Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

It's sometimes described as a 'dance with the devil', but can populism also deliver for citizens?As some democracies stall, how are populist leaders like Giorgia Meloni and Javier Millei managing to solve decades-long problems?Is there such a thing as 'good' populism?Guest: Professor Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at Stanford University, author of Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American ComplacencyRecommendations:Geraldine: 'The Zelenskyy Story', SBS On DemandHamish: 'When Does Populism Become a Threat to Democracy?', speech by Larry DiamondLarry: Chip War, by Chris MillerGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

After promising his MAGA base that he wouldn't get the US into any further foreign entanglements, Donald Trump had a big week on the international stage.He's claiming the strikes on Iran, and the defence spending pledges at NATO as big successes, but can he square them with his promise of 'America First'?Guest: Carl Bildt, Prime Minister of Sweden 1991-1994, foreign minister 2006-2014, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign RelationsRecommendations:Geraldine: 'This is the ‘beginning of the end’ for Iran’s supreme leader. But what comes next?', Roland Oliphant in AFR'If This Mideast War Is Over, Get Ready for Some Interesting Politics', Tom Friedman in the New York TimesHamish: James, by Percival EverettGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

After decades of enjoying peacetime dividends and American protection, Germany is now re-arming in a hurry. Troop numbers in the Bundeswehr had withered since the 1990s and spending dipped well below 2%. But with bellicose Russia on Europe’s borders and US support no longer a guarantee, that's all changing. The real question is: are Germans ready to be a military power once again?Guest: Dr Benedikt Franke, CEO of the Munich Security ConferenceGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

From the volatile fault lines of the Middle East, a dangerous new chapter has unfolded as the confrontation between Israel and Iran up-ends the region's delicate balance. The big question is whether the US will enter the fray to assist their ally Israel. Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline on that crucial decision, will he risk dividing his MAGA base? And will he heed the history of US foreign entanglements? The world waits with baited breath to find out. Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times United Nations bureau chief and Iran specialistRecommendations:Geraldine: 'Will the U.S join Israel's war with Iran', The Daily podcast from the New York TimesNick: The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin DunnePlus: Our bonus interview with Dr Afshon Ostovar on the question of regime change in IranGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Israel's assassination of high-ranking military and political figures in Iran is raising questions about the regime's ability to survive this war, especially if the US enters the fight. But the regime won't be easy to topple, despite its isolation, because of the enduring grip on power of military ideologists and the lack of a domestic opposition.So how might this war end?Guest: Dr. Afshon Ostovar, author of Wars of Ambition: The United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East, associate professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School.  Get in touch: We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Leaders of the world's great industrial nations will gather in Canada at the G7 over the weekend. As the tectonic plates of international relationships continue to shift under the pressure of the Trump presidency, the summit is an opportunity to observe new diplomatic relationships.With the world sliding closer to chaos this week, could this be the moment for leaders to restore stability?Guest: Ian Bremmer, founder and President of the Eurasia GroupRecommendations:Geraldine: 'Sub Text' by Sam Roggeveen, The MonthlyNick: When the Going Was Good by Graydon CarterGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

If the West really is in decline, are we watching the creation of a new world order? This question is being asked with fresh urgency in capitals around the world as Donald Trump shakes the global system to its roots. How can Australia prepare to meet the challenge head on? Guests: Philippe Sands, professor of law at University College London, barrister and author of 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in PatagoniaEdward Wong, diplomatic correspondent and former Beijing Bureau chief, New York Times, author of At the Edge of Empire: A family's reckoning with ChinaBec Strating, Director of La Trobe Asia, co-author of Girt by Sea: re-imagining Australia’s SecurityRecommendations: All our guests' books!Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Who is a conservative and who is a radical in American politics right now? It’s not entirely clear when the Republican party has dramatically shifted its policies on tax, industry and trade.Oren Cass has an important part in this identity shift, he is influential in the New Right, a movement that also counts JD Vance and Marco Rubio as important figures. Guest: Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass, author of The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and IndustryRecommendations:Geraldine: Why Empires Fall: Rome, America and the Future of the West, Peter Heather and John RapleyHamish: 'This Instability May Be Worth It. Here’s Why.' New York TimesGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Some news stories shake the world, others barely make the front page. In the era of Donald Trump, many important stories are being forgotten.Lindsey Hilsum is one of the journalism's most experienced and fearless foreign correspondents.She shares reflections on a career spent running towards atrocities and how to balance covering Trump and the stories we're missing.Guest: Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor, author of I Brought The War with Me; Stories and Poems from the Front LineRecommendations:Hamish: Lindsey Hilsum on Desert Island Discs, BBCKylie: You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, Elizabeth BeckerGet in touch:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East was three days of glitz, gold and billion-dollar deals. The big surprise was a meeting with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Does this signal an intent to reshape the region and some of its enduring conflicts? And does the decision not to visit Israel signal a cooling relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu?Recommendations:Kylie: Jerusalem the biography by Simon Sebag Montefiori Hamish: Donald Trump seeks bromance and billions as he heads to Gulf, FTGET IN TOUCH: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au