Stop the World

Australian AI expert Helen Toner is the Director of Strategy and Foundational Research Grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). She also spent two years on the board of OpenAI, which put her at the centre of the dramatic events in late 2023 when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was briefly sacked before being reinstated. David Wroe speaks with Helen about the curv...

Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk heads the Center for Civil Liberties, which won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for its work documenting Russian war crimes. She speaks with Stop the World about her hopes that Vladimir Putin and other powerful Russians can be held accountable for their human rights abuses against Ukrainians.   Oleksandra also talks about Ukraine’s resilience and mora...

During a two hour phone call this week with US President Donald Trump, Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin did what everyone expected—he raised impossible demands, promised next to nothing, and generally made a mockery of Trump’s patience.  Australia’s former Ambassador to Russia and Germany Peter Tesch speaks with David Wroe about the dynamic between Trump and Putin, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensk...

Syria has been front and centre in the news in recent days, with international agencies saying that hundreds and perhaps thousands have been killed – many of them civilians – in the coastal regions of the country.   In today’s podcast, David Wroe speaks to Aaron Zelin, the Gloria and Ken Levy Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, about developments in Syria since the fall of the...

Constanze Stelzenmüller, expert on German, European, and trans-Atlantic foreign and security policy and strategy at the Brookings Institution, gives Stop the World her short take on the remarkable sense of urgency that Europe is displaying in building its own security capabilities: “I've never seen anything like this in my life.”   Her longer answer is a superb dissection of the radical reorientat...

Donald Trump has upended US foreign policy—in particular his nation’s role in supporting Ukraine’s self-defence against Russia’s unprovoked invasion, and its traditionally close relationship with its NATO allies in Europe. As a consequence, Europe is scrambling to lift its defence investment and capability with a sense of urgency not seen in the post-War years.   The Economist’s Defence Editor Sha...

2025 is a pivotal year for international cyber governance. Not only is it the tenth anniversary of the international community’s agreement to a global framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, but it is also the year that the UN Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies will conclude its mandate. This sets the stage for the...

Today on Stop the World, the conversation on Ukraine continues, with ASPI’s Alex Bristow speaking to Jakub Zajączkowski and Saroj Kumar Aryal from the University of Warsaw. They discuss the EU and US approaches to peace in Ukraine, the security guarantees Ukraine needs, and the links between the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, including through NATO and the Indo-Pacific Four. They discuss Poland’s...

In this special episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s David Wroe speaks with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, on the morning after US and Russian representatives met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   The Ambassador responds to the blizzard of recent developments affecting the prospect of a peace agreement to end Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against its democratic neighbour as...

This week on Stop the World, we were pleased to host EU Deputy Director-General for Trade and Economic Security, Maria Martin-Prat. Interviewed by ASPI’s David Wroe, they discuss how the EU is managing economic security, Australia and Lithuania’s experience of economic coercion by China and, of course, the latest developments in tariffs.    This episode was recorded on 11 February, 2025.

Stop the World is back from its summer hiatus and, with so many major developments already, there’s much ground to cover in 2025.     This week, ASPI’s Raji Pillai Rajagopalan speaks to Euan Graham and Griffith University’s Ian Hall about the Quad partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States. They discuss the significance of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington DC...

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi speaks with Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness CSC to discuss her role and how it helps protect Australians online.   LTGEN McGuinness explores the dual role that the National Office of Cyber Security plays in preparing for and responding to increasing cyber incidents, the...

In the latest episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi is joined by Netherlands Ambassador to NATO Thijs van der Plas, Norway’s Ambassador to NATO Anita Nergaard and the US Chargé d'affaires to NATO Scott M. Oudkirk.  Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO has undergone a strategic shift with increased collective defence spending and the expansion of the allianc...

In the latest episode of Stop the World, David Wroe speaks to Kevin Yam and Ted Hui, two of Australia’s most prominent exiled Hong Kong democracy activists.  Kevin is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School and a commentator on China and Hong Kong. Ted Hui is a lawyer who was previously a member of Hong Kong's legislature before he was forced to leave in 2020.   David, Kevin an...

Today on Stop the World, David Wroe speaks with Casey Mock and Sasha Fegan from the US-based Center for Humane Technology. The CHT is at the forefront of efforts to ensure technology makes our lives better, and strengthens rather than divides our communities. They also produce the podcast, Your Undivided Attention—one of the world’s most popular forums for deep and serious conversations about the...

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI Senior Analyst Alex Bristow interviews John Spencer, the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast.    Alex and John discuss urban warfare in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, asymmetric capabilities and the impact of technology on warfare.  They also talk about the l...

In the latest video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, ASPI Senior Fellow Dr Robert Glasser speaks to the former President of Kiribati and Chair of the Pacific Elders Voice Anote Tong.    Anote is one of the Pacific region’s most prominent and respected advocates for action to combat climate change.   Robert and Anote discuss the impact that climate change is having in the Pacific and...

In this episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to retired General Tom Middendorp – also known as the ‘Climate General’ – about the links between climate change, defence and security. They discuss the impact of climate change on the military and its role in disaster preparedness and response. With a growing global population meaning a growing demand on natural resources, the conversation al...

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Dr Malcolm Davis and Dr Cathy Moloney speak with special guest General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of the United Kingdom’s Strategic Command. They discuss the global strategic outlook and the importance of partnerships, including AUKUS, and the need for partners to be truly integrated. They explore how artificial intelligence, cyber and electronic warfar...

In the latest edition of the Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, ASPI Analyst Daria Impiombato interviews Japanese politician Arfiya Eri. Arfiya is a Japanese woman of Uyghur and Uzbek heritage. She talks about her experiences in Japanese politics, her experiences online and the importance of diversity in politics. They discuss Japan’s place in the world as well as identity, diversity and national se...

This episode of Stop the World is a deep dive into quantum computing with Dr Pete Shadbolt, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at PsiQuantum, and Alex Capri, Research Fellow at the Hinrich Foundation.  The conversation provides a breakdown of quantum computing and explores the challenges and profound opportunities that the technology could bring. Alex and Pete discuss how quantum computing ca...

In the latest episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to Abe Denmark, former senior advisor to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and now non-resident senior associate with the Asia Program at CSIS. Given their respective roles in the US and Australian governments to establish AUKUS, Abe and Justin discuss the need for the partnership and how it came together. They also outline what t...

It’s a double episode week on Stop the World, and today we bring you a conversation with Jennifer Bachus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the US Department of State. ASPI’s Bart Hogeveen speaks to Jennifer about cyber security and tech diplomacy, and how the US Government is working to improve cyber resilience at home and supporting partners...

In the latest video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, Bethany Allen, Head of China Investigations and Analysis at ASPI, speaks with Her Excellency Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Political-Security Community. They discuss Dato’s career path and how her time as a diplomat within Malaysia’s foreign ministry led to her current role with ASEAN. They also e...

In the third video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, sits down with Admiral Michael Rogers (Ret’d), Senior Advisor at Trusted Future, to discuss all things intelligence. Jason was a founding member of both the Office of the National Cyber Director at the White House and the...