Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

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.

Are we on the cusp of the next big financial crash?

If you thought we'd never see a repeat of the GFC or even the dotcom bubble, think again...  So far financial markets have proved remarkably resilient to the geopolitical shocks and uncertainty brought about by Trump 2.0, but economists are warning that this could be largely thanks to an AI bubble that is artificially propping up the US economy.  Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald discuss the growing fears of what happens if and when this bubble bursts and how Australia is particularly exposed to a downturn through our superannuation system.  Then Geraldine sits down with the acclaimed Irish economist and author David McWilliams to put this moment in historical perspective and get his frank assessment of what comes next.    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 VERY important meeting in China you probably missed

While we were all preoccupied with Prime Minister Albanese's meeting with Donald Trump, another hugely important meeting was taking place behind closed doors in Beijing. At the highly anticipated Fourth Plenum there were political purges, hints at succession, and clues about what one of the world's great superpowers is planning to achieve over the next five years. Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by China analyst Neil Thomas to unpack everything you need to know about the Fourth Plenum and how it might affect President Xi jinping's thinking as he heads into his own highly anticipated meeting with President Trump next week in South Korea. Recommendations: Geraldine: Adam Tooze -  Chartbook [https://adamtooze.substack.com/] + A House of Dynamite now on Netflix Hamish: Season 3 of The Diplomat on Netflix 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.

Can Netanyahu Actually Deliver on Peace?

One week on from the ceasefire deal and the commencement of the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, things look fragile. At this point, peace seems to be very much in the hands of one man: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has a reputation as a wily political player, and the personal and political stakes for him are sky high. So, what are the calculations he’s making? Can he, and will he, deliver peace? Former speaker of the Israeli Parliament Avraham 'Avrum" Burg shares his thoughts.  Plus, to find out what 'peace' actually looks like at the moment on the ground in Gaza, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue spoke to Ahmed Kamal Junina – Linguistics professor at Al-Aqsa University, in Gaza City. Recommendations: Geraldine: Nepalese hostage's final poem to mum before Hamas death revealed [https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/nepali-hostages-final-poem-to-mum-before-hamas-death-revealed/news-story/2025a585d9466c5cc03927bcb09d495e], Wall Street Journal via The Australian. Hamish: Nexus [https://www.penguin.com.au/books/nexus-9781529933611], by Yuval Noah Harari. 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.