If You're Listening

After ten months of war, a few likely outcomes of the war in Ukraine are emerging.A win for Vladimir Putin. A win for Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A bitter frozen conflict. Neither Putin or Zelenskyy will sign a peace agreement and admit defeat. But what if Putin’s regime ends?Guests:Dr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationLieutenant General (retired) Ben Hodges - former commanding general of the US Army in EuropeDr Mykhailo Minakov - Philosopher; Editor in Chief of Focus Ukraine blog from the Kennan Institute at the Wilson CenterMichael Bociurkiw - Global Affairs Analyst and former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in EuropePhilip Short - Former BBC Moscow Correspondent; Author of Putin: His Life and TimesProfessor Daniel Treisman, University of California, Los Angeles, co-author “Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century”

Protest is not allowed inside Russia.There was little resistance from the Russian people to the invasion of Ukraine, and those who didn’t like it simply left. But Vladimir Putin has made a decree that has caused discord across Russia. Has he finally pushed his people too far?Guests:Zoya Sheftalovich - Contributing editor for POLITICODr Christina Ezrahi - Historian; author of Swans of the Kremlin and Dancing for StalinDenis Volkov - Director - Levada Centre, MoscowDr Yevgenia Albats - Chief Editor of The New TimesDr Mykhailo Minakov - Philosopher; Editor in Chief of Focus Ukraine blog from the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center

On 26 September, a series of underwater explosions destroyed a cluster of natural gas pipelines on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.The pipes were designed to deliver gas directly from Russia to Germany, and the explosions exacerbated the already dire energy crisis in Europe.Everyone agrees it was sabotage, but nobody can agree on who did it. Today: the mystery of the Baltic Sea bubbles, and the story of how Germany’s plan for peace-through-capitalism blew up in their face.Featuring:Dr James Henderson - Chairman of the Gas Research Programme at the Oxford Institute for Energy StudiesMichael Bociurkiw - Global Affairs Analyst and former spokesperson for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

What does war look like on the ground, for the soldiers who go off to fight? What’s it like to be sent into the muddy confusion of a battlefield, asked to lay down your life for your country?In this episode: two soldiers. A Ukrainian in his 50s and a Russian in his 20s. One of them is still on the battlefield. The other fought for a week, and is now serving a 15 year prison sentence.These two stories explain a lot about how Russia messed this up, and how Ukraine was far stronger than anyone realised.Guests:Isabella Higgins - ABC News Europe CorrespondentSean Rubinsztein-Dunlop - ABC News Investigative ReporterTaras Rodtseyvich - Ukrainian Territorial Defence Volunteer; IT ManagerDr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationZoya Sheftalovich - contributing editor for POLITICOPOW interview audio courtesy of Volodymyr Zolkin

Vladimir Putin's plan for a three day takeover of Ukraine relied on a quick strike to take out Volodymyr Zelenskyy - to kill him, to capture him, or to make him flee. Putin assumed that Zelenskyy was weak, but on the very first day of the invasion, two events showed that Putin was wrong, and led to the transformation of a man into a symbol of defiance against Russian tyranny.Guests:Simon Shuster - Reporter for Time Magazine; author of an upcoming biography of Volodymyr ZelenskyyZoya Sheftalovich - contributing editor for POLITICOPhilip Short - Former BBC Moscow Correspondent; Author of Putin: His Life and TimesDr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationPOW interview audio courtesy of Volodymyr Zolkin

For 20 years the Russian President Vladimir Putin was happy to lurk in the shadows, trying and occasionally succeeding to manipulate the rest of the world into doing what he wanted them to do.But this year he chucked that out the window.His invasion of Ukraine has turned global security and the global economy upside down. In this episode we ask, why did he do it?Guests:Philip Short - Former BBC Moscow Correspondent; Author of Putin: His Life and TimesDr Yevgenia Albats - Chief Editor of The New TimesDr Mykhailo Minakov - Philosopher; Editor in Chief of Focus Ukraine blog from the Kennan Institute at the Wilson CenterDr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationSimon Shuster - Reporter for Time Magazine; author of an upcoming biography of Volodymyr Zelenskyy

In the seventh season of If You're Listening, we tell the story of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Will Putin fulfil his dream of expanding the Russian empire, or has he made the biggest mistake of his life? Episode 1 drops Wednesday November 9!

Australia is now in a race to build enough renewable energy to replace our coal fired power stations before they close. We’re in this situation because of a series of ignored warnings and missed opportunities over the last five decades.Now, experts are telling us that the transition to a decarbonised economy presents a big opportunity for Australia. The question is - can we grasp it?Guests:Dr Alan Finkel - Commonwealth government energy advisor and former Australian Chief ScientistAlison Reeve - Deputy Program Director of Energy and Climate at the Grattan Institute; former Commonwealth energy policy advisor; author of the National Hydrogen PlanDr Kerry Schott - Independent chair of the Energy Security BoardScott Hamilton - Australia-German Energy Transition Hub & former energy policy advisor to federal and Victorian governmentsDr Ross Garnaut - Economist, Author of Superpower: Australia's Low Carbon Opportunity Dr Marcia Langton - Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of MelbourneRobert Hill - former Federal Environment MinisterDr Graeme Pearman - Former Chief of Atmospheric Research, CSIRO

Over the last five years, politicians in Australia and around the world have regularly tried to blame renewable energy whenever something goes wrong with our electricity supply.But lately whenever something catastrophic has happened to our energy supply, it’s been old technology at fault.This is the story of a series of disasters that show how the system we’ve always relied on to deliver electricity is faltering.Guests:Dr Alan Finkel - Commonwealth government energy advisor and former Australian Chief ScientistWendy Farmer - Latrobe Valley resident and founder of “Voices of the Valley”Alison Reeve - Deputy Program Director of Energy and Climate at the Grattan Institute; former Commonwealth energy policy advisor; author of the National Hydrogen PlanDarren Chester - Federal MP for GippslandDr Kerry Schott - Independent chair of the Energy Security BoardScott Hamilton - Australia-German Energy Transition Hub & former energy policy advisor to federal and Victorian governmentsIan Macfarlane - Chief Executive of Queensland Resources Council & former federal resources ministerGraham Richardson - Former Federal Environment Minister

Australia has always found energy underground - digging up coal, gas and uranium. As climate change begins to change the way we get our power, our leaders regularly argue that we can keep on digging for power while also saving the planet. But do nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage, and gas fired power have a role to play in the future?

For more than a decade, Australian politicians have discovered - the hard way - that climate policy is a dangerous game. But as the Federal Parliament tore itself apart, the rest of the world moved on, finding new ways to understand the effects of climate change, and deal with it. This is the story of how Australia fell behind the rest of the world, and why we might finally be ready to catch up.Guests:

In 1997, the debate over climate change in Australia was relatively civil. The question was not whether climate change was happening, but what should be done about it?In the following decade, Australia’s mining industry polluted the debate with misinformation. This is the story of how Australia's understanding of this vital issue went backwards.

Australia intends to keep exporting coal for as long as there are countries willing to buy it. Miners have grand dreams of establishing new coal regions in Queensland to supply coal to the power stations and steel mills of India.But how much longer will India, and our other big coal customers, keep needing it?Guests:Neelima Jain, Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International StudiesMika Ohbayashi, Director of the Renewable Energy Institute, TokyoMary Delahunty, Head of Impact at HestaIan Macfarlane, Chief Executive of Queensland Resources Council & former federal resources ministerDr Judith Brett - Emeritus Professor of Politics at La Trobe University, author of the Quarterly Essay The Coal Curse

Australia’s second-oldest city, Newcastle, was built around a single resource - coal.Since then, Australia has come to rely on coal for its prosperity. Our industries grew around the cheap energy it provided, and our global trade balance relies on its export.But now, that has to end. The question is - what will happen to Australia, and its coal communities - when it does?Guests:Professor John Maynard, Emeritus Professor, Indigenous Education and Research, University of NewcastleDr Judith Brett - Emeritus Professor of Politics at La Trobe University, author of the Quarterly Essay The Coal CurseJulie Baird - Director of Newcastle MuseumStephen Galilee - CEO of the NSW Minerals CouncilScott Hamilton, Australia-German Energy Transition Hub & former energy policy advisor to federal and Victorian governmentsWendy Farmer - Voices of the ValleyDarren Chester - Federal Nationals Member for Gippsland

In 1987, scientists gathered in Melbourne for a landmark conference where they discussed, for the first time, the effects climate change might have on Australia.In the decade after that, two decisions were made by federal governments - one Liberal, and one Labor - which have shaped the climate debate in this country ever since. Australia, If You’re Listening will look at why Australia’s found it so hard to tackle climate change since then, and what that means for the future.Guests:Dr Graeme Pearman - Former Chief of Atmospheric Research, CSIROGraham Richardson - former Federal Environment MinisterRos Kelly - former Federal Environment MinisterRobert Hill - former Federal Environment Minister

The sixth season of If You’re Listening tells the story of Australia’s turbulent history with climate change, and what that means for the future.As we approach a federal election where climate and energy is a key battleground, this 8 episode series will examine how Australia wasted decades fighting change, instead of capitalising on it.Episode 1 launches on February 23.

For months commentators and politicians in Australia have been talking about one of the most frightening topics imaginable — a war between the United States and China over the island of Taiwan.It's the last frozen remnant of a hundred year old Civil War — two governments both claiming to be the legitimate rulers of China, separated by 100 miles of ocean.In this episode, we explain the bizarre story which led to the current tension, and look at what might happen next.Guests:Katherine Wei, Taiwan Correspondent, The Straits TimesMalcolm Turnbull, former Australian Prime MinisterDr Helen Sham-ho OAM, first Chinese-born MP in an Australian parliament

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the shutdown of travel from China, it shone a harsh light on the way Australia treats Chinese students who come here to study.Some feel isolated and discriminated against, others feel they are being treated as "cash cows" by a university sector desperate for their fees.Can we do better? And can we handle it when problems arise inside the bubble we have created around Chinese students?Guests:Dr Fran Martin, associate Professor & Reader in Cultural Studies, University of MelbourneCatriona Jackson, CEO, Universities AustraliaYaqiu Wang, researcher, Human Rights Watch'Yuki', former University of Adelaide studentJane Poon, Australia-Hong Kong Link

From humble beginnings in a tiny town whose name means "deep drainage ditch", electrical engineer Ren Zhengfei grew his company Huawei into a global technology giant, delivering competitive telecommunications equipment at low prices.But when Australia accused Huawei of being a security risk, a snowball began to roll which led to arrests, hostages being taken, and pure white hot fury in Beijing.This is the story of how a decision made in the midst of a Prime Ministerial spill may lead to a new technology cold war.Guests:Sue-Lin Wong, China correspondent, The Economist and co-author of The Beijing Bureau: 25 Australian Correspondents Reporting China's RiseMalcolm Turnbull, former Australian Prime Minister

When China rolled out their trade sanctions regime against Australia to try and punish us for a litany of perceived insults, the trade of one commodity was conspicuously left untouched.China's desperate need to stimulate economic growth through construction has left them with an insatiable appetite for Australian iron ore.In this episode, we look at the incredible things they've built using our most valuable resource, and what might happen if they decide to stop buying it.Guests:Dinny McMahon, author of China's Great Wall of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans and the End of the Chinese MiracleDr Feng Chongyi, Associate Professor in China Studies, University of Technology, SydneyKevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister

In 1989, five days after tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in Beijing and brutally ended weeks of protests, the then prime minister Bob Hawke gave a horrifying description of what Australia thought happened.But where did the account come from? And what did it get wrong?Over the past three months China, If You're Listening investigated the source of this description and found it was a previously undisclosed diplomatic cable from the Australian Embassy in Beijing, which subsequently had key details retracted.This is a bonus episode, produced with our friends at The Signal — a daily ABC News podcast.Guests:Blanche d'Alpuget, biographer and wife of late former prime minister Bob HawkeRichard Rigby, Emeritus Professor of the College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, CanberraCraig Emerson, former advisor to Bob Hawke, and cabinet minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments

For decades Australia has taken the approach that when it comes to China; we can criticise their human rights record without risking our trading relationship.We told China we disapproved of their crackdown on students at Tiananmen Square in 1989, but continued to sell them iron ore.Xi Jinping has made it clear that the arrangement has now changed, as he simultaneously takes the lessons Beijing learned at Tiananmen, and applies them to a crackdown on Muslims in his country's far west.Guests:Rose Tang, 1989 Tiananmen Square protesterAlim Osman, president, Uyghur Association of VictoriaKevin Rudd, former Australian Prime MinisterYaqiu Wang, researcher, Human Rights Watch

At first glance, Chinese President Xi Jinping's life story seems simple. His father was a high-ranking Chinese government official, and opened doors for his son, who rose even higher.But his rise to become the most powerful Chinese leader since Chairman Mao Zedong seems far more unlikely when you find out what Mao's policies did to Xi's family during his childhood.In this episode we tell the story of Xi's — from its terrifying beginning to mysterious end — and ask if he is the catalyst for the deterioration of relations between China and Australia.Guest:Dr Joseph Torigian, expert on Chinese elite politics, American UniversityDr Feng Chongyi — Associate Professor in China Studies — University of Technology, SydneyKevin Rudd, former Australian Prime MinisterLouisa Lim, author of The People's Republic of Amnesia and co-host of The Little Red PodcastDr Helen Sham-ho OAM, first Chinese-born MP in an Australian Parliament

A podcast about how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse.Not long ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping was regularly having warm, friendly chats with Australia's Prime Ministers.Now, he won't even take our phone calls, trade is being blocked, and Australian politicians are talking about preparations for war.Episode 1 coming on the 1st of June.

When the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, killing hundreds of thousands in its wake, President Donald Trump's new way of running the country suddenly left America exposed.

For a decade Donald Trump railed against China. But once he was elected, Chinese President Xi Jinping quickly broke down Trump's defences.In today's episode, how President Xi turned Trump's disdain for China into a beautiful friendship.And created the perfect distraction from what China was really doing.

Just this month, the public finally got access to Donald Trump's tax returns.They revealed that he pays little to no tax, because he makes very little money.So what does a businessman do when he needs to revamp his image and make a little cash? Become the most famous person in the world.How Donald Trump tried to make money off the Presidency.

Donald Trump ran for election on some promises - building a wall between the US and Mexico, and stopping the immigration of Muslims.But instead of living up to his promise to stem the tide of immigrants, he resorted to truly shocking measures.How did Donald Trump push America's immigration system to the limits of what is legal, and what is morally justifiable?

When George Floyd was killed by police, protestors took to the streets in worldwide support of the Black Lives Matter protests.Donald Trump has a long history with speaking out on issues to do with race.So how far did his law and order response go toward soothing America's centuries old racial divide.When Donald Trump was elected, he promised to Make America Proud Again but did he just end up making it worse?

As a businessman and presidential candidate, Donald Trump was extremely harsh on Saudi Arabia.So when Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside a Saudi consulate, why did Donald Trump come to the Kingdom's defence?

Within months of taking office, Donald Trump threatened North Korea with "fire and fury".Soon afterwards, he would tear up a nuclear deal with Iran and bring the US to the brink of war.And yet that war never came.This is the story of how Donald Trump resisted temptation and kept the peace.

The most powerful gun lobby group in the United States was brought to the edge of collapse.And right at that moment, Donald Trump vowed to do something about mass shootings.Could Donald Trump finally defeat the NRA, or when the moment came, did he flinch?

Hurricane Maria smashed through Puerto Rico in 2017, destroying everything in its wake.What did the worst American natural disaster in decades teach Donald Trump about how to be president?When Trump was inaugurated, he promised to Make America Safe Again... when the hurricane hit, did he live up to his promise?This is America, If You’re Listening. A podcast about how President Donald Trump has left his mark on the United States, and the world.

The 2020 US Presidential election is shaping up to be a historical moment. Voters are deciding if the America of the last four years is the one they want to live in in the future.President Trump's has presided over the most turbulent four years in living memory. He's dealt with crises, changed policies, and fought for his political survival.America, If You're Listening will look back at these astonishing four years, and shed new light on the incredible chaos of Donald Trump's first term as President.

Russian intelligence agencies and Vladimir Putin have spent three years spreading a conspiracy theory that Ukraine was the one who meddled in the 2016 election.The theory quickly reached Donald Trump, and he became obsessed with proving it.He's now being impeached for his scheme to get Ukraine to investigate it.While this scheme has blown up in Trump’s face, and allegedly harmed America and Ukraine’s national security, it has played out perfectly for Putin.

You might think Trump's impeachment inquiry started because of a dodgy phone call to the Ukrainian President.But the origins are actually in the Ukrainian gas industry - which is deeply corrupt and reliant on Russia - just the way Putin likes it.In 2014, Joe Biden flew to Ukraine to try and break their Russian gas addiction.And started the dominoes falling which would eventually lead to Donald Trump's infamous request for a favour.

Like all dictators, Vladimir Putin is terrified of being overthrown by his people.Keeping his popularity high among average Russians is a priority for him, and from 2014 to 2018 he was king of the mountain.To keep that going in 2018 he announced an exciting new nuclear-powered nuclear missile.But that's where things started to go wrong.

In 2006, Russian assassins killed a dissident in London. But they left a spectacular radioactive mess behind them and ended up in a Moscow hospital.But this wasn't the worst example of spycraft in England over the last two decades.One attack went so disastrously wrong it made the United Kingdom finally wake up to the threat of Putin's Kremlin.The story of how espionage screwups can have global consequences.

From almost complete obscurity, Nigel Farage rode a wave of British anger to take his idea of leaving the European Union from a fringe fantasy to a mainstream cause.But as Farage rose from community hall meetings to primetime TV debates, he found himself increasingly allied with Vladimir Putin.This is the story of how Mr Brexit came to recognise Putin's power and how it could help his cause.

German leader Angela Merkel was the most powerful woman in the world.Which is why Putin was determined to take her down.His campaign started by playing on her famous fear of dogs... and ended with the biggest migrant crisis the world had seen.

When is an invasion not an invasion? When Putin's propaganda machine is involved, sowing false narratives, confusion and fear. From Putin's motorcycle gang to his 'little green men' and his hip-hop loving head of misinformation, Russia tried everything to convince the West it wasn't invading Ukraine.The propaganda push worked - sort of, and tells us a lot about the misinformation Russia has gone on to do in the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power declaring he would kill his terrorist enemies, even if they were in the toilet at the time.His transition from spymaster to President came in the midst of apartment bombings, and brutal crackdowns on those he held responsible.He learned that having an enemy to fight makes you a popular leader.The turbulent first years of his Presidency tell us a lot about why he has picked a fight with the West.

The residents of the sleepy English town of Salisbury woke up one morning to find their town in chaos. Russian agents had attempted to assassinate a traitor with a terrifying weapon, in a brazen chemical attack on British soil. But the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal is only one step in a series of events which began five years ago and may help bring about Brexit, and the impeachment of a US President.Season 3 of Russia, If You're Listening begins in Salisbury, to tell the whole story of Russian President Vladimir Putin's 5-year attack on the western world.

The Russian campaign to meddle in the 2016 US Election was only part of President Vladimir Putin's big plan.Season 3 of Russia, If You're Listening looks at where the scheme to destroy western democracies began, the damage it's done, and where it might end.

It's the meeting at a fancy wine bar in London that sparked the Mueller investigation.Some say it was a boozy, alcohol-fuelled drinking session where a clever spy tricked a Trump official into divulging information about Russia.Others say it was a brief encounter where a Trump official naively blurted something to a senior diplomat.So what is the truth?For the first time, both people at the meeting - George Papadopoulos and Alexander Downer - reveal what really happened that night.Here's one spoiler: they agree they both had a gin and tonic.So pull up a chair and grab a drink, because this story gets weird.

Robert Mueller has investigated the relationship between former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.Deripaska is an aluminium tycoon with close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.Manafort tried to funnel secret insider information about the Trump election strategy to him.Was that information then used by Russia to influence the election?The story behind the last remaining collusion question.

Lawyer Don McGahn was on the Trump train from the beginning.But the dream job of White House Counsel quickly turned into a nightmare, as he slowly fell out of favour with the President.Then one night McGahn was forced to make a choice of historic proportions: help Trump potentially commit a crime or resign.McGahn has found himself the centre of attention, as his testimony to Robert Mueller implicates the President in possible obstruction of justice.

When Julian Assange was arrested last week, the only camera to capture it was Russian broadcaster RT.It's the latest event in a long relationship between the Wikileaks founder and the state-sponsored network.Assange has denied working with Russian military hackers to influence the US election.But what does Robert Mueller know about Assange’s links to Russia?

Everyone who meets Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak ends up in deep trouble. But what if that was the point?Robert Mueller seems to have found no evidence that the Trump campaign were willing participants in the criminal Russian effort to disrupt the 2016 election.But what if the Trump campaign were unwitting targets of a spy operation, led from the Russian EmbassyWere they tricked into taking pointless but suspicious-looking meetings - which the media and FBI would discover and investigate?

Affable Englishman Rob Goldstone was literally in the room for the infamous Trump Tower Meeting, and he was with Donald Trump the weekend of the mythical "pee tape".But when you look at the rest of the characters involved in the Trump/Russia saga - Republican operatives, Trump family members and Russian spies - Rob Goldstone seems like the odd man out.He puts a lot of his story down to accidents and misunderstandings, but is that all there is to it?You can get a link to the full interview on our website.