Policy, Guns & Money

Now that COP26 has concluded, ASPI’s Dr Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas break down the commitments made at the summit, where they fell short, and what needs to be done to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. As society’s reliance on technology continues to grow, regulating and securing technology becomes increasingly important. ASPI’s Dr Teagan Westendorf speaks to Professor Jeannie Paterson from the University of Melbourne about the need to regulate digital technology in a way that aligns with democratic values. ASPI’s Nathan Ruser and Baani Grewal recently released a multimedia project looking at the increasing border tensions between China and India in the Doklam region. Their ground-breaking work uses open-source satellite imagery to develop a unique 3D view of the mountainous region which helps viewers understand the strategic importance of the roads and military infrastructure being established by both sides. Mentioned in this episode: ‘A 3D deep dive into the India-China border’: https://pageflow.as

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money’s ‘Bigger Picture’ series, Fergus Hanson speaks to Sir Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs and communications for Meta on technology policy. They discuss the greatest tech challenges currently facing the international community and how governments and the private sector can better collaborate on these issues going forward, something that Sir Nick will discuss in a panel session at ASPI’s inaugural Sydney Dialogue on 19 November. Nick Clegg is the vice president of global affairs and communications for Meta. Previously, he served as deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015. In 2018, he received a knighthood in recognition of his political and public service. He also established the think tank Open Reason, which examines issues pertaining to drugs policy and the fourth industrial revolution. From 1994 to 2004, he worked as a senior adviser in the European Commission, and between 1999 and 2004 he was a member of the European Parliament. S

This week on Policy, Guns and Money’s Bigger Picture series, Peter Jennings speaks to His Excellency Shingo Yamagami, Ambassador of Japan to Australia about the Australia-Japan strategic relationship. They discuss the evolution of Australia-Japan trade, defence and people-to-people ties, and Japan’s perspective on AUKUS, the Quad and the strategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific. Guests (in order of appearance): Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings H.E. Mr Shingo Yamagami: https://www.au.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/about_ambassador_profile_en.html Background music: "Salt Lake Swerve - Chillout Remix" by Maarten Schellekens - via the FreeMusicArchive.org

The first week of Glasgow’s COP26 summit is over, and we have seen a number of countries make landmark promises to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Dr Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas discuss these commitments, Australia’s position during the conference and what’s in store for the remainder of the summit. With the government’s recent announcement that it will acquire nuclear-powered submarines and cancel the attack-class program, it looks like we might be waiting until the late 2030s until the first submarine is in service. Defence capability experts Dr Marcus Hellyer and Dr Andrew Davies consider the decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and discuss Australia’s potential naval capability gaps and how these gaps can be addressed. As international travel begins to re-open, digital vaccine passports are set to be a requirement in many parts of the world to prove your vaccination status. Gill Savage and Dr Teagan Westendorf discuss the challenges for the rollout of vaccine passports, p

In this episode of Policy, Gun’s and Money’s ‘The Bigger Picture’ series, Dr. Robert Glasser speaks to Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, Founder of Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) about climate change. They consider Indonesia’s climate vulnerabilities and why climate change needs to be placed at the top of Indonesia’s national agenda. They highlight the need for governments to be bold when it comes to climate and to create policies that incentivise and encourage green growth. Dr. Dino Patti Djalal is the founder and chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, a former Indonesian ambassador to the United States, and a former Indonesian deputy foreign minister. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr. Robert Glasser: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/robert-glasser Dr. Dino Patti Djalal: https://www.fpcindonesia.org/about-us/ ; Twitter: @dinopattidjalal Background music: "Salt Lake Swerve - Chillout Remix" by Maarten Schellekens - via the FreeMusicArchive.org

This Sunday 31st October, the COP26 Summit kicks off in Glasgow, where it’s expected that leaders will bring bigger commitments to 2030 emissions reduction targets and outline bolder climate policies. Dr Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas discuss Australia’s climate commitments going into COP, and whether they are sufficient to address climate impacts in Australia and our region. They also discuss the recent U.S. 'Department of Defense Climate Risk Analysis'. Recently, Australian authorities seized a record 450kg heroin shipment, the largest heroin shipment ever detected in Australia. Dr John Coyne and Dr Teagan Westendorf discuss the significance of this seizure and consider whether a seizure of this size means less product is available or leads to less consumption. Earlier this month, a global outage left users unable to access Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger for 6 to 7 hours. Karly Winkler and Jocelinn Kang discuss the causes and impacts of the outage, and the potential for such outages t

In this episode of ‘The Bigger Picture’ series, Michael Shoebridge speaks to Dr Charles Edel. They consider everything from US politics and Biden’s domestic agenda to US foreign policy and the significance of AUKUS. They also discuss the strategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific, opportunities for US engagement in the region, and the Biden Administration’s China strategy. Dr. Charles Edel is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center and a Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Previously, Dr. Edel was Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College, and served on the U.S. Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 2015–2017. In that role, he advised the Secretary of State on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Guests (in order of appearance): Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Dr Charles Edel: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/charles-edel Background music: "Salt Lake Swerve - Chillout Re

Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Elmira Bayrasli, Co-Founder of Foreign Policy Interrupted and Director of Bard College’s Global and International Affairs program about gender, geopolitics and national security. They discuss the importance of women in national security and the critical contributions they make to global security, and what motivated Elmira to co-found Foreign Policy Interrupted. Elmira Bayrasli is the author of From the Other Side of the World: Extraordinary Entrepreneurs, Unlikely Places, a book that looks at the rise of entrepreneurship globally. She is also the CEO and co-founder of Foreign Policy Interrupted and a professor at Bard College’s Global and International Affairs program and teaches at the City College of New York’s Newmark School of Journalism. She has lived in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina where she was the Chief Spokesperson for the OSCE Mission. From 1994-2000 she was presidential appointee at the U.S. State Department, working for Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, respect

In this episode of ‘The Bigger Picture’ series, Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Professor Mary Kaldor about the concept of human security and how it evolved. They consider whether the lessons being learned from recent events in Afghanistan are the right ones, what a human security approach to terrorism looks like and the need to strengthen democracies in the context of rising authoritarianism. Mary Kaldor is a Professor of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit in the LSE Department of International Development. Professor Kaldor is highly regarded for her innovative work on democratisation, conflict, and globalisation. She was a founding member of European Nuclear Disarmament (END), a founder and Co-Chair of the Helsinki Citizen's Assembly and a member of the International Independent Commission to investigate the Kosovo Crisis, established by the Swedish Prime Minister. Professor Kaldor pioneered the concept of new wars and global civil society and her work on the pr

ASPI's Executive Director Peter Jennings speaks to the Honourable Joe Hockey, former Australian Ambassador to the United States of America and Treasurer of Australia, and Founding Partner and President of the advisory firm Bondi Partners. They discuss the recent AUKUS announcement, what it was like to be ambassador to the United States during the Trump administration and opportunities for growth in the US-Australia relationship as well as the challenges that lay ahead. This is the first episode in our 'The Bigger Picture' series which will consider some of the big strategic challenges currently facing Australia and the international community. In this episode: Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings The Hon. Amb. Joe Hockey: https://bondipartners.com/joe-hockey/ Music: "Salt Lake Swerve - Chillout Remix" by Maarten Schellekens - FreeMusicArchive.org

Stabilising fragile states has been a long-term focus of US foreign policy, this also became a focus of the US and its allies in their operations in Afghanistan. Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Frances Brown from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about the lessons that can be learnt from Afghanistan and how the United States can work with allies and like-minded countries to promote democracy globally. A new report from the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group offers a whole-of-nation climate-security risk assessment. Dr Robert Glasser speaks to Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn AO (Retd), who co-authored this report. They discuss Australia’s shortcomings in responding to climate security risks, and what the government needs to do to prepare for the security implications of devastating climate impacts, both in Australia and in our near region. How have Covid-19, natural disasters and coercion affected Australia’s business and trade positioning? Michael Shoebridge and Gill Savage explore this in t

This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the establishment of a new defence pact between Australia, the US and the UK - AUKUS. As part of this new partnership, Australia will move to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and has cancelled its $90 billion submarine program with France’s Naval Group. Peter Jennings, Michael Shoebridge and Dr Marcus Hellyer share their initial reactions to the new pact and what this means for Australia’s defence capabilities. This past summer in the Northern Hemisphere was marked with unprecedented floods, fires, droughts and heat waves. Anastasia Kapetas and Dr Robert Glasser provide an update discuss these catastrophic events and how Australia can prepare for simultaneous climate hazards domestically and in our region. Back in 2000, the Taliban announced a ban against growing opium poppy which led to a rapid decline in production. The ban was interrupted by the beginning of the US war in Afghanistan in 2021 when pr

Welcome to episode 100 of Policy, Guns and Money! To celebrate our 100th episode, ASPI's Executive Director Peter Jennings speaks to former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and the Honourable Kim Beazley, Governor of Western Australia. They consider some of the key strategic events from the past twenty years, including the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan; the importance of the US-Australia alliance and ASPI's 20th anniversary. Mentioned in this episode: 'ANZUS at 70' report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/anzus-70-past-present-and-future-alliance Guests (in order of appearance): Mr Peter Jennings PSM: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Mr John Howard OM AC: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=ZD4 The Honourable Kim Beazley AC: https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/about-the-governor/

On 1 September 1951, the ANZUS Treaty was signed in San Francisco. Peter Jennings speaks to Mike Goldman, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Australia, about the importance of the US-Australia alliance and the relevance of the Treaty seventy years on. They discuss shared challenges, including climate change; what makes the alliance so enduring, and what to expect from the upcoming AUSMIN meeting in Washington DC. Guests (in order of appearance): Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Michael Goldman: https://au.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/canberra/ambassador/ Background music: "Before the countdown" by Maarten Schellekens via the FreeMusicArchive.org

In this very special episode, Peter Jennings, Michael Shoebridge and Graeme Dobell discuss the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s 20-year history which has been marked by the the production of a sparkling and insightful work: ‘An informed voice: ASPI, 2001-2021’ They explore some of the key strategic moments for Australia over the past two decades and discuss some of the highlights from ASPI’s policy analysis over the years amidst different regional and global challenges. Mentioned in this episode: ‘An informed voice: ASPI, 2001-2021’: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/informed-and-independent-voice-aspi-2001-2021 In this episode: Michael Shoebridge. Director: Defence, Strategy & National Security: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Peter Jennings. ASPI Executive Director: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Graeme Dobell. ASPI Senior Fellow: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/graeme-dobell Music: 'Just Wondering' by Maarten Schellekens via FreeMusicArchive.org

Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the US and its allies are accelerating efforts to evacuate their citizens and Afghan refugees from the country. Brendan Nicholson speaks to Peter Jennings about how the security situation deteriorated so rapidly, the short and long-term security risks for Afghanistan and how China might look to engage with the Taliban. Governments across the globe are grappling with how to deal with disinformation-for-hire operations and cyber-enabled foreign interference. The challenges posed by disinformation operations in the Asia-Pacific are explored in the new ASPI report ‘Influence for Hire: The Asia-Pacific’s online shadow economy.' Dr Jake Wallis, Ariel Bogle and Albert Zhang discuss the dangers of a manipulated information environment in the region and how policymakers should respond. Dr Teagan Westendorf speaks to Ariel Bogle about her new report ‘Buying and Selling Extremism: New funding opportunities in the right-wing extremi

Since the withdrawal of US and allied troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban's military offensive across the country has seen the group capture a number of provincial capitals over the past week, including Afghanistan's third largest city, Herat. Anastasia Kapetas speaks to counterinsurgency expert Dr David Kilcullen about the future of governance in Afghanistan. They also discuss the geopolitics of the region, including China and Pakistan’s interests, and how the United States could respond as the Taliban continues to advance toward the capital. Earlier this week, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its Sixth Assessment Report. The report found that the world is likely to hit 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030 if we continue on our current trajectory. Dr Robert Glasser speaks to one of the report’s contributing authors Professor Mark Howden about the report’s findings, climate risks for Australia and the policy responses required to address this global challenge. Mentioned in this episode:

This special episode features an excerpt from a recent ASPI webinar with international cyber expert Marietje Schaake on technology, democracy and the question of accountability. Marietje joined ASPI’s Fergus Hanson for a conversation on the challenges that technologies create for and how democracies can work together amidst rising authoritarianism to better regulate technologies. They discussed the proliferation of surveillance tools available on the free market, including Pegasus spyware, and the need for companies to move away from a values agnostic approach to a human rights centred approach to business. Marietje is the International Policy Director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center. She is also International Policy Fellow at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and President of the Cyber Peace Institute. Watch the webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c30_AoPDIdI Guests in this episode: Fergus Hanson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/fergus-hanson Marietje Schaake:

Recently, Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia have hit new highs, making it the global epicentre of the coronavirus. As countries across the region try to curb the spread of the Delta variant, Richard Maude and Dr Huong Le Thu detail how Australia can support its neighbours and the region’s potential path to recovery. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, which governs international use of the Southern Continent. Research intern Matthew Page speaks to polar geopolitics expert Dr Elizabeth Buchanan, Lecturer of Strategic Studies with Deakin University for the Defence and Strategic Studies Course at the Australian War College Canberra and a Fellow of the Modern War Institute at West Point Military Academy. All views are her own. They discuss the geopolitics of the region, the usefulness of the treaty system 60 years on and what Australia should be focusing on in its Antarctic policy. The Port of Darwin, currently under a 99-year lease to Chinese company Landbridge, is of strategic import

Earlier this month, Cuban citizens took to the streets across the country to protest against deteriorating living conditions amidst the country’s economic and coronavirus crisis. ASPI’s David Engel was previously Australian Ambassador to Mexico and non-resident ambassador to Cuba. He speaks with Professor Adrian Hearn about the protests and their political significance, the impact of social media and the government response. In the wake of the targeted attacks on Microsoft Exchange servers, Australia’s own cyber security vulnerabilities are increasingly being highlighted. Fergus Hanson is joined by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre’s CEO Rachael Falk and Anne-Louise Brown for a discussion on the Microsoft Exchange hack, as well as the growing frequency of ransomware crimes in Australia, and how the Australian Government can help better protect communities and businesses. Peter Jennings speaks to Daniel Ward about his new ASPI report, ‘Losing our agnosticism: How to make Australia’s foreign infl