Echoes of Conflict: The Human Cost

Are we living through a key turning point in world history? How do we make sense of this present moment, and what's on the horizon?Trump's trade wars, long-held alliances dismantled, the deadly conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the rise and rise of AI, the tech oligarch takeover, China's military build-up, NATO's demise, and much more. It's a confusing time. Four seasoned analysts and journalists with their finger on the pulse join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell to share their prognoses. 

This event was hosted and organised by the 2025 Sorrento Writers Festival curated by festival director Corrie Perkin.

Speakers

John LyonsWalkley award winning foreign correspondentABC Editor, AmericasABC Washington bureau chief

Greg SheridanForeign editor, The AustralianJournalist and author, Christians, the urgent case for Jesus in our world (2021)

Emma ShortisDirector, The Australia Institute's International and Security Affairs program. Author, Our Exceptional Friend: Australia's Fatal Alliance with the United States (2021),  After America: Australia and the New World Order (2025)

Josh TaylorAward-winning journalist specialising in technology and politicsThe Guardian