Policy, Guns & Money

In this episode, ASPI’s Dr Huong Le Thu talks Australia's Ambassador to Vietnam, Her Excellency Robyn Mudie, about the situation on the ground in Vietnam and the lessons to be learnt from the country's response to Covid-19. Next, senior analyst Dr Jake Wallis and research intern Albert Zhang chatted about their recent research on Covid-19 disinformation and social media manipulation and the rise in patriotic trolling campaigns in support of China on social media platforms. Finally, ASPI's Professional Development Program Coordinator Julia Butler spoke to research interns Daria Impiombato and Tracy Beattie about the intersection of conflict and crisis and the potential impacts of a large Covid-19 outbreak in conflict-ridden Yemen and Myanmar. * NOTE: In this interview, Daria slips and mentions that '100 people have died in the Yemeni war' - what was intended of course was the figure '100,000'. In this episode: Dr Huong Le Thu https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/huong-le-thu Ms Robyn Mudie https://www.dfat.gov

In episode three of Australia’s Next Steps, host Michael Shoebridge talks to Alison Pennington, Senior Economist at the Centre for Future Work associated with the Australian Institute, and Tom Murphy, Head of Agriculture and Regional Investment Strategy with the Queensland Investment Corporation about the future of nation building for Australia. The discussion centres on the Australian economy, focusing on the strengths and resilience demonstrated throughout the pandemic that can be leveraged as Australia rebuilds post-crisis. Background music: "Under Cover" by Wayne Jones, via the YouTube audio library.

"Fakes are all around us. Academic analysis suggests that they’re difficult to spot without new sensors, software or other specialised equipment, with 1 in 5 photos you see being fraudulent." In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Danielle Cave speaks to authors Hannah Smith and Katherine Mansted about the research behind their recent ASPI report. The report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/weaponised-deep-fakes People in this episode: Danielle Cave - Deputy Director, ICPC: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/danielle-cave Hannah Smith - Researcher ICPC: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/hannah-smith Katherine Mansted: Senior Adviser Public Policy, National Security College, ANU: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/people/professional/katherine-mansted Background music: "Scarab" by Quincas Moreira - via the YouTube Audio Library.

Welcome to ASPI’s mini-series, ‘Australia’s Next Steps’, brought to you by Oracle. Episode Two looks at the future of work in Australia. For many, the pandemic has changed our daily working lives, and has allowed businesses to realise both the benefits and drawbacks to this style of work. Host, Michael Shoebridge, Director of ASPI’s Defence, Strategy and National Security Program, talks to Brenda Banning, Head of Architecture & Industry Strategy at Oracle, and David Schofield, Principal Consultant for leadership, teams and organisational culture with Bendelta. They discuss how the pandemic changed the future of work for Australia, what we have learned and adapted, and where may need further development. Background music: "Under Cover" by Wayne Jones, via the YouTube audio library.

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Kelly Smith speaks to ICPC’s Vicky Xu, Kelsey Munro, and Nathan Ruser, authors of ASPI’s ‘Uyghurs for sale’ - the ground-breaking report which exposes the forced labour programs being inflicted on the Uyghur population of Xinjiang, China. They discuss their open-source research approach and the impact the report has had. Report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale Vicky Xu: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/vicky-xiuzhong-xu Kelsey Munro: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/kelsey-munro Nathan Ruser: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/nathan-ruser Background music: "A Quiet Thought" by Wayne Jones, via the You-Tube Audio Library.

Welcome to ASPI’s new mini-series podcast, ‘Australia’s Next Steps’. ASPI, together with Oracle, is excited to launch the first episode of a new podcast that examines Australia’s strategic environment, opportunities for the future and the possible next steps for the nation. Episode One examines the future of national security for Australia and the outlook for our region. Host Michael Shoebridge, Director of ASPI’s Defence, Strategy and National Security Program, talks to ASPI’s Executive Director, Peter Jennings and Senior ASPI analyst, Dr Huong Le Thu.

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Lisa Sharland, head of ASPI's International Program speaks to Dr Anna Powles, senior lecturer in security studies at Massey University for an update on the impact of Covid-19 on the Pacific. Kelly Smith catches up with Colonel Ned Holt, ASPI's US Army War College Fellow to get some tips on looking after yourself while in isolation in difficult circumstances. Dr Huong Le Thu, Senior Analyst at ASPI speaks with Dr Donald Greenlees of Melbourne Universities Asialink on the impact Covid-19 is having in Indonesia. In this episode: Lisa Sharland: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/lisa-sharland Dr Anna Powles: https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/expertise/profile.cfm?stref=287250 Colonel Ned C. Holt: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/ned-c-holt Dr Huong Le Thu: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/huong-le-thu Dr Donald Greenlees: https://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/about-us/leadership-team/donald-greenlees ASPI Roundtable: ICT and emerging technologies in the Pacific: https://youtu.be/EP7ll28kOTg

In this episode, ASPI’s Genevieve Feely speaks to Dr Sue Harris-Rimmer, Gender Policy Expert and Associate Professor at Griffith University Law School, about the Afghanistan peace process and why it's so important that women are represented and their rights protected in any agreement that is made Michael Shoebridge talks to Emeritus Professor Paul Dibb about the implications of Covid-19 for Russia, Vladimir Putin and Russia’s relationship with China. Finally, Charlie Lyons Jones speaks to Dr Malcolm Davis about how Covid-19 is impacting the space industry, how space is the new arena for strategic competition and how space has enabled effective connectivity to deal with a workforce working remotely. In this episode: Dr Susan Harris Rimmer - https://experts.griffith.edu.au/7374-susan-harris-rimmer Genevieve Feely - https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/genevieve-feely Prof Paul Dibb - http://sdsc.bellschool.anu.edu.au/experts-publications/experts/paul-dibb-am Michael Shoebridge - https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael

In this episode; ASPI’s Lisa Sharland talks to Richard Gowan, International Crisis Group's UN Director, to discuss the International Crisis Group’s recent report: "Covid-19 and Conflict: Seven Trends to Watch". The report is available here: https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/sb4-covid-19-and-conflict-seven-trends-watch Earlier this year Bart Hogeveen of ASPI's ICPC released the report: "ICT for development in the Pacific Islands". Bart speaks with Louisa Bochner about the report and his work assessing e-governance facilities in the Pacific. The report is available here: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/ict-development-pacific-islands Finally, ICPC's Tom Uren and ASPI's Director of Defence, Strategy & National Security Michael Shoebridge discuss how Australia's Defence department has adapted to changing roles and whether the organisation's structure and processes are fit for purpose or a redesign is needed. People in this episode: Richard Gowan: https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/people/richard-gowan Lisa

This special episode marks the publication of ASPI's Counterterrorism Yearbook for 2020. This is the fourth annual edition of the CT Yearbook and while circumstance dictates we cannot host our traditional launch at the ASPI Auditorium, we invite you to listen to this special episode and join in the conversation about this incredibly important topic. In this episode, we hear an introduction from ASPI Executive Director, Peter Jennings, followed by a conversation between the publication’s co-author John Coyne and Executive Editor of The Strategist, Brendan Nicholson. John then speaks with contributing authors Peta Lowe, Principal Consultant at Phronesis Consulting, and ICPC’s Elise Thomas. As the publication and podcast detail, the threat of terrorism has plateaued at an unacceptably high level, and as attention in the news cycle is focussed on COVID-19, this report shines a light on an important topic for national security that must be addressed. You can download the ASPI CT Yearbook 2020 here: aspi.org.au/

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money ASPI’s Head of the International Program, Lisa Sharland speaks to experienced human rights and women’s rights advocate, Louise Allen about her recent ASPI publication ‘Australia's implementation of women, peace and security: Promoting regional security’. You can read the full report here: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/australias-implementation-women-peace-and-security-promoting-regional-security Renee DiResta, Technical Research Manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, talks with ICPC’s Elise Thomas about misinformation and malign narratives across social networks, focusing on the trends the world is witnessing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we hear from ICPC’s Tom Uren and Jocelinn Kang who discuss how cyber criminals are exploiting COVID-19 to carry out cyber-attacks on hospitals. In this episode: Louise Allen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-allen-70b7138/?originalSubdomain=au Lisa Sharland: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/lisa-sharland Tom Uren:

In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money we look at COVID-19, the Corona Virus. We speak with three prominent experts to help understand the current situation and consider where we are heading. You'll hear from Professor Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity at the University of New South Wales. Professor MacIntyre heads the Biosecurity Program at the Kirby Institute, which conducts research in epidemiology, vaccinology, bioterrorism prevention, mathematical modelling, genetic epidemiology, public health and clinical trials in infectious diseases. We also speak with Dr Robert Glasser, Visiting Fellow at ASPI and former head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). Finally, we speak with Dr Anna Powles, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at Massey University on the impact of the virus on the South Pacific. People in this episode: Professor Raina MacIntyre: https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/professor-raina-macintyre Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Dr R

In this episode of Policy, Guns and Money, our two grumpy strategists Michael and Marcus make a welcome return discussing the implications of the recent US Government decision to pause the Triton UAV program. Huong and Jake discuss the recent Taiwanese elections and Kelly speaks to Madeleine Gordon, Climate Change and Energy Security Fellow at Young Australians in International Affairs. Guests in this episode; Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge Dr Marcus Hellyer: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/marcus-hellyer Dr Huong Le Thu: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/huong-le-thu Dr Jake Wallis:https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jake-wallis Kelly Smith: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/kelly-smith Madeleine Gordon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-gordon-026360169/?originalSubdomain=au Music: "Late night drive" by Nat Keef & Beetmower via the YouTube Audio Library.

We bring you three great conversations in this episode of Policy, Guns and Money. First, Brendan Nicholson speaks with Dr Ahmed Al-Dawoody, Legal Adviser for Islamic law and jurisprudence at the ICRC (0:35). We then move on to a discussion of censorship and state media relating to Covid-19, the Corona virus between Fergus Ryan and Elise Thomas of the ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre (11:55). We close with ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings in discussion with Mr Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based international fellow of The Washington Institute and guest of the Australian/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council on recent Middle East events (23:25). In this episode; Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Ehud Yaari: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/view/yaari-ehud Brendan Nicholson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/brendan-nicholson Dr Ahmed Al-Dawoody: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/the-academy/about-us/experts/detail/130-ahmed-al-dawoody Fergus Ryan: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/fer

ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings discusses the recent ASPI report "How the geopolitical partnership between China and Russia threatens the West" with His Excellency Kim Beazley, Governor of Western Australia and report author Professor Paul Dibb of the ANU. Tom Uren and Elise Thomas from our Cyber team discuss the misinformation and hype that surrounded two recent high profile incidents; the Jeff Bezos phone incident and the alleged hack of Ukrainian gas company, Burisma. In this episode; Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Kim Beazley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Beazley Paul Dibb: http://sdsc.bellschool.anu.edu.au/experts-publications/experts/paul-dibb-am Report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/how-geopolitical-partnership-between-china-and-russia-threatens-west Tom Uren: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/tom-uren Elise Thomas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/elise-thomas Music in this episode; "Sun Machine One" by Loopop - via the You Tube Music Library.

In this special episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Lisa Sharland discusses the vital work of Gender Advisors in the Australian Defence Force with Commander Jen Macklin, Group Captain Dee Gibbons and Wing Commander Angeline Lewis. Lisa Sharland: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/lisa-sharland Music in this episode: “The Lone Woodlouse” by Rachael K. Collier, via the You Tube Audio Library.

In our first episode of 2020, we examine two of the big events that are impacting the world currently; the US killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the terrible bushfires currently ravaging Australia. Peter Jennings, ASPI’s Executive Director discusses the tense situation in the middle-east with US Army War College Fellow, Lt COL Ned Holt. On the bushfires, we’ve spoken to three experts in the fields of Disaster and Risk preparedness. Dr Robert Glasser is the former head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mark Crosweller is the former head of the National Resilience Taskforce and former Director-General of Emergency Management Australia and Dr Paul Barnes, head of the Risk and Resilience program here at ASPI. In this episode; Report: Preparing for the Era of Disasters. https://www.aspi.org.au/report/preparing-era-disasters - Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings - LTCOL Ned Holt: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/ned-c-holt - Dr Robert Glasser: https://www.aspi.org.a

Mali interviews Oriana Skylar Mastro, Assistant Professor of Security Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, about her most recent book ‘The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime (Cornell University Press 2019)’ and her latest project on China’s challenge to U.S primacy. Louisa spoke with Dion Devow, Indigenous engagement specialist working with ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre and 2018 ACT Australian of the Year, on closing the information technology gap for Indigenous Australians. Plus Jake interviewed Vijay Padmanabhan, Google’s Lead for Countering Violent Extremism & Hate Speech. People in this ep: Oriana Skylar Mastro: https://www.orianaskylarmastro.com/ Vijay Padmanadhan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-padmanabhan-78337794 Dion Devow: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/dion-devow Jacob Wallis: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jacob-wallis Mali Walker: https://www.aspi.org.au

In this special episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Strategist editor Jack Norton covers this year’s Beersheba Dialogue, the annual conference between ASPI and the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv. He spoke to former Labor MP and shadow assistant minister for defence and cybersecurity Gai Brodtmann about the state of the Australia–Israel relationship and arms control expert Emily Landau about the Iran nuclear deal and the possible threat posed by Tehran. Jack also interviews veteran journalist Yossi Melman about Israel’s relationship with China, with a focus on Chinese infrastructure and investment in the country. In this episode: Gai Brodtmann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gai_Brodtmann Emily B. Landau: https://www.inss.org.il/person/b-landauemily/ Yossi Melman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yossi_Melman Background music: "Fonkee Ryde" by Noir Et Blanc Vie, via the You Tube Audio Library.

In this special episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Peter Jennings, ASPI's Executive Director and Michael Shoebridge, Director of Defence, Strategy and National Security at ASPI discuss the recent events relating to the unprecedented leak of hundreds of internal CCP documents, the refusal of Australian politician's visas , and the future of the Australian-China relationship. Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings Michael Shoebridge: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/michael-shoebridge NY Times on the documents: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html Music in this ep: "Skewls Owt" by Noir Et Blanc Vie - via the You Tube Audio Library.