talks to Hamish Macdonald about Trump's executive order to cut the recommended childhood vaccine schedule, RFK Jr.'s rise at the top of US health policy, and why she thinks Anthony Fauci pleading the Fifth before a Senate committee isn't necessarily what it looks like.She also raises a crisis that's had almost no attention: a fast-growing HIV outbreak in Fiji, driven by drug use and a lack of harm-reduction infrastructure.Plus: the misogyny and threats faced by women in politics - including, she says, threats to Jacinda Ardern far beyond what she or Julia Gillard ever experienced - and the story of the Tampa refugees New Zealand took in, and the search to reunite them with their families.Guest: Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand & Board Chair, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

In April 2024, an Israeli strike hit a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, killing Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and and six of her colleagues. Two years later, on World Humanitarian Day, the Israeli military said that its commanders' decisions did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct and said it would not pursue a criminal case. In a joint statement, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom called the announcement "shameful".It comes as the United States sanctions International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and Secretary of State Marco Rubio vows to dismantle the court "brick by brick", in retaliation for its arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Laura Tingle and Latika Bourke ask whether international law is collapsing, and what middle powers like Australia can still do about it. Their guest, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Philippe Bolopion, warns that impunity is back as democracy slides to its lowest levels since the late 1970s. He makes his case for a coalition of middle power democracies, including Australia, to push back.  Guest: Philippe Bolopion, Executive Director of Human Rights WatchGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

As rebel forces grow in strength, and tensions rise their once-friendly neighbour Pakistan, how long can the Taliban rule?The Australian's Asia-Pacific correspondent Amanda Hodge joins Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald to assess the Taliban's record in the 5 years since the last U.S. troop left Afghanistan. Plus, a so-called 'super El Niño' weather pattern is on its way. In Australia it's likely to bring dry conditions and a higher risk of fire, but across South-East Asia, the effects could be even more catastrophic. What are the consequences of weather that could serious slow or even reverse the explosive economic growth in the region?And a running club in Bali has come under fire for prioritising digital nomads and ex-pats over Indonesian residents, reviving debate on Indonesian's colonial past, and how to balance Bali's status as a tourist destination with the dignity of the local citizens.Plus, Amanda, Geraldine, and Hamish share what they've been reading and watching recently.Guest: Amanda Hodge, Asia-Pacific corresondent with The AustralianRecommendations: Amanda – Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash by Kris NeedsGeraldine – Greg Bearup's article on the death of Kumantjayi TjapaltjarriHamish - Tampa: The Turning Point available on ABC iviewGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Has the world taken a wrong turn, or are we simply losing sight of how much progress has already been made?In the second part of this conversation, former Justice of the High Court of Australia Michael Kirby reveals why, after years of working in the courts and in international aid, he is convinced that the world is moving in the right direction.Pointing to progress made in the treatment of AIDS and other world pandemics, the growing acceptance and visibility of LGBTQIA+ people, and the spread of universal education, Michael Kirby says that there are reasons to be hopeful.But, he adds, we cannot remain complacent against threats of fascism, climate change, and allowing irrationality to return to the forefront. In this expansive chat, Hamish Macdoanld and Waleed Aly ask Michael Kirby whether public trust in law and experts has been irreparably harmed, and whether political upheavals across the world are a sign of temporary unrest, or a symptom of something much deeper. Plus - what role does the media have in fostering a sense of pessimism or fatalism in the public?Guest: Michael Kirby AC, former justice of the High Court of AustraliaGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

How do you begin mending one of the most destructive political divides in modern history?That is the challenge that former High Court of Australia justice Michael Kirby faced when he led a UN inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea in 2013.Despite being confronted with brutal repression and repeated failures of negotiation, Kirby remains hopeful that progress can be made, and that the United Nations has an irreplaceable role in facilitating communication between either side of the Korean DMZ.In this first part of an expansive two-part episode, Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly join Justice Michael Kirby to discuss his history in international governance, his impressions of leaders like Donald Trump and George W. Bush, and how nuclear weapons have completely changed the future of the region.Plus: how a very stern teacher and his cane gave Michael his first taste of injustice. Guest: Michael Kirby AC, former justice of the High Court of AustraliaGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

When does political resistance become a moral obligation?Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao and Chinese-American journalist Melissa Chan have both paid a personal price for criticising China's one-party system. Between them, they've faced expulsion, surveillance, harassment and intimidation.Badiucao even found a man who had assumed his identity. Together, Chan and Badiucao have created the graphic novel You Must Take Part in Revolution, exploring a dystopian future in which a tech-authoritarian China locks horns with a fascistic United States, with Taiwan caught in the middle.The book asks the question: how far should you go in resisting an authoritarian regime?Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue speak with Chan and Badiucao about how the Hong Kong protests of 2019 brought their concerns about China to the forefront, the risks of AI supercharging the threat of surveillance, and why the individual right to liberty and freedom of expression is more important than simply siding with the United States or China. Guests: Melissa Chan, journalist & Badiucao, artist.Melissa Chan and Badiucao are speaking at Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

What happens when a party's own voters start to rebel against the establishment?The victories of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and Democratic senate nominee for Michigan Abdul El-Sayed have brought a lot of attention to progressive candidates, but some in the centre are warning about 'insurgents' that may never reach mainstream electability. Asma Khalid is an American journalist who has spent years reporting from the White House - she says that this movement could represent a real shift for the future of the Democratic party when it comes to tax, healthcare, and America's relationship with Israel.On today's episode, Asma joins Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly to talk about the strengths, weaknesses, and goals of the new trend of progressivism that is taking the spotlight, and its roots in Bernie Sander's transformative 2016 presidential bid. Plus: who are the Democratic Socialists of America, are they socialist, communist, or something new? And will these internal divisions lead to a stronger or weaker Democratic party?Guest: Asma Khalid, journalist, co-host of The Global Story podcast, and former NPR White House correspondentGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

China fired a nuclear-capable missile into the South Pacific. Then its neighbours couldn't agree to condemn it. The missile came down in waters close to Tuvalu's exclusive economic zone a month before foreign ministers met at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji. Australia's Penny Wong and New Zealand's Winston Peters pushed for a joint statement. Nauru and Kiribati refused to sign even the weakest version. Both have taken Chinese money and built closer ties with Beijing, and it showed. China is pressing south in other ways too: a security deal with the Cook Islands, coast guard vessels probing deeper into the region, and a clear interest in the minerals under the seabed.Journalist Anna Fifield, who reported across Asia and the Middle East for the Washington Post and the Financial Times, asks whether Australia's much-praised Pacific reset is as solid as Canberra claims. She also takes on New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon surviving a second leadership challenge before the 7 November election, Vietnamese President To Lam's charm offensive in Australia and New Zealand, and Kim Jongn's apparent grooming of his teenage daughter to inherit North Korea. Hosts Geraldine Doogue and Hamish McDonald steer a tour of a neighbourhood that suddenly matters far more.Guest: Anna Fifield, Independent journalist and foreign affairs commentator. Author of the Between Giants Substack.Recommendations: Anna – All Her Lives by Ingrid HorrocksGeraldine – World War II With Tom HanksHamish - Unsettled by Kate GrenvilleGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has labelled AUKUS a bipartisan mistake. Is he right?Peter Garrett, former Labor minister and rock superstar, is now leading a public inquiry into Australia's submarine pact with the U.S. and UK to answer a number of essential questions. Are the promised submarines likely to arrive? Why is Australia paying billions into US and UK submarine production? And does AUKUS strengthen Australia's security, or deepen our dependence on Washington at a time of growing uncertainty about America's role in the world?In this episode, Peter Garrett joins Global Roaming to explain why the inquiry believes Australians have been largely excluded from one of the biggest defence decisions in the nation's history.Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue also test the arguments around China's military rise, Taiwan, interoperability with US forces, and whether Australia has ever had the national conversation that a project of this scale demands.Guest: Peter Garrett, leading commissioner of the public inquiry into AUKUS

Is the abuse worth it?A growing body of research suggests women in public life are facing a wave of online harassment that has been amplified by artificial intelligence, deepfakes and coordinated misinformation campaigns.In this episode of Global Roaming, Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke examine the implications for democracy. If women are increasingly targeted with sexualised abuse, fake images and threats of violence, will fewer choose to enter public life?Australian journalist and academic Dr Julie Posetti, who led a landmark UN study on online violence against women in public life, explains how AI is changing the threat landscape and why research is drawing links between online abuse and real-world harm.Former NSW minister Bronnie Taylor reflects on her own experience of abuse in politics and why she fears the problem could deter women from putting their hands up for elected office.Could online misogyny be reshaping democracy itself? And what can governments, regulators and technology companies do about it?Guests:Dr Julie Posetti, journalist, academic and UN researcherBronnie Taylor, former NSW Nationals minister and Women for Election advisory board memberGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Arash Azizi says Iran's rulers may be more afraid of peace than war.While the world watches Donald Trump, the American-Iranian historian argues the real story is the stasis inside Tehran. A collective leadership built around a 13-member National Security Council, with parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf the strongest figure, now calling the shots. Azizi says they stepped away from the June memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Washington that would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz, partly because normal governance frightens them more than crisis. Now the new Mecca defence pact between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a throwback to the 1955 Baghdad Pact, is leaving Iran more isolated than ever.Azizi's sharpest claim is that the biggest threat to the regime is its own people. The ideological Khomeini era is over, he says, and the state has quietly lost its war on the hijab, with women now in tank tops on the streets of Tehran. So who breaks the deadlock? Latika Burke and Geraldine Doogue ask whether Iran can find its own Deng Xiaoping, or whether it just hobbles on like Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the 1990s.Guest: Arash Azizi, author of What Iranians WantGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. Mentioned in this episode:These are Iran's emerging power players, Azizi's previous appearance on Global Roaming

Antony Loewenstein says Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank has turned "almost apocalyptic".The independent Australian journalist has reported from the territory for more than 20 years. On a trip to the area last month, Loewenstein says he witnessed near-daily attacks on a Palestinian family. It comes as the United Nations says Israeli settler violence has reached unprecedented levels.  Loewenstein points to roughly 800,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, a prosecution rate for settler violence he puts close to zero, and the upcoming Israeli election as all contributing to the increased violence. He tells hosts Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke that, while he welcomes Foreign Minister Penny Wong's sanctioning of West Bank settlers and some Israeli ministers who openly advocate for the displacement of Palestinians, the move is merely "tinkering at the edges" should Australia keep exporting weapons parts to Israel. And, as a Jewish Australian, he warns the Antisemitism Royal Commission risks conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Guest: Antony Loewenstein, independent journalist and author of The Palestine LaboratoryGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. Mentioned in this episode: Global Roaming: Should Israel remain a Jewish state? A look at Gaza's future.

Labor MP Ed Husic has a blunt warning: a handful of US tech firms could switch off the AI tools Australia runs on.On 15 July the Prime Minister used a national address to label artificial intelligence (AI) a national interest, announcing a new Office of AI inside his department, mandatory rules for large data centres, and a digital duty of care for big tech.At the same time Sydney is being tipped as one of the world's data centre hotspots, with firms like Anthropic and OpenAI scouting sites and the build-out talked up as the next mining boom.The catch: Australia has no frontier AI model of its own, so we store the data without controlling the technology.Digital Rights Watch founder Lizzie O'Shea and the McKinnon Institute's Tom Mooney, once chief of staff to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, argue Australia holds more cards than it thinks: a stable democracy, cheap renewables and a strong bargaining position.They make the case for shaping big tech rather than receiving it and explain why Australians rank among the world's most sceptical about AI even as heavy users. In this episode Hamish Macdonald presses them on jobs, sovereignty, and whether any government can force these companies to care.Guest:Lizzie O'Shea - Digital Rights WatchTom Mooney - McKinnon InstituteGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Fresh from winning the 2026 Miles Franklin Award, writer and artist Omar Musa joins Global Roaming to take us into the rainforests of Borneo, a place where environmental destruction, colonial history, economic development and cultural identity collide.Drawing on the themes of his award-winning novel Fierceland, Musa explores how palm oil transformed Malaysian Borneo: lifting many families out of poverty while accelerating the loss of rainforest, Indigenous lands, languages and traditions.With Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue, he discusses the enduring legacy of colonialism in Southeast Asia, the tensions between multiculturalism and nationalism, Australia's relationship with the region, and his own journey growing up between Queensland and Borneo.It's a conversation about memory, belonging, faith, identity and one of the world's most remarkable forests.Guest: Omar Musa, Author of 2026 Miles Franklin award winning novel FiercelandGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Pauline Hanson sat down with Tommy Robinson, one of Britain's most notorious far-right figures. So why did the interview happen, and what does it say about the rise of right-wing populism globally? From Luton to Moscow, the money behind the far right has gone global. Journalist Daniel Trilling traces cash flowing from the United States and Canada to fund Islamophobic activists in the United Kingdom, Russia's long-running interest in stirring British politics, and Elon Musk using X to play kingmaker: backing Nigel Farage, cooling on him, then boosting Robinson and another breakaway rival. And Robinson himself has been courted by Israel and photographed in Moscow alongside Errol Musk. So how connected are far-right movements around the world? Trilling argues these movements, supercharged by a fragmented media landscape and the failures of neoliberalism, share a style and a pool of funders but are not formally coordinated.He also explains to hosts Latika Bourke and Kylie Morris why the political centre keeps ceding ground on immigration, why Reform UK is suddenly in real trouble, and what can eventually make these movements come unstuck.Guest: Daniel Trilling, journalist and author of If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Should the FIFA World Cup be sold to private investors?That was the proposal by FIFA president Gianni Infantino that shocked the world and FIFA council members.Though the proposal has been abandoned after a swift backlash, Infantino now faces a leadership crisis that could see him booted from the top position, with others already vying to take his place. But bigger questions remain. The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the most profitable in history and generated over $15 billion in revenue. So why was the proposal made in the first place? And is this really the end of the idea, or just the beginning?Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke speak with veteran football broadcaster Simon Hill about the plan to create FIFA Forward Enterprise, the governance crisis now facing FIFA, the growing influence of money in the game, and why selling part of the World Cup crossed a line that even many football insiders found unacceptable.They also explore whether this was a geo-political victory for Europe, what Donald Trump's orbit has to do with the controversy, and if the plan could have some unappreciated merit. Guest: Simon Hill, football commentator and broadcaster.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Australia has been offered a seat in space, but time is running out.The European Space Agency has invited Australia to send its first government astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, to the International Space Station (ISS).The catch? The ticket likely costs about $100 million and the ISS is set to deorbit around 2030. The offer stands for a few months longer, at most.Deputy Director of the International Space Centre at the University of Western Australia, Larissa Wiese, calls it a once-in-a-generation shot at an Australian seat at the global space table, backing an industry that already turns over $4.6 billion and employs 17,000 people. Miss it, she warns, and we may never catch up.But as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stares down a tight budget and a cost-of-living crisis, is a $100 million space ticket smart nation-building, or an easy political target? Hosts Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald dig into the money, the potential stakes for AUKUS and advanced manufacturing, and whether Australia is happy to remain a space "consumer" as other countries reach for the stars.Guest: Larissa Wiese, the deputy director of the International Space Centre at the University of Western Australia. Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. Mentioned in this episode:Global Roaming: Prof Brian Cox on whether Elon Musk owns the moonFlykatherine.com.au

What does the war in Gaza mean for the future of Israel, Zionism and Jewish identity?Peter Beinart has become one of the most prominent and controversial Jewish voices challenging Israel's political direction. Once a supporter of a two-state solution, he now argues that lasting peace can only come through equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians, regardless of religion or ethnicity.In this conversation with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald, Beinart explains his struggle with the idea of a Jewish state, how his South African upbringing shaped his views on nationalism and democracy, and why he believes Israel is becoming increasingly isolated internationally.Beinart also asks: how can you make a plan for the future when there is no clear way for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to make their voice heard? Without elected representatives, how can decision-makers know what the Palestinian people want for themselves?Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Christopher Nolan's blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey has become far more than a film. It's sparked fierce arguments about race, masculinity, Western civilisation, Christianity, leadership, and the culture wars.Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by Quillette founder Claire Lehmann to unpack why Nolan's retelling has generated such intense debate. From Elon Musk's criticism of the film to disputes over casting choices, they explore what today's political battles are revealing about how we interpret ancient stories.Is Nolan preserving a foundational text of the Western canon for a new generation, or reshaping it through modern values? And why has a 3,000-year-old myth suddenly become a flashpoint in 2026?Along the way, they debate whether Odysseus has been stripped of his complexity, whether the film reflects Christian ideas of guilt rather than ancient Greek values, and what the story may tell us about leadership, social cohesion, and fears of civilisational decline.Guests: Claire Lehmann, founder of QuilletteGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Reform party leader Nigel Farage has survived scandals, electoral defeats, and years of attacks from Britain's political establishment.But could he be unseated by a man dressed as a Darth Vader rip-off, in a by-election he called himself?Michael Crick is a veteran UK broadcaster, and author of One Party After Another: The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage. He claims that even a Farage victory doesn't leave the Reform party in an enviable position.Nigel Farage still has to face down a parliamentary inquiry, coordinated voting campaigns, and continued questions about millions of pounds received as gifts from wealthy political donors. Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke join Michael Crick to examine what's really happening inside Reform UK, why Count Binface has become an unexpected factor in the contest, and whether Britain's voters are becoming more resistant to populist leaders.Plus, will the newly crowned Prime Minister Andy Burnham be able to curb Nigel Farage's rise? And what does it mean for the future of the UK when parties all across the political sphere are relying on nostalgia for their messaging?Guest: Michael Crick, author of One Party After Another: The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

AI is everywhere. Governments are racing to regulate it, companies are pouring hundreds of billions into it, and workers are wondering what it means for their jobs.But what if the AI revolution isn't inevitable?Technology commentator and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow joins Global Roaming to argue that today's AI boom looks a lot like a financial bubble, and the world could look very different once it pops.Despite the massive amounts of money pumped into companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, the question remains whether or not these companies can deliver consistent profit, especially when undercut by Chinese AI models made for a fraction of the price. So if these companies collapse, what would that do to a technology that claims to change the face of the earth?In this conversation with Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke, Cory Doctorow provides an image of what a more equitable AI future might look like, a future in which the AI giants are gone, but the investment into data centres and Large Language Models remain. Plus: what Australia's push into AI means for digital sovereignty, and why dependence on foreign technology could become a bigger national challenge than AI itself.

A prominent Russian billionaire has publicly raised concerns about the direction of the war in Ukraine. Some observers see it as evidence that support for Vladimir Putin is beginning to crack.But the West is misreading the situation, according to veteran Russian journalist and political analyst Konstantin von Eggert.He argues Russia's problems run far deeper than Putin himself, that oligarchs wield far less power than outsiders imagine, and that signs of frustration inside the country do not amount to a meaningful challenge to the Kremlin.And a post-Putin Russia may not be any better, as the collapse of Putin's corrupt regime could simply pave the way for another nationalist, expansionist regime.What's needed, according to Eggert, is a serious re-evaluation from the Russian people. One that may not come unless Russia suffers a resounding, sudden military defeat. In this conversation with Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke, Eggert explains why he believes Russia faces a profound moral crisis, what it would actually take to threaten Putin's grip on power, whether Donald Trump's evolving position on Ukraine matters, and why a post-Putin Russia may not look the way many in the West hope.Featured: Konstantin von Eggert, journalist and political analyst, Deutsche Welle.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has declared there will be no more elections. The frail 80 year-old former Sandinista guerrilla seized power in 1979, was voted out, clawed his way back in 2006, then jailed opponents, banned parties and had security forces shoot dead hundreds of protesters. He has since installed his wife Rosario as co-president and moved to scrap the vote for good.Former Australian diplomat and Managing Editor of International Intrigue, Jeremy Dicker,  joins hosts Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue to explain why Ortega is betting Washington won't bother stopping him.Plus, Is Australia trapped between two artificial-intelligence superpowers? A cheap new Chinese system, Kimi K3, is reportedly matching the best American models at a fraction of the cost.Have American export controls on advanced chips backfired, forcing China to build faster and cheaper artificial intelligence? Guest: Jeremy Dicker, Managing Editor of International Intrigue and former diplomatGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Britain is on its seventh prime minister in a decade, and the new one has inherited a fractured union. Can Andy Burnham govern a country many now call ungovernable?Burnham replaces Keir Starmer, who resigned in June after barely two years, worn down by policy reversals, poor local election results, and slipping public confidence. He arrives promising a "circuit breaker": a new economic model, reindustrialisation, and the kind of regional devolution he championed as mayor of Greater Manchester. But Britain's troubles run deeper than any single leader. An unelected House of Lords, uneven devolution across Scotland, Wales and the English regions, the slow economic drag of Brexit, and a north left behind after Cameron-era promises on rail and investment went unmet all point to something structural. Meanwhile Nigel Farage and the populist right are gaining ground, testing whether Burnham can win back the disaffected voters Labour has been losing.Presented by Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald, this episode puts these questions to Ben Wellings of Monash University, author of English Nationalism and British Disintegration. They weigh whether Britain has quietly become the new Italy, chronically unstable and unsure of its place in the world, and whether Burnham's bet on hope and a "Downing Street of the North" can hold a fracturing country together. And they ask what it all means from an Australian vantage point: if Britain really is the leading edge of Western decline, is Australia paying close enough attention?Guest: Ben Wellings, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Monash University.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni won't use the word "lie" when referring to Donald Trump, telling Global Roaming he instead "says things that are not true."It's a careful answer from the woman running one of the world's biggest and most trusted news agencies.Founded 175 years ago, Reuters has thousands of journalists stationed in over 165 countries and supplies the original reporting that fills newspapers and bulletins worldwide.Galloni told Hamish Macdonald and Laura Tingle that trust and access were at the core of the organisation's success.In this wide-ranging interview about media, the impact of AI and journalistic ethics, Galloni argues that the news industry has never been more important or more fraught for those on the ground. Guest: Alessandra Galloni, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Sudan's war has entered its fourth year.Drones are now striking schools, hospitals and fuel stations, and the world's largest humanitarian crisis keeps falling off the radar. More than 13 million people have been displaced since fighting broke out between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.Last year the RSF was accused of genocidal violence in the city of El Fasher. Now it is encircling El Obeid in North Kordofan, and aid workers fear a repeat.Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke speak with Noah Taylor, an Australian who heads the Norwegian Refugee Council's operations in Sudan.He describes drone strikes killing civilians, children mimicking the sound of weapons as play, and aid convoys struck on the road.Taylor argues the disaster is a failure of political will, and points out that Australia, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has diplomatic leverage it has barely used. There is a wider warning too. The shift to cheap, indiscriminate drone warfare is spreading to conflicts far beyond Sudan, and no one yet has a reliable way to keep these weapons out of civilian skies.His message to Australians is blunt: donate if you can but also reach out to the Sudanese families now living in your own suburbs, hear their stories, and refuse to let this war fade quietly from view. Guest: Noah Taylor, Head of Operations in Sudan, Norwegian Refugee CouncilGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Indonesian language teaching will be extinct in Australia by 2031, warns a parliamentary inquiry into Australia's Asian capability.Australia talks constantly about the importance of Asia, but is failing to build the skills needed to understand our closest neighbours.At the same time, Indonesia is on track to become one of the world's largest economies and an increasingly influential power in the region.So how did Australia get here? And what does it mean for trade, diplomacy, defence and our future relationship with Southeast Asia?And with China testing missiles in the Pacific, is Australia missing a perfect opportunity to build relationships in the region?Hamish Macdonald and Laura Tingle speak with Labor MP Tim Watts, who chaired the House of Representatives inquiry into building Asia capability in Australia. They discuss the collapse of language study, what Australia risks losing, and whether we're missing one of the biggest strategic opportunities on our doorstep.

For decades, there were some things Democrats and Republicans agreed on. America should lead the world, NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) matters, and the US-Israel alliance is untouchable. As Trump rips up international alliances, inside the Democratic Party anger over Israel's war in Gaza has ruptured the old pro-Israel consensus.Last week 103 House Democrats, nearly half the caucus, voted to end military aid to Israel. The amendment failed, but marked decreasing support for Israel within the Democrats. Jeremy Shapiro from the European Council on Foreign Relations argues the change is real but the alliance still holds deep support. Speaking to Hamish Macdonald and Laura Tingle, Shapiro argues Donald Trump is a spotlight-obsessed president willing to cut down anyone rising beneath him, from Marco Rubio to JD Vance, and warns that Europe is now hedging against an America it no longer trusts. Plus, Türkiye rise under Erdogan, and where US foreign policy will land by the 2028 election. Guest: Jeremy Shapiro, European Council on Foreign Relations.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. Mentions: Laura's article on the Türkiye summit: NATO was a lesson in how the geopolitical landscape has shifted around Trump

Just a year ago, the leader of France's far-right National Rally party appeared finished after being convicted in an embezzlement case and barred from seeking office. Now, Marine Le Pen is back in the race, after a Paris appeals court upheld her conviction but shortened her ban from seeking public office, paving the way for her 2027 presidential bid. With the National Rally party currenty standing as one of France's most popular parties, it's an election that could reshape Europe. So how did the French far-right move from the political fringe to the verge of power? Can Le Pen credit her support more to anti-immigration sentiment, or a frustration with the staid political status quo?Victor Mallet is the senior editor of the Financial Times, and author of Far Right France: Le Pen, Bardella, and the Future of Europe. Victor has been travelling across France speaking to some of Le Pen's most loyal voters, her most strident opponents, and the wayward voters caught in the middle. Laura Tingle and Latika Bourke speak to Victor about Le Pen's comeback, the rise of her protégé Jordan Bardella, the collapse of Emmanuel Macron's legacy, and what the National Rally party's victory would mean for the world.

Is Donald Trump trapped in a war with Iran he cannot end? The ceasefire has collapsed, and the warships are back.Chicago University's Professor Robert Pape has been modelling conflict for over 20 years and says both sides look to be caught in an escalation trap: a long war neither can walk away from. Pape tells Global Roaming's Latika Burke and Steve Canane why every off-ramp has closed, why he believes Iran is rising into a new centre of world power, and why the next few weeks could be the most dangerous of the entire war. Guest: Professor Robert Pape, Chicago University Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

China is pushing harder for influence across the Pacific. Australia is responding with defence agreements, new security partnerships and rugby league.As Pacific leaders gathered in Brisbane for State of Origin, Canberra was expanding its regional diplomacy through sport, including the multi-million-dollar PNG Chiefs NRL deal. At the same time, China's rare intercontinental ballistic missile test sent a fresh signal about the changing security environment facing Pacific nations.So can footy really shape geopolitics?Hamish Macdonald speaks with ABC Pacific's  Sam Wykes about rugby league's cultural power across the Pacific, and with Lowy Institute analyst Oliver Nobetau about the growing connection between sport, security and strategic competition in Australia's neighbourhood.Could rugby league become Australia's most effective soft-power tool or is that asking too much of a football game?

Every night in Israel, one TV channel stands out.Channel 13 is among the few major outlets willing to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.Now, a dispute over the channel's ownership has become a flashpoint in a wider battle over press freedom, judicial independence and the future of Israeli democracy. Anat Saragusti, Director of press freedom at the Union of Journalists in Israel, tells Global Roaming the Channel 13 dispute is just one part of a broader effort to weaken independent journalism.From attempts to reshape media regulators to pressure on public broadcasters and sanctions against the newspaper Haaretz, she argues Israel's independent media is facing growing political pressure ahead of the country's next election.Plus, how Israeli citizens are seeing the war in Gaza, the restrictions on journalists, and the escalating tensions between the government, the courts and the media.

Indonesia's next capital was supposed to showcase the country's future: a purpose-built city in the jungles of Borneo designed to ease pressure on Jakarta and signal Indonesia's ambitions on the world stage.But Nusantara now faces a critical political test. Former president Joko Widodo pushed the project past the point of no return, yet his successor, Prabowo Subianto, appears far less committed. So is Indonesia's new capital actually becoming the capital — or could one of the most ambitious nation-building projects in Asia stall before it's finished?Then, after months of conflict involving Iran, the US and regional powers, Pakistan is finding itself at the centre of major diplomatic negotiations. Asia-Pacific correspondent Amanda Hodge explains how Islamabad has rebuilt its international standing, why Washington is paying attention again, and what Pakistan hopes to gain from its new role as a geopolitical broker.Guest: Amanda Hodge, Asia-Pacific Correspondent for the AustralianGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

In this Global Roaming limited series, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue are inviting big thinkers from different fields to consider how Australia can not just survive - but thrive - in a more challenging world. In this episode, Australia's former Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel shares his thoughts on how Australia can feasibly get to net zero, and harness our potential as a clean energy superpower. Plus, he has a radical new idea to safeguard art against AI...Alan's recommendations:The Prince and the Pauper by Mark TwainSeascraper by Benjamin WoodProve It: A Scientific Guide for the Post-Truth Era by Elizabeth Finkel Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.auFind all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was first broadcast on Friday 2 January 2026