Text "Global Roaming" over a stylised globe, with two presenters against a purple backdrop featuring faint text.

Program: Global Roaming

Source:ABC Radio National

Latest Episode

Brought to you by

ABC Radio National

Presented by

Geraldine Doogue

Hamish Macdonald

A war breaks out, a leader emerges, a revolution unfolds. How did it happen, and what are the implications for you?

Two award-winning journalists with decades of experience reporting on major world events, Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald join forces for a fresh conversation about global news and how to make sense of it.

Along with expert guests, they take a single topic and examine it with Australian eyes. Challenging, thoughtful and fun, Global Roaming is your user's guide to what the world is talking about.

Airs Saturday 8.30 am. Repeated 6pm Monday and 5.30am Tuesday.

Contact Global Roaming here.

A war breaks out, a leader emerges, a revolution unfolds. How did it happen, and what are the implications for you?

Episodes

Sorted by latest

The dark motivations behind Trump's war on Venezuelan 'narco-terrorists'

What began as targeted strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats has now turned into the largest military build-up in the Caribbean since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

Published: FriFri 28 Nov 2025 at 4:00amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 29 minutes 5 seconds

The Simple Idea that Could Save Democracy

Australia does elections pretty well - in fact, we might be the world's hottest ambassador for democracy.

Published: 21 Nov 2025Fri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:00amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 30 minutes 48 seconds

Beth Jones: The Ambassador that inspired 'The Diplomat'

If you thought Netflix's hit series The Diplomat was pure fiction, think again… According to creator Deborah Cahn the show was inspired by a real-life diplomat that she has described as "a superhero in a pant suit" — Ambassador Beth Jones.

Published: 14 Nov 2025Fri 14 Nov 2025 at 6:00amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 35 minutes 30 seconds

The Hidden Hands Shaping the BBC Crisis

Geraldine has returned from London where she had a front row seat as the BBC was engulfed in it's biggest crisis in decades.

Published: 13 Nov 2025Thu 13 Nov 2025 at 6:30amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 32 minutes

Is Zohran Mamdani a Blessing or a Curse for Democrats?

This week democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian Mayor, beating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

Published: 7 Nov 2025Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 5:00amwith Hamish Macdonald and Amelia Lester

Duration: 36 minutes 16 seconds

Trump or Xi: Who Blinked First?

It may have been the most significant hour and forty minutes in global geopolitics this year...

Published: 31 Oct 2025Fri 31 Oct 2025 at 5:30amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 31 minutes 45 seconds

Are we on the cusp of the next big financial crash?

If you thought we'd never see a repeat of the GFC or even the dotcom bubble, think again...

Published: 28 Oct 2025Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 7:00pmwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 37 minutes

The VERY important meeting in China you probably missed

While we were all preoccupied with Prime Minister Albanese's meeting with Donald Trump, another hugely important meeting was taking place behind closed doors in Beijing.

Published: 24 Oct 2025Fri 24 Oct 2025 at 6:00amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 32 minutes 41 seconds

Can Netanyahu Actually Deliver on Peace?

One week on from the ceasefire deal and the commencement of the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, things look fragile. At this point, peace seems to be very much in the hands of one man: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Published: 17 Oct 2025Fri 17 Oct 2025 at 6:00amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 34 minutes 53 seconds

From heavy metal drummer to first female PM: Meet Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Sanae Takaichi

Japan has entered a new political era after the election of Sanae Takaichi who is poised to become the country’s first female prime minister.

Published: 10 Oct 2025Fri 10 Oct 2025 at 6:00amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Duration: 30 minutes 39 seconds

AUKUS Investigated

AUKUS Investigated 01: That Fella Down Under

In a special mini-series, Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald get the answers to all your burning questions about AUKUS.

Duration: 28 minutes 44 seconds

Published: 19 Dec 2024Thu 19 Dec 2024 at 9:26pmwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

AUKUS Investigated 02: Bang for buck?

The plan for us to acquire nuclear submarines has been dubbed the 'Optimal Pathway', but achieving it will be no mean feat.

Duration: 29 minutes 29 seconds

Published: 19 Dec 2024Thu 19 Dec 2024 at 11:48pmwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

AUKUS Investigated 03: The China question

In this episode Hamish and Geraldine examine the strategic thinking behind AUKUS. If China has undertaken the most rapid military expansion of any country since WWII, how does the AUKUS pact factor into Beijing's thinking?

Duration: 32 minutes 55 seconds

Published: 20 Dec 2024Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 4:07amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

AUKUS Investigated 04: The 51st US state?

Former Prime Minister Paul Keating has said of AUKUS that "we don't need to be a pair of shoes hanging out of America's backside". Is that a fair characterisation of Australia's position vis a vis AUKUS?

Duration: 36 minutes 51 seconds

Published: 20 Dec 2024Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 4:07amwith Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

Features

He's been called a cross between Donald Trump and Wolverine. Meet Argentina's new president, Javier 'El Loco' Milei

Argentina's president is hell-bent on fixing the country's economic woes, chainsaw in hand. But are his radical tactics working?

Published: 29 Oct 2024Tue 29 Oct 2024 at 8:00pmby Anna Levy, Hamish Macdonald, Zoe Ferguson and Linda LoPresti

Israel says Yahya Sinwar is dead. What kind of leader was he?

Yahya Sinwar was at the top of Israel's most-wanted list. Here's how he rose to power.

An older Palestinian man waves, surrounded by other Palestinian men

Published: 17 Oct 2024Thu 17 Oct 2024 at 8:54pmby Nick Baker, Hamish Macdonald, Zoe Ferguson and Linda LoPresti

'Publicly executed to send a message': The brutal regime of Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un runs the "model dictatorship" in North Korea. Here's how he got here.

Kim Jong Un speaks in front of microphones with a red and yellow flag in the background

Published: 22 Sep 2024Sun 22 Sep 2024 at 9:00pmby Nick Baker, Hamish Macdonald, Zoe Ferguson and Linda LoPresti

How this son of a dictator pulled off one of the biggest political makeovers in recent history

Thirty-seven years after his family fled Manilla in disgrace, Ferdinand Marcos Jr is running the country that his family had "plundered".

An elderly Filipina woman and a younger Filipino man in formal attire, both smiling

Published: 17 Oct 2023Tue 17 Oct 2023 at 6:07amby Nick Baker and Linda LoPresti

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