As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi speaks to historian and writer Olesya Khromeychuk. They discuss the resilience of the Ukrainian people, Olesya’s personal experience with conflict and what’s at stake for the international community in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

ASPI Southeast Asia experts Teesta Prakash and Gatra Priyandita discuss the outcomes of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held in Jakarta on 4 February. They talk about the priorities for Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN, including movement on Timor-Leste’s accession, as well as Indonesia’s potential approach to Myanmar during its time as chair.

In this episode, ASPI’s Katja Theodorakis speaks to Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about Iran’s military power and how the country is investing in asymmetric capabilities. They also discuss the challenges posed by revisionist powers and Iran’s deterrence strategy.

Next, ASPI’s Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge dicsuss the defence strategic review into the Australian Defence Force’s structure, posture and preparedness, as well as priorities for investment. They talk about some of the challenges facing the review’s authors, including its looming deadline of March next year.

And ASPI analyst Baani Grewal speaks to the Lowy Institute’s Teesta Prakash about the relationship dynamics between India and the countries of Southeast Asia, and their growing strategic convergence as they tackle shared challenges.

This week, ASPI released a report detailing the lessons Australia’s intelligence community has learned from the US and UK. Two of the report’s authors, Michael Shoebridge and John Coyne, discuss their key findings and some of the shared challenges that the intelligence agencies are facing.

ASEAN’s response to the Myanmar coup in February has challenged the group’s standing. Huong Le Thu and David Engel explore this in their latest ASPI report. They discuss ASEAN’s crisis of credibility, Indonesia’s leadership role in the organisation and Australia’s role in the regional grouping.

Papua New Guinea’s government pay system was recently hit by a ransomware attack. ASPI’s Bart Hogeveen speaks with Cherie Lagakali, Pacific liaison of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise and chair of the Pacific chapter of Internet Society, about the attack and overall cyber capacity in the Pacific.

On 1 September 1951, the ANZUS Treaty was signed in San Francisco.

ASPI executive director Peter Jennings speaks with Mike Goldman, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Canberra, about the importance of the US–Australia alliance and the relevance of the treaty 70 years on. They discuss shared challenges, including climate change; what makes the alliance so enduring; and what to expect from the upcoming AUSMIN meeting in Washington.

At the end of December 2020, the European Union and China agreed in principle on a trade deal that will govern bilateral investment. Negotiations for the comprehensive agreement on investment began in 2013, but the strategic environment has changed significantly since then. ASPI’s Brendan Nicholson and Michael Shoebridge weigh the merits of this agreement.

Nicholas Coppel, Australian ambassador to Myanmar from 2015 to 2018, speaks with ASPI’s Huong Le Thu about the motivations behind the recent coup in Myanmar, the likelihood of the military holding new elections and whether international responses have done enough so far.

Covid-19 has impacted most work environments and the Australian Defence Force’s military training is no exception. ASPI’s John Coyne and Tony McCormack consider the challenges and benefits of implementing live, virtual and constructive training in the age of Covid.