The Focus

It is often said that the casualties in war are the innocents. In the Russia-Ukraine War, probably the most innocent of victims are disabled children. Unable to flee the fighting on their own accord, they are dependent on their parents, their families, the state and NGOs to get them out of harm’s way. But sometimes, sadly, logistically and organisationally, this is an impossible task. To discuss this less reported element of the Russia-Ukraine War, from Ukraine, we are joined by Halyna Kurylo. Halyna is Director for Ukraine Rapid Response, Disability Rights International (DRI).   If you want to know more about the work of DRI, please click on the hyperlink provided: https://www.driadvocacy.org/ Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Policing in the 21st Century is no easy thing. There’s the neoliberal impulse to do more with less people and resources. There’s the problem of bureaucratic and legal red tape which never seems to bring timely justice and security to the community and of course there’s the problem of 21st Century technology where crime has been digitised and moved into cyberspace, giving tech savvy criminals the edge over police agencies all over the world. Join John as he speaks with Director of Strategic Solutions at Thomson Reuters and former Police Officer with the London Met, Mark Nuttall, as they discuss the challenges of modern policing.Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered what the QAnon phenomenon is and how far reaching its power over the United States body politic? Well fear not dear listener. In this episode we speak with journalist and author Mike Rothschild on his latest book - The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything. I was shocked to find out just how wounded American society and politics is because of this strange and perplexing movement where truth is turned on its ear. Once you listen to this episode, you can’t un-listen to it. And before you say anything Mike is not from THAT Rothschild family. Or is he?Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot has been said about Neoliberal economics and its socio-political consequences. In this podcast, we are joined by Cambridge University’s Professor Gary Gerstle to discuss the key themes of his new book: The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order. This is a journey into the dark heart of how neoliberal economics came to dominate economic life, everywhere. But it also a surprisingly optimistic in how we might escape the worst aftereffects of this philosophy.Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered about what transports our potable water around our city precincts? I’ll confess that I didn’t really know this was a story until Producer Malcolm brought it to my attention. But that overused and constantly ignored bit of infrastructure under our feet has a story and it is an interesting one. In the United States there’s a push to replace lead water pipes with plastic ones. But it seems the obvious health problems associated with lead pipes will be replaced with other health problems associated with plastic. Join us for this unusual but fascinating tale of two piping systems.Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, John speaks with Prof. Anna Sergi from the University of Essex on the inner workings of the mafia and more particularly the Calabrian Ndrangheta. With its tentacles all over the world how organised is this organised crime syndicate? Do all roads lead back to Reggio Calabria, or is this a more diffuse criminal network?Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is probably right to say that we are now transiting from the Hubble era of astronomy to the James Webb era. In this new era, we’ll no doubt know more about planets and stars at interstellar and intergalactic distances. And we’ll also know much more about the shape and nature of the universe.In this episode John speaks with Harvard Professor of Science & New York Times best-seller for his book Extraterrestrial, Avi Loeb. Here, John & Avi talk about how Avi’s The Galileo Project is faring 12 months after conception. They also discuss the main themes from a paper Avi had written last July, ‘What Lies Beyond the Horizon’ which looks at objects and behaviours of the universe at ’super-horizon’ distances. Intriguing stuff!For more on The Focus go to: https://sageinternational.com.au/podcast-cat/the-focus/Also email us: enquires@sageinternational.com.au We aim to read every email.Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFocus.SAGEInt/And Twitter: @TheFocus_SAGEAnd for those of you who would like to know more on SAGE International: https://sageinternational.com.au/ Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we are please to have back on The Focus, Dr. Ramzy Baroud. Ramzy speaks to John about the major themes of his latest book -  Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders & Intellectuals Speak Out, published by Clarity Press Inc & the European Centre for Palestine Studies in May 2022.Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode John speaks with Katie Stallard. Katie is an author and Senior Editor of the New Statesman magazine and on this, our 47th episode since transiting from radio to podcast, John and Katie discuss Katie’s new book, Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia, and North Korea, published by Oxford University Press in May 2022. If history is a lie and the autocratic parts of the world have perfected this as a means of political control and legitimacy, how powerful is it? And in the case of China, Russia and North Korea how has mythologising lies manufactured national ethos?Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With temperatures in the low 50s, it is true to say that it is hot in the Iraqi city of Baghdad. The country, run by a care-taker administration since last year’s parliamentary election, has failed to solve its political problems. The care-taker government has no authority to pass spending bills. A problem when the country’s temperature is playing havoc with Iraq’s electricity grid and parts of this grid aren’t working leaving Iraqi’s with no means to cool down. But for Iraq, Climate Change is still a First World problem and without a proper government, the country can’t take the international stage and contribute to relevant global policy. Then there’s Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Attempting to exploit the Iraqi political power vacuum, his Sadrist bloc commands a majority of seats in the Iraqi parliament but can’t translate it into decisive political power. In this episode we’re joined by Prof. Scott Lucas from the University of Birmingham, UK, to discuss Iraqi politics and much more besides.Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.