In a historic move, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this afternoon announced that Australia will move to recognise a state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly next month, with a condition that terror group Hamas play no role in its future governance. Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald react to the news and discuss the significance of Australia's decision to follow other Western governments in taking this step. They also question what comes next, how Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might react to the news and whether this can actually make any difference on the ground in Gaza.  Want to share your thoughts with us about today's news? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Where do the arms involved in conflicts worldwide come from and who bears responsibility for how they are used in war? The US is by far the world's largest weapons manufacturer and exporter, accounting for around 40% of global exports.  Many of these arms go to Israel and transfers have been supercharged since the start of the military assault on Gaza.  Australia is also a player in the global arms trade, with a particular manufacturing role in the F-35 joint strike fighter program.  With the Australian government taking a strong line on the humanitarian situation, why are we simultaneously transferring component parts for military jets that are striking Gaza? Guest: Josh Paul, former Director of Congressional and Public Affairs, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, in the US Department of State who resigned in protest at US arms shipments to Israel  Statement from the Australian Department of Defence: "Australia has not supplied weapons or ammunition to Israel since the Israel-Gaza conflict began and not for at least the past five years. The F-35 relies on a global supply chain – one that is centrally coordinated by Lockheed Martin and the US Government. As a part of the global F-35 supply chain, Australian industry contributes components and parts, but the Australian Government does not have a direct bilateral arrangement with the Government of Israel in relation to the F-35 program." Recommendations: Geraldine: VJ Day in Australia newsreel, British Movietone Hamish: 'The World Since October 7', Adam Shatz in the London Review of Books Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

This week, the prospect of Palestinian statehood suddenly became tangible, with the UK, France and Canada promising to recognise Palestine at the UN general assembly in September.  Whether Australia will follow suit remains to be seen.   What can history tell us about the formation of new states out of violent conflict?  Guest: Sir Christopher Clark, professor of history at the University of Cambridge  Recommendations: Geraldine: 'The wrong way to respond to antisemitism', Inside Story Hamish: Andrew Olle Media Lecture 2025, presented by Geraldine Doogue, ABC iView Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

A weekly examination of world affairs with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald.

Despite living through continued death, displacement and destruction, Palestinians still dream of a better future. What does that look like for Gazans and people in the West Bank, is a two-state solution still a viable option? And who will lead them after the war? Guest: Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Gazan-American and nonresident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Recommendations: Geraldine: Emily: I Am Kam, SBS on Demand Hamish: I ran DFAT. I hope Elbridge Colby sinks AUKUS for Australia, AFR Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Anthony Albanese has finally got a meeting with a president, but it's not the one some are so desperate to see. The Prime Minister sets off on a six-day official visit to China while there is still no date set for a face-to-face with Donald Trump. But does that actually matter, and what does President Xi want from Australia? Guest: Dr Joseph Torigian, research fellow at Stanford University Hoover History Lab, associate professor at American University. Author of The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping Recommendations: Geraldine: John Curtin remains our greatest PM, 80 years after his death, with a living legacy, The Australian Hamish: Louis Theroux: The Settlers, ABC iView Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

It's sometimes described as a 'dance with the devil', but can populism also deliver for citizens? As some democracies stall, how are populist leaders like Giorgia Meloni and Javier Millei managing to solve decades-long problems? Is there such a thing as 'good' populism? Guest: Professor Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at Stanford University, author of Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency Recommendations: Geraldine: 'The Zelenskyy Story', SBS On Demand Hamish: 'When Does Populism Become a Threat to Democracy?', speech by Larry Diamond Larry: Chip War, by Chris Miller Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

After promising his MAGA base that he wouldn't get the US into any further foreign entanglements, Donald Trump had a big week on the international stage. He's claiming the strikes on Iran, and the defence spending pledges at NATO as big successes, but can he square them with his promise of 'America First'? Guest: Carl Bildt, Prime Minister of Sweden 1991-1994, foreign minister 2006-2014, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations Recommendations: Geraldine: 'This is the ‘beginning of the end’ for Iran’s supreme leader. But what comes next?', Roland Oliphant in AFR 'If This Mideast War Is Over, Get Ready for Some Interesting Politics', Tom Friedman in the New York Times Hamish: James, by Percival Everett Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

After decades of enjoying peacetime dividends and American protection, Germany is now re-arming in a hurry.  Troop numbers in the Bundeswehr had withered since the 1990s and spending dipped well below 2%.  But with bellicose Russia on Europe’s borders and US support no longer a guarantee, that's all changing.  The real question is: are Germans ready to be a military power once again? Guest: Dr Benedikt Franke, CEO of the Munich Security Conference Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

From the volatile fault lines of the Middle East, a dangerous new chapter has unfolded as the confrontation between Israel and Iran up-ends the region's delicate balance.  The big question is whether the US will enter the fray to assist their ally Israel.  Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline on that crucial decision, will he risk dividing his MAGA base? And will he heed the history of US foreign entanglements?  The world waits with baited breath to find out.  Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times United Nations bureau chief and Iran specialist Recommendations: Geraldine: 'Will the U.S join Israel's war with Iran', The Daily podcast from the New York Times  Nick: The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne Plus: Our bonus interview with Dr Afshon Ostovar on the question of regime change in Iran Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Israel's assassination of high-ranking military and political figures in Iran is raising questions about the regime's ability to survive this war, especially if the US enters the fight.  But the regime won't be easy to topple, despite its isolation, because of the enduring grip on power of military ideologists and the lack of a domestic opposition. So how might this war end? Guest: Dr. Afshon Ostovar, author of Wars of Ambition: The United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East, associate professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School.   Get in touch: We’d love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au 

Leaders of the world's great industrial nations will gather in Canada at the G7 over the weekend.  As the tectonic plates of international relationships continue to shift under the pressure of the Trump presidency, the summit is an opportunity to observe new diplomatic relationships. With the world sliding closer to chaos this week, could this be the moment for leaders to restore stability? Guest: Ian Bremmer, founder and President of the Eurasia Group Recommendations: Geraldine: 'Sub Text' by Sam Roggeveen, The Monthly Nick: When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

If the West really is in decline, are we watching the creation of a new world order?  This question is being asked with fresh urgency in capitals around the world as Donald Trump shakes the global system to its roots.  How can Australia prepare to meet the challenge head on?  Guests: Philippe Sands, professor of law at University College London, barrister and author of 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent and former Beijing Bureau chief, New York Times, author of At the Edge of Empire: A family's reckoning with China Bec Strating, Director of La Trobe Asia, co-author of Girt by Sea: re-imagining Australia’s Security Recommendations: All our guests' books! Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Who is a conservative and who is a radical in American politics right now? It’s not entirely clear when the Republican party has dramatically shifted its policies on tax, industry and trade. Oren Cass has an important part in this identity shift, he is influential in the New Right, a movement that also counts JD Vance and Marco Rubio as important figures.  Guest: Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass, author of The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry Recommendations: Geraldine: Why Empires Fall: Rome, America and the Future of the West, Peter Heather and John Rapley Hamish: 'This Instability May Be Worth It. Here’s Why.' New York Times Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Some news stories shake the world, others barely make the front page.  In the era of Donald Trump, many important stories are being forgotten. Lindsey Hilsum is one of the journalism's most experienced and fearless foreign correspondents. She shares reflections on a career spent running towards atrocities and how to balance covering Trump and the stories we're missing. Guest: Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor, author of I Brought The War with Me; Stories and Poems from the Front Line Recommendations: Hamish: Lindsey Hilsum on Desert Island Discs, BBC Kylie: You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, Elizabeth Becker Get in touch:   We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East was three days of glitz, gold and billion-dollar deals.  The big surprise was a meeting with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Does this signal an intent to reshape the region and some of its enduring conflicts?  And does the decision not to visit Israel signal a cooling relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu? Recommendations: Kylie: Jerusalem the biography by Simon Sebag Montefiori  Hamish: Donald Trump seeks bromance and billions as he heads to Gulf, FT GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

The Australian Signals Directorate is one of Australia's most secretive agencies, responsible for decoding enemy messages, protecting us from cyber threats and collaborating with allied intelligence services.  Rachel Noble knows how the machine works, as the former head of ASD she helped shape Australia's role in the Five Eyes alliance.  Now, with Trump's return and Signal-gate leaks, can Australia still trust its closest ally? Guest: Rachel Noble, former Director-General of Australia Signals Directorate  Recommendations: Geraldine:  The Crisis of our Time by Christopher Clark Hamish: East West Street by Philippe Sands GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

As the world awaits the sitting of the conclave and the appointment of a new Pope, Geraldine sits down with the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Apostolic Palace. Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au  

The Australian election campaign was rocked by allegations that Moscow had requested access to an Indonesian air base for use by long-range Russian military planes. Russia and Indonesia have a long and deep history of cooperation and trade going back to Indonesian independence, which appears to be strengthening under President Prabowo Subianto. Does Australia have reason to be concerned? Guest: Dr Marty Natalegawa, former Foreign Minister of Indonesia Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au

There are two states that have the most to gain, and the most to lose, when it comes to AUKUS: South Australia and Western Australia. In the final episode of AUKUS Investigated Hamish and Geraldine speak to South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas about why he thinks the rest of the country needs to come to the AUKUS party.  NOTE: This podcast was first released on 20 December 2024. GET IN TOUCH:  We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au