Today I spoke with John Blaxland and Qinduo Xu. John is an outspoken commentator and researcher on topics such as Australian military history and strategy, public policy, security, defence, and international relations. Qinduo Xu is a political analyst who frequently contributes to international media outlets on China’s rise and its interactions with the rest of the world. We discussed roots of the AUKUS partnership, difference in Australian and Chinese perspectives, China’s economic and military growth, COVID-19, Double standards, lack of transparency, projection of strength, culture and many other topics.
You can follow John and Qinduo on their respective Twitter accounts @JohnBlaxland1 and @xuqinduo.
I briefly mentioned an article I recently published on the state of Western democracy, grey zone warfare by authoritarian states and the dangers of social media. You can view the article here.
---
Full show notes
My guests today are John Blaxland and Qinduo Xu. My audience might already be familiar with John Blaxland, who’s previously been on the show. He is a Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies and former Head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University.
Prior to his academic pursuits, John enjoyed an extensive career as an Intelligence Officer in the Australian Army including as the principal intelligence staff officer for the Australian contingent deployed to East Timor in 1999, as the Director Joint Intelligence Operations at Headquarters Joint Operations Command and as Australia’s Defence Attaché to Thailand and Myanmar. John is an outspoken commentator and researcher on topics such as Australian military history and strategy, public policy, security, defence and international relations.
Qinduo Xu hosts Dialogue Weekend at China Global Television Network (CGTN), a talk show that offers in-depth analyses of current affairs. He also works as a producer of the TODAY show at China Radio International. As a political analyst who follows Chinese foreign policy closely, Qinduo frequently contributes to international media outlets such as The New York Times, Press TV, NPR, Turkey’s TRT, ABC, RT, and others.
Qinduo majored in both English and international studies. His focus of research has been on China’s rise and its interactions with the rest of the world. Qinduo has spent years in the US as the chief correspondent for China Radio International and one year in Australia as a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne. He is a Senior Fellow at the Pangoal Institution and an Adjunct Professor at Renmin University of China.
Some of the topics we covered are:
30. Adam Cooper - Mediation, Diplomacy and Digital Conflict
29. The Story Behind ‘The Voices Of War‘
28. Sahar Fetrat - On the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan
27. Dr Ghassan Jawad Kadhim - Still ‘The Last Optimist In Baghdad‘?
26. LTCOL Dave Grossman - On killing, combat, sleep, ’blind spots’ and everything else in between
25. Dr Mike Martin & Dr Christopher Ankersen - Afghanistan Update and Future
24. Hizbullah Khan - On the current situation and the future of Afghanistan
23. Ehsaan - The Life of a Coalition Interpreter in Afghanistan
22. Hizbullah Khan - Situation in Afghanistan as seen by a local analyst and journalist
21. Dr Kay Danes - On Interpreters and Locally Employed Staff stuck in Kabul
20. Dr Mike Martin - Update on unfolding situation in Afghanistan
19. David Livingstone Smith - On Dehumanisation
18. Shannon E French - On ’The Code of the Warrior’ and Ethics of War
17. Will Yates and Joe McCleary - On Trial for War Crimes: A Soldier’s Experience
16. Andrew Quilty - Perspectives of a Photo- and Investigative- Journalist
15. John Blaxland - Reflexions on Australian military operations and lessons learnt
14. Džemil Hodžić - Finding Light in the Dark
13. Hasan Aygun - The Pragmatic Diplomat
12. Roger Noble - A Major General’s Perspective
11. Harry Moffitt - A Humble Warrior
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL