Australia in the World
129 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 18 ratingsA discussion of the most important news and issues in international affairs through a uniquely Australian lens. Hosted by Darren Lim, in memory of Allan Gyngell.
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Episodes
Ep. 128: Sols vote; nests of spies? growing AUKUS? Palestinian statehood?
May 04, 2024 08:03 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBStephen Dziedzic of the ABC once again joins Darren to discuss a busy month of news, starting with the recent election in Solomon Islands, then a bombshell Washington Post story about the alleged involvement of the Indian government in targeted killings (with a strong Australian angle); next the recent 2+2 bilateral with South Korea and the possibility of others joining onto AUKUS Pillar 2, and finishing with FM Penny Wong’s statement that statehood for Palestine is required to break the cyc...
Ep. 127: A China-led international order?
April 22, 2024 20:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBIn the third episode of a mini-series on international order, Darren is joined by Amy King, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University, to discuss China. It is now cliché to say that China is having a major impact on the current order and its trajectory, but there is little agreement on what that impact is and how far it might go. Darren has taken a keen interest in this question in his academic research, co-authoring a paper titled “China and the logic of illiberal hegemo...
Ep. 126: The international economic order—Past, present, and future
April 05, 2024 03:58 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBIn the second episode in a mini-series on international order, Darren is joined by Dr. Jenny Gordon to discuss the international economic order. Over the past 40 years Australia has arguably been the single greatest beneficiary of the post-war economic order, at least among the group of industrialised countries. But from the GFC to Brexit to paralysis in the WTO to the rise of weaponised interdependence, geoeconomics and industrial policy, the rules and institutions of that old economic orde...
Ep. 125: Wang Yi visits Australia
March 23, 2024 00:11 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBChina's foreign minister, Wang Yi, visited Australia this week. The visit attracted a great deal of scrutiny, not just for the long list of issues in the bilateral relationship, but also Wang's meeting with former Prime Minister Paul Keating. Stephen Dziedzic of the ABC joins Darren to discuss the week's events. Australia in the World is written, hosted, and produced by Darren Lim, with research and editing this episode by Walter Colnaghi and theme music composed by Rory Stenning. Relevant...
Ep. 124: Ukraine, Gaza, and international order
March 19, 2024 00:38 - 1 hour - 73.9 MBThis episode is the first of a series of at least three that are linked by the theme of international order. Last year US Secretary of State Blinken said “what we’re experiencing now is more than a test of the post-Cold War order. It’s the end of it”. The concept of the possible ending of an order raises lots of questions: what exactly was the old order, why is it ending (if indeed it is), and what might come next? Why do these questions matter for Australia in the world? This series will t...
Ep. 123: ASEAN in Melbourne
March 09, 2024 04:50 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBA frenetic period of Australian diplomacy has wrapped up, after Australia hosted the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, which commemorated 50 years of Dialogue Relations. The ABC’s Stephen Dziedzic followed events closely and joins Darren to talk through the week’s news. Australia in the World is written, hosted, and produced by Darren Lim, with research and editing this episode by Walter Colnaghi and theme music composed by Rory Stenning. Relevant links Stephen Dziedzic, “Austr...
Ep. 122: Indonesia, before and after the election
February 25, 2024 01:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBIndonesians have voted for their next president, and while the results have not been finalised, Prabowo Subianto looks very likely to replace the incumbent Joko Widodo (Jokowi). Darren is joined by Aaron Connelly, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asian Politics and Foreign Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, to discuss politics in Indonesia. In particular, how did Jokowi’s former rival in his two election victories come to receive the president’s implicit support in this ...
Ep. 120: Where to from ”stabilisation” in Australia-China relations?
February 24, 2024 22:11 - 57 minutes - 53.6 MBPM Albanese’s visit to Beijing has ended. Are Australia-China relations “stabilised”? And if so, what’s next? To discuss these big questions Darren is joined by Ben Herscovitch, his colleague at the ANU and author of the indispensable Substack newsletter “Beijing to Canberra and Back”. Relevant links Ben Herscovitch, “The Prime Minister's visit, what really caused relationship repair, and a policy takeaway”, Beijing to Canberra and Back, 30 October to 7 November 2023: https://beijing2canbe...
Ep. 121: Reviewing 2023; speculating about 2024
February 17, 2024 19:30 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBContinuing a tradition of podcast, for the first episode back from a long summer break Darren is joined by good friend of the podcast Richard Maude to discuss what each learned from 2023, what trends were notable, and what we might expect – or hope for – in 2024. The discussion covers both the world, and Australia in the world, and the two are able to agree on the ‘word of the year’ for 2023: fragmentation. Australia in the World is written, hosted, and produced by Darren Lim, with research...
Where to from ”stabilisation” in Australia-China relations?
November 11, 2023 19:58 - 57 minutes - 53.6 MBPM Albanese’s visit to Beijing has ended. Are Australia-China relations “stabilised”? And if so, what’s next? To discuss these big questions Darren is joined by Ben Herscovitch, his colleague at the ANU and author of the indispensable Substack newsletter “Beijing to Canberra and Back”. Relevant links Ben Herscovitch, “The Prime Minister's visit, what really caused relationship repair, and a policy takeaway”, Beijing to Canberra and Back, 30 October to 7 November 2023: https://beijing2canbe...
Ep. 119: When domestic policy is foreign policy (and the PM’s travels)
October 29, 2023 21:59 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBThe ABC’s Stephen Dziedzic joins once again this episode. PM Albanese is visiting China later this week, and Darren frames a new bargaining phase of the relationship, in which both sides (but especially Australia) must manage multiple, complex, and cross-cutting equities. He imagines a ‘ledger’ of ‘wins’ for both sides, and the discussion revolves around what might lie behind some of the recent policy decisions made by the government that appear favourable to Beijing’s interests, such as Dar...
Ep. 118: A US perspective on Australia’s defence policy
October 15, 2023 07:57 - 1 hour - 45.3 MBAlmost six months have passed since the release of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR), and this episode Darren is joined by Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, for an American perspective on Australia’s defence policy. The conversation starts with a basic conceptual model and fundamental tensions with Australia’s alliance with the US, before traversing a range of contemporary issues, including AUKUS, the possible re-election of Donald Trump and battlefield lesson...
Ep. 117: Canada-India (emergency episode)
September 22, 2023 21:36 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIn an 'emergency' episode, Darren is joined by Ian Hall, a Professor at the Griffith Asia Institute, to discuss the truly explosive revelation made this week by PM Trudeau of Canada that Canadian authorities are pursuing allegations linking agents backed by the Indian government to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader (who was a Canadian citizen) on Canadian soil in June. Noting this story is still in its early days, Ian describes the complex and troubled history and context to this inci...
Ep. 116: Australia’s international development policy
September 20, 2023 00:19 - 1 hour - 51.3 MBThe Australian government has launched a new International Development Policy, and Darren is joined by Bridi Rice, CEO of the Development Intelligence Lab, for a discussion of all things development through an Australian lens. The conversation begins with some Development 101: what is “development? What are the goals of development policy and are they contested? How is development policy carried out in practice, and by whom? Bridi describes Australia’s development policy community as coming ...
Ep. 115: The domestic politics of AUKUS and Pacific security pacts
August 22, 2023 05:46 - 59 minutes - 61.1 MBThis episode Darren is thrilled to be joined (for the second time) by Stephen Dziedzic of the ABC, perhaps the finest foreign affairs reporter in Australia and a dear friend of the podcast. While the episode commences with the premise of ‘stories that are bubbling beneath the surface’, over time a clear theme emerges – the domestic politics of security pacts. The conversation begins with a new agreement between Papua New Guinea and the United States that seems to be delaying Canberra’s effor...
Ep. 114: And we’re back. Australia-China; US-China
August 07, 2023 20:00 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBIt’s time to resume, or start again. A lot has happened in the past four months, and Darren focuses on two big stories, or relationship trajectories: Australia-China, and US-China. Both might be trending in positive directions, but there have been bumps along the way. May the same be said for this podcast into the future! Australia in the World is written and produced by Darren Lim, with research, editing and co-hosting this episode by Walter Colnaghi, and theme music composed by Rory Sten...
Allan Gyngell and Australia in the world
May 06, 2023 12:44 - 10 minutes - 8.01 MBAllan Gyngell passed away on 3 May 2023. Darren talks about the past few weeks, and reads a short piece he wrote for the AIIA about his friend, and the podcast they built together. Relevant links Darren Lim, “Allan Gyngell and ‘Australia in the World’”, 5 May 2023: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/allan-gyngell-and-australia-in-the-world/ Penny Wong, “Passing of Allan Gyngell AO”, 3 May 2023: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/pas...
Ep. 112: Cold War 2?
April 03, 2023 23:55 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBIn the wake of Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, Allan and Darren ask – are we in a new Cold War? Is the concept a useful frame for understanding international affairs? We thank Walter Colnaghi for research and audio editing and Rory Stenning for composing our theme music. Relevant links “Dr Heather Smith to become National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs”, AIIA Press release, 17 November 2022: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/news-i...
Ep. 111: AUKUS plans; India; red alerts
March 19, 2023 11:51 - 48 minutes - 43.6 MBThe members of AUKUS have laid out a more concrete plan for Australia to acquire a nuclear-powered submarine capability, and so Allan and Darren offer their views on progress to date, the merits of the overall plan, and what might be ahead. Next, following PM Albanese’s state visit to India, the two discuss the significance of the visit for the bilateral relationship, the two countries’ respective interests, and some of the challenges (such as human rights) in further deepening ties. Finally...
Ep. 110: Ukraine, one year on
February 22, 2023 23:37 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBMarking one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Allan and Darren reflect on what they have learned, what surprised them, and how they each are thinking about the path ahead. We thank Walter Colnaghi for research and audio editing and Rory Stenning for composing our theme music. Relevant links “Ukrainian foreign minister responds to Amanpour's 'painful' question about war” (video), CNN, 21 February 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tShC67Xp8m8 Olga Oliker, “Fighting While Female:...
Ep. 109: Balloons; FM’s UK speech; France 2+2; DM on sovereignty
February 11, 2023 06:17 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBThe “Chinese spy balloon” has dominated news for the past few weeks and thus Allan and Darren feel compelled to open the episode with their views. FM Penny Wong’s speech in the UK sparked controversy for her comments on colonial history, or did it? Meanwhile, a successful 2+2 with France highlighted how far the relationship has come since a low point in late 2020. DM Richard Marles spoke to parliament on the question of sovereignty and defence capabilities, while International Development Mi...
Ep. 108: PM in PNG; duelling ambassadors; reviewing 2022
January 19, 2023 23:06 - 45 minutes - 40.2 MBTo kick off 2023, Allan and Darren continue their practice of asking how the events of previous year caused them to update their models of international affairs. But first they discuss PM Albanese's visit to Papua New Guinea and speech to the PNG parliament, and also a curious spat between the ambassadors to Australia from China and Japan, which leads to a larger discussion of different models of ambassador, and what a “Rudd model” might look like now that former PM Kevin Rudd has been named...
Ep. 107: Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts
December 19, 2022 23:20 - 38 minutes - 38.3 MBAllan and Darren welcome Tim Watts MP, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs. This is a new role—what does it involve, and how does it contribute to the current global ‘race for influence’? On a personal level, what has the transition into government been like? Given the centrality placed by the Albanese government on identity in Australia’s foreign policy, Darren asks the Minister for his perspective on why it matters. The discussion turns to soft power and the moment when newly electe...
Ep. 106: FM’s DC speech; 2+2s ; a polycrisis?
December 14, 2022 23:34 - 36 minutes - 32.3 MBForeign Minister Penny Wong has delivered (yet) another speech, this time in Washington DC, and Darren thinks it’s a big deal. Is he overreacting? Meanwhile, Allan draws some interesting contrasts analysing the recent 2+2s Australia’s Foreign and Defence Ministers held with their US counterparts (AUSMIN) and then with Japan, and also summarises what we know about the Labor government’s foreign policy so far. Darren’s word of the year is ‘polycrisis’ and he (tries to) explain why, while Allan...
Ep. 105: G20/Xi bilaterals; FM/DM speeches; midterms
November 19, 2022 22:25 - 49 minutes - 46 MBWhile the previous episode came after more than a month, this episode comes just a week later, with the G20 meetings setting the stage for a ground-breaking bilateral meeting between PM Albanese and President Xi, as well as Xi meeting with President Biden. Allan and Darren focus on those two meetings before considering whether the G20 can play a role in geopolitical issues. This past week has also been a big week for speeches, with FM Wong delivering the Whitlam Oration, and DPM Marles spea...
Ep. 104: 20th Party Congress; export controls; Australia-Japan
November 11, 2022 22:04 - 47 minutes - 35.8 MBAfter a month away, Allan and Darren try to make sense of a big month of news. They start with the Chinese Community Party’s 20th Party Congress, where President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented 3rd term as leader, and (somewhat more surprisingly) was completely successful in elevating loyalists to the Party’s inner leadership circle. Is China just a ‘normal’ authoritarian country now? Next, in what is arguably the most significant policy decision affecting US-China relations in decades,...
Ep. 103: Nuclear escalation; UNGA meetings; Track 1.5s
October 05, 2022 10:01 - 43 minutes - 33 MBUkraine has made significant battlefield gains in the past month, changing the dynamics of the Russian invasion, leading to a partial Russian troop mobilisation and threats by Vladimir Putin of tactical nuclear weapons use. Allan and Darren talk through these dynamics, in particular Putin’s decision-making calculus and what the rest of the world must do to deter nuclear escalation, including the uncomfortable possibility that NATO’s interests and Ukraine’s interests could diverge in the fut...
Ep. 102: A formal statement on China? Australia’s head of state
September 18, 2022 04:53 - 37 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this episode Darren picks up on a comment Allan has made several times on the podcast (including the previous episode) about the need for the Australian government to make a formal statement on China. To Allan this is a statement of the obvious, but the two find a surprising amount to disagree upon on the merits of the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister giving a major speech on Australia’s relationship with China. Allan outlines the benefits and how a speech might be structured, while Dar...
Ep. 101: Taiwan
September 01, 2022 23:59 - 55 minutes - 36.2 MBTaiwan represents possibly the most intractable issue in international affairs, but also one of the most important. Arguably, no theory or opinion on the biggest questions Australian foreign policy can be complete, or maybe even credible, until it grapples with the Taiwan issue. And so on this episode Allan and Darren use the occasion of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to the island to sort through their views. Be warned, this is a long and wonkish episode! But more so than pe...
Ep. 100: Foreign Minister Penny Wong
August 16, 2022 22:04 - 26 minutes - 18.8 MBFor the 100th episode of Australia in the World, Allan and Darren welcome Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong. Allan begins by asking the Minister “why this job?” given her heavy additional responsibilities, and how she is able to carve out “thinking time” given the non-stop nature of her role. The hosts are thrilled to hear that Senator Wong listens to the podcast, and even listened to recent episode where her own speeches were discussed! Darren raises her Kuala Lu...
Ep. 99: Much travel & many speeches; PRC meeting; PIF; Lowy poll
July 18, 2022 01:58 - 52 minutes - 37.3 MBAllan and Darren begin this episode by stepping back from a very busy first two months of foreign policy for the new government. If one were to build a model of the making of Australian foreign policy, what could we learn from from this particular case study and how would it stand out? Turning to events, the analysis begins with PM Albanese’s trip to Europe for the NATO summit, then turns to the travels and speeches of FM Wong and DM Marles, including Wong’s important meeting with her Chines...
Ep. 98: A (very) busy first few weeks
June 20, 2022 12:52 - 43 minutes - 28.1 MBThe new Labor government has begun its term with a whirlwind of activity for Australia in the World. Allan and Darren begin their analysis with the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where Defence Minister Richard Marles gave his first major speech and met with his Chinese counterpart. Next comes Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to Indonesia, Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s visits to Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, and the episode finishes with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s controversial disclosures r...
Ep. 97: Incoming government brief, 2022 edition
May 28, 2022 00:28 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBWith Australia's federal election results (mostly) known and a new Prime Minister and Foreign Minister sworn in, Allan and Darren examine the meaning of the election and what lies ahead for Australia in the world. As they first discussed in 2019 (episode 19), it is the practice of all government departments to prepare an “incoming government brief”: a document presented to the new (or returning) minister for each department, for the purpose of providing a descriptive overview of what the dep...
Ep. 96: Campaign foreign policy lessons; AUKUS leaks?
May 18, 2022 07:05 - 29 minutes - 25.7 MBWith Australia’s federal election to be held this Saturday, Allan and Darren conduct a quick discussion of the role foreign policy has played over the past month during the campaign, and what we can learn regardless of who will form government. Then, to finish, eyebrows are raised in response to reporting detailing secret conversations between very senior Australian and US national security officials regarding AUKUS and the US' need for bipartisan support for the deal within Australia. We...
Ep. 95: Solomon Islands and China enter a security pact
April 24, 2022 22:43 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBForeign policy has been thrust to the forefront of the Australian election campaign, with the announcement this week that Solomon Islands and China have officially signed a security agreement. Allan and Darren talk through the background, logic, politics and implications of the deal. Their core focus is on Solomon Islands itself – the interests of the government in entering this agreement and the risks, what Australia has done and could in future do to protect its own interests, and what the...
Ep. 94: Pre-election foreign policy speeches by Morrison and Albanese
March 24, 2022 11:50 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBBoth Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese delivered pre-election foreign policy speeches this month, and this episode analyses them together. Relevant links “An address by PM Scott Morrison”, Lowy Institute, 7 March 2022: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/address-prime-minister-scott-morrison Scott Morrison, “Virtual address, AFR Business Summit”, 7 March 2022: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/virtual-address-afr-business-summit “An address by O...
Ep. 93: The invasion of Ukraine and updating priors
March 06, 2022 22:48 - 38 minutes - 35 MBWith the world watching in shock at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Allan and Darren describe how the crisis, and in particular the world’s response, are (and are not) causing them to reconsider their priors about how politics and international affairs works. Allan describes how impressed he has been with Europe’s response, while Darren is completely surprised at the speed and magnitude of the economic and financial sanctions imposed on Russia, in particular its central bank. Meanwhile, Allan ...
Ep. 92: Our own foreign policy election “debate”
February 21, 2022 00:34 - 43 minutes - 23.7 MBAustralia will have a federal election in a few months, but Allan and Darren are sceptical that substantive foreign policy debates will feature during the campaign. Accordingly, this episode they decide to have their own debate to try to help listeners think through some of the important issues that will (probably) be ignored. They consider four central questions that will shape the future of Australia in the world, and try to offer their best arguments for and against each proposition. The...
Ep. 91: Ukraine
January 29, 2022 22:15 - 44 minutes - 39.6 MBAllan and Darren venture far outside their comfort zones this week to give some thoughts on the escalating crisis between Russia, Ukraine and NATO. This is an interesting and important issue because it brings together so many of the central questions in international relations. These include: the use of military coercion and other forms of deterrence; the behaviour of great powers, the role of diplomacy and signalling; the links between strategic and economic interests; the politics of the t...
Ep. 90: Lessons from 2021; expectations and hopes for 2022
January 13, 2022 21:03 - 45 minutes - 40.6 MBFor their first episode in 2022, Allan and Darren look back over the past 12 months, starting with the international landscape and then focusing on Australia. First up, what big lesson did 2021 teach them? Interestingly, both focus on the United States in their answers--but how much is domestic dysfunction in the US actually affecting Biden’s foreign policy? Second, did the world’s experience with COVID-19 over the past year affect any of the major trends in international affairs? While at t...
Ep. 89: Democracy summit; S. Korea visit; Olympic boycott; communicating foreign policy
December 16, 2021 21:25 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBIn their final episode for 2021, Allan and Darren kick things off by discussing President Biden’s “Summit for Democracy”. Having debated the merits of democracy as a foreign policy organising principle in Episode 77, they now ask: was the actual summit a net positive, despite controversies prior to and during proceedings? It seems clear Beijing was displeased, but Allan and Darren partially disagree on whether a “competition of systems” is the right frame to understand these dynamics. Meanwh...
Ep. 88: Biden/Xi; Dutton/Wong; COP26; Solomon Islands
December 01, 2021 11:52 - 48 minutes - 44 MBThis week Allan and Darren open their discussion with the Biden-Xi virtual meeting. It went for a long time, the atmosphere seemed cordial – is this enough for (some) optimism about the trajectory of US-China relations? Allan thinks so, while Darren cannot resist the temptation to offer an IR theory perspective and explain that the game theoretic concept of “deadlock” might best capture the bulk of US-China relations at present. Next, Allan and Darren analyse two recent speeches from Austra...
Ep. 87: On truth and trust in diplomacy (Morrison vs Macron)
November 08, 2021 20:30 - 44 minutes - 39.9 MBAllan and Darren cannot resist focusing on the escalated and seemingly personal spat between Australian PM Scott Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron over Australia’s cancellation of the French submarine contract, then followed by the launch of AUKUS. During Morrison's recent international trip, Macron called him a liar, to which the Australian side responded by leaking details of private text messages the French president had sent the PM just days prior to the announcement. In Morr...
Ep. 86: Global Trends 2040 (Part 2), with Heather Smith and Katherine Mansted
October 28, 2021 20:10 - 41 minutes - 34.7 MBIn the second half of their conversation arising out of the US National Intelligence Council publication “Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World”, Allan and Darren, along with guests Heather Smith and Katherine Mansted, turn to remaining sections. Section 2 of the report concerns “emerging dynamics”, and asks how the structural forces outlined in the first section (and discussed in Part 1)—demographics, economics, technology and the environment—interact with other factors at three level...
Ep. 85: Global Trends 2040 (Part 1), with Heather Smith and Katherine Mansted
October 25, 2021 20:10 - 55 minutes - 47.9 MBIn a double episode recorded on Thursday 14 October, Allan and Darren welcome the ANU National Security College's Heather Smith and Katherine Mansted to talk about the future. The basis of their discussion is the publication “Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World”, which was released by the US National Intelligence Council in March. This is the 7th edition of Global Trends, which has been published every four years since 1997. As explained in the document’s Foreword: “Global Trends is ...
Ep. 84: AUKUS revisited; Quad leaders; China & CPTPP; Taiwan
October 08, 2021 04:07 - 47 minutes - 42.8 MBThis week Allan and Darren begin by resuming their discussion of AUKUS. With the decision now a few weeks old, have their minds changed? How are they seeing the debate evolving? What have been some of the more interesting contributions? For Darren, interventions by former Prime Ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Paul Keating are particularly notable, and Allan has plenty to say on both. Second, the two turn to the first in-person leaders meeting of the Quad. What is its significance? What shoul...
Ep. 83: Debating AUKUS—Deterrence, sovereignty and risk
September 21, 2021 23:19 - 59 minutes - 55 MBThe announcement of a new trilateral security partnership, AUKUS (Australia, UK and US), is a major event in the history of Australian foreign policy. Australia is planning to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, scrapping a contract with the French to build conventional subs in the process. AUKUS also plans to engage in new forms of security cooperation in other technology domains. This decision is both momentous and controversial. In this episode, Allan and Darren debate the merits of AUKU...
Ep. 82: Afghanistan evacuation; US alliance at 70; ministerial meetings; 9/11 reflections
September 10, 2021 03:29 - 50 minutes - 46.9 MBAllan and Darren begin this episode reviewing the frenzied two-week evacuation from Afghanistan. A logistical success or further evidence of a terrible failure? Do the events of the evacuation, which included an ISIS-K suicide bombing and a drone strike that killed civilians, in addition to the over 100,000 evacuated, change their assessment of the merits of withdrawal? What are Australia’s obligations into the future? What will China’s role be? The Australia-US alliance celebrates its 70th...
Ep. 81: Gary Quinlan (Part 2): Australia-Indonesia relations, ASEAN, and the future of multilateralism
August 28, 2021 01:00 - 40 minutes - 35.3 MBThis second half of the discussion begins with Australia-Indonesia relations. How does Indonesia see Australia? How much do the views expressed by President Widodo in a speech to the Australian Parliament reflect broader opinions among Indonesia’s elite? Darren chimes in with a ‘cheeky’ question about the Australian public’s attitudes towards Indonesia—would it be preferable for the bilateral relationship to be as high profile in the media and public consciousness as that with China or the U...
Ep. 80: Gary Quinlan (Part 1): On Indonesia in the world, and diplomacy in a time of COVID-19
August 25, 2021 20:16 - 53 minutes - 46.6 MBIn a conversation recorded on Thursday 5 August, Allan and Darren welcome Gary Quinlan to the podcast. Gary’s career in Australian foreign policy can only be described as stellar, having worked at the top of each of its three pillars: the region, the alliance, and the rules-based order. Gary joined DFAT in 1973 and, until his recent retirement, held one of Australia’s most senior diplomatic appointments as Ambassador to Indonesia from 2018 until April 2021. From 2009, as our permanent repres...