Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

There's a growing trend on TikTok of being in a " very Chinese era of life ". It's associated with changing shoes indoors, drinking hot water, and preparing traditional Chinese meals. It's being called 'Chinamaxxing'. But what exactly is this indicating more broadly? China has been growing in 'soft power' -- the kind of power that comes from cultural influence and intrigue rather than more forcefu...

It's not often we get the opportunity to ask a senior US official about AUKUS: Will the nuclear powered submarines be delivered? Can we trust Washington? Will America expect us to join them in any future conflict with China?  Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by serving Democrat Senator Tim Kaine to talk all things AUKUS. Kaine represents the state of Virginia, where our nuclear sub...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, with King Charles making clear “the law must take its course.”  Hamish, Latika and Kylie have jumped into a studio to discuss the shocking arrest of Prince Andrew and the allegations behind it. They examine the royal family’s response, the media scrutiny surrounding the case, and what it means for accountabil...

As the four-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine looms, finding a diplomatic end to the conflict is more unlikely than ever. With Trump's back turned and Europe grappling with the prospect of war further west, where has Zelenskyy's support gone?  Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke are joined by Ukrainian-born Yaroslav Trofimov, the chief foreign-affairs correspondent at The Wall Street Jou...

At last year's Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance shocked the world with his fiery attack on Europe. This year, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio fronted the world's biggest security conference, attended by more than 60 heads of state, he got a standing ovation. But was his speech really that different?  Fresh from the conference, co-host Latika Bourke (The Nightly) and fellow a...

As Artemis II prepares for launch, our first trip near the moon since the 1970s, a successful voyage could bring a lunar colony closer to reality. But as tech billionaires compete for NASA contracts, from Elon Musk's SpaceX to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origins, can we trust corporations to act on humanity's behalf? Hamish Macdonald and Jonathan Webb (Lab Notes) speak to rockstar physicist Professor Brian C...

With Indonesia becoming the first nation to commit soldiers to Trump's "Board of Peace", Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue put the spotlight on some of our closest neighbours; from President Prabowo Subianto's motivations in Gaza; to the conservative election wins in Thailand and Japan. Joining the conversation is Amanda Hodge, The Australian's Asia-Pacific correspondent, to talk about whether...

As Trump continues nuclear talks with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rushed to Washington to influence any potential deal. But amid uprisings, sanctions, and conflict with Israel, the Islamic regime is in its "end chapter". Will either side get what they want?  Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined in studio by Vali Nasr, who advised the US State Department on Iran...

The nuclear umbrella has a few holes in it now a key treaty between Russia and the USA has expired. Some fear the end New START might trigger a nuclear weapons arms race between Trump and Putin. Could it also inspire the middle powers in Europe and Asia to follow suit?  Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke (The Nightly) speak to former US State Department Official Joel Wit, who sat at the table for nucl...

Ice is melting. Seas are rising. Even anthrax is emerging out of the permafrost. But the climate crisis is changing more than the environment. The Arctic is fast becoming a pressure point for NATO, Russia and China as they wrestle for control of the thawing north. But what do they want it for?  Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke (The Nightly) are joined by Klaus Dodds to talk about the transformat...

Martin Luther King III was ten years old when his father, the hero of the modern US civil rights movement, was assassinated for his advocacy against racism. King III has picked up his father's fight for a free and equal America, but is his father's dream still possible in 2026?  King joins Hamish Macdonald and Kylie Morris to talk about whether the spirit of non-violent resistance can help push ba...

With the Munich Security Conference looming and Washington firmly in focus, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue put your questions to the big issues shaping the global outlook; elections, defence, and Australia’s place in a shifting strategic landscape. Joining the conversation is Carrington Clarke, freshly returned from Washington as the ABC’s North America Correspondent, offering insight into...

A Russian spy? Secret kompromat? The latest Epstein file drop, the most comprehensive since the notorious sex offender's death, has us questioning everything. But one thing is clear. New files alleging shared information between the former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein could be a scandal big enough to sink Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdo...

It's the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world right now, yet few outside the conflict are aware of it. But Sudan's brutal civil war, which has displaced millions and turned cities like El Fasher into a mass grave, has found unlikely backers in the region. So why are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lining up to pick sides?  Latika Bourke and Kylie Morris speak to journalist Mat Nash...

As nuclear talks begin between the Islamic Republic of Iran and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's armada of ships off Iran's coast are proving an effective negotiating tool. But for the people of Iran calling for intervention and regime change, the results of these talks may offer little relief. And as the staggering death toll of January's protests is starting to come into focus, how many o...

With the Winter Olympics about to kick off in Milano-Cortina, the news that Team USA will be joined by officers from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has caused a stir.  It sends a mixed message to the world, especially given that in July, the notoriously anti-immigration Trump administration will host millions of international visitors for the biggest sporting event on the planet,...

Hamish and Geraldine dig into the questions you actually want answered. From how to break out of our political and cultural echo chambers, to making sense of Donald Trump’s behaviour, to the lessons history offers about what middle powers can achieve - inspired, no doubt, by Canada PM Mark Carney. Plus, we look ahead to a very particular VIP visit from the Middle East to Australia. Suggested readi...

With the purging of another top general, China's President Xi Jinping has ripped a hole in the People's Liberation Army leadership. Only two of his nine top generals remain in office. It's been explained as an anti-corruption move, but what's really going on? And how will it impact Beijing's behaviour towards Taiwan?  Guest: Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis Me...

The former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has spent his working life on the frontline of humanitarian crises - from the "catastrophic" situation in Sudan, to Syria in the Middle East. But with the international rules-based order facing an existential crisis of its own, is the UN still up to scratch? As he steps down from his role, Filippo talks to Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke...

Standing ovations are rare at Davos, the annual World Economic Forum conference. But Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tore the roof down with a speech calling on the world's middle powers to forge a united path away from the hegemony of American power. And Trump isn't happy about it.  Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke speak to former Canadian Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff about how mu...

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a China hawk, and if she wins February's snap election, she'll use that mandate to prepare for conflict over Taiwan. So says the former Japanese ambassador to Australia, who's a foreign policy whisperer, well connected to the Prime Minister. But is President Trump on board? And what about Canberra? Guest: Shingo Yamagami, former Japanese ambassador to Austr...

The 24 hour international news cycle often leaves us with more questions than answers, so in this episode of Global Roaming Hamish and Geraldine will be exploring the things YOU actually want to know. Like whether we should be following the money when it comes to Venezuela - does President Trump have a personal financial stake which helps explain his actions there? And if Australia's international...

When UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer came to power in 2024, he was seen as a safe, if slightly boring, pair of hands. Now, UK Labour is threatened by the return of an unlikely figure - the man known as the 'father of Brexit': Nigel Farage.  Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald sit down with Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy to chat about why Keir Starmer is failing to cut through, whether...

Since the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960s brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, the Caribbean island has been a geopolitical plaything of the major global powers. Now, after US President Donald Trump's stunning Venezuela intervention, could Cuba be back in America's sights?  Kylie Morris and Latika Burke (The Nightly) speak to Latin American correspondent Jon Bonfiglio about the mood in...

The cornerstone of NATO is that an attack on "one of us" is an attack on "all of us". But what happens when the alliance is threatened by one of it's own? As tensions over Greenland reach a breaking point, and Trump remains bitter about not winning a Nobel Prize, the US-Europe relationship is being tested to it's limit.  Geraldine Doogue and Latika Burke (The Nightly) speak to former NATO spokespe...