ASPI Podcast: Policy, Guns & Money

In this episode of ASPI’s Bigger Picture series, Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Dr Fiona Hill, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings and deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019. They consider the state of US democracy, rising authoritarianism, US-Russia relations and the Russia-Ukraine situation. Dr Hill recently published the book ‘There is Nothing for You Here’ and this conversation covers some of the themes of the book. Mentioned in this episode: ‘There’s Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century’: https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/there-is-nothing-for-you-here/9780358574248 Guests (in order of appearance): Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Dr Fiona Hill: https://www.brookings.edu/experts/fiona-hill/

In episode 3 of ASPI’s special series ‘SBY’s tears: From managing crisis to managing process in Australia-Indonesia relations since the fall of Suharto’, Dr David Engel and Hillary Mansour speak to David Ritchie, Ambassador to Indonesia from 2002 until 2005. During his time as ambassador, David dealt with a number of crises, including the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, a terror attack on the Australian Embassy and the arrest of the Bali Nine. They discuss Australia-Indonesia cooperation and how the bilateral relationship changed over the course of his tenure as ambassador. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr David Engel: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-engel Hillary Mansour: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/hillary-mansour David Ritchie AO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ritchie_(diplomat) Background music: "Moonshiner" by Jacob Field Productions: https://soundcloud.com/jacobfieldpr/moonshiner-royalty-free-music

In this episode of ASPI’s Bigger Picture series, Peter Jennings speaks to Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Joseph Wu. They discuss Taiwan’s foreign policy priorities, Cross-Strait relations and threats to regional security, including rising authoritarianism. They also reflect on Taiwan’s relationship with Australia and the impact that recent events in Hong Kong have had on Taiwan’s thinking. Dr Jaushieh Joseph Wu is Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, previously he was Secretary-General in the Office of the President, Secretary-General of the National Security Council and Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. Minister Wu has a PhD in Political Science from Ohio State University. Guests (in order of appearance): Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Dr Jaushieh Joseph Wu: https://en.mofa.gov.tw/MofaLeader_Content.aspx?n=1281&sms=&mls=34 Music: "Salt Lake Swerve - Chillout Remix" by Maarten Schellekens, via freemusicarchive.org

In this episode of ASPI’s special series ‘SBY’s tears: From managing crisis to managing process in Australia-Indonesia relations since the fall of Suharto’ Dr David Engel and Hillary Mansour speak to Ric Smith AO, PSM, who was Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia from 2001. The conversation explores economic reform after the Asian Financial Crisis, the end of Gus Dur’s presidency and the beginning of Megawati’s presidency, and the state of Australia’s relationship with Indonesia during Smith’s tenure. They also discuss the Tampa affair and the 2002 Bali bombings, and how Australia should engage with its northern neighbour. For more information and to listen to all episodes in this series, visit: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/sbys-tears-managing-crisis-managing-process-australia-indonesia-relations-fall-suharto Guests (in order of appearance): Dr David Engel: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-engel Ric Smith AO, PSM: https://sdsc.bellschool.anu.edu.au/experts-publications/experts/ric-smith-ao-psm Hillary Mansour: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/hillary-mansour

This special series ‘SBY’s tears: From managing crisis to managing process in Australia-Indonesia relations since the fall of Suharto’ explores the history of Indonesia since the fall of Suharto and Australia’s part in it through the eyes and experience of its ambassadors to Jakarta over this period. The series will look at democracy, counterterrorism, natural disasters and economic developments, and how Australia’s relationship with Indonesia has changed over the years. In this episode, David Engel, Head of ASPI’s Indonesia program, and former ASPI Research Intern Hillary Mansour speak to John McCarthy AO, who was Ambassador to Indonesia from 1997 to 2001. They discuss some of the major developments during his time in the post, including the fall of Suharto, President Habibie and the Reformasi, East Timor, the election of Gus Dur and former prime minister John Howard’s relationship with the country’s leaders. Guests (in order of appearance): David Engel: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-engel John McCarthy AO: https://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/about-us/leadership-team/john-mccarthy-ao Hillary Mansour: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/hillary-mansour

In September this year, the Australian Government announced it would join a new security pact with the UK and US – AUKUS – and detailed its plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. In this special episode, Michael Shoebridge speaks to Andrew Nicholls and Dr Marcus Hellyer about their new report ‘Implementing Australia’s nuclear submarine program’. They consider the costs and challenges of delivering this large-scale project and choosing the right strategic partner to help deliver the submarine program. This is the final episode of Policy, Guns and Money for 2021! We welcome your feedback and suggestions of topics you’d like to see us cover in 2022. Drop us a note at https://www.aspi.org.au/contact-us Guests (in order of appearance): Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Dr Marcus Hellyer: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/marcus-hellyer Andrew Nicholls: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/andrew-nicholls Background music: "Anons" by Ketsa, via the freemusicarchive.org Image: via pxhere.com

Russia’s military build-up along the country’s border with Ukraine has seen tensions rise between the two countries, leading the United States, the EU and the UK to warn Russia against invasion. Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Russia expert Professor Mark Galeotti from University College London about the likelihood of a conflict, Russia’s diplomacy approaches, Putin’s game plan and what the objective would be if Russia were to invade Ukraine. This week, South Korea and Australia signed a billion-dollar weapons contract, making it one of Australia’s largest-ever military deals with an Asian nation. Dr Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge discuss what the defence contract entails and how this new partnership will influence strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Guests (in order of appearance): Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Professor Mark Galeotti: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/prof-mark-galeotti Dr Marcus Hellyer: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/marcus-hellyer Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge

Brendan Nicholson, Executive Editor of The Strategist and Anastasia Kapetas, National Security Editor of The Strategist break down some of the key developments in international politics and security this year. From Covid-19, to the Capitol riots, to a coup in Myanmar and the announcement of AUKUS – it’s been a big year. This episode will take you through some of the strategic highs and lows of 2021, and details developments to watch in 2022. Guests (in order of appearance): Brendan Nicholson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/brendan-nicholson Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Music: "The Silent Grove" by Axletree - freemusicarchive.org Image: via Wikimedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg

This week on Policy, Guns and Money’s Bigger Picture series, Michael Shoebridge speaks to Dr Tanvi Madan, senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program, and director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution in Washington. They discuss India’s foreign policy interests, strategic partnerships including the Quad and the complexities of India’s relationships with China and Russia. Mentioned in this episode: https://warontherocks.com/2021/10/india-is-not-sitting-on-the-geopolitical-fence/ Guests (in order of appearance): Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Dr Tanvi Madan: https://www.brookings.edu/experts/tanvi-madan/ Music: "Little Bear" by Lobo Loco - via freemusicarchive.org

This week, ASPI released the report ‘Collaborative and agile: Intelligence community collaboration insights from the United Kingdom and the United States’ which details the lessons learned for Australia’s intelligence communities from key partners, the United States and United Kingdom. Two of the report’s authors Michael Shoebridge and Dr John Coyne discuss their key findings and some of the shared challenges that the intelligence agencies are facing. ASEAN’s response to the Myanmar coup in February this year has challenged the group’s credibility. Dr Huong Le Thu and Dr David Engel explore this in their latest ASPI report, ‘Myanmar’s coup, ASEAN’s crisis and the implications for Australia’. They explore ASEAN’s crisis of credibility, Indonesia’s leadership role and Australia’s mid-to-long term role in the regional grouping. Recently, Papua New Guinea’s government pay system was hit by a ransomware attack. ASPI’s Bart Hogeveen speaks with Cherie Lagakali, Pacific Liaison of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise and chair of the Pacific Chapter of Internet Society, about cyber capacity in the Pacific. They discuss recent ransomware attacks across the region and the challenge of building ‘whole-of-community’ standard practices. Mentioned in this episode: ‘Collaborative and agile: Intelligence community collaboration insights from the United Kingdom and the United States’: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/collaborative-and-agile ‘Myanmar’s coup, ASEAN’s crisis and the implications for Australia’: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/myanmars-coup-aseans-crisis-and-implications-australia Guests (in order of appearance): Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Dr John Coyne: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/john-coyne Dr David Engel: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-engel Dr Huong Le Thu: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/huong-le-thu Bart Hogeveen: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/bart-hogeveen Cherie Lagakali: https://thegfce.org/advisory_board/cherie-lagakali/