
Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald
A war breaks out, a leader emerges, a revolution unfolds. How did it happen, and what are the implications for you?
Two award-winning journalists with decades of experience reporting on major world events, Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald join forces for a fresh conversation about global news and how to make sense of it.
Along with expert guests, they take a single topic and examine it with Australian eyes. Challenging, thoughtful and fun, Global Roaming is your user's guide to what the world is talking about.
Latest episodes

May 31, 2024 • 38min
Sunak vs Starmer: Who will rule Britannia?
One week into the UK election campaign and to say things have been unexpected is an understatement. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come out firing, announcing a controversial national service scheme that caused Gen Z to have a meltdown. But is it enough to close the gap between the Tories and Labour, led by Sir Keir Starmer? Guest: Krishnan Guru-Murthy - one of the main anchors of Channel 4 News. He also fronts the podcast Ways to Change the World and reports for the foreign affairs series Unreported World.Recommendations:Hamish - reading: The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself book by Nick BryantGeraldine - reading: In death as in life, Yael Dayan is an inconvenient Israeli by Noah EfronGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

May 31, 2024 • 0sec
🚨🚨🚨 Trump is guilty — can he still win!?
David Frum, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses Trump's guilty verdict and its impact on his re-election chances. They delve into Trump's personality, election strategy, and Republican Party dynamics, considering the threats of a second Trump presidency on American democracy and legal system. The podcast also explores the intersection of legal issues and electoral prospects, highlighting the polarized American politics and challenges faced by President Biden's campaign.

May 24, 2024 • 29min
Who's afraid of the ICC?
The International Criminal Court is considering whether to issue an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu - the first time in history such a move has been made against a pro-Western leader. It's sparked a mixed reaction, internationally, but it's unclear whether Israeli or Hamas leaders will ever be held accountable for potential war crimes. It's also unclear what impact, if any, this development will have on the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Guest: Julian Borger - World Affairs Editor at The Guardian; author of The Butcher's Trail and I Seek A Kind Person.Recommendations:Geraldine: Reading - Friendly Fire: How Israel Became Its Own Worst Enemy and the Hope for Its Future book by Ami AyalonHamish: Reading - Netanyahu and Khamenei find themselves in a tightening vice article in the Financial Times by Kim Ghattas Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

May 17, 2024 • 34min
Let's make babies: The coming population crisis
Treasurer Jim Chalmers touched a nerve when he suggested Australians should start having more kids, but does he actually have a point? Fertility rates are falling dramatically across the world and it's stoking all sorts of fears. Guest: Dr Jennifer Sciubba - one of the foremost experts in the field of political demography & the author of 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our WorldRecommendations:Geraldine: Reading - You can’t even pay people to have more kids by Anna North, Vox.Hamish: Reading - China's high stakes struggle to avoid demographics disaster by The Economist. Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

May 10, 2024 • 34min
Is Europe too weak and too woke?
Some Europeans certainly think so, with polls predicting a swing to the hard-right in upcoming EU elections. So, what would a more conservative Europe mean for us? Geraldine and Hamish travelled to Canberra to ask the EU Ambassador to Australia in person, and to find out whether a free trade deal between the EU and Australia really is dead. Guest: His Excellency Mr. Gabriele Visentin, the EU Ambassador to Australia. Recommendations:Hamish: Watching - The 2022 Schuman Lecture: Strengthening Relationships in Challenging TimesGeraldine: Watching - Freud's Last Session (2023 drama film)Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

May 3, 2024 • 33min
How dangerous is Narendra Modi?
Australia is buddying up to India and Modi as a counter-weight to China, but what kind of country - and leader - are we really befriending?Guests:Avani Dias - ABC's South Asia Bureau Chief.Ravi Agrawal - editor in chief of Foreign Policy and host of the podcast and video channel FP Live.Recommendations:Hamish: Listening - Looking For Modi ABC News podcastGeraldine: Listening - India is transforming. But into what? episode of the Ezra Klein podcast.Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Apr 26, 2024 • 29min
Australia's war on Elon Musk
Not only has the war of words between Prime Minister Albanese and Elon Musk grabbed global headlines, its prompted debates about whether the unelected leaders of multinational tech companies have more power than democratically elected leaders. Tech governance expert Dr Alexis Wichowski says other world leaders will be watching how this plays out, closely.Guest: Dr Alexis Wichowski – Professor at Columbia University and author of The Information Trade: How Tech Companies Act Like CountriesRecommendations:Geraldine - reading/watching: Salman Rushdie’s memoir is horrific, upsetting – and a masterpiece by Erica Wagner / Salman Rushdie interview ABC 7:30Hamish - reading/listening: What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise by Lachlan Cartwright in the New York Times and on 'The Daily' podcast. Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Apr 19, 2024 • 36min
Anthony Scaramucci on Trump 2.0
As the first ever criminal trial of a former US president gets underway in New York, we speak to ‘The Mooch’ - Anthony Scaramucci – who famously served as White House Communications Director in the Trump Administration for 11 days. He now warns that Donald Trump is a ‘lunatic’ and that a second Trump term would be disastrous for America, and the world. Guest: Anthony Scaramucci - American financier who served as the White House Director of Communications from July 21 to July 31, 2017. He has a new book coming out: “From Wall Street to the White House and Back: The Scaramucci Guide to Unbreakable Resilience”. Recommendations:Geraldine - reading: Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts' response to The Economist calling the flat white "Australia's greatest culinary export" Hamish - watching: The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson on ABC iviewGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Apr 12, 2024 • 45min
A Palestinian State. Now?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hinted that Australia might recognise Palestinian statehood. It's a significant move, politically, but will it have any impact on what's happening on the ground in Gaza?Hamish and Geraldine sit down with Tirana Hassan, the Australian who has just become head of Human Rights Watch, to discuss this, and whether we'll ever see Nuremberg-style justice for the war crimes being perpetrated around the world today.Guest: Tirana Hassan - Executive Director, Human Rights WatchNote: The Israeli Embassy has been contacted for comment.Recommendations:Geraldine - watching: The Cold War of Spies, docuseries on SBS on DemandHamish - reading: Tonnes of food is stuck on Gaza’s border while the enclave nears famine FT Visual StoryGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Apr 5, 2024 • 35min
Is 2024 the new 1939?
It's worrying when one of Europe's most influential leaders says that the world is in a 'pre-war state', similar to 1939. But just how worried should we be, here in Australia? Ian Bremmer gives us his frank assessment of where things stand and reveals why Australia might just be a geopolitical haven. Guest: Ian Bremmer - president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group and author of 11 books on global affairs. Recommendations:Geraldine - watching: The American Führer documentary on SBS on DemandHamish - listening: Dark Shining Moment podcast by Ranieri & CoGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au
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