Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Australia is buddying up to India and Modi as a counter-weight to China, but what kind of country - and leader - are we really befriending?Guests:Avani Dias - ABC's South Asia Bureau Chief.Ravi Agrawal - editor in chief of Foreign Policy and host of the podcast and video channel FP Live.Recommendations:Hamish: Listening - Looking For Modi ABC News podcastGeraldine: Listening - India is transforming. But into what? episode of the Ezra Klein podcast.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Not only has the war of words between Prime Minister Albanese and Elon Musk grabbed global headlines, its prompted debates about whether the unelected leaders of multinational tech companies have more power than democratically elected leaders. Tech governance expert Dr Alexis Wichowski says other world leaders will be watching how this plays out, closely.Guest: Dr Alexis Wichowski – Professor at Columbia University and author of The Information Trade: How Tech Companies Act Like CountriesRecommendations:Geraldine - reading/watching: Salman Rushdie’s memoir is horrific, upsetting – and a masterpiece by Erica Wagner / Salman Rushdie interview ABC 7:30Hamish - reading/listening: What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise by Lachlan Cartwright in the New York Times and on 'The Daily' podcast. Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

As the first ever criminal trial of a former US president gets underway in New York, we speak to ‘The Mooch’ - Anthony Scaramucci – who famously served as White House Communications Director in the Trump Administration for 11 days. He now warns that Donald Trump is a ‘lunatic’ and that a second Trump term would be disastrous for America, and the world.  Guest: Anthony Scaramucci - American financier who served as the White House Director of Communications from July 21 to July 31, 2017. He has a new book coming out: “From Wall Street to the White House and Back: The Scaramucci Guide to Unbreakable Resilience”. Recommendations:Geraldine - reading: Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts' response to The Economist calling the flat white "Australia's greatest culinary export" Hamish - watching: The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson on ABC iviewGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hinted that Australia might recognise Palestinian statehood. It's a significant move, politically, but will it have any impact on what's happening on the ground in Gaza?Hamish and Geraldine sit down with Tirana Hassan, the Australian who has just become head of Human Rights Watch, to discuss this, and whether we'll ever see Nuremberg-style justice for the war crimes being perpetrated around the world today.Guest: Tirana Hassan - Executive Director, Human Rights WatchNote: The Israeli Embassy has been contacted for comment.Recommendations:Geraldine - watching: The Cold War of Spies, docuseries on SBS on DemandHamish - reading: Tonnes of food is stuck on Gaza’s border while the enclave nears famine FT Visual StoryGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

It's worrying when one of Europe's most influential leaders says that the world is in a 'pre-war state', similar to 1939. But just how worried should we be, here in Australia? Ian Bremmer gives us his frank assessment of where things stand and reveals why Australia might just be a geopolitical haven. Guest: Ian Bremmer - president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group and author of 11 books on global affairs. Recommendations:Geraldine - watching: The American Führer documentary on SBS on DemandHamish - listening: Dark Shining Moment podcast by Ranieri & CoGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

In the absence of decisive US leadership, it could fall to Middle Eastern leaders to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and create sustainable pathways to peace. A stable, post-American regional order is in the interests of most Middle Eastern powers, but does anyone have the political will to take the lead?Guest: Dr Sanam Vakil - director of the Middle East and North Africa programme, Chatham House.Recommendations:Geraldine - Reading: 10 books to help you understand Israel and Palestine, recommended by experts (The Conversation)Hamish - Reading: Royal Bodies, essay by Hilary Mantel (London Review of Books)Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

When it comes to Chinese politics, reading the tea leaves is never easy. In this episode Hamish and Geraldine are joined by Rana Mitter, the man dubbed the 'rockstar' of China studies by former PM Kevin Rudd, to break open the black box of the Politburo and reveal just how stable (or unstable) Xi Jinping's leadership is, given the economic and demographic headwinds that China is facing.Guest: Rana Mitter - ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School.Recommendations:Rana - Listening: Face-Off: US vs China podcast, dropping on April 9.Hamish - Reading: Restless Empire: China and the World Since 1750 by Odd Arne WestadGeraldine - Watching: Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War docuseries on NetflixGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

A new global arms race is on, to develop and control AI. But with so much power and profit tied up in this transformative new technology, is it in anyone's interest to ask where this new age of empire might lead? AI expert Anu Bradford says if we don't put proper guardrails in place soon, the consequences could be dire. Guest: Anu Bradford - Professor at Columbia Law School and author of Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology.Recommendations:Hamish: The Age of AI Has Begun by Bill Gatesand 'Way too much news': US conservatives face a fragmented media map - Financial TimesGeraldine: Israel Must Decide Where It’s Going—and Who Should Lead It There - Ehud Barak in Foreign AffairsGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

As a resistance fighter turned statesman, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão has devoted his life to the struggle for Timorese independence. On the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia summit, he opened up to Geraldine and Hamish about why he is such a staunch advocate for processing the gas from the Greater Sunrise project onshore in Timor-Leste and what his dreams are for his country.  

Sitting down with Geraldine and Hamish on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed his desire for Australia to adopt a more 'mature' approach on China, his frustration at Western 'hypocrisy' concerning Gaza, achieving 'spiritual enlightenment' through Shakespeare and why being Prime Minister is no 'bed of roses'. Recommendations:Past episodes of Global Roaming

As the war in Ukraine grinds into its third year, it's increasingly becoming a battle for hearts and minds. Angela Stent has met Putin - 16 times - and she says it's this war for global influence that Putin thinks he is winning. Recommendations:Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski speaking at the UN Security Council - listen hereBBC The Briefing Room podcast - How is technology changing warfare?Masha Gessen in the New Yorker - The Death of Alexei Navalny, Putin's Most Formidable Opponent Correction: Hamish incorrectly referred to Masha Gessen using she/her pronouns. Masha Gessen is nonbinary and trans and uses they/them pronouns. 

Big decisions are being made about the future of Australian defence, with very little public debate. Highly esteemed defence strategist Hugh White is trying to inspire this national conversation. He joins Geraldine and Hamish to discuss why he thinks AUKUS is a mistake and what he thinks Australia needs to do instead, if we really want to secure ourselves in a rapidly contested region.Recommendations:Geraldine: Navalny - documentary. Available on SBS On Demand until 20 April 2024Hamish: Essay by Hervé Lemahieu in Australian Foreign Affairs journal (AFA20 - February 2024), proposing that Australia pursue a common travel area and an integrated digital market with the Pacific.

Financial Times journalist Gideon Rachman says the world order is fundamentally shifting, and not in a good way.Recommendations: Hamish: In the Time of Madness – Richard Lloyd Parry (Book) Geraldine: Lunch with Prabowo, by Ben Bland at the Financial Times Nemesis, Series 1 Episode 3 The Morrison Years, ABC 

What might this upcoming election mean for the Indonesia - Australia relationship? Recommendations:Hamish: Sarah Snook on The Today Programme – BBC Radio 4Geraldine: A Year Of Living Dangerously – Book by Christopher Koch

Following the death of three Americans, pressure is growing on President Biden to take a stronger stance against Iran. Few, however, are asking what the mood is inside Iran, and who is pulling the strings? Iran scholar Ali Ansari argues that understanding this is imperative in determining what should come next. Recommendations: Hamish: Tom Friedman - A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle is Underway - New York Times.Geraldine: A Separation - Film available Apple TVReading Lolita in Tehran - Book by Azar Nafisi

With the Israel-Gaza war spilling into the broader Middle East and a US election looming that could see the re-election of Donald Trump as president, the start of 2024 feels incredibly volatile. Geraldine and Hamish ask former US national security advisor John Bolton where he sees the situation heading, and how the US and its allies should respond. Recommendations:Hamish: Ghost of Beirut - television seriesGeraldine: Anthony Blinken playing the guitar - YouTube

A war breaks out, a leader emerges, a revolution unfolds. How did it happen, and what are the implications for you? Two award-winning journalists with decades of experience reporting on major world events, Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald join forces for a fresh conversation about global news and how to make sense of it.