In this special edition of 'Policy Perspectives', Andrew Blyth, Group Manager, John Howard Prime Ministerial Library, UNSW Canberra, sits down with Sir Anthony Seldon, historian, educator and prolific political biographer. Andrew and Sir Anthony explore several current political issues facing Westminster and their relevance to Australia: the decline in trust of public institutions, why the job of prime minister has become almost impossible (with many failures), who will replace Boris Johnson, and whether the funding of prime ministerial libraries is in the public interest. Sir Anthony conclude ..read more

The John Howard Prime Ministerial Library and Museum of Australian Democracy held ‘In Conversation with Troy Bramston and Michelle Grattan’ on Tuesday, 1 June 2022 at Old Parliament House. Bramston discussed his new book, Bob Hawke: Demons and Destiny, the definitive full-life biography of Australia's 23rd prime minister; the only one that Hawke cooperated with after exiting the prime ministership. The biography is based on an exclusive series of interviews with him – the last that he gave – as well as unfiltered access to his extensive trove of personal papers ..read more

Rivers nurture some of the world’s most environmentally, socially and economically vital ecosystems. The mighty Mekong River is a prominent example, often referred to as Southeast Asia’s ‘lifeblood’. In this podcast, Dr Pichamon Yeophantong and Professor Anthony Burke discuss the impacts that social and environmental change has on women and communities reliant on the Mekong, the ways that local women contribute to river governance and leadership, and their deep understanding of the relationship between humans and nature ..read more

Warfare will increasingly be urban and occur amongst populations, Dr Christina Spittel and Dr Charles Knight discuss in this episode. The trends towards both greater humanitarian suffering and military difficulty are undeniable. These factors will make urban conflict a theatre of competing narratives as much as competing armies. The evidence is that armies that are unprepared risk their reputations and strategic failure. This research identifies particular challenges, evidence of vexed ADF-media relationships, and makes practical recommendations ..read more

Two centuries ago, the military forces of the East India Company were the British empire’s largest armies. Rightly regarded as ‘an extraordinary phenomenon’, they comprised a huge multi-ethnic force, the largest disciplined army in Asia and arguably the key element in Britain’s conquest of the Indian sub-continent. In 1857 the mutiny-rebellion utterly transformed this unique force. In this podcast two of the foremost military historians of British India look at the heyday of the Company’s Armies. Professor Peter Stanley of UNSW Canberra, author of the forthcoming book John Company's Armies, di ..read more

In this episode, Dr Pichamon Yeophantong and Dr Ashok Sharma will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on geopolitics, as evidenced by the escalation of the simmering strategic rivalry between the United States and China, as well as major flashpoints such as the violent clash between China and India and the re-emergence of the Quad partnership between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, and the unravelling great power game for the mastery in the Indo-Pacific ..read more

As Australia continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s heavy reliance on imports for essentials such as medicines, manufactured items and petroleum has been brought to greater public attention. In this episode, hosted by Dr Pichamon Yeophantong, Vice Admiral Peter Jones (ret'd) argues the need for Australia to have greater strategic resilience. Vice Admiral Jones is an Adjunct Professor at the UNSW’s Naval Studies Group and the producer of the University’s high rating Australian Naval History podcast series ..read more

The wonders of the natural world are threatened like never before. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the overarching global legal instrument for biodiversity. We sit on the brink of the possible realisation of a significant shift in the operation of the Convention. From 11-15 October 2021, during Part One of the CBD's 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15), countries from around the world will come together virtually to negotiate the proposed Global Biodiversity Framework. In this episode Professor Anthony Burke and Macquarie University Senior Lecturer Michelle Lim explore the pa ..read more

On 15 September 2021 the leaders of Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom jointly announced a new trilateral security pact, ‘AUKUS'. Under the agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to help Australia to develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines that add to the Western military presence in the Pacific region. The agreement also covers key areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, underwater capabilities and long-range strike capabilities. The announcement spelled the end of a $90 billion contract struck in 2016 with the French company Naval Grou ..read more

President Biden's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in September marks the end of a 20-year conflict for the US and many of its NATO allies. Reflecting on the challenges faced during this conflict, Gareth Rice explains his research on the lesser-known drug war that intersected with the counterinsurgency campaign. With Afghanistan providing the source of 90% of the world's supply of illicit-opium, the war on drugs has become interviewed with Afghan society and the insurgency that depends on it for its survival. Gareth's research goes to the heart of understanding modern insurgency an ..read more