Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Is Russia's time as a dominant power coming to an end?

Russia has crossed the threshold of losing more soldiers than it's able to mobilise [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-25/russia-military-reputation-economy-after-ukraine-war-years/106382378?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf280037827&utm_campaign=abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com]. Some troops are paying their commanders [https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/04/01/on-the-front-lines-russian-soldiers-pay-officers-to-stay-alive?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=21228634515&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21228661560&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh-HPBhCIARIsAC0p3cfvWGR_13ZG6h-TQnUE7l3qBRp423lInXMWondOKs91RwPCcDvxdcQaArZ9EALw_wcB] to get a spot at the back of the Russian forces. Others are deserting entirely [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/4/how-to-escape-russias-army-soldiers-serving-in-ukraine-seek-a-way-out]. And when soldiers do return home, they often bring the violence with them [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e7vl01gngo]. President Putin controls a powerful pro-war narrative [https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260417-russia-trains-teenage-influencers-to-churn-out-pro-war-content], which helped rationalise this war of choice to his people. But are the effects of this propaganda beginning to wane? And after a harsh winter, what has changed within Ukraine? As Russia fails to bring this war to a close, and the world moves to phase out fossil fuels, Russia's main export [https://www.iea.org/countries/russia], how much longer can Russia hold on to the pretence of global superpower status? Guest: Peter Pomerantsev -- Kiev-born writer; political analyst; senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute [https://snfagora.jhu.edu/] at Johns Hopkins University; co-director of the Arena Initiative; co-founder of The Reckoning Project [https://www.thereckoningproject.com/]; author of Nothing is True and Everything is Possible [https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Peter-Pomerantsev-Nothing-is-True-and-Everything-is-Possible-9780571338528] and This Is Not Propaganda [https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Peter-Pomerantsev-This-Is-Not-Propaganda-9780571338641]. Geraldine's further reading recommendations: * The Closing of the Russian Mind: How Putin's Ideology Took the Nation Hostage [https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-closing-of-the-russian-mind-how-putins-ideology-took-the-nation-hostage--9781509568154], by Andrei Kolesnikov. * Inside the belly of the beast [https://www.thetablet.co.uk/books/inside-the-belly-of-the-beast/], by Noonie Minogue. * Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire [https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/russia-starts-here-9781472991379/], by Howard Amos. Get in touch:We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

Indonesia Rising: The struggle to reclaim history

Indonesia declared independence from Dutch rule in 1945, sparking a violent revolution. It was the first country to do so in the wake of World War II and a move that quietly shaped the Global South into what it is today.  How did the revolution start? What effect did it have internationally? And why is it not marked as a significant moment of global history? Guest: David Van Reybrouck, Belgian historian and author of Revolusi [https://www.penguin.com.au/books/revolusi-9781529931525]. Mentioned: Geraldine and Hamish spoke about the Indonesia Calling (1946) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGb3XipJ2AE] documentary, at the end of the episode. It's a part of Australia's and Indonesia's shared history: Trade union seamen and waterside workers refused to service Dutch ships that contained weapons destined for use against Indonesia's independence movement. Get in touch:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [global.roaming@abc.net.au] Find all episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. *Hamish is in Indonesia as the winner of the 2024 Elizabeth O’Neill Journalism Award.

If Australia can't trust the US, can it trust Japan?

There’s an important meeting in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s diary. On Monday, Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, will touch down in Australia for high‑level talks with the Albanese government, following Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s trip to Tokyo to shore up fuel and fertiliser supplies. So, are friends in need friends indeed? Australia wants fuel from our friends in the north, but what will Japan’s new prime minister want in return? Takaichi has been called the world’s most powerful woman. So, how will Anthony Albanese approach the meeting? And as Japan bolsters its defences against China, does Tokyo expect Australia to do the same? Guest: Professor Shiro Armstrong, Director of the Australia‑Japan Research Centre and the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research, and Editor of the East Asia Forum at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy. Recommendations:Geraldine - Drops of God (TV series)Hamish - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami Get in touch:We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Iran trap: No peace no war

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth denies Trump's war on Iran has hit a "quagmire", but the reality on the ground tells a different story. With an ongoing stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts yielding little progress, the war appears to have hit a stalemate.  So what or who decides how this ends? And what does the United Arab Emirates' split from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) say about fracturing relations in the Middle East? Guest: Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder and chief executive of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation think tank Get in touch:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [global.roaming@abc.net.au] Find all episodes of Global Roaming on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

Why is the US so prone to political violence?

On Saturday evening a gunman attempted to storm the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC.  The act of political violence -  the third assassination attempt of US President Donald Trump - occurred just three days before the 30th anniversary of Australia's deadliest mass shooting, the Port Arthur massacre, which prompted sweeping gun reform. So why has one country been able to respond to gun violence decisively while another hasn't? And what comes next, an increasingly violent and polarised United States? On this episode of Global Roaming, hosts Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke turn their focus to Washington DC to find out. Guest: David Smith, Washington bureau chief for The Guardian Get in touch:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au [global.roaming@abc.net.au] Find all episodes of Global Roaming now via ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.