Policy, Guns & Money

At the end of December 2020, the EU and China agreed in principle on a trade deal that will govern bilateral investment. Negotiations for the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment began in 2013 but the strategic environment has changed significantly since then. Brendan Nicholson and Michael Shoebridge weigh the merits of this agreement. Nicholas Coppel, Australian ambassador to Myanmar from 2015 to 2018, speaks with Dr Huong Le Thu about the motivations behind the recent coup in Myanmar, the likelihood of the military holding new elections and whether international responses have done enough so far. Covid-19 has impacted most work environments and the Australian Defence Force’s military training is no exception. Dr John Coyne and Tony McCormack consider both the challenges and benefits of implementing live, virtual and constructive training in the age of Covid. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/covid-19-means-live-virtual-and-constructive-trainings-time-has-come/ Guests & Pres

With the 13th National Congress held by the Vietnam Communist Party which concluded on the 1st of February this year, many thought that the current state of affairs would offer another turning point, similar to those of the Doi Moi reforms. Dr. Huong Le Thu and Dr. Robert Glasser discuss the initial results of the congress, and what the future of politics looks like in Vietnam. Daria Impiombato speaks with Dr Alexandra Phelan, Deputy Director of Monash Gender, Peace and Security and Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. They discuss the terror-crime nexus in Latin America and how Covid-19 has exacerbated both organised crime and terrorism globally, and what this means for law enforcement agencies around the world. Jocelinn Kang and Fergus Ryan discuss their research into right-wing extremist groups and the online homes they have found in Russia and China. They found that websites such as The Daily Stormer, Parler and 8Chan, which have been kicked off Western platforms are using foreign internet

In the context of Navalny’s arrest, widespread protests and Russia’s ongoing pattern of malign activities, Anastasia Kapetas speaks with James Goldgeier, Professor at American University and the Robert Bosch Senior Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. They discuss the Biden administration’s response to the Navalny arrest and the potential for a more unified approach from the US and EU towards Russia. Lisa Sharland speaks with former ASPI researcher Genevieve Feeley about their report ‘Mapping Pacific Contributions to UN Peacekeeping: Past Experiences and Future Opportunities’ undertaken with the Australian Civil-Military Centre. They discuss the rationales behind contributing to peacekeeping operations and some of the barriers and opportunities for increased participation. Finally, Charlie Lyons-Jones and Michael Shoebridge discuss the Marxist-Leninist ideological roots of the Chinese Communist party, how ideology influences the party’s behaviour and what, if any, elements they desire to export.

In our first episode of Policy, Guns & Money for 2021, Dr Jacob Wallis speaks with Ariel Bogle about QAnon. They discuss the conspiracy theory’s origins, its translation from an online phenomenon into violence and the ensuing ‘real world’ consequences that encompass everything from the US Capitol riots to Australian policy responses. Anastasia Kapetas, National Security Editor for The Strategist, speaks with Russia expert Visiting Fellow at ANU Kyle Wilson, about the unfolding situation in Russia, including the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the widespread protests across the country. They discuss the similarities between China and Russia’s media censorship, Putin’s strategy when it comes to Navalny, how resilient this protest movement will be and whether it poses a real threat to Putin’s power. Finally, Peter Jennings and Michael Shoebridge talk about some of the big developments while the podcast has been on hiatus - riots at the US Capitol, Biden’s inauguration, a military coup in Myanma

In the final episode for 2020, The Strategist’s Brendan Nicholson, Anastasia Kapetas and Jack Norton share their thoughts on some of the key events and geopolitical developments of 2020 and the areas they will be watching closely in 2021. Some of the topics they discuss include: the Australia-China relationship, climate, the Brereton Inquiry, the US elections and disinformation. Policy, Guns and Money will return in January 2021! In this episode: Brendan Nicholson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/brendan-nicholson Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Jack Norton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jack-norton Music: "June" by Bobby Richards - via the You Tube Audio Library. Image: Montage - ASPI. Bushfire background: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bertknot/8861400974/

Coinciding with this week’s launch event of the 2020 Global Terrorism Index at ASPI, Leanne Close speaks with Peta Lowe, Principal Consultant at Phronesis Consulting. Peta has over 15 years’ experience working with young people involved with the justice system, she discusses countering violent extremism in youth populations and outlines some of the key risks for radicalisation and strategies for awareness and prevention. Anastasia Kapetas speaks with Dr Christian Downie Australian Research Council Fellow at the Australian National University. They discuss Biden’s climate goals, how this will impact US domestic and foreign policy and what the implications might be for Australia. The infamous tweet from Zhao Lijian is yet another setback in the Australia-China relationship. Dr Jake Wallis, Ariel Bogle and Albert Zhang conducted a deep dive into the Twitter activity around the tweet and discussed the increasing weaponisation of social media in the global geopolitical landscape. Mentioned in this episode:

Ariel Bogle speaks to Dr Kate Starbird, Associate Professor at the University of Washington and researcher at the Election Integrity Partnership. They discuss the growing challenges for social media companies in moderating online disinformation and misinformation in the context of the US elections and President Trump’s dispute of the election results. Michael Shoebridge speaks to Rowan Callick, double Walkley Award winning journalist and author, about his recent report for the Centre for Independent Studies titled ‘The Elite Embrace’. They discuss how the Chinese party-state influences key elites in Australia and around the world, and the ten talking points to look out for in Beijing’s engagement with foreign elites. Anne Lyons speaks to David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, about the organisation’s recently announced plans to digitise over 650,000 Second World War service records and over 30,000 at-risk audiovisual records. They discuss the importance of reliable data an

In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Brendan Nicholson speaks to Samantha Crompvoets, founder and director at Rapid Context who carried out the review of special forces which uncovered claims that war crimes were committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. They discuss the Brereton Report, how a dangerous ‘warrior culture’ developed unchecked, and what needs to be done to stop it happening again. Anastasia Kapetas speaks with Ben Bohane, Communications Director at ANU’s Australia Pacific Security College and Pacific specialist, about climate initiatives and innovation in the Pacific, and disaster responses and resilience. They also discuss the regional response to Joe Biden’s election and the prospects for the US to return to a global leadership role on tackling climate change. Genevieve Feely speaks to Rachel Grimes, NATO ACT Liaison Officer to the UN, ICRC and NGOs, about her experiences working in the UN, NATO and UK Defence. They discuss the importance of terminology, the progress made

In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Brendan Nicholson and Peter Jennings discuss Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent visit to Japan to meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the in-principle Reciprocal Access Agreement. They discuss the significance of the agreement and what it signals about the two countries’ future engagement in South East Asia and the Pacific regions. Anastasia Kapetas speaks with Robert Glasser, ASPI Visiting Fellow and former Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction about the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. They discuss the report, which was released in October and included 80 recommendations, and offer their thoughts on the report’s efficacy in helping Australia prepare for future natural disasters. Dr Huong Le Thu speaks with Moe Thuzar, coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Program at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, about the November 8 elections in Myanmar. They discuss the election process, National League for

Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Peter Hartcher, political editor and international editor at the Sydney Morning Herald to unpack the United States elections and the developments since, including President Trump’s refusal to concede, the dismissal of Defence Secretary Mark Esper and the disinformation that continues to spread across social media. Michael Shoebridge speaks to David Uren, writer and non-resident fellow with the United States Studies Centre about his ASPI report ‘Economic coercion: Boycotts and sanctions-preferred weapons of war.’ They discuss the tool of economic sanctions, the ways they are used by the United States and the challenges that sanctions can create for businesses, including Australian companies. Lisa Sharland speaks to Deborah Warren-Smith, Manager of the Elsie Initiative with over twenty years’ experience in the military, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. They discuss the work the Elsie Initiative Fund is doing in the WPS space to increase the pa

Anastasia Kapetas, National Security Editor at The Strategist speaks to Emma Herd, CEO of the Investor Group on Climate Change about the ‘Climate League 2030’ initiative, a private-sector focused initiative with the goal of deeper emissions reductions for Australia. They also discuss climate investment and the significant rise in renewable energy investments. Peter Jennings speaks to Professor James Goldrick, Adjunct Professor at UNSW with over 35 years’ service in the Royal Australian Navy. They discuss ASPI’s recently launched report ‘Submarines: Your questions answered’ and explain the complexities of Australia’s submarine program. Mentioned in this episode: ‘Submarines: Your questions answered’ report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/submarines-your-questions-answered Climate League 2030 initiative: https://igcc.org.au/new-ten-year-private-sector-focused-initiative-launched-to-back-deeper-australian-emissions-reductions/ Guests: Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Emma He

In this podcast special, Anastasia Kapetas speaks to some of the team behind ASPI’s research on Xinjiang about their recently launched Xinjiang Data Project and the potential global implications of China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. ASPI’s Kelsey Munro and Nathan Ruser, and James Leibold, Senior ASPI Fellow and Head of Department of Politics, Media & Philosophy at La Trobe University discuss their research which extensively mapped out 380 detention facilities in Xinjiang that have been built or expanded on since 2017. They also talk about their research on cultural erasure in Xinjiang which traced the destruction of mosques and other significant Uyghur cultural sites in the region and estimated that 16,000 mosques have been destroyed or damaged since 2017. Mentioned in this episode: Xinjiang Data Project: https://xjdp.aspi.org.au/ ‘Cultural erasure’ report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/cultural-erasure Guests: Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Kelsey Munro:

This week on Policy, Guns and Money, Michael Shoebridge talks to Dr. Marcus Hellyer about his latest report "The cost of Defence - Part 2". They examine the recent government budget announcements and how they align with the 2020 Defence Strategic Update. Leanne Close, Head of ASPI’s Counterterrorism Program, explores the trends of counterterrorism throughout Covid-19 in light of the recent attack in France, in conversation with The Strategist’s Brendan Nicholson. Also in this episode, John Coyne, Head of ASPI’s Policing Program, talks to Vern White, former Canadian Senator and Police Commissioner about the impact of Covid-19 on social licence and policing and the lessons learned in Victoria. Referenced in this episode: The Cost of Defence: - Part 1: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/cost-defence-2020-2021-part-1-aspi-2020-strategic-update-brief - Part 2: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/cost-defence-2020-2021-part-2-aspi-defence-budget-brief Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridg

In this weeks episode of Policy, Guns and Money, we speak with some of the authors of ASPI's 'After Covid vol 2' publication. Included are discussions on Soft power, the EU’s approach to China and Australia’s relations with Southeast Asia. Lisa Sharland and Professor Caitlin Byrne, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute discuss how soft power is being used by the US and China, and opportunities for middle and small powers to utilise soft power in multilateral settings. Bart Hogeveen speaks to research interns Alexandra Pascoe and Daria Impiombato about the EU’s approach to China and where the opportunities lie for greater cooperation between Australia and the EU on approaches towards China. Emily French speaks to Dr Huong Le Thu about the impacts of Covid-19 in Southeast Asia and regional unity, and whether the region will align more closely with Australia as a result of the pandemic. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/after-covid-19-australia-region-and-multilateralism-volum

In this week's episode of Policy, Guns & Money; Brendan Nicholson and Anastasia Kapetas discuss the upcoming US elections, the chances of President Trump being re-elected and the potential impacts of social media on the elections. Dr Huong Le Thu is joined by Ms Petra Sigmund, Director-General for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific at the German Federal Foreign Office to discuss Germany’s recently launched Indo-Pacific Strategy, how it was developed and how it will shape Germany’s future engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. Elise Thomas and Research Intern Albert Zhang discuss their report ‘Snapshot of a shadow war’ which looks at the social media elements of the Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict and the battle on social media for control of the international narrative about the conflict. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/snapshot-shadow-war https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/regionaleschwerpunkte/asien/german-government-policy-guidelines-indo-pacific/2380

In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Dr Robert Glasser and Anastasia Kapetas discuss climate change and national security in the first conversation in our new ongoing series that will put climate change front and center in the national security debate. Tom Uren speaks with ASPI Fellow Rajiv Shah about his recent report ‘Ensuring a trusted 5G ecosystem of vendors and technology’. They discuss the importance of setting international standards and the need to encourage network providers to use multiple vendors to ensure a secure 5G network. John Coyne speaks to David Burke, Defence Engagement Officer at the Townsville City Council, about the Townsville North Queensland Defence Strategy which was released earlier this year. David tells us a little about the Council’s strategy and how it came about. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/ensuring-trusted-5g-ecosystem-vendors-and-technology Guests: Dr Robert Glasser: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/robert-glasser Anastasia Kapetas: https

Leaders Week kicks off this week with a High-level Meeting on Monday commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations under the theme ‘The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism.’ To mark this occasion, ASPI has produced this podcast episode and with special guests to discuss the importance and relevance of the United Nations at 75. Lisa Sharland speaks with Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mitch Fifield about what Leaders Week will look like this year and Australia’s priorities in the 75th UN General Assembly. The Ambassador also offers some anecdotes from his time in the post so far. Brendan Nicholson speaks to Dr Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia’s former Minister for Foreign Affairs and former Permanent Representative to the UN, and current member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament. They discuss the importance of the UN as countries are increasingly inward-focused and how th

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Leanne Close and Elise Thomas discuss right-wing extremism, conspiracy theories and some of the different groups of conspiracy theorists. They consider the responses from social media companies and offer suggestions on how governments should respond to these growing challenges. Brendan Nicholson and Michael Shoebridge discuss Volume Two of ASPI’s After Covid-19 report series which focuses on Australia, the region and multilateralism and offers policy recommendations on how Australia and its neighbours can recover from Covid-19. Research intern Alexandra Pascoe chatted with Dr Huong Le Thu about some of the key outcomes from the recent ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meetings and ASEAN Regional Forum, including the focus on Covid-19 and the South China Sea in the discussions. Mentioned in this episode: After Covid-19 Volume 2: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/after-covid-19-australia-region-and-multilateralism-volume-2 Guests: Leanne Close: https://www.aspi.org.au/bi

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Michael Shoebridge speaks with Darshana Baruah, Non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They discuss India's Navy and maritime goals, the Quad and Australia-India relations. Peter Jennings and Brendan Nicholson consider the return of Australian journalists Bill Birtles and Mike Smith from China and the general state of the Australia - China relationship. Authors Fergus Ryan and Daria Impiombato speak to Tom Uren about their recent report into censorship on TikTok and WeChat. Report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/tiktok-wechat People: Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Brendan Nicholson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/brendan-nicholson Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Darshana Baruah: https://carnegieindia.org/experts/1253 Fergus Ryan: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/fergus-ryan Daria Impiombato: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/daria-impiombato Tom Uren: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/to

In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money; Brendan Nicholson, Anastasia Kapetas and Jack Norton of ASPI's 'The Strategist' discuss some of the latest movements in the vexed Australia - China relationship. Michael Shoebridge and John Coyne consider the ongoing issue of improving Fuel Security for Australia and our allies and Emilia Currey and Tracy Beattie talk to Olivia Nelson about the findings of their recently released report: "The Chinese Communist Party’s coercive diplomacy". Report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/chinese-communist-partys-coercive-diplomacy People: Brendan Nicholson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/brendan-nicholson Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Jack Norton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jack-norton Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Dr John Coyne: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/john-coyne Emilia Currey: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/emilia-currey Tracy Beattie: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/tracy-beattie Olivia Nelson: https://www.as