The Red Line

Water is the most precious resource known to man, but some countries are currently preparing to wield it as a weapon. Through the building of hydroelectric dams, the shrinking of water supplies, or plain geography, water is set to reshape the balance of power in many of the world's geopolitical flashpoints. So where are these flashpoints, who is set to gain the upper hand, and how will climate craft a new reality for these nations? To answer that, we sat down with a panel of geopolitical experts.  On the panel this week: - Ben Bowie (TMP) - Alex De Waal (World Peace Foundation) - Bruce Pannier (Freelance Journalist) - Michael Kugelman (Wilson Centre) - Gordon Flake (Perth USAsia Center) Made in partnership with The Mission Climate Project This episode is Part 3 of our 5 part series.  Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus Follow TMP on @Mission2020s For more info please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast discusses the Biden administration's ban on high-end microchips and semiconductors entering China, the potential consequences of imposing sanctions on China's access to these technologies, the geopolitical significance of microchips, and the impact of restrictions on China's semiconductor industry. It also explores the concept of extreme measures countries may resort to, China's response to threats of decoupling in the industry, and the implications of the US's actions on China's regional ambitions and military modernization.

Beijing now plays a crucial part in the global supply chain, and with it, the global CO2 output. However, even though China only recently reached this level of industrialisation, climate change is hitting them at the same time as everywhere else. These changes in the environment are pushing China to fish in potentially war-starting waters, dam potentially drought-causing rivers, and force the state to attempt to achieve 60 years of energy development in the space of 5. Can they do it, or will China collapse under its own weight? On the panel this week: - Lou Munden (Mission Climate Project) - Kevin Rudd (Fmr Prime Minister of Australia) - Erin Sikorsky (Cnt for Climate and Security) - Erik Solheim (President of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative) This is Part 2 of our special 5-Part Series focusing on The Geopolitics of Climate Change This Production was Brought to you by The Red Line and Mission Climate Project Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus Follow TMP on @Mission2020s For more info visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mozambique has been struggling with an insurgency in its North for a number of years now, but events now appear to be moving from bad to worse. The area known as Cabo Delgado has chewed up and spat out PMCs and soldiers ranging from Russia's Wagner Group to South Africa's special forces, so will the EU or Rwanda finally be able to finally secure the contagious revolution in the North, or will this instability continue to deter international investors from entering Mozambique?  On the panel this week: - Borges Nhamirre (ISS) - Irina Tsukerman (Washington Inst) - Emilia Columbo (CSIS) Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus For more information please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whilst debates around Climate Change still rage on US TV, the US Military has been quietly preparing for the now inevitable. Planners are now acutely aware of just how quick Climate Change is coming down upon us, and how dramatically it will change the geopolitics of the planet. What wargames are the military running in preparation for this? Which theatres do they project to be the most impacted? and is the US ready for a worst-case scenario? We ask our panel of experts.  On the panel this week: - Sharon Burke (Ecospherics/Fmr White House) - John Conger (Center for Climate and Security/Fmr White House) - Larry Wilkerson (Fmr Chief of Staff to Colin Powell) This is Part 1 of our special 5-Part Series focusing on The Geopolitics of Climate Change This Production was Brought to you by The Red Line and Mission Climate Project Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus Follow TMP on @Mission2020s For more info visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a landslide democratic victory the military siezed power with a coup in February 2021. To prevent democracy from slipping away once again, the people of Myanmar stood up against the military junta. These protests began what would spiral into a 19-month war that has shattered the country, and broken the economy. Now the war is entering a new stage, with the Junta retreating across the country. As the Junta retreat back to the major cities though, the opposition has begun to fracture and turn on each other. Is Myanmar about to plunge into an even more complicated civil war?  On the panel this week: - Min Zaw Oo (CSIS) - Benjamin Strick (Myanmar Witness) - Joshua Kurlantzick (CFR) - Jason Tower (USIP) Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus For more information, please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turkey is attempting to reassert itself back onto the world stage but stands at a crossroads as to which direction to extend its influence. Europe has blocked Turkey's entry into the EU for decades now, and Central Asia remains a little out of reach, so should Ankara turn toward the Middle East for adventurism. With this question in mind, we ask our experts what are Turkey's short and long-term goals here in the Middle East, and whether we will see Turkey once again use its geography to dominate the energy industry.  On the panel this week: - Gönül Tol (MEI) - Rich Outzen (Atlantic Council) - Matthew Bryza (Jamestown) - James F. Jeffrey (Wilson Centre) Follow the show @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus For more info please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are now entering the sixth month of Russia's major offensive into Ukraine, and whilst reporters are fixed on the number of tank and infantry battles occurring across the country, many are missing the heated struggles taking place in within Ukraine's cyberspace. In this theatre, where many expected Russia to simply trample over Ukraine, the defenders have not only held their ground but are now taking the fight to Russia. So did we overestimate the Russian cyber capabilities, or is there more to this story? We ask our panel of experts. On the panel this week: - Roman Osadchuk (Atlantic Council) - Brig. Gen. Yurii Shchyhol (Head of SSSCIP for Ukraine) - Gavin Wilde (CEIP) - James Lewis (CSIS) Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus For more information please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The aircraft carrier has been the crown jewel of national fleets for nearly 80 years, with these steel giants being the decisive factor in many of the last centuries' pivotal battles. With their growth in importance though, came a growth in ship size, and the new supercarrier class has become such a monolith that the production of just one unit costs more than the entire military budget of most of the US's adversaries combined. Is this a wise move, to build the greatest mobile fortress to every head to sea? Or will this new generation of Chinese submarines, stealth bombers and hypersonic missiles destroy decades of US progress in a single afternoon, for less than 1% of the price?  On the panel this week: - Drachinifel (Naval Historian) - Sam Roggeveen (Lowy Inst) - Robert Farley (Patterson School) Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus For more info please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human trafficking has become the third largest industry in the black market, but unlike guns or drugs, which see millions of convictions per year, human trafficking sees less than 0.5% of cases prosecuted. So why is an industry that is so awful allowed to get away with so much, and what is preventing national governments from properly pursuing some of the world's most appalling perpetrators? We sit down with an expert panel to figure out why.  On the panel this week - John Coyne (ASPI) - Gaby DeBellis (Human Rights Lawyer) - Martina Vandenberg (The Human Trafficking Legal Center) Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus For more info please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices