Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

The Simple Idea that Could Save Democracy

Australia does elections pretty well - in fact, we might be the world's hottest ambassador for democracy. But according to former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers we need to be wary of 'the curse of the sausage'; the idea that our own success makes us vulnerable. In this discussion with Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue he offers a simple idea to protect our elections against growing threats, both at home and abroad.  Recommendations: Hamish and Geraldine: Annabel Crabb's Civic Duty : ABC iview [https://iview.abc.net.au/show/annabel-crabb-s-civic-duty] Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [Global.Roaming@your.abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Beth Jones: The Ambassador that inspired 'The Diplomat'

If you thought Netflix's hit series The Diplomat was pure fiction, think again… According to creator Deborah Cahn the show was inspired by a real-life diplomat that she has described as "a superhero in a pant suit" — Ambassador Beth Jones. We tracked down Ambassador Jones and her husband Don to ask what it's really like to work in places like Kabul, Cairo, Baghdad and Kazakhstan and it turns out the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Recommendations: Hamish: "Anchored in the region" — What the new Australia–Indonesia security treaty really means [https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/anchored-region-what-new-australia-indonesia-security-treaty-really-means], article by Natalie Sambhi Geraldine: Saturday Extra's Diplomacy mini-series from 2021, featuring interview with former diplomats: * John McCarthy [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/john-mccarthy-on-diplomacy-and-politics/13332790] * Sue Boyd [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/females-in-diplomacy-with-sue-boyd/13349146] * Geoff Raby [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/geoff-raby-on-the-skills-required-for-good-diplomats/13332450] * US Consul General Sharon Hudson Dean (Kylie Morris hosted [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/us-consul-general-sharon-hudson-dean-being-a-diplomat-in-austra/13358800]) * The late Martin Indyk [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/martin-indyk,-diplomat-former-us-ambassador-to-israel/13371978] Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [Global.Roaming@your.abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Hidden Hands Shaping the BBC Crisis

Geraldine has returned from London where she had a front row seat as the BBC was engulfed in it's biggest crisis in decades. She joins Hamish for a conversation about how the BBC got here, what the various forces are at play and why the BBC might need to get "down and dirty" to combat Donald Trump's threats.  Plus, we unpack some fascinating listener feedback on our recent China episodes, which has sparked quite a debate in the Global Roaming planning room...  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [Global.Roaming@your.abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Is Zohran Mamdani a Blessing or a Curse for Democrats?

This week democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian Mayor, beating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. At a time when faith in the Democratic Party is at an all-time low, Mamdani found a way to reach – and win over – disaffected voters, becoming a household name not just in New York, but all over the world.   Hamish Macdonald and special guest host Amelia Lester (Foreign Policy) ask whether there is more to Mamdani than just 'rizz'? Are there lessons in his campaign for a flailing Democratic Party? Or is it simply a distraction from the real work required to win back voters? Then they speak to Timothy Shenk, a historian of modern American politics at George Washington University to discuss some of the ideas he's put forward in a thought-provoking essay for The New York Times entitled Democrats Are in Crisis. Eat-the-Rich Populism Is the Only Answer.  Recommendations: Amelia: Equator [https://www.equator.org/] magazine and article ‘He’s an African Leader’: Why my Ethiopian relatives voted for Trump [https://www.equator.org/articles/he-s-an-african-leader]by Adom Getachew. Hamish: Amelia Lester's Boyer Lecture: AI on Australia's terms [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/boyerlectures/amelia-lester-ai-on-australias-terms/105872296] Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [Global.Roaming@your.abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Trump or Xi: Who Blinked First?

It may have been the most significant hour and forty minutes in global geopolitics this year... If the highly anticipated summit between Presidents Xi and Trump in South Korea was about putting out the fires of a great power trade war, the flames seem to be under control... for now. But was it a win-win for everyone?  Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald discuss which cans made it onto the negotiating table and were kicked down the road. Then they have a frank conversation with the former Singaporean diplomat Bilahari Kausikan about how South-east Asian countries responded to Trump's whirlwind tour through Asia and why they might be uniquely positioned to deal with a character like Donald Trump.  Recommendations: Geraldine: The Myth of the Asian Century | A Lowy Institute Paper: Penguin Special [https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-myth-of-the-asian-century-a-lowy-institute-paper-penguin-special-9781761357992]by Bilahari Kausikan Hamish: Aiming Higher: Universities and Australia's Future [https://www.amazon.com.au/Aiming-Higher-Universities-Australias-Vantage/dp/1763662179] by George Williams Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [Global.Roaming@your.abc.net.au] Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.