Policy, Guns & Money

Last Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became the first democratic leader to visit Beijing and meet President Xi Jinping since he tightened his grip on power at the 20th Communist Party Congress in October. ASPI Analyst Daria Impiombato speaks to the President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Joerg Wuttke, about the significance of the highly-contested visit and what it means for the future of foreign business in China and China-Europe relations. Guests: Daria Impiombato: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/daria-impiombato Joerg Wuttke: https://www.europeanchamber.com.cn/en/executive-committee Music: "Salt lake Swerve - Chillout Remix" by Maarten Schellekens, Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) via the FreeMusicArchive.org

On 11th July, billionaire Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed test flight to space. Billionaire Jeff Bezos will soon follow suit on the first Blue Origin crewed flight on July 20. Dr Malcolm Davis speaks with Dr Cassandra Steer from the ANU Institute of Space and College of Law to discuss this new era for space tourism and its potential implications. The arrest of former South African president, Jacob Zuma, has sparked mass unrest in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Research Intern Khwezi Nkwanyana speaks to Dr Ibrahim Abraham from the Australian National University about the recent violence and the significance of Zuma’s arrest with regards to corruption and wider stability in the country. Dr Teagan Westendorf is joined by Peta Lowe from Phronesis Consulting and Training to discuss counterterrorism and the roles of countering violent extremism (CVE) and preventing violent extremism (PVE). Peta and Teagan discuss these issues with a specific focus on gender, regional com

UN Peacekeeping operations are an extremely important part of the UN’s contribution to international peace and security. Peacekeeping expert Associate Professor Charlie Hunt from RMIT University joins Lisa Sharland to discuss some of the challenges facing the UN in delivering these important operations and the future of peacekeeping, and how Australia can increase its presence in peacekeeping operations. In June this year, the US Government released its first ‘National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism’. Professor Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, joins Dr Teagan Westendorf to examine the strategy. They consider the strategy’s four pillars, policy gaps and its potential to address the threat of domestic terrorism in the US. In an excerpt of an ASPI Webinar, Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, joined Fergus Hanson for a discussion online on some of the challenges facing the world’s largest messaging service. They discussed end-to-end encryption, w

Lisa Sharland is joined by Professor Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security at the University of Adelaide, to discuss her chapter on ‘Strategic Competition and the Pacific Islands’ in the Institute for International and Strategic Studies Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2021. They discuss the challenges posed by strategic competition in the region, opportunities for Australian engagement and why Australia should work more closely with partners in the region. Dr Malcolm Davis speaks to Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Marcrum and Dr Brendan Mulvaney from the US China Aerospace Studies Institute about the concept of deterrence, something they explored in the recent ASPI report ‘To deter the PRC…’. They discuss how the People’s Republic of China views and approaches deterrence in comparison to liberal democracies, and how Australia and its partners should respond. Climate policy remains a hot topic in Australia. With Barnaby Joyce re-elected as nationals leader and the federal government still n

Anastasia Kapetas is joined by John Schaus, Senior Fellow of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They explore the concept of asymmetric power and deterrence, how it is used by different actors and how the US and its allies should respond. In May this year, the Chinese government announced the three-child policy, an initiative designed to help increase birth rates in China. Daria Impiombato is joined by Leta Hong Fincher, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University and author of ‘Betraying Big Brother: the feminist awakening in China’. They discuss the three-child policy, as well as coercive family planning policies in Xinjiang and feminism in China. We are delighted to share an extract of a recent interview with Major General Cheryl Pearce for ASPI’s Women in Defence and Security Network. Major General Pearce, who was most recently Force Commander of the UN Forces in Cyprus, speaks to Lisa Sharland about leadership challenge during Covid-19 and

Arguably the biggest submarine program in the Western world outside of the United States, Australia’s submarine development continues to raise concerns around cost. Michael Shoebridge and Dr Marcus Hellyer examine the outcomes of the recent Senate Estimates in relation to the underwater program, and what the life-of-type upgrades mean for the submarine’s future. ASPI’s Mapping China’s Technology Giants project provides an overview of the global impact of Chinese technology companies. Tom Uren is joined by Fergus Ryan and Daria Impiombato for a discussion on how U.S. sanctions have impacted the growth of these organisations, and how the Chinese Communist Party’s political influence creates privacy concerns. In a conversation on nation-building, Dr John Coyne and Gill Savage discuss how Australia can re-think its approach to infrastructure in a post-Covid environment. Using the Port of Townsville as an example, they discuss how greater cooperation between regional, state and national governments can achieve e

Recently, national security debates in the United States and Australia have been heavily focused on the likelihood of conflict in the Taiwan Straits. Anastasia Kapetas is joined by Ryan Hass, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution to discuss the credibility of this narrative. They discuss the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan and how Taiwan can counter China’s actions. Dr Robert Glasser is joined by Natasha Kassam, Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute to discuss Lowy’s ‘Climate Poll 2021’, an annual report on Australia’s national attitude to climate change. ASPI’s annual Cost of Defence report breaks down the funding and expenditure of the Department of Defence, examining key areas of growth, acquisition spending and investment. Report author Dr Marcus Hellyer discusses some of the trends highlighted in this year’s report with Peter Jennings, and the increasing financial concern around Defence’s external workforce. Mentioned in this episode: The Cost of Defenc

This week we are excited to share a special episode on Africa Day. Celebrated annually on 25 May, Africa Day commemorates the 1963 founding of the African Union. Lisa Sharland speaks to Ambassador Martin Kimani, the new permanent representative of Kenya to the United Nations. They discuss Kenya’s role on the UN Security Council, engaging in multilateralism via Zoom and counter-terrorism. Brendan Nicholson speaks to Australia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Ms Gita Kamath about Australia’s economic ties with South Africa, the impact of Covid-19 on the region and the effectiveness of groupings such as the Southern African Development Community and the Southern African Customs Union as unifying forces. In November last year, the Ethiopian government launched a military offensive in the country’s northern Tigray region. ASPI Research Intern Khwezi Nkwanyana speaks to the Director of Horn of Africa at Human Rights Watch, Laetitia Bader, about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, its geopolitical implications

Recently, ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre released a new report which found that birth rates in Uyghur-majority areas in Xinjiang have fallen by unprecedented amounts since 2017. Danielle Cave speaks to report authors Dr James Leibold and Nathan Ruser about the government policies behind this birth-rate drop and some of the report’s key findings. The International Energy Agency has released the report 'Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector' which highlights that the need for transitioning to a net zero system by 2050 has become a near-necessity. Anastasia Kapetas and Dr Robert Glasser discuss the report’s findings and what it means for the international energy sector. On May 7 2021, Colonial Pipeline - a United States major fuel pipeline operator - was the victim of one of the most disruptive cyber-attacks on record, by cybercriminal hacking group DarkSide. Tom Uren and Dr John Coyne discuss the fallout from the ransomware hit, what it means for international law enforcement,

In April, President Biden held the first Leaders Summit on Climate which saw a number of countries commit to more ambitious reduction targets. Research intern Matthew Page speaks to Associate Professor Matt McDonald from the University of Queensland about Australia’s hesitancy to set a target date for emission reductions, the impacts of climate on Australia’s national security and whether investment in hydrogen and carbon-capture and storage technologies will significantly reduce Australia’s carbon emissions. The financial and social impacts of Covid-19 and the increased time people are spending online have been described as factors which may make people more vulnerable to radicalisation. Dr Teagan Westendorf speaks to Nafees Hamid, Research Fellow at Artis International, about pathways to radicalisation, including the significance of sacred values, and the importance of community in preventing radicalisation. Brendan Nicholson is joined by Katherine Stewart from the International Committee of the Red Cro

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 the administration needs to manage. Recently, Taiwan has been receiving increased international attention, in part because of its successful pandemic response but also due to Cross-Strait tensions. ASPI Research Intern, Elena Yi-Ching Ho speaks to Wen-Ti Sung, Lecturer in the Taiwan Studies Program at the Australian National University about Cross-Strait relations, the potential for military conflict and whether the status quo is still sustainable. Dr Teagan Westendorf speaks to Professor Ruth Wallace, Dean of the College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, and Director of the Northern Institute at Charles Da

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 Quad summit in March 2021, Michael Shoebridge is joined by Dr Lavina Lee, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University to weigh in on the latest developments in the Quad grouping as well as Australia-India bilateral relations. ASPI research intern, Hillary Mansour speaks with Dr David Engel, Head of ASPI’s Indonesia Program about Indonesia's Defence Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement with Japan, what the agreement means for Indonesia and how Indonesia’s recent international engagements complement their foreign policy strategy. Mentioned in this episode:

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 successful implementation and considerations for domestic concerns. Have you ever considered a career in intelligence? Michael Shoebridge speaks with Carl and Karinda from the Office of National Intelligence about some of the exciting career pathways in intelligence and what the future of the intelligence workforce might look like. This week, ASPI released the report ‘Island voices and Covid-19: Vulnerability and resilience - Views from The Strategist’ Brendan Nicholson is joined by the report co-author Professor Richard Herr from the University of Tasmania to discuss the range of responses to the pandemic in Pac

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 security in Pacific Island states’ which looks at the potential for the ADF to form military partnerships in the health sector in Pacific island countries. Michael Shoebridge, speaks to report author Dr David Brewster, Senior Research Fellow at the ANU National Security College, about how the partnership could work and how it could benefit both the ADF and the region. Last week the Australian Government announced a $1 billion federal plan to build a new guided weapons facility in Australia. Peter Jennings and Dr Marcus Hellyer consider the Government’s plan and how this will impact Defence's sovereign capability.

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 Technologist, Founder of P&L Digital Edge and Group Chair of the Global Foundation for Cyber Studies & Research. They discuss how Australia can enable big tech innovation, the challenges of funding innovation and why it’s important decision-makers have an understanding of STEM and the potential of innovation. Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Hayley Channer, Senior Policy Fellow with the Perth USAsia Centre, about the relationship between US domestic politics and foreign policy, Biden’s response to Covid-19 and how the Biden Administration can rebuild trust with its allies in the Indo-Pacific. Report: https://www.aspi.org

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 of coercive and hostage diplomacy. They also discuss opportunities to improve the relationship over time. The Department of Defence's Attack-class submarine program has been highly scrutinised, with media outlets reporting a commissioned review may result in the government walking away from its partnership with France’s Naval Group. Michael Shoebridge and Dr Marcus Hellyer weigh in on the $89 billion program and what it means for the future of Australia's maritime security and Defence capabilities. Bart Hogeveen speaks to Dr Huong Le Thu about Australia’s announcement in November 2020 of a $500 million investment i

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. Dr Jacob Wallis and Albert Zhang talk about some of the key findings from their recent report ‘Trigger Warning: The CCP’s coordinated information effort to discredit the BBC’. They discuss the tactics used by the CCP including the leveraging of Western and alternative news media. With a drive for fuel storage investment in the Northern Territory, Dr Teagan Westendorf speaks with Tony McCormack on Australia’s fuel security and resilience. They consider the different aspects of Australia’s fuel strategy including infrastructure development, logistical concerns and fixes, and overall benefits to the region. Mentio

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 recommendations for government. Michael Shoebridge speaks to Dr Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, about China’s thinking around Taiwan and China’s growing confidence when it comes to foreign policy. Human Rights Watch China senior researcher Maya Wang joins ASPI’s Dr Nathan Attrill to discuss the controversial Hong Kong national security law, the latest arrests under the law and the wider impacts on pro-democracy Hong Kongers. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.aph.go

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 India and the Quad and the prospects for increased collaboration between the Quad countries. Lisa Sharland speaks with Jenna Allen, Research Assistant for Dr Deane-Peter Baker at UNSW’s Australian Defence Force Academy. Jenna shares some insights into her journey in building a career in defence and national security and outlines some of the work of UNSW’s ‘Women in Future Operations’ group. The Strategist’s Anastasia Kapetas and ASPI research intern Khwezi Nkwanyana highlight the achievements of four pioneering women in foreign correspondence: Ida B. Wells, Martha Gellhorn, Oriana Fallaci and Claire Rewcastle Brown.

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 declaration in preventing arbitrary detention and whether more can be done through global cooperation In December 2020, Senator Rex Patrick tabled a bill in Australian Parliament to ban the importation of goods produced by Uyghur forced labour into Australia. Kelsey Munro and James Leibold discuss Australia’s response to human rights abuses in Xinjiang so far, in contrast with international responses, and whether this Customs Amendment bill is an effective tool to address forced labour globally. Dr John Coyne and Dr Teagan Westendorf discuss the strategies international police are using to combat organised crime across Sout