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 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

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, article by Natalie Sambhi Geraldine: Saturday Extra's Diplomacy mini-series from 2021, featuring interview with former diplomats: John McCarthy Sue Boyd Geoff Raby US Consul General Sharon Hudson Dean (Kylie Morris hosted) The late Martin Indyk 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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 magazine and article ‘He’s an African Leader’: Why my Ethiopian relatives voted for Trump by Adom Getachew. Hamish: Amelia Lester's Boyer Lecture: AI on Australia's terms 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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 by Bilahari Kausikan Hamish: Aiming Higher: Universities and Australia's Future by George Williams 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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 Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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 + 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 Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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, Wall Street Journal via The Australian. Hamish: Nexus, by Yuval Noah Harari. 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Japan has entered a new political era after the election of Sanae Takaichi who is poised to become the country’s first female prime minister. A protege of the late Shinzo Abe and a fan of Margaret Thatcher, she styles herself as Japan's 'Iron Lady' and she could be one of its most right-wing and nationalistic leaders since the Second World War.  Asia editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Richard Lloyd Parry has lived in Japan and covered it for 30 years. He joins Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue to discuss what Takaichi's leadership might mean for Japan, and for Australia.  Recommendations: China's middle class rides migration wave to Tokyo - AFR In The Time Of Madness - Richard Lloyd Parry 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Geraldine and Hamish were live on air on ABC Sydney when Donald Trump broke the news this morning that a deal had been reached on the 'first phase' of a Gaza ceasefire deal. They raced into another studio to record a bonus episode of Global Roaming about this enormous development in the Middle East.  Here's everything you need to know about what's just happened, what's still to come and whether peace might really be within reach.  Recommended reading and listening: Northern Ireland, Gaza and the Road to Peace - The New York Times  ABC Rear Vision  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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Hamas has responded to Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza saying it is prepared to release all Israeli hostages - dead or alive. However it did not signal that it was completely prepared to lay down its arms or step away from negotiations... So is this the crucial turning point in the conflict that we've all been waiting for? What happens next from here?  From the streets of Vietnam and an airport in Melbourne, Hamish and Geraldine got in touch to unpack the latest breaking developments.  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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Fears that the United States might be headed towards civil war feel slightly less overblown than they did just weeks ago... With the US government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats in deadlock, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth 'unleashing' federal troops into cities like Memphis, America increasingly looks like a dangerous and divided nation.  In a rare face-to-face conversation in Sydney, Geraldine Doogue sat down with veteran journalists Peter Baker (chief White House correspondent for The New York Times) and Susan Glasser (New Yorker correspondent and Lowy Institute board member) to discuss the psychology behind Donald Trump's war on 'the enemy within' and why a country like Australia should see this as a cautionary tale.  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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The anti-science crusade in the United States extends beyond President Trump's flourishing statements about climate change being a 'con job' and a 'hoax' and claiming links between Tylenol (or paracetamol) and autism. Under the second Trump administration and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, long-standing medical and scientific institutions are being hollowed out and misinformation and disinformation is rife. There are a number of actors who stand to capitalise on this trend, from foreign states like Russia, to big pharma companies and 'wellness' influencers. And experts say it poses an existential threat not just for America, but for the world.  In this episode Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald speak to Radio National's Science Editor Jonathan Webb and prominent vaccine scientist Dr Peter Hotez (co-author with Michael Mann of Science Under Siege) about the forces at play in the global war on science and Dr. Hotez also reveals what it's like to be personally targeted by RFK Jr, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk.  Recommendations: Geraldine: Good Night, and Good Luck - 2005 film  Hamish: Australian Story - The River (Part 1 and 2) - ABC iView 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The 80th UN General Assembly is heating up in New York, just as a major UN report finds that Israel is committing genocide. Countries like Australia have pledged to recognise a Palestinian State at next week's UNGA, but there are doubts about whether that will have anything more than symbolic significance. In fact, there are serious questions about the United Nations' ability to resolve today's conflicts and concerns that, in the age of Trump, this once lauded institution has become damaged beyond repair.  So can the UN be fixed, and what exactly will that take? According to former UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths it comes down to one thing: courage.   Recommendations: Geraldine: PNG’s half-century report card - Hamish Macdonald, Inside Story  Hamish: A Dirty Little War by John Martinkus 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

As celebrations get underway marking the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia, the two nations are about to enter a deal that will see our defence forces become 'totally integrated'.  Geraldine Doogue, Hamish Macdonald and special guest Oliver Nobetau (Project Director of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Network at the Lowy Institute) discuss why this particular Pacific neighbour continues to hold so much significance to Australia and what this historic new defence treaty might actually mean for PNG and us.  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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Geraldine is back and feeling uncharacteristically pessimistic about the state of the world. So as the Australian government works hard to cement stronger ties in the Indo-Pacific region following China's display of military and political might, Hamish and Geraldine are joined by the Chief of the Australian Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart for a frank conversation about whether Australians need to come to terms with the possibility of a war in our region.   Recommendations: Geraldine Doogue: Address by Former senior Chinese diplomat Madame Fu Ying to the AFR Asia Summit 2025. Once available, it can be found HERE.  Hamish Macdonald: ABC 7:30 Monday 8 September - interview with Julie Inman Grant (commences about 9:00 minutes in) + The News Agents podcast - Nick Clegg: What really happened at Facebook? 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

All eyes have been on China this week, as dozens of world leaders arrived to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and China's 'Victory Day' military parade, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in WW2.  Not only was it a chance for leaders like Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un and - perhaps most surprisingly - Narendra Modi, to mingle, it sent a striking image to the Western world that while the US-led global order under Donald Trump seems to be decaying, a powerful new alignment of countries is taking place, with China at the forefront. Guests: Einar Tangen - Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute and the founder and chairman of Asia Narratives. Bob Carr - Former Australian Foreign Minister and former Premier of NSW. Recommendations: Hamish: Trump says he’s determined to weaken China. He’s doing the opposite - Peter Hartcher, SMH Kylie: The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Vuong 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Following the confirmation of famine in part of Gaza by the UN-backed IPC, Hamish Macdonald and guest host Kylie Morris speak to Anera's Gaza Branch Director Yazdan El-Amawi about what the situation is actually like for those living in Gaza.  They also speak to Jodie Clark, who has decades of experience distributing humanitarian aid and worked most recently as Senior Logistics Coordinator for UNRWA, running the border crossing at Rafah. She explains how Israel's policies have made getting aid into Gaza increasingly difficult and she gives a shocking assessment of what is needed to break the famine.  Recommendations: Kylie: Hostage - Mini series on Netflix Hamish: Dust - Book by Michael Brissenden 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 now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The Australian government has accused Iran of directing two antisemitic attacks in Australia and, for the first time since World War Two, has expelled an ambassador. They've also announced that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will be designated as a terrorist organisation.  Who are the IRGC and what motivated them to target Australia? Hamish Mcdonald and Kylie Morris react to the breaking news and discuss the significance of the day's developments.  Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

He's young, he's slick, he's social media savvy and he rules with an iron first. Meet Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador who has quickly become an icon of the global right.  He might style himself as the 'world's coolest dictator' and a 'philosopher king', but this leader is not like other authoritarian rulers. For a start, he's incredibly popular both at home and abroad - befriending the likes of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. His rapid crackdown on gang-related crime has been labelled the 'Bukele miracle' and is being seen everywhere from Ecuador to America as a model to emulate. But it hasn't come without a steep cost...  Journalist Vera Bergengruen is one of the only foreign journalists to have met and interviewed President Nayib Bukele. She wrote a profile of him for TIME Magazine. She speaks to Geraldine Doogue (2025 Andrew Olle lecture) and Hamish Macdonald (ABC Sydney Mornings, The Project) about what Nayib Bukele is really like.  Recommendations: Geraldine: How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?   | BBC, The Inquiry podcast. Hamish: The 'evil drug' and court case that almost broke Alex Lloyd | Australian Story Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au