Stop the World: an ASPI podcast
Everything seems to be accelerating: geopolitics, technology, security threats, the dispersal of information. At times, it feels like a blur.
But beneath the dizzying proliferation of events, discoveries, rivalries and unravellings, there are deeper trends that can be grasped and understood through conversation and debate.
That’s the idea behind Stop the World, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s podcast on international affairs and security, launched in April 2024. Each week, we cast a freeze-frame around the blur of events and bring some clarity and insight on defence, technology, cyber, geopolitics and foreign policy.
We bring you the best minds and voices—Australian and international guests as well as our own experts—to talk about everything from rising authoritarianism to climate change, from armed conflict to disinformation. We talk about problems and solutions, how to maintain our liberal democratic values in an era of conflict and consider the big picture without missing the detail.
Our conversations aren’t just for policy wonks but for anyone interested in defence, international affairs and security. You can listen to new episodes each week on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Other ASPI podcasts
Prior to Stop the World, ASPI produced a weekly podcast on geopolitics and security Policy, Guns and Money. With over 200 episodes, and interviews with guests from across the globe, Policy, Guns and Money featured conversations on strategic trends in the Indo-Pacific, defence capabilities and budgets, mis- and disinformation, cyber and technology policy, climate, counterterrorism and extremism, peacekeeping and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
The podcast featured conversations on the sidelines of ASPI’s major events such as the annual ASPI Defence Conference and the Sydney Dialogue (TSD), with some of the world’s leading experts on topics including deterrence, defence strategy, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, information operations and regional security. Listen to episodes of Policy, Guns and Money here.
Stop the World: Why Ukraine matters to the Indo-Pacific
21 February 2025Today on Stop the World, the conversation on Ukraine continues, with ASPI’s Alex Bristow speaking to Jakub Zajączkowski and Saroj Kumar Aryal from the University of Warsaw. They discuss the EU...
Stop the World: A new world order? Ukraine’s Ambassador on Russia, the United States and Europe
19 February 2025In this special episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s David Wroe speaks with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, on the morning after US and Russian representatives met in Riyadh,...
Stop the World: It’s all about economic security with the EU’s Maria Martin-Prat
17 February 2025This week on Stop the World, we were pleased to host EU Deputy Director-General for Trade and Economic Security, Maria Martin-Prat. Interviewed by ASPI’s David Wroe, they discuss how the...
Stop the World is back with a pod on the Quad
7 February 2025Stop the World is back from its summer hiatus and, with so many major developments already, there’s much ground to cover in 2025. This week, ASPI’s Raji Pillai Rajagopalan...
Stop the World: Building cyber resilience with Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness
16 December 2024In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi speaks with Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness CSC to discuss her role and how...
Stop the World: Strategic shifts with Thijs van der Plas, Anita Nergaard and Scott M. Oudkirk
6 December 2024In the latest episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi is joined by Netherlands Ambassador to NATO Thijs van der Plas, Norway’s Ambassador to NATO Anita Nergaard...
Stop the World: Authoritarianism and the future of Hong Kong with Kevin Yam and Ted Hui
3 December 2024In the latest episode of Stop the World, David Wroe speaks to Kevin Yam and Ted Hui, two of Australia’s most prominent exiled Hong Kong democracy activists. Kevin is a...
Stop the World: Artificial intimacy, persuasive technologies, and how bots can manipulate us
29 November 2024Today on Stop the World, David Wroe speaks with Casey Mock and Sasha Fegan from the US-based Center for Humane Technology. The CHT is at the forefront of efforts to...
Urban warfare in Ukraine and Gaza with John Spencer
27 November 2024In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI Senior Analyst Alex Bristow interviews John Spencer, the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and...
Stop the World TSD Summit Sessions: The Climate Crisis with Anote Tong
22 November 2024In the latest video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, ASPI Senior Fellow Dr Robert Glasser speaks to the former President of Kiribati and Chair of the Pacific Elders...
Stop the World: Climate change and security with ‘Climate General’ Tom Middendorp
15 November 2024In this episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to retired General Tom Middendorp – also known as the ‘Climate General’ – about the links between climate change, defence...
Stop the World: UK defence strategy, AUKUS and deterrence with General Sir Jim Hockenhull
12 November 2024
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: Diversity and national security with Arfiya Eri
1 November 2024In the latest edition of the Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, ASPI Analyst Daria Impiombato interviews Japanese politician Arfiya Eri. Arfiya is a Japanese woman of Uyghur and Uzbek heritage. She...
TSD Summit Sessions: Quantum, semiconductors and security with Dr Pete Shadbolt
18 October 2024This episode of Stop the World is a deep dive into quantum computing with Dr Pete Shadbolt, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at PsiQuantum, and Alex Capri, Research Fellow at...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: AUKUS – lowering barriers, increasing capability with Abe Denmark
10 October 2024In the latest episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to Abe Denmark, former senior advisor to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and now non-resident senior associate...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: AUKUS – lowering barriers, increasing capability with Abe Denmark
10 October 2024In the latest episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to Abe Denmark, former senior advisor to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and now non-resident senior associate...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: AUKUS – lowering barriers, increasing capability with Abe Denmark
10 October 2024In the latest episode of Stop the World, Justin Bassi speaks to Abe Denmark, former senior advisor to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and now non-resident senior associate...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: Cyber security and tech diplomacy with Jennifer Bachus
4 October 2024It’s a double episode week on Stop the World, and today we bring you a conversation with Jennifer Bachus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: ASEAN, regional stability and disruptive tech with Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz
1 October 2024In the latest video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, Bethany Allen, Head of China Investigations and Analysis at ASPI, speaks with Her Excellency Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Deputy...
TSD Summit Sessions: Intelligence and evolving technology with Michael Rogers and Jason Healey
26 September 2024In the third video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, sits down with...
Stop the World: Multilateralism, UN reform and the WDSN with Lisa Sharland
20 September 2024In the latest episode of Stop the World, Olivia Nelson sits down with Lisa Sharland, Senior Fellow and Director of the Protecting Civilians and Human Security program at the Stimson...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: Strengthening peace and stability with Baiba Braže
12 September 2024In the second video edition of The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi sits down with Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže. Justin and Baiba discuss...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: How to navigate the deep fake and disinformation minefield with Nina Jankowicz
6 September 2024The Sydney Dialogue is over, but never fear, we have more TSD content coming your way! This week, ASPI’s David Wroe speaks to Nina Jankowicz, global disinformation expert and author...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: Defence, intelligence and technology with Shashank Joshi
30 August 2024In the final lead-in episode to the Sydney Dialogue (but not the last in the series!), ASPI’s Executive Director, Justin Bassi, interviews Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at the Economist. ...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: Technology innovation and investment with Gilman Louie
9 August 2024The Sydney Dialogue (TSD) is just weeks away. To help our listeners prepare for the forthcoming discussions at TSD, we are bringing you an interview with Gilman Louie, who was...
Stop the World: Explainer: A quick dive into subsea cables with Jocelinn Kang and Jessie Jacob
6 August 2024Subsea cables have been a major focus in the media lately. Just last week at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tokyo, Australia announced the launch of its new Cable Connectivity...
Stop the World: Understanding AUSMIN, with Kim Beazley and Marise Payne
2 August 2024AUSMIN (Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations) – what is it, how did it come about, and why is it important? ASPI’s own former AUSMIN attendees, Executive Director, Justin Bassi, and Director...
Stop the World: Japan in a blizzard of Indo-Pacific diplomacy with Guiborg Delamotte and Yamagami Shingo
31 July 2024In today’s episode, senior analyst Dr Alex Bristow is joined by Professor Guibourg Delamotte, Professor of Political Science at the Japanese studies department of the French Institute of Oriental Studies...
Stop the World: Not just another conversation on Russia, with Mark Galeotti
26 July 2024This week on the pod, David Wroe interviews Russia expert Mark Galeotti. Mark is a renowned author of many books, including ‘We Need to Talk About Putin’ and ‘Downfall: Prigozhin,...
Stop the World: TSD Summit Sessions: Countering hybrid threats with NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai
19 July 2024The countdown to the Sydney Dialogue (TSD) is on! In the second episode of ASPI’s TSD Summit Sessions, Justin Bassi, Executive Director of ASPI, speaks to James Appathurai, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary...
Stop the World: The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions: Australia’s Cyber and Critical Technologies Ambassador Brendan Dowling
12 July 2024The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions are back! Today on Stop the World, we are relaunching our special series – The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions. To kick off the series, Alex...
Stop the World: Peace on Ukraine’s terms, with Minister Bill Shorten
9 July 2024In a special episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director, Justin Bassi, speaks with Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and former leader of the Labor Party, Bill...
Stop the World: AUKUS, industry and public support with Sophia Gaston and Eric Chewning
5 July 2024In this episode of Stop the World, we bring you the final interview from our special series recorded from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’. And today it’s...
Stop the World: Japan’s security, partnerships and regional strategic outlook with Narushige Michishita
2 July 2024In this episode of Stop the World, we bring you the penultimate episode in our special series recorded from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’. This interview is...
Stop the World: Russia, North Korea and nuclear threats with Bee Yun Jo and Peter Tesch
27 June 2024This week on Stop the World, we bring you the second episode in our special series recorded from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’. In this episode, the...
Stop the World: Defence innovation and investment with Heather Richman and Linda Lourie
21 June 2024This week on Stop the World, we bring you a special episode from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’. In this first episode of a short series, ASPI’s...
Stop the World: Securing democracy: countering disinformation in 2024
24 May 2024This week’s episode of Stop the World comes to you from Brussels, where ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi interviewed the Head of Strategic Communications at the European External Action Service...
Stop the World: EU security and strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific
17 May 2024This week on Stop the World, ASPI Senior Analyst Alex Bristow speaks to Niclas Kvarnström, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European ExternalAction Service, to discuss the...
Stop the World: Defence innovation and the pathway to Pillar 2 success
10 May 2024This double episode of Stop the World is all about defence innovation. ASPI’s Director of Defence Strategy and National Security Bec Shrimpton speaks to Anduril’s Vice President of Strategy for...
Stop the World: Why auld acquaintance should ne’er be forgot
3 May 2024Australia and the United Kingdom have a lot of shared history and values, but not a lot of shared geography. For a long time, that left the strategic relationship feeling...
Mapping China’s data harvesting and global propaganda efforts
2 May 2024ASPI has released a groundbreaking report that finds the Chinese Communist Party seeks to harvest user data from globally popular Chinese apps, games and online platforms in a likely effort...
Stop the World: The future of intelligence
26 April 2024This week on Stop the World, it’s all about intelligence. Chris Taylor, head of ASPI’s Statecraft and Intelligence Program interviews David Gioe, Professor of Intelligence and Security at King’s College...
Stop the World: Unpacking Australia’s new defence strategy
19 April 2024This week on Stop the World, Senior ASPI Analyst Euan Graham is joined by retired Major General Andrew Bottrell AO, who was previously Head of Land Systems at Defence, alongside...
Stop the World: Human rights in 2024
12 April 2024Stop the World, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s new podcast is finally here! Everything seems to be accelerating: geopolitics, technology, security threats, the dispersal of information. At times, it feels...