Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

With 40 million eligible Gen Z voters, the tight US presidential race has become a battle for followers, likes and shares on social media. But will this actually translate to votes in November?  GUEST: Katie Harbath - founder and CEO of technology policy firm Anchor Change; Former Facebook Public Policy Director for global elections  RECOMMENDATIONS: Geraldine: The Born in the USA fallacy - The Ne...

With the rest of the world swinging left and right, how do we make the progressive centre of politics more attractive, and its proponents sound less like 'pious schoolteachers'? Rory Stewart thinks Australia may hold the key... GUEST: Rory Stewart is the co-presenter of the hit podcast The Rest is Politics. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Penrith and The Border between 2010 and 2019, re...

At the eleventh hour, journalist Masha Gessen has been granted a visa to enter Australia, but why are they considered so dangerous?  Guest: Masha Gessen - Russian-American journalist and author. Masha is due to appear at The Edge, Fed Square in Melbourne for the Wheeler Centre (21 August) and at Carriageworks in Sydney, as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (24-25 August). KEEP AN EYE OUT: Ou...

In a sign of our deepening strategic ties, Australia will play host to more frequent US military deployments across air, land, and maritime domains. At the same time, an updated AUKUS agreement provides a 'get-out' clause for the US and the UK. Former prime minister Paul Keating has raised his concerns, but he's not alone is asking: Is Australia getting the short end of the stick?  Guest: David E....

The sudden departure of Sheikh Hasina after weeks of student protests sparked jubilant celebrations, which stretched all the way to Australia. It’s paved the way for a new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is heralding this as a 'second liberation' for Bangladesh. Guests: Dr Mubashar Hasan - Bangladesh born academic and social justice activist. Post Doctoral Researcher a...

Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate, but who is he? It turns out he was actually in Australia last November for a trade mission and he spoke remarkably openly with Hamish Macdonald.  GET IN TOUCH: Love this bonus discussion? Have your own thoughts on Gov. Tim Walz that you need to share? We're listening! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In the wake of two major assassinations of a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and a Hamas leader in Tehran, both at least ostensibly by Israel, former Mossad director Efraim Halevy issues a surprisingly critical assessment of Israel’s strategy for the broader Middle East. Plus, former US Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale gives some much-needed context on Hezbollah’s engagement in the conflict, and wha...

There's been a whole lotta love for Kamala, particularly on social media this week. But is she really a better candidate than Biden? What are her economic; her foreign policy credentials? Does she have what it takes to beat Trump? Geraldine and Hamish have thoughts...  GET IN TOUCH: Love this bonus discussion? Have your own thoughts on Kamala that you need to share? We're listening! Email us at gl...

Turn on the news and you are confronted with the fact that the United States, and US-led systems, are not what they once were. Kishore Mahbubani argues that the West has lost its shine and that Australia should be looking to its Asian neighbours for a stronger future. But is this really the Asian century?  Guest: Kishore Mahbubani, Singaporean Diplomat and former president of the UN Security Counc...

What could another Trump Presidency mean for the world order? 

A weekly examination of world affairs with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald.

Where have all the centrists gone? And how have the far-right taken hold of politics in the west? 

Do you ever want to hide from the headlines? With 1 in 4 people now saying they are worn out by the news and many turning to a fragmented social media news landscape for their information we explore what's gone wrong in recent years, and what we might do about it.  Guests: Marty Baron: American Journalist, Editor of The Washington Post 2012 to 2021 and author of a new memoir called Collision of Po...

You know things aren't good when Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un sign a mutual defence pact... could it be that a powerful new anti-western axis is emerging between Russia, China, North Korea and Iran? Plus, we get an insight into how Ukrainians feel about being caught in this geopolitical quagmire.  Guests: Alisa Sopova - Ukrainian journalist and anthropologist. Sir Lawrence Freedman - Emeritus Pr...

​The high-profile visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang signals warming relations between Canberra and Beijing, but could it be indicative of deeper economic and political anxieties in China? What is it, really, that China wants from us?  Guest: Richard McGregor - former Beijing bureau chief for the Financial Times, author of Xi Jinping: The Backlash and Senior Fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institu...

In India, Mexico and South Africa, frustrations and hopes have been borne out at polling booths, with extraordinary results. Geraldine and Hamish take an in depth look at South Africa, which is about to enter an exciting new phase both at home and abroad. Guests: Lynsey Chutel - reporter for The New York Times based in Johannesburg.  Melanie Verwoerd - former Member of Parliament for the ANC, the...

One week into the UK election campaign and to say things have been unexpected is an understatement. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come out firing, announcing a controversial national service scheme that caused Gen Z to have a meltdown. But is it enough to close the gap between the Tories and Labour, led by Sir Keir Starmer?  Guest: Krishnan Guru-Murthy - one of the main anchors of Channel 4 News....

Well, it's happened. Donald Trump is a convicted felon. In this bonus episode, former Republican speechwriter David Frum reacts to the historic verdict and discusses whether Trump has any hope now of being re-elected. Guest: David Frum - staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of 10 books, most recently Trumpocracy (2018) and Trumpocalypse (2020). In 2001 and 2002, David was a speechwriter for...

The International Criminal Court is considering whether to issue an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu - the first time in history such a move has been made against a pro-Western leader. It's sparked a mixed reaction, internationally, but it's unclear whether Israeli or Hamas leaders will ever be held accountable for potential war crimes. It's also unclear what impact, if any, this developm...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers touched a nerve when he suggested Australians should start having more kids, but does he actually have a point? Fertility rates are falling dramatically across the world and it's stoking all sorts of fears.   Guest: Dr Jennifer Sciubba - one of the foremost experts in the field of political demography & the author of 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration...

Some Europeans certainly think so, with polls predicting a swing to the hard-right in upcoming EU elections. So, what would a more conservative Europe mean for us?  Geraldine and Hamish travelled to Canberra to ask the EU Ambassador to Australia in person, and to find out whether a free trade deal between the EU and Australia really is dead.  Guest: His Excellency Mr. Gabriele Visentin, the EU Amb...

Australia is buddying up to India and Modi as a counter-weight to China, but what kind of country - and leader - are we really befriending? Guests: Avani Dias - ABC's South Asia Bureau Chief. Ravi Agrawal - editor in chief of Foreign Policy and host of the podcast and video channel FP Live. Recommendations: Hamish: Listening - Looking For Modi ABC News podcast Geraldine: Listening - India is trans...

Not only has the war of words between Prime Minister Albanese and Elon Musk grabbed global headlines, its prompted debates about whether the unelected leaders of multinational tech companies have more power than democratically elected leaders. Tech governance expert Dr Alexis Wichowski says other world leaders will be watching how this plays out, closely. Guest: Dr Alexis Wichowski – Professor at...

As the first ever criminal trial of a former US president gets underway in New York, we speak to ‘The Mooch’ - Anthony Scaramucci – who famously served as White House Communications Director in the Trump Administration for 11 days. He now warns that Donald Trump is a ‘lunatic’ and that a second Trump term would be disastrous for America, and the world.   Guest: Anthony Scaramucci - American financ...

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hinted that Australia might recognise Palestinian statehood. It's a significant move, politically, but will it have any impact on what's happening on the ground in Gaza? Hamish and Geraldine sit down with Tirana Hassan, the Australian who has just become head of Human Rights Watch, to discuss this, and whether we'll ever see Nuremberg-style justice for the war crime...