Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

With the purging of another top general, China's President Xi Jinping has ripped a hole in the People's Liberation Army leadership. Only two of his nine top generals remain in office.
It's been explained as an anti-corruption move, but what's really going on? And how will it impact Beijing's behaviour towards Taiwan? 
Guest: Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis
Mentions:
"China's top general accused of giving nuclear secrets to US" - Wall Street Journal
 "The demise of Zhang Youxia hits different" - Drew Thomson, Substack article.
Recommendations:
Geraldine: It was just an accident - film, dir. Jafar Panahi
Hamish: But also John Clarke - documentary, ABC iView
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The former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has spent his working life on the frontline of humanitarian crises - from the "catastrophic" situation in Sudan, to Syria in the Middle East. But with the international rules-based order facing an existential crisis of its own, is the UN still up to scratch?
As he steps down from his role, Filippo talks to Kylie Morris and Latika Bourke about why the world shouldn't turn away from Sudan, and why Trump's Gaza 'Board of Peace' will never replace the UN - for all its flaws.
Guest: Filippo Grandi, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
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Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Standing ovations are rare at Davos, the annual World Economic Forum conference. But Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tore the roof down with a speech calling on the world's middle powers to forge a united path away from the hegemony of American power. And Trump isn't happy about it. 
Geraldine Doogue and Latika Bourke speak to former Canadian Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff about how much Australia and Canada have in common, and why Europe and Great Britain are the middle powers to watch. 
Guest: Michael Ignatieff, Professor at the Central European University in Vienna and former leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
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Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a China hawk, and if she wins February's snap election, she'll use that mandate to prepare for conflict over Taiwan.
So says the former Japanese ambassador to Australia, who's a foreign policy whisperer, well connected to the Prime Minister.
But is President Trump on board? And what about Canberra?
Guest: Shingo Yamagami, former Japanese ambassador to Australia 
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The 24 hour international news cycle often leaves us with more questions than answers, so in this episode of Global Roaming Hamish and Geraldine will be exploring the things YOU actually want to know. Like whether we should be following the money when it comes to Venezuela - does President Trump have a personal financial stake which helps explain his actions there? And if Australia's international fuel supplies were to be cut off by an act of sabotage or war, how many days could we continue to function? Turns out the answer is more surprising than you think... 
Plus Hamish and Geraldine discuss what they've been thinking deeply about - from the inner workings of the US Republican Party, to the history of the international radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is now caught up in the Australian government's moves to target to hate groups. 
Suggested reading/watching mentioned in this episode:
Middle East Forum: Hizb ut-Tahrir: Political Doctrine, Global Reach, and Challenge to the International Order
The Australian - Amanda Hodge: Why banning radical Islamist Hizb ut-Tahrir is only half the battle
Forbes: How Trump’s Attack On Venezuela May Have Made Him Money
ABC 7:30: Concerns over how long Australia’s fuel supplies would last in an emergency 
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]
Find all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.