Stop the World

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi speaks with Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness CSC to discuss her role and how it helps protect Australians online.   LTGEN McGuinness explores the dual role that the National Office of Cyber Security plays in preparing for and responding to increasing cyber incidents, the importance of building resilience to respond efficiently and effectively to them, and how preventative measures such as using multi-factor authentication can mitigate over 80 percent of cyber risks.   Justin and LTGEN McGuinness also discuss the role that attribution plays in deterring malicious cyber activity and how attribution can improve mitigation strategies, drive norms and establish that Australia does not tolerate unacceptable behaviour in cyberspace.   Guests:  Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness - https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are/our-senior-staff/lieutenant-general-michelle-mcguinness-csc [https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are/our-senior-staff/lieutenant-general-michelle-mcguinness-csc]  Justin Bassi - https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi [https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi]

In the latest episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi is joined by Netherlands Ambassador to NATO Thijs van der Plas, Norway’s Ambassador to NATO Anita Nergaard and the US Chargé d'affaires to NATO Scott M. Oudkirk.  Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO has undergone a strategic shift with increased collective defence spending and the expansion of the alliance to include Finland and Sweden. This conversation explores NATO’s recent evolution and how Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine contributed to it.  Justin, Thijs, Anita and Scott also discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine and whether the conflict is headed towards a stalemate, or if there is a credible path towards a Ukrainian victory. They also talk about China’s role in enabling the Russian war effort, the introduction of North Korean troops into the conflict and how to deter Russia’s increasing hybrid warfare.  Finally, they explore NATO’s relationship with the Indo-Pacific, including its ties with the Indo-Pacific Four countries – Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand – and they discuss the indivisibility of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security.  Guests:  Thijs van der Plas - https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_198155.htm [https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_198155.htm]  Anita Nergaard - https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_207083.htm [https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_207083.htm]  Scott M. Oudkirk - https://nato.usmission.gov/dcm-scott-oudkirk/ [https://nato.usmission.gov/dcm-scott-oudkirk/]

In the latest episode of Stop the World, David Wroe speaks to Kevin Yam and Ted Hui, two of Australia’s most prominent exiled Hong Kong democracy activists.  Kevin is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School and a commentator on China and Hong Kong. Ted Hui is a lawyer who was previously a member of Hong Kong's legislature before he was forced to leave in 2020.   David, Kevin and Ted talk about the current state of democracy in Hong Kong and how authorities are applying the sweeping national security law that was imposed on the region by Beijing in 2020. They also discuss the recent mass sentencing of pro-democracy activists under the national security law, including the case of Australian man Gordon Ng who was sentenced to smore than seven years in jail.  With four Australian judges remaining on Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal, they also discuss whether there is value in foreign judges remaining on the court, or if they are legitimising an authoritarian regime, and examine the Australia-China relationship and the impact it has on Canberra's position on Hong Kong.  Guests:  Kevin Yam [https://law.unimelb.edu.au/students/grd/students/kevin-yam]   Ted Hui [https://x.com/tedhuichifung?lang=en]

Today on Stop the World, David Wroe speaks with Casey Mock and Sasha Fegan from the US-based Center for Humane Technology. The CHT is at the forefront of efforts to ensure technology makes our lives better, and strengthens rather than divides our communities. They also produce the podcast, Your Undivided Attention—one of the world’s most popular forums for deep and serious conversations about the impact of technology on society. David, Casey and Sasha discuss the tragic case of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer, who took his life after forming an intimate attachment to an online chatbot. They also talk about persuasive technologies that influence users at deep emotional and even unconscious levels, disinformation, the increasingly polluted information landscape, deepfakes, the pros and cons of age verification for social media and Australia’s approach to these challenges. To read ASPI’s latest report, ‘Persuasive technologies in China: Implications for the future of national security’, please visit https://www.aspi.org.au/report/persuasive-technologies-china-implications-future-national-security [https://www.aspi.org.au/report/persuasive-technologies-china-implications-future-national-security] Warning: this episode discusses mental health and suicide, which some listeners might find distressing. If you need someone to talk to, help is available through a range of services, including Lifeline [http://www.lifeline.org.au/] on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue [https://www.beyondblue.org.au/] on 1300 22 46 36.

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI Senior Analyst Alex Bristow interviews John Spencer, the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast.    Alex and John discuss urban warfare in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, asymmetric capabilities and the impact of technology on warfare.  They also talk about the laws of armed conflict and the public debate around Israel and Gaza, as well consider prospects for peace in Ukraine.      Guests:   Dr Alex Bristow [https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/dr-alex-bristow]   John Spencer [https://mwi.westpoint.edu/staff/john-spencer/]