Is America retreating from global leadership?

Is this just a temporary wave of tension in the bilateral relationship, or might it signal a broader, long-term shift?

Are the current AUKUS debates in Australia cutting through in the US?

In this episode, John Blaxland joins David Andrews to discuss Australia’s relationship with the US, and why he believes we’re well placed to withstand the instabilities of Trump’s second term in office.

John Blaxland is Director of the North America Liaison Office and Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at The Australian National University.

David Andrews is Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement at the ANU National Security College

TRANSCRIPT

Show notes

• Nuclear Matters podcast
• The Secret Cold War: The Official History of ASIO, 1975-1989 by John Blaxland and Rhys Crawley
• Australia’s American Alliance edited by Peter J Dean, Stephan Frühling & Brendan Taylor
• More from the National Security Podcast on this topic: Security in transition: Trump’s America, alliances, and global stability

We'd love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. 

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How has Australia’s security landscape changed over the last decade?

How was the Indo-Pacific concept born, and how has it evolved?

What are the biggest threats facing Australia right now?

In this episode, Rory Medcalf joins David Andrews to look back on the past decade in which he has served as Head of the ANU National Security College (NSC). They discuss the evolution of global threats over this period and how NSC has shifted its work to respond.

Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of NSC. His professional experience spans more than three decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, journalism and academia.

David Andrews is Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement at NSC

TRANSCRIPT

Show notes

• Nuclear Matters podcast
• ANU National Security College initiatives
• NSC Community Consultations
• Contest for the Indo-Pacific: Why China Won’t Map the Future
• Senator the Hon Marise Payne, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Senator the Hon Penny Wong, then Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs launch Contest for the Indo-Pacific
• Professor Medcalf’s first speech at NSC, March 2015
• Speech: Mapping our Indo-Pacific future, June 2018
• Speech: Making sense of national security, December 2022
• Speech: Australian resilience and preparedness in the new world disorder, May 2025

We'd love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What impact will US and Israeli air strikes on Iran have on global non-proliferation efforts?

How is Trump reshaping the US's leadership in nuclear non-proliferation?

Could shifting international security dynamics encourage countries like South Korea or Japan to pursue nuclear weapons programs?

In this episode, Michael Cohen and Maria Rost Rublee join David Andrews to discuss how recent strikes on Iran have brought nuclear non-proliferation back to the forefront of international policy debates.

Michael Cohen is Associate Professor and Academic Director at the ANU National Security College (NSC)

Maria Rost Rublee is Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne and an Executive Committee member of Women in Nuclear-Australia

David Andrews is Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement at NSC

TRANSCRIPT

Show notes

• Nuclear Matters podcast
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
• Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
• Nuclear Suppliers Group

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.