Centre for Independent Studies

On Liberty Ep.64 | Stan Grant | What Does The Return Of The Taliban Mean For Afghanistan & The World

Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani fled the country over the weekend, leading to a complete collapse in government administration and a rapid Taliban takeover of the entire country. A one-time Abu Dhabi based correspondent for CNN and former anchor for Al Jazeera in Doha, Australia's own Stan Grant brings a depth of in-region experience to the analysis of Afghan affairs. Today we ask Grant how the Taliban were able to sweep to power so rapidly, who was responsible for the collapse of American influence in Kabul, what the return of the Taliban means for Afghanistan -- and the world. We'll also be asking Grant how identity has shaped politics in Afghanistan, seeking to learn lessons from Afghanistan that might teach us about Australian society and our own senses of belonging

On Liberty Ep.62 | Ehud Yaari | The New Israeli Government And Geopolitical Tensions

On the show this Wednesday, we welcome Ehud Yaari visiting expert at the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and one of Israel's leading public affairs commentators. This episode will focus on the recently sworn in Bennett–Lapid Israeli Government, the Biden Administration's actions in the Middle East six months on from his inauguration, as well as a geopolitical overview of the region.
Israel’s status as the only liberal, democratic nation amidst a vast expanse of autocratic and illiberal states is remarkable. So, after Benjamin Netanyahu's 12 years as Prime Minister, what will the new coalition government bring? Can they really hold together with such a slim majority? and how will geopolitical pressures including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action impact the State?
Ehud Yaari a Middle East commentator for Israeli television since 1975 and won awards for his coverage of the peace process with Egypt, the Lebanon War, and the First Gulf War. Yaari's articles have appeared in respected newspapers and journals such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and Atlantic Monthly.

On Liberty Ep.61 | William Maley | How A Peace Process Went Wrong

This episode focuses on Afghanistan’s future prospects given Australia’s recent closure of its embassy in Kabul, and the withdrawal of all US forces from Afghanistan after 20 years. We'll discuss the implications of the US withdrawal, the ‘peace process’ that was supposed to flow from the US-Taliban agreement, and what scenarios could play out should the Taliban regain control.

On Liberty Ep.60 | Stephan Livera | Bitcoin Volcano

We welcome podcast host, Bitcoin maximalist and co-founder of Ministry of Nodes, Stephan Liveria. This episode will focus on cryptocurrency and decentralised finance. Bitcoin started the year at an all-time high. Then, there was controversy after Elon Musk criticised the cryptocurrency for its allegedly damaging impact on the environment. Now, El Salvador has made Bitcoin one of its official currencies.

On Liberty ep.59 | Armelle Rebuffet | Bastille Day 2021: Franco-Australian relations

We welcome French Consul (Commercial), Armelle Rebuffet. We'll discuss how BusinessFrance works to strengthen Franco-Australian relations, how covid-19 has impacted the way French companies view and engage with Australia and the main barriers and obstacles for Australian businesses looking to move. BusinessFrance works connecting French and Australian companies and how they assist Australian companies to settle and invest in France.

On Liberty Ep.57 | Peter Baldwin | A New Dark Age? Identity Politics And The Threat To Civilization

As Sydney starts another round of lockdown, we are pleased to say we will still be able to produce the weekly On Liberty -- fitting, considering it is the reason we started the show in the first place!
This week we ask, if liberalism falls will that usher in a 'new dark age'? If so, what, exactly, will go dark? Freedom of speech and the press, democratic elections, and independent judiciaries are the foundation of the contemporary civilization, not only of the West but of the whole world. But they are threatened by identity politics, which sees little of value in our post-Enlightenment civilization, to the point of disputing whether such a civilization even exists.
We talk to former ALP federal minister and serial social entrepreneur Peter Baldwin about his new online magazine: Politics & Civilization. An outgrowth of the Blackheath Philosophy Forum, Politics & Civilization publishes articles and videos that address long-term developments that are reshaping Western societies and transforming their politics. We'll be asking Peter what the suppression of speech means for the future of civilization -- and what we can do to preserve the future from the depredations of the past.

On Liberty Ep.58 | Dr Anthony Dillon | Indigenous Truth - Telling

On the show this Wednesday, we welcome CIS contributor and Australian Catholic University academic, Dr Anthony Dillon. Writing in The Herald Sun recently, Anthony says proponents for truth-telling of Australia’s past selectively advance a sanitised version and are disinterested in inconvenient truths facing Indigenous Australians today.
Anthony argues that truth-telling hasn’t extended to sensitive contemporary issues, such as the tragic rates of child abuse, violence, and suicide inflicting Indigenous communities. Instead, he warns that a loud minority seek to silence debate and distract from persistent and pervasive dysfunction faced by marginalised Australians. He cites the confected outrage generated against the late cartoonist, Bill Leak, empty charges of racism hurled where none is found to exist, and the harmful groupthink that has swallowed false narratives about Australia’s Indigenous history.
Join us, when guest host, Glenn Fahey asks how we can promote genuine truth-telling on Indigenous affairs?
Does political correctness and cancel culture silence genuine truth-tellers? How can Australia purport to be a free and open society when civil debate is unwelcome? Can evidence trump emotion in tackling policy challenges facing Indigenous Australians? Is there cause for optimism following the recent rebuke of false claims about Indigenous histories?

On Liberty Ep.56 | Bob Graham | Can Australia Succeed In Commercialising Science?

Australia does a lot of great science, but has a poor record of translating that science into benefits for society. At least, that's what the education minister has been telling us. This week we talk to an eminent Australian scientist to hear about a home-grown translational medicine success story -- and to find out what barriers still stand between basic research and commercial applications.
This week we talk to Prof Bob Graham of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, a specialist in molecular cardiology and cardiac regeneration. He and his team have discovered a way to convert the venom of the Australian funnel-web spider into a drug that can reduce brain damage after strokes and improve heart recovery after heart attacks. An amino acid peptide derived from this venom may one day be injected into stroke and heart attack victims in the ambulance before they even reach the hospital.
How important is basic science for medical research? Why does basic science have to be done here, in Australia? Why can't we just rely on science done overseas for applications in Australia? What's the difference between commercialisation and translational medicine? Our regular host Salvatore Babones will be asking Prof Graham these questions and more as we hear the story of an incredible medical discovery and learn why basic science in the public interest.
Bob Graham is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine at UNSW and was the inaugural director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. He spent a substantial portion of his career in the United States, where he rose to become the Robert C. Tarazi Chairman of the Department of Molecular Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Foreign Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.

On Liberty Ep.55 | David Goodman | The Communist Party In Chinese Society

With the Australian and Chinese governments arguing in increasingly shrill tones, has Australia really "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people"? In China's official view of the world, the Party and the people are one. But is that really true? And how is the Party's role in society changing in the 21st century?

The State Of Our Economy | Josh Frydenberg & Tom Switzer | Conversations at CIS

Since last month’s federal budget, the Centre for Independent Studies has lamented that the Coalition government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison has embraced the political left’s economic credentials as interventionists and big spenders.
Will Canberra’s historic spending blowout lead to an inflation surge, prompting higher interest rates? Will it just steal economic growth from the future in return for a temporary surge in the next year to 18 months?
Will the spending blowout in aged care, child care, NDIS rule out a balanced budget for another decade? Where are the pro-growth reforms, which seek to create the circumstances for long-term prosperity? Where are the productivity enhancing policies that would create permanent incentives to work and invest?