The Conversation Weekly

Miki Perkins, The Conversation Australia’s environment and energy editor, speaks with Wesley Morgan, a climate diplomacy expert at UNSW. They trace the journey from the 1992 climate framework to the Paris Agreement, examine Australia’s fossil-fuel dilemma and the impact of US withdrawal, and explore Pacific leadership, competing power blocs and a possible global electrification target at COP31.

Charles Hunt, a Boise State political scientist specializing in Congress and elections, explores Democrats’ sweeping congressional comeback. He discusses shifts among young men and Latino voters, economic discontent, grassroots fundraising, and the limits of billionaire spending. Hunt also examines oversight battles, shutdown risks, investigations, presidential power over foreign policy, and whether Democrats can build a lasting coalition beyond Trump.

Clare McGlynn, a Durham University law professor researching pornography and sexual violence, traces how extreme content moved into the mainstream. She explores platform algorithms, profit-driven recommendations, racism and misogyny in porn, and its influence on young people’s sexual scripts. She also examines new UK laws targeting strangulation and incest pornography.

Carolyn Strange, emeritus history professor at the Australian National University, explores America’s troubled death penalty past and present. She traces the shift from hangings to lethal injection and examines why executions fail. The conversation covers Florida’s role in the 2025 resurgence, proposed livestreaming, racial and class disparities, and the political forces keeping capital punishment alive.

Jared Wesley, a University of Alberta political science professor specializing in Alberta politics, explores the province’s separatist surge. He traces its roots in Western alienation, resource politics and COVID-era protests. The conversation examines far-right factions, funding and foreign influence, Danielle Smith’s balancing act, and Donald Trump’s complicated impact on the movement. It also considers how Alberta could legally leave Canada.

Karl Deisseroth, a Stanford psychiatrist and neuroscientist, pioneered optogenetics and won the Nobel Prize for controlling neurons with light. He discusses why the brain remains so difficult to treat, how an algal gene transformed neuroscience, and what light-based experiments reveal about hunger, aggression, anxiety, memory and motivation. He also explores optogenetics’ potential for restoring sight and shaping new psychiatric treatments.

Dov Waxman, a UCLA professor and political scientist specializing in Israeli politics, examines Netanyahu’s toughest election fight yet. He profiles former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, his military record, hawkish views and criticism of hostage policy. They discuss October 7 accountability, ultra-Orthodox military exemptions, coalition politics and whether Israel’s vote could further damage hopes for a two-state solution.

Nick Jennings, a pioneering AI researcher and president of Loughborough University, explores the rise of autonomous agents. They discuss rogue behavior, cooperation and competition between AI systems, calls to slow development, and the challenge of regulating a fast-moving technology. The conversation also examines artificial societies, human oversight, global testing, and external shutdown controls.

Hugh White, emeritus professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, examines AUKUS, Australia’s controversial nuclear submarine pact. He explores its secretive origins, the abandoned French deal, election politics and deteriorating ties with China. The discussion also tackles spiralling costs, uncertain US and UK production, a looming submarine capability gap and the risks to Australia’s broader defence budget.

Olivera Simić, an international law professor and Bosnian Serb scholar, examines Ratko Mladić’s death and controversial funeral honors. She explores how a convicted war criminal is celebrated as a hero, the legacy of Srebrenica and Sarajevo, and how murals, politics, education, and family memory keep Bosnia’s wartime divisions alive.