Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald
A war breaks out, a leader emerges, a revolution unfolds. How did it happen, and what are the implications for you? Award-winning journalists Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by two new hosts, former foreign correspondent Kylie Morris and journalist Latika Bourke in London. Every day, they'll be discussing the biggest world events and how to make sense of them. Along with expert guests, they take a single topic and examine it with Australian eyes. Challenging, thoughtful and fun, Global Roaming is your user's guide to what the world is talking about.
Episodes
Lula's army: How WhatsApp helped flip Brazil's election
Lula wasn't supposed to win.Just three weeks before Brazil's presidential runoff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was trailing Flavio Bolsonaro by 2.2 million votes and staring down defeat. Then something extraordinary happened. Lula became the first candidate in Brazil's democratic history to lose the first round of a presidential election and still win the presidency.How did he pull
Is the US midterm result a win for ‘normal Americans’?
The US has been hit by a blue wave, maybe even a tsunami. But what can the Democrats achieve with their control of the congress?Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue speak with Dane Waters, a Republican political strategist who crossed the aisle to lead a SuperPAC campaign in support of the Democratic senate candidate for Texas, James Talarico. They discuss whether this result re
Nuclear anarchy: who’s stopping the next arms race?
In February this year, the New START treaty governing nuclear weapon stockpiles in USA and Russia expired. Is there anything to replace it?Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jane Perlez, host of the podcast Face Off: Nuclear Anarchy, joins Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly to explain why experts are increasingly worried about a new era of nuclear competition.They also discuss China'
South Africa is moving on from Mandela's party. Is a new Africa emerging?
South Africa's politics are changing fast, and it may signal something much bigger.The African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela and President Cyril Ramaphosa, is losing its grip on the country's biggest cities. In Johannesburg, years of failing services, power outages and frustration with government competence are reshaping how South Africans vote. For the first tim
Is Trump’s Russia diesel deal designed to win the midterms?
Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, a Senate race turns ugly, and a midterm election that could reshape his presidency.On the eve of the US midterm elections, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue are joined by Jeremy Shapiro from the European Council on Foreign Relations to unpack a frantic fortnight in US politics. Trump’s diesel deal with Putin has drawn accusations that Washingt
Has liberalism stopped working? Waleed Aly on a world of 'monsters'
Populists are rising. Traditional parties are struggling. Trust in institutions is falling.So what if these aren't separate crises at all?In this special live edition of Global Roaming, taken from Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly's conversation for Roaring Stories at Balmain's Red Mill Distillery, the two sit down to discuss Waleed's Quarterly Essay entitled Time of Monsters: What
Israel in deadlock: Will the Arab parties decide who governs?
Israel has voted in one of the most consequential elections in its history, but the result has produced no clear winner.Benjamin Netanyahu remains a major force in Israeli politics, yet neither his bloc nor the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot appears capable of forming a government on its own.Joining Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke are ABC Global Affairs
Trump wanted a 51st state. Canada said no
Alberta has voted overwhelmingly against opening the door to separation from Canada, dealing a significant blow to one of the country's most persistent independence movements.But while the referendum result looks decisive, does it really put the issue to rest?Political scientist Andrea Lawlor joins Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke to explain why Alberta's grievances run far dee
Netanyahu's on the campaign trail: Will he survive Israel's election?
Will Israeli voters renew Benjamin Netanyahu's mandate, or is the country heading for a political turning point?ABC Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran joins Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald from Jerusalem to explain why this campaign has become a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership, who is best placed to challenge him, and why the result may be far from clear even afte
Is Europe at war with Russia? Russia seems to think so
Has Russia’s war with Ukraine spread beyond both countries borders?From cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns to attacks on critical infrastructure, one of Poland's leading Russia analysts Marek Menkiszak argues that Moscow sees itself in a broader confrontation with what it calls the "collective West".Speaking with Geraldine Doogue, Menkiszak explains why Poland considers it
How can we protect women in politics?
In the wake of the attack on Independent MP Helen Haines, Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke revisit their interview on the violence aimed towards women in politics. NOTE: This episode was initially broadcast on Thursday 13th of AugustA growing body of research suggests women in public life are facing a wave of online harassment that has been amplified by artificial intelligence,
Is this the most consequential election in Israel’s history?
Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert weighs in on the upcoming election, and the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Francom.With Israel heading to the polls on 27 October in what many say is the country's most consequential election in decades, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue are joined by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert – a longstanding and vocal critic of Benjamin N
Will the US midterms turn Trump into a lame duck?
Political tradition usually dictates that the midterm elections are bad news for the incumbent president. But when has Donald Trump ever been traditional?Despite returning to the White House promising lower prices, a stronger economy and fewer overseas conflicts, voters remain frustrated by inflation, rising fuel costs and an ongoing war with Iran. Will Democrats capitalise on th
Is Narendra Modi trying to rig India’s elections?
ABC Asia editor Karishma Vyas joins Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald to unpack a week of fast-moving stories across Asia. In India, a youth protest movement – born after the the chief justice of India offhandedly called unemployed graduates “cockroaches and parasites” – has taken to the streets of New Delhi following the government's decision to strike 130 million names from
Patrick Radden Keefe on the Russian money that remade London
In 2019, 19-year-old Zac Brettler fell from a riverside apartment balcony into the Thames. His death would reveal a massive dirty-money empire.Brettler's parents went looking for answers and learned their son had been living a lie, posing as the son of a Russian oligarch.Patrick Radden Keefe, Author of blockbuster books London Falling and Say Nothing, traces how one boy’s death o
What the gold market tells us about Trump, Russia, and China
Gold is the ultimate rainy-day investment. So why are countries around the world shoring up their stockpiles?And what does it mean when the price of gold drops after reaching record highs?Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke are joined by Adrian Ash, the director of research at leading gold market BullionVault, to explain how China and Russia use gold to avoid sanctions, build weal
Jordan fears Israel more than Iran. Is the Middle East's buffer state about to crack?
Wedged between Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Jordan has spent decades surviving crises that would have broken many states.It hosts millions of refugees, depends heavily on US support and now sits at the centre of the widening confrontation involving Iran, Israel and Washington. This year alone, Jordan is due to receive almost US$2 billion in American aid while also findin
Brazil’s Bolsonaro surge: Are Trump’s friends taking over Latin America?
His father’s in jail for attempting a coup, but Flavio Bolsonaro currently stands as the likeliest candidate for president of Brazil after the first round of voting.But as Brazil’s continues to rely heavily on Chinese trade, could the Trump-aligned leader find himself caught between his ideological goals and Brazil’s economic needs?This week, Laura Tingle and Latika Bourke speak
Do Trump’s allies now own everything you watch?
Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros is done, handing David Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, control of CBS, CNN, HBO Max, Paramount Plus and more.Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by international correspondent Anna Fifield to unpack what it means that CBS is now run by Bari Weiss, a former New York Times writer with no television experience, and w
Does Australia overrely on the US? Two experts debate ANZUS and AUKUS
As long-held relationships between the US and traditional allies like Canada and the UK unravel, does Australia need to start eyeing the emergency exit? Does Australia need a plan B? That was the topic at a major United States Studies Centre debate in Sydney held earlier this month between former department of Foreign Affairs secretary Peter Varghese and former Home Affairs secre
Russia is stealing and indoctrinating Ukraine's children
It's been called the largest mass abduction of children since World War II. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken by Russia since the full-scale invasion began, and many have never returned.ABC Europe correspondent Kathryn Diss joins Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke to explain what investigators, lawyers and Ukrainian officials say is a systematic effort to se
'Frozen on October 7': Why Israel hasn't moved on
Three years after October 7, the Middle East that emerged from the attacks looks very different from the one that existed before them.In this special Global Roaming roundtable, Geraldine Doogue, Laura Tingle, Latika Bourke and Hamish Macdonald examine how the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the war that followed have reshaped Israel, Palestine and the wider region.They disc
A new world order is forming in the Middle East. Who will come out on top?
Eight months into the war between Iran, Israel and the US, the Middle East's old order is being redrawn, while opportunities and pitfalls abound. Geraldine Doogue and Nick Bryant ask Middle East scholar James Dorsey how Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are navigating a world where the US is no longer a guaranteed protector, why the Houthis remain a potent force in Yemen,
Xi Jinping is going after China's tycoons to save the economy
China's ultra-rich have started quietly selling down stakes in their own companies ahead of a looming October 22 deadline that will close a decades-old tax loophole on offshore family trusts. Geraldine Doogue and Nick Bryant ask International Intrigue's Jeremy Dicker what's driving Xi Jinping's push to tax China's wealthy under the banner of "common prosperity," and what a histor
Policy of rupture: How the AfD became Germany's most disruptive force
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looks weaker than ever, and the nation's far-right AfD is stronger than ever. Europe's most important country looks to be heading into a period of deep political instability. The AfD has just won two state elections in eastern Germany, while the hard-left Die Linke has taken Berlin. That leaves coalition talks in turmoil and raises fresh questions
Is Australia the world's last great book-loving nation?
Richard Walsh has spent decades publishing books. He thinks the physical book is surviving for a reason.As Radio National prepares to reveal Australia's Top 100 Books, Walsh joins Geraldine Doogue and Waleed Aly to explain why print continues to endure, even as reading habits decline and digital platforms dominate almost every other form of media. He argues that books offer a dee
'To the Victor Belong the Spoils': Trump's UN speech and the weakest world order in generations
The world's leaders are heading home from UN General Assembly week, and Donald Trump gave them plenty to talk about: a threat to annihilate Iran, and a line about "the spoils" of victory that Foreign Policy editor-in-chief Ravi Agrawal says shocked him more.Agrawal argues Trump's coercive power may have peaked, with US munitions depleted by the Iran war, an unpopular presidency a
They risked their lives for Australia. We left them behind in Afghanistan
Four years after Kabul fell, hundreds of Afghans who worked for the Australian Defence Force, diplomats and NGOs are still waiting on promised visas, while facing lethal risk. Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald speak to security consultant Dr Tony Murney and Azadi-e Zan's Susan Hutchinson, both of whom have spent years trying to get Australia's locally engaged employees to safety, a
Has the flood changed Nepal forever? Amanda Hodge shares her ground view
A month after catastrophic floods and glacial collapse swept through Nepal, thousands are still missing and entire mountain communities have been wiped off the map.The Australian's Asia Pacific correspondent Amanda Hodge, just back from the disaster zone, tells Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald what she saw on the ground — including a shelter where 70 children have lost every
Why Richard Flanagan says Elon Musk's X is the new Spanish inquisition
Australian author Richard Flanagan joins Global Roaming to talk about his new essay collection Heresies. He tells Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly why he thinks Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter echoes the public punishment of heretics in the Spanish Inquisition, why he believes Australia is a uniquely conformist nation unable to reckon with its colonial history, and the extraordina
Is China's rare earth monopoly already unbreakable?
China controls as much as 95–99% of the world's heavy rare earth processing.Your phone, your car, the wind turbines on the horizon, the F-35 fighter jet; all of them run on permanent magnets made from a handful of obscure elements, and nearly every gram of it passes through Chinese hands before it reaches the rest of the world. Beijing didn't seize this position overnight. It's t
Will Argentina go to war with the UK over the Falklands?
Argentina's President Javier Milei is suffering in the polls. The Falkland Islands may help with that.Javier Milei's radical style of leadership has earned him more than just the nickname 'El Loco', it's engendered a serious turnaround in Argentina's economy, slashing inflation down from triple digits. However, with his approval rating dropping and an election approaching, Milei
Can the centre hold? Lord Andrew Roberts on extremism and antisemitism
Historian Lord Andrew Roberts, biographer of Churchill and Napoleon, sits down with Geraldine Doogue fresh from visiting the site of the Bondi Beach massacre, a visit he links directly to his work chairing the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, produced by the UK-Israel All-Party Parliamentary Group. He argues antisemitism's fastest growth is coming from elite universitie
AI tech bros are warning AI will destroy us. Are they right?
Tech giants from OpenAI, Anthropic, and X have all warned in the same week that AI could threaten humanity itself, as former employees go public with their concerns.Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald ask foreign correspondent Anna Fifield if calls for regulation are credible, and if Donald Trump is even listening.Plus, how does China feel about AI? Models like DeepSeek have gr
The Alliance | Your questions answered
After The Alliance mini-series drew a flood of listener mail, Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue open the mailbag and bring in Guardian Australia's Ben Doherty to answer the hardest question listeners asked: how much control does Australia actually have over the US military presence on its own soil?Doherty's investigation found the US has access to roughly 110 of Australia's 15
The assassination of a Maltese journalist and the verdict that shocked Europe
Nine years after Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb, the businessman accused of arranging her assassination has walked free. A jury acquitted Yorgen Fenech of complicity and criminal association by an 8–1 vote, despite his own admission that he paid €50,000 to the middleman who recruited her killers and passed him confidential police information. G
Trump, the Kushners and the rise of the US oligarchy
Much has been made of Trump dispatching his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for high-stakes diplomatic missions to solve conflicts across the world, but what do we know of the rest of the Kushner family? Jared's father, Charles Kushner, is now ambassador to France, pardoned by Trump after a criminal conviction that included tax violations and witness tampering. And his younger broth
Will Japan's weak yen trigger a global debt crisis?
Global debt has passed 300 per cent of world GDP, bond yields are climbing across the world, and the U.S. war with Iran is putting pressure on households.Could we be facing the beginning of another global financial crisis?Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke sit down with the Financial Times Asia and Australia editor Robin Harding to explain how the bond market works, why it has su
Britain accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament the UK will ban trade with unlawful Israeli settlements days after publicly thanking Israel for sheltering his grandmother from the Nazis. Israel has shut the British consulate in East Jerusalem in response. Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue are joined by former diplomat and Managing Editor of International Intrigue Jeremy Dicker
25 years since 9/11, has AUKUS made Australia stronger?
In the five years since the AUKUS agreement was announced, can we still rely on our British and American allies?While most debate on AUKUS focuses on the United States and the promised Virginia-class submarines, the ultimate goal is the British-designed vessels. So how confident should Australia be that the UK can actually deliver?Acting British High Commissioner to Australia Dr
As Myanmar's civil war intensifies, Rohingya Muslims face violence once again
Nine years after more than a million Rohingya fled Myanmar, Bangladesh wants them to return. But return to what?As Myanmar's civil war intensifies, the Rohingya are caught between the military that drove them from their homes and the powerful Arakan Army now reshaping the battlefield in Rakhine State.Award-winning filmmaker and investigative journalist Ali Fowle joins Latika Bour
How Giorgia Meloni built Italy's most stable government since Mussolini
Giorgia Meloni has become Italy's longest continuously serving prime minister since Mussolini - no small feat in a country that usually burns through leaders in under a year. Once written off as a fringe far-right risk, she's since charmed Brussels and shared a book preface with Donald Trump. That was until Trump attacked the Pope and made a demeaning remark about her at the G7,
The AfD are winning elections: Is the German far-right back?
A far-right party is on the verge of forming a German state government for the first time since World War II.The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has surged in Saxony-Anhalt, raising questions that extend well beyond one regional election. Is this the latest chapter in a political shift that has been building across Europe for more than a decade? Or could it mark a deeper break
Is China gutting Germany's car industry while Trump grades NATO on loyalty?
China shock 2.0 has arrived and this time it's not the US rust belt in the firing line, it's Germany's beating industrial heart. Geraldine Doogue and Nick Bryant are joined by Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations to unpack how a flood of Chinese exports is hollowing out the car industry that Germany built its post-war identity on.With up to 1.1 million jobs
The Alliance | Does the US value Australia?
After a week examining the history, logic and limits of the ANZUS alliance, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue turn to the American perspective.Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci joins the podcast to discuss how alliances are viewed in Washington, whether America's partners should trust Donald Trump, and why he believes the next few years could
The Alliance | Has Australia sold its sovereignty to the US?
Andrew Hastie, the Liberal MP for Canning and Shadow Minister for Industry and Sovereign Capability, joins Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald for the fourth instalment of The Alliance, marking 75 years of ANZUS. A former SAS soldier who deployed to Afghanistan and Middle East, Hastie traces his own path into the military back to a family story from World War II, and argues tha
The Alliance | If the US and China go to war, whose side are we on? Kevin Rudd answers
Fear of China and Japan has long defined Australia's foreign policy. Could there be a new way forward?In the third episode of The Alliance, Hamish McDonald and Geraldine Doogue put that question to Kevin Rudd: former prime minister, former foreign minister, and, until recently, Australia's ambassador to the United States.Rudd makes the case for what he calls "ANZUS Plus": not a s
The Alliance | Why did we ally with the US in the first place?
The ANZUS treaty might be based more on cynical self-interest than a shared system of democratic values. In this episode of The Alliance mini-series, Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue trace the origins of Australia's most important strategic partnership and examine how it has evolved through the Cold War, Vietnam, the War on Terror and the rise of China.Historian Michael Wesl
The Alliance | Does Australia Still Need America? John Howard on Trump, ANZUS and AUKUS
In a special series this week, Global Roaming is checking the use-by date on our relationship with the U.S.Signed on 1st September 1951, the ANZUS treaty has been the lynch-pin of Australia's security and foreign policy.As we approach the 75th anniversary of the alliance, it is perhaps more challenged and questioned than ever before; Can Australia trust the U.S? Is the U.S a good
Her father fled the Taliban by boat. She became the first Afghan woman in the Australian army
At age nine, Kbora Ali arrived in Australia as an Afghan refugee after her family fled Taliban rule. Less than a decade later, she became the first Afghan woman to join the Australian Army.In this deeply personal conversation, Kbora reflects on her journey from Afghanistan and Pakistan to suburban Adelaide, the challenges of growing up Hazara, and her determination to serve the c
How big tech is creating the next Donald Trump
Nobel Peace laureate and Rappler founder Maria Ressa sits down with Hamish McDonald at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney to make the case that the algorithms in your pocket, not any one leader, are manufacturing the conditions for authoritarian rule worldwide. Ressa says 74 per cent of the world now lives under authoritarian rule, that only a quarter of the open web is st
Helen Clark defends Fauci pleading the fifth and says Trump's vaccine cuts could cost lives
Helen Clark led New Zealand as Prime Minister for nearly nine years and she hasn't slowed down since.Now the Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Clark spoke to Global Roaming at a moment when vaccines have become a genuine political battleground. Clark talks to Hamish Macdonald about Trump's executive order to cut the recommended childhood vaccine schedule, RFK Jr.'s rise at the
As Israel rejects a criminal investigation into Zomi Frankcom's death, is international law dead?
In April 2024, an Israeli strike hit a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, killing Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and and six of her colleagues. Two years later, on World Humanitarian Day, the Israeli military said that its commanders' decisions did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct and said it would not pursue a criminal case. In a joint statement, Aus
The Taliban's rule over Afghanistan is starting to crack
As rebel forces grow in strength, and tensions rise their once-friendly neighbour Pakistan, how long can the Taliban rule?The Australian's Asia-Pacific correspondent Amanda Hodge joins Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald to assess the Taliban's record in the 5 years since the last U.S. troop left Afghanistan. Plus, a so-called 'super El Niño' weather pattern is on its way. In A
The case for optimism: Michael Kirby looks beyond the dire headlines
Has the world taken a wrong turn, or are we simply losing sight of how much progress has already been made?In the second part of this conversation, former Justice of the High Court of Australia Michael Kirby reveals why, after years of working in the courts and in international aid, he is convinced that the world is moving in the right direction.Pointing to progress made in the t
Is a unified Korea a lost cause? Justice Michael Kirby has hope
How do you begin mending one of the most destructive political divides in modern history?That is the challenge that former High Court of Australia justice Michael Kirby faced when he led a UN inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea in 2013.Despite being confronted with brutal repression and repeated failures of negotiation, Kirby remains hopeful that progress can be made,
Surveillance, fear, and exile: The price of speaking out against China
When does political resistance become a moral obligation?Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao and Chinese-American journalist Melissa Chan have both paid a personal price for criticising China's one-party system. Between them, they've faced expulsion, surveillance, harassment and intimidation.Badiucao even found a man who had assumed his identity. Together, Chan and Badiucao have c
Are American Democrats having their own MAGA moment?
What happens when a party's own voters start to rebel against the establishment?The victories of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and Democratic senate nominee for Michigan Abdul El-Sayed have brought a lot of attention to progressive candidates, but some in the centre are warning about 'insurgents' that may never reach mainstream electability. Asma Khalid is an American journalist
New Zealand's leadership challenge and the mystery of Kim Jong Un's heir
China fired a nuclear-capable missile into the South Pacific. Then its neighbours couldn't agree to condemn it. The missile came down in waters close to Tuvalu's exclusive economic zone a month before foreign ministers met at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji. Australia's Penny Wong and New Zealand's Winston Peters pushed for a joint statement. Nauru and Kiribati refused to
Peter Garrett puts AUKUS on trial: is it a rip-off?
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has labelled AUKUS a bipartisan mistake. Is he right?Peter Garrett, former Labor minister and rock superstar, is now leading a public inquiry into Australia's submarine pact with the U.S. and UK to answer a number of essential questions. Are the promised submarines likely to arrive? Why is Australia paying billions into US and UK submarine p
From deepfakes to rape threats: AI is supercharging abuse of women in public life
Is the abuse worth it?A growing body of research suggests women in public life are facing a wave of online harassment that has been amplified by artificial intelligence, deepfakes and coordinated misinformation campaigns.In this episode of Global Roaming, Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke examine the implications for democracy. If women are increasingly targeted with sexualised
Is the Iranian regime more afraid of peace than war?
Arash Azizi says Iran's rulers may be more afraid of peace than war.While the world watches Donald Trump, the American-Iranian historian argues the real story is the stasis inside Tehran. A collective leadership built around a 13-member National Security Council, with parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf the strongest figure, now calling the shots. Azizi says they stepp
Is Israel driving Palestinians off the occupied West Bank for good?
Antony Loewenstein says Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank has turned "almost apocalyptic".The independent Australian journalist has reported from the territory for more than 20 years. On a trip to the area last month, Loewenstein says he witnessed near-daily attacks on a Palestinian family. It comes as the United Nations says Israeli settler violence has reached
Could a US tech giant switch Australia off with one click?
Labor MP Ed Husic has a blunt warning: a handful of US tech firms could switch off the AI tools Australia runs on.On 15 July the Prime Minister used a national address to label artificial intelligence (AI) a national interest, announcing a new Office of AI inside his department, mandatory rules for large data centres, and a digital duty of care for big tech.At the same time Sydne
Borneo's vanishing rainforest: Omar Musa on palm oil, power and colonial ghosts
Fresh from winning the 2026 Miles Franklin Award, writer and artist Omar Musa joins Global Roaming to take us into the rainforests of Borneo, a place where environmental destruction, colonial history, economic development and cultural identity collide.Drawing on the themes of his award-winning novel Fierceland, Musa explores how palm oil transformed Malaysian Borneo: lifting many
What's behind the global rise of far-right populism?
Pauline Hanson sat down with Tommy Robinson, one of Britain's most notorious far-right figures. So why did the interview happen, and what does it say about the rise of right-wing populism globally? From Luton to Moscow, the money behind the far right has gone global. Journalist Daniel Trilling traces cash flowing from the United States and Canada to fund Islamophobic activists in
Is FIFA selling the World Cup? The revolt against Gianni Infantino
Should the FIFA World Cup be sold to private investors?That was the proposal by FIFA president Gianni Infantino that shocked the world and FIFA council members.Though the proposal has been abandoned after a swift backlash, Infantino now faces a leadership crisis that could see him booted from the top position, with others already vying to take his place. But bigger questions rema
Is Australia about to blow its one shot at space?
Australia has been offered a seat in space, but time is running out.The European Space Agency has invited Australia to send its first government astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, to the International Space Station (ISS).The catch? The ticket likely costs about $100 million and the ISS is set to deorbit around 2030. The offer stands for a few months longer, at most.Deputy Directo
Should Israel remain a Jewish state? A look at Gaza's future.
What does the war in Gaza mean for the future of Israel, Zionism and Jewish identity?Peter Beinart has become one of the most prominent and controversial Jewish voices challenging Israel's political direction. Once a supporter of a two-state solution, he now argues that lasting peace can only come through equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians, regardless of religion or ethni
Is Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey conservative, woke, or something else entirely?
Christopher Nolan's blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey has become far more than a film. It's sparked fierce arguments about race, masculinity, Western civilisation, Christianity, leadership, and the culture wars.Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald are joined by Quillette founder Claire Lehmann to unpack why Nolan's retelling has generated such intense debate. From Elon Musk'
Farage vs Binface: the by-election Britain can't ignore
Reform party leader Nigel Farage has survived scandals, electoral defeats, and years of attacks from Britain's political establishment.But could he be unseated by a man dressed as a Darth Vader rip-off, in a by-election he called himself?Michael Crick is a veteran UK broadcaster, and author of One Party After Another: The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage. He claims that even a Far
AI is a bubble, not a revolution. Cory Doctorow explains why
AI is everywhere. Governments are racing to regulate it, companies are pouring hundreds of billions into it, and workers are wondering what it means for their jobs.But what if the AI revolution isn't inevitable?Technology commentator and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow joins Global Roaming to argue that today's AI boom looks a lot like a financial bubble, and the world could
Russia in revolt: Is Putin a failing tsar?
A prominent Russian billionaire has publicly raised concerns about the direction of the war in Ukraine. Some observers see it as evidence that support for Vladimir Putin is beginning to crack.But the West is misreading the situation, according to veteran Russian journalist and political analyst Konstantin von Eggert.He argues Russia's problems run far deeper than Putin himself, t
Daniel Ortega is cancelling elections. Is Nicaragua's democracy dead?
Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has declared there will be no more elections. The frail 80 year-old former Sandinista guerrilla seized power in 1979, was voted out, clawed his way back in 2006, then jailed opponents, banned parties and had security forces shoot dead hundreds of protesters. He has since installed his wife Rosario as co-president and moved to scrap the vote for
Can Andy Burnham govern an ungovernable Britain?
Britain is on its seventh prime minister in a decade, and the new one has inherited a fractured union. Can Andy Burnham govern a country many now call ungovernable?Burnham replaces Keir Starmer, who resigned in June after barely two years, worn down by policy reversals, poor local election results, and slipping public confidence. He arrives promising a "circuit breaker": a new ec
Does Trump lie? Reuters' Editor-in-Chief won't say the word.
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni won't use the word "lie" when referring to Donald Trump, telling Global Roaming he instead "says things that are not true."It's a careful answer from the woman running one of the world's biggest and most trusted news agencies.Founded 175 years ago, Reuters has thousands of journalists stationed in over 165 countries and supplies the orig
Nowhere is safe: Sudan's drone war on its own people
Sudan's war has entered its fourth year.Drones are now striking schools, hospitals and fuel stations, and the world's largest humanitarian crisis keeps falling off the radar. More than 13 million people have been displaced since fighting broke out between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.Last year the RSF was accused of genocidal violence in the city of El F
Indonesia is changing, Australia's being left behind
Indonesian language teaching will be extinct in Australia by 2031, warns a parliamentary inquiry into Australia's Asian capability.Australia talks constantly about the importance of Asia, but is failing to build the skills needed to understand our closest neighbours.At the same time, Indonesia is on track to become one of the world's largest economies and an increasingly influent
The Democrats are a 'total mess' and leaderless. Can they stop Trump?
For decades, there were some things Democrats and Republicans agreed on. America should lead the world, NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) matters, and the US-Israel alliance is untouchable. As Trump rips up international alliances, inside the Democratic Party anger over Israel's war in Gaza has ruptured the old pro-Israel consensus.Last week 103 House Democrats, nearl
Marine Le Pen and the French far-right are back
Just a year ago, the leader of France's far-right National Rally party appeared finished after being convicted in an embezzlement case and barred from seeking office. Now, Marine Le Pen is back in the race, after a Paris appeals court upheld her conviction but shortened her ban from seeking public office, paving the way for her 2027 presidential bid. With the National Rally party
