Global Questions

We can’t believe we’re saying this, but this is our last Global Questions episode!

After 2.5 years and 100+ episodes, Josh, Rhiannon and Kelly have decided it’s time to turn off the mics and take a well-earned rest.

So, join the entire GQ team as they:

• Recap their favourite episodes
• Give a sneak peak behind the scenes
• Chat about the highs (and lows) of putting together a podcast

Hopefully you'll miss us just as much as we'll miss you!  Thanks for tuning in and providing us with a reason to put the show together.  

Inequality is complex and varied, but have you ever heard of the digital divide?

As new technologies emerge and we live more of our lives online, the divide between those who have reliable internet access and those who don't only deepens.  

This week, for our final In-Depth episode on technology, Rhiannon talks to Dr George Ingram, a senior fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C.  They chat about:

• What the digital divide is
• The impact of Covid-19 on tech inequality
• The role of private companies in making things better (and worse)
• Why we can (and must) bridge the digital divide.

Join Kelly and Josh as they discuss:

• The collapse of Israel’s government, and why it means Netanyahu could become PM *again*.
• Why the UK’s attempt to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was temporarily blocked by a European court.
• Hun Sen’s strategy to crush Cambodian democracy and establish a dictatorship.
• The ‘civilised’ conflict you’ve probably never heard of: the Whisky War.

Social media has revolutionized terrorism. 

It has made recruitment easier, sped up the process of radicalisation and provided a safe haven for extremists to talk to each other. It's also increased the impact of acts of terror. With a click of a button, terrorists can livestream their acts to millions of people. 

So, what are tech companies doing to address the issue? Should governments step in? And is using AI to remove violent content a good idea, or could it pose hidden dangers?

Rhiannon chats to two guests from Tech Against Terrorism, an UN-supported initiative that helps the global tech industry tackle terrorism while respecting human rights.

Join Kelly and Josh as they discuss:

• Why the new president of the Conference on Disarmament is ... North Korea.
• Why El Salvador’s president has jailed 36,000 people in two months.
• What Putin's recent meeting with the head of the African Union was about.
• Whether the British monarchy can survive the next few decades.

In this episode we are talking all things space! Does space law actually constrain the behaviour of states? Do we have a responsibility to care for the environment in space? Is there a space race between the US and China, and if so, what are the stakes? Does space exploration represent the latest form of colonialism? 

Discussing all of these questions and more, this episode will look at the overlap between modern technologies and space, focusing on the benefits that space exploration has brought.

Our guest today is Leonard David, a space journalist from the US, who has been reporting on space activities for over 50 years. Leonard is the author of the new book, Moon Rush: The New Space Race, published by National Geographic in May 2019.

They discuss:

• political tensions over the race to space 
• the militarization of space and great power space dynamics
• legal and political space regulations
• and environmental protection of space

In light of the recent federal election, today's episode is a shorter one that keeps with the election theme!  Join Kelly and Josh as they discuss:

• How BongBong Marcos, son of a brutal dictator, convinced the Philippines to elect him President.
• Why the collapse of Sri Lanka’s economy can be attributed to one family.

As Josh mentioned, here are some fascinating articles on how Labor’s win could shape Australia’s foreign policy:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to augment military capabilities since the missile defence systems of the 1980s, but today’s AI is becoming more sophisticated and pervasive in the development of semi-autonomous weapons. So what does this mean for the future of warfare and contemporary conflicts around the globe?

This week, Rhiannon chats with Dr Peter Layton, a Visiting Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University. He has extensive aviation and defence experience and, for his work at the Pentagon on force structure matters, he was awarded the United States Secretary of Defense’s Exceptional Public Service Medal. His research interests include grand strategy, national security policies particularly relating to middle powers, defence force structure concepts and the effects of emerging technology. 

They chat about:

• Why AI is becoming integral to warfare and military operations
• When AI should be used over human decision making
• the competition over the development of AI technology and how this will play a role in great power politics
• and the future of AI in warfare

Join Kelly and Josh as they discuss …

• Unprecedented anger within China at Xi Jinping’s harsh Covid strategy.
• What the Supreme Court’s abortion decision could mean for America *and the world*.
• The growing threat of war between Israel and Palestine over evictions.
• Sinn Fein’s historic victory in Northern Ireland’s elections – and their plan to leave the UK.

There is little that is uncontroversial when it comes to cryptocurrency, from its wild fluctuations and energy usage to its links to transnational crime and mysterious origins.

In this episode, Rhiannon chats to David Gerard, an author and cryptocurrency journalist from London.  They talk about:

• What cryptocurrency is and how it came about back in 2008
• The benefits and dangers of digital currencies
• The failure of Facebook’s stable coin Libra and the approach of state regulators
• El Salvador’s fiasco integrating bitcoin as legal tender
• The future of crypto and what it means for our society

It's finally here!  Join Josh and Kelly as they discuss some of the *crazy* stories from the last fortnight.  They chat about:

• The secretive private army that murdered civilians, and then tried to blame the French military.
• Why China's deal with the Solomon Islands is controversial.
• Whether Tunisia's President is a democratic hero, or an aspiring dictator (spoiler: no one knows!).
• How Honduras' president helped traffick 500 tonnes of drugs to the US.

Our first in-depth episode for Season 6 tackles the controversial topic of mass surveillance.  New technology allows governments and companies to track nearly everything we do: what we buy, where we go, who we meet and how we think.  It's given them an unprecedented amount of power.

So, what does this mean for our safety, democracy and global stability?  Join Rhiannon, Kevin Macnish and Moira Paterson as they consider:

• The future of surveillance and "smart cities".
• Whether mass surveillance is good for us in the long-run.
• What we should make of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden.
• Whether the law and civil society can hold governments to account.

Join Josh and Kelly as they unpack the wild stories making news over the last fortnight! 

We chat about: 

• Why Russia was removed from the UNHRC, and whether it could be kicked out of the UN entirely. 
• The fate of Pakistan's ex-cricketer and ex-PM, Imran Khan. 
• Why this year's World Cup in Qatar may be responsible for up to 6,750 deaths. 
• How a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could see year-long delays for a new phone, computer or car. 

We are back!! Join Rhiannon, Josh and our *new co-host* as they reveal the topic for this season's fortnightly IN-DEPTH episodes.

Season 6 will also feature our popular news summaries (THE WRAP UP) and tips for how to start your international career (TRAILBLAZERS). 

First episode is out next Tuesday 12th April. Tell your friends, share it on your socials and get ready for our best season yet!!

This is a throwback to the very first episode ever published on Global Questions!  At the end of 2019, Gen interviewed Gillian Triggs, the former head of the Australian Human Rights Commission and current Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.  

Gillian chats with Gen about:

• Australia's inhumane refugee policies; 
• What the Commission uncovered during its investigation into offshore detention;
• How it felt being on the receiving end of personal attacks from the Abbott government; and
• Gillian's hopes for her role at the United Nations.

In 2020, Gen had the privilege to interview the former PM, Kevin Rudd, about his campaign for a royal commission into the Murdoch empire.  They discuss:

• Why media diversity is so important
• How the Murdoch empire influences media coverage, politics and public discourse
• What you can do to speak up for media diversity in Australia

In 2021, Gen spoke to Nuria Yu and Nathan Ruser about the ongoing persecution of the Uyghur ethnic group in China.  It's estimated that up to 2 million Uyghurs have been detained in 're-education' camps that are similar to the concentration camps of World War II.  There's evidence the Chinese government is forcibly sterilising, torturing and enslaving Uyghurs -- which human rights groups say constitutes genocide.

Nuria Yu is a Uyghur woman and activist living in Australia.  She has family in China who have been persecuted and detained.  

Nathan Ruser is a research at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).  Through looking at satellite images, he was able to uncover multiple 're-education' camps.

We may be on a break, but you can still listen to some of our favourite episodes!

In 2021, Josh chatted to Paul Govind and Mark McVeigh about why young people are suing companies and governments over climate change. 

At age 23, Mark took his super company, REST, to court.  He argued the $57bn company failed to consider climate change when investing.  Days before the trial, REST admitted Mark was right!  Mark tells Josh about his experience and why it's necessary to hold companies accountable for their climate change records.  

To understand why people are taking companies and governments to court, Josh also chats to Paul.  Paul is a Lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Law at Macquarie University Law School.  Paul unpacks recent climate change cases and explains how environmental law is changing our globalised world.

We have finally reached the last episode of season 5 on the decline of democracy and boy is it a good one!

This week Rhiannon brings you two incredibly passionate guests, Iain Walker and Tim Hollo.

Iain is the executive director of New Democracy – a research organisation established to ensure citizens trust their government's decision making and democratic processes. Rhiannon chats to Iain about deliberative democracies, increasing participation and community involvement in democratic processes, and what new kinds of democracy could look like in the future.

Then Rhiannon chats to Tim Hollo, who is not only the executive director of the Greens institute and an author but is the Greens candidate for the seat of Canberra. They discuss the crisis of democracy in contemporary society, international and national issues influencing democracy and citizens involvement, and how to work towards ecological democracy.

Our monthly Trailblazer episodes are back and Rhiannon had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Janielle Beh for this month's episode!

After completing her schooling at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, Janielle graduated from the Melbourne Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music in 2014, and then went on to complete her Master of Teaching (Music Education) at Monash University in 2017.  Since then, she has taken her passion for music and combined it with social change and peacebuilding initiatives all across the globe.

Janielle has run music workshops in Israel, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Rwanda, India and the United Arab Emirates, and was the Head of Piano at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music since 2018 into the period of the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Janielle chats to Rhiannon about:

• transforming her creativity and passion for music into a global career path
• how she is developing programs for social change and peacebuilding through music
• her inspirations and motivations in her career 
• teaching music during the Taliban takeover in 2021

Join Josh and our special guest, Kelly, as they both unpack:

• Why the potential invasion of Ukraine could cripple Europe’s gas supplies
• How a group of Irish fishermen took on the Russian navy … and won
• Why leaders of the far-right are gathering in Budapest next month
• The global implications of Honduras’ first female president

We're back!!  After the Christmas holidays, it's time to bring you the final episodes in our series on the decline of democracy.

Today, we take a closer look at the Chinese Communist Party.  Under Xi Jingping, China has sought to undermine democratic nations and to export its authoritarian form of government to other countries.  What does this mean for the future of liberal democracy around the world?  

Our guest is Dr Roger Huang, a lecturer in terrorism studies and political violence at Macquarie University.  We discuss:

• The relationship between Chinese culture and democracy;
• What the crackdown in Hong Kong can tell us about the CCP; and
• Whether tensions between the US and China could trigger a new Cold War.

It is the last episode of the year and boy is it a good one!!

Rhiannon chats to Jesse Walker, a renowned writer and an editor of Reason magazine, on conspiracy theories and political paranoia, and how they are affecting democracy worldwide. Jesse has written numerous books including his most recent book - "The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory”.

They discuss:

• the history of conspiracy theories around the world and the united states
• why people continue to reach for conspiracy theories
• how political paranoia persists throughout time
• how conspiracy theories are eroding democratic institutions and processes more broadly.

Join us for Hugh’s final episode on The Wrap Up (more details in the episode!).  Today on the show:

• Why Rohingya refugees are suing Facebook for US$150 billion.
• Can the Iran deal be saved, or is war on the horizon?
• Protests in Serbia over Europe’s biggest lithium mine.
• Why Algeria and Morocco are fighting over the African Men’s Handball Championships.

Josh and Hugh also chat about their favourite stories from the year and give a preview of what The Wrap Up will sound like in 2022.

Since receiving its independence in 1947, India has stood as a bastion of democracy in the Indo-Pacific. However, while India boasts a liberal-democratic constitution and a strong culture of political participation, we have seen shifts away from democracy to arguably more authoritarian systems.

In this In-Depth episode, Rhiannon chats with Mauktik Kulkarni, an entrepreneur, neuroscientist, author, and filmmaker from India who currently lives and works in the United States.

After training in engineering, biophysics and neuroscience at several prestigious universities across India and the United States, Mauktik became involved in multiple health care and tech startups, backpacked across 50 countries and even wrote two books!

It's the first Thursday of the month, so it's time for another Trailblazer Thursday! Today’s guest is Bronte Munro. Bronte is completing her Master of Cybersecurity at Macquarie University and is the Cyber and Technology Fellow at Young Australians in International Affairs (YAIA). She also interns as a research officer at Thales Australia, a global technology leader that invests in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology. On top of that, she is a contributing writer to the Young Diplomats Society! 

Bronte chats to Rhiannon about:

• Becoming interested in cybersecurity and technology throughout her university study
• Gaining experience as a researcher through internships 
• How to think critically about global issues 
• Tips for turning your passion for international affairs into practical experience as a writer

Join Josh and Hugh as they unpack:

• Why Ethiopia’s PM has left his palace and is now living on a battlefield.
• The dramatic events in the Solomon Islands, including why Australia is sending troops there.
• Competition between the US and China over the future of Taiwan.
• Sweden’s first female PM (who resigned on her first day in office!)

The world has witnessed unprecedented levels of globalisation over the past few decades, and while it has substantially improved living conditions, communication and flow of information, it has also created new levels of inequality within and between countries. 

In today's In-Depth episode, Rhiannon chats to Steven Slaughter, Associate Professor in International Relations at Deakin University, and Estella Kabachwezi, an activist and lawyer in Uganda, on the intersection between globalisation and inequality and whether it is contributing to the decline in democracy internationally. 

They discuss:

• the rise of globalisation through communication and the internet, and whether this helps promote democracy
• the relationship between inequality and globalisation
• how the developed world and the developing world can work to protect democracy
• the implications and benefits of globalisation in Africa 

Your fortnightly dose of news is here! Join Josh and Hugh as they unpack:

• The good, the bad and the ugly from COP26.
• Why Belarus is flying migrants to the EU border.
• The latest attempt to silence Thailand's student activists.
• A potential boycott of the Winter Olympics as China/US tensions rise.

The rise of populism in recent years has provoked profound questions around the viability of existing democratic systems and the future of developing democracies. This week we have two insightful guests to discuss the rise of populism and how it is influencing democracy around the world.

First up, Rhiannon chats to Anastasia Kapetas, the National Security Editor at The Strategist from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, about the history of populism, its rise throughout politics and politicians in the United States, the impact of faux-populism and if there is any hope for democracy internationally. 

Then, we welcome Brandon Wu, a political activist from the United States, who chats to Rhiannon about Trump-style populism and its influence on democratic processes and institutions in the US in today's society. 

If you want to get in touch you can reach Anastasia via her email - anastasiakapetas@aspi.org.au. You can also touch base with Brandon via his email - brandonw2002@gmail.com. 

We are back with our new Trailblazer Thursdays - our special monthly episode where we chat to young professionals about their global careers. 

Today's guest is Daria Impiombato, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s (ASPI) International Cyber Policy Centre in Canberra, Australia. Her research includes human rights, technological advancements, activism in authoritarian regimes, Chinese domestic and foreign policy, and the role of communication/media in international politics. 

We chat about:

• gaining knowledge and experience through internships
• how she turned her interest in global issues and politics into an exciting career
• tips for young people embarking on a career in research and international relations.

Josh and Hugh’s fortnightly recap of international news is here!  Join us as we discuss:

• The aim of COP26 (and why it’s been dubbed the world’s “last chance”).
• How Sudan’s coup could affect global trade and help Russia.
• Why a dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia has worried Iran.
• Why Richard Gere is testifying against Italy’s former deputy PM in a kidnapping trial.