Beacon TT 2018, Week 4: "The Legacy of WWII for China Today" – Professor Rana Mitter

05/19/18 • -1 min

In this week's episode of The Beacon, Robert Pieters interviews Professor Rana Mitter to discuss the continued relevance of China's experiences of the Second World War for its contemporary international relations. Professor Mitter, based at the Oxford University China Centre, is a leading authority on modern China, having authored several books on the topic, including China’s War with Japan, 1937-45: The Struggle for Survival in 2013. As China becomes more and more important on the global stage, there are thus few people better placed to discuss the topics of how the wartime experience continues to colour China's relationships with its neighbours, and how narratives of the war continue to shape how China conducts itself internationally today.

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Beacon TT 2018, Week 3: "A Grim Situation: Trump’s US and the Iran Deal" – Amin Saikal

In this week’s special episode of “The Beacon”, uploaded the day after Trump withdrew the US from the Iran Deal, Tandee Wang, an international contributor from the Australian National University, talks to Amin Saikal about the deal and its consequences for the Middle East region and the international community.

Saikal is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the ANU. His major works include “Iran at the Crossroads” (2016), “Zone of Crisis” Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq” (2014) and “Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival” (2012). Last year, he was co-leader of Australia’s first high-level dialogue with Iran in over a decade. Saikal is therefore perfectly placed to share his insights on the uncertain relationship between the US and Iran in the age of Trump.

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Beacon TT 2018, Week 5: "The Independent Diplomat" – Carne Ross

Archie Philipps speaks with Carne Ross, former British diplomat and founder and Executive Director of Independent Diplomat, the world’s first non profit diplomatic advisory group, which helped gain South Sudan statehood, and is currently advising the Syrian Opposition. Topics discussed in this podcast include the changing nature – and potential disintegration - of states, the Middle East conflict, and the failings and future of diplomacy