Janaline, Luke and Glenn ask why the Australian government is committing so much of your taxes to defence and whether they are getting value for money. This takes them into questioning what we are getting, from whom and why, and also whether working seamlessly with allies also means giving up sovereignty (spoiler alert - Janaline thinks not). We look at how warfare is changing and whether autonomous drones are an ethical substitute for nuclear powered submarines. And to nobody’s surprise, Janaline thinks we should invest more in diplomacy as a front-line component of our national security strategy.
Janaline, Yassine, Luke and Glenn ask why countries bother with multilateralism and the United Nations, particularly when the big powers don’t seem to care and there is no enforcement of international law. The bottom line is that it is actually in countries’ interests to cooperate and international law doesn’t just constrain them but also their partners and international rivals. And the biggest losers from a big country’s withdrawal from multilateral processes are actually the people of that country…
Janaline, Luke and Glenn ask why Australian Prime Ministers spend so much time with very tiny island countries, and why Australian governments spend so much development aid in the region. Short answer - geography matters. We make the case for development assistance as an investment in global stability and for delivering it in a way that is less colonial and more collaborative (eg ask people what they need). Also Pacific island governments are full of smart people with a clear idea of their national interest and a clear ability to pursue it. Focusing on US-China rivalry totally misses this point.
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at the history of international climate negotiations and ask why has it all been so hard? Maybe we are asking for the wrong thing - instead of asking countries to give something up (fossil fuel use), what if we asked them to build something new instead, in the form of decarbonised heavy industry supply chains? Something less vulnerable to other people’s wars…
Janaline and William examine the US and Israel attack on Iran, its consequences for the rest of the world and the Australian government’s response.
Janaline and William discuss the state of the international rules-based order and the current dynamics of the Australia-US relationship following Kevin Rudd’s early departure as ambassador.
Janaline and William examine the consequences of a US attack on Venezuela, its legal standing, diplomatic fallout, and whether Australia should reconsider its alliance with the US under Trump.
Callum and Janaline examine whether Australia needs to boost military expenditure, the genuine strategic challenges facing the nation, and the likelihood of submarine delivery under AUKUS.
William and Janaline examine Australia’s response to the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites and the important role of international law in times of crisis.