ASPI Podcast: Policy, Guns & Money

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 th...

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 Q...

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...

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...

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 Technolo...

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 o...

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...

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...

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 Indi...

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 declarati...

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 t...

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 sp...

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 tow...

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,...

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 M...

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 a...

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, do...

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 ha...

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 reg...

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-...

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 Jam...

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 di...

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 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 f...

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 r...