In the aftermath of the Israeli and U.S. midterm elections, will Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launch another military campaign against Iran? And what would a renewed war mean for the Middle East? According to the WSJ Wednesday October 28: wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-… “There are new signs that the American and Israeli militaries are preparing a potential wave of strikes to muscle Tehran to the negotiating table.” Here’s veterans British Middle East correspondent Patrick Cockburn taking our questions: youtu.be/bL7oHEm1-Tw

As America heads into the midterm elections next week, is the country entering a new era of political violence? Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago and one of the leading scholars of political violence, argues that the danger lies not simply in the actions of extremists, but in the growing acceptance of violence among sections of the wider public. Bob calls this phenomenon “violent populism”, fuelled by deepening partisan divisions, racial anxieties and the capacity of social media to amplify hostility and confer legitimacy on political violence. Here’s my exchange with Bob: youtube.com/live/4STobBDkbwU…

Once again hundreds of thousands are revolting across France as clashes trips in Paris. What’s really going on here? The failure of France’s political centre has created an opening for increasingly polarised forces on both left and right, with consequences that could extend well beyond next May’s presidential election. Watch Professor Simon Heffer here: youtu.be/3Pg1gNFnbYo?si=xBKm…

Sound Chris Kenny analysis: “It is cowardly and dishonest for our political class not to recognise the reality; that most of the demonisation and violence in our polity comes from the left. It can come from any corner, or course, and should be resisted by all, but the left has form… “It might be a long while before we know exactly what motivated the lunatic who allegedly crushed Helen Haines’ legs with his Land Cruiser, but we do know he had a social media account full of anti-Israeli bile, along with plenty of climate activism. “Anyone who pays attention will be certain that if he had posted once in support of One Nation then Labor and the media would be describing him as a hard-right assailant, yet few have described him as hard-left – they seem to want to censor the partisan angle.” The PM who ignored the flames now demands we ‘lower the temperature’ theaustralian.com.au/inquire…

The devastation in Gaza, the expansion of West Bank settlements and the uncertain strategic gains from the campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, not to mention the strategic debacle over Iran, have come at a considerable cost to Israel’s international standing and long-term security. Yet the entirely legitimate criticisms of Bibi should not blind us to his almost animal instinct to survive and weather storms. Should Netanyahu prevail in Israel’s elections on October 27, he will have reinforced his claim to be one of the greatest political comeback fighters of modern times -- perhaps the greatest of them all. Here’s my column in The Australian: Great survivor Bibi may surprise the world again theaustralian.com.au/inquire…

She spent 804 days in an Iranian prison. Now the Australian academic and writer Kylie Moore-Gilbert is receiving death threats again, this time from supporters of the man many hope will replace the regime. Kylie tells me why the Shah’s son is no messiah, why Trump botched the chance for regime change, and who is most likely to rule Iran if the Islamic Republic falls. youtu.be/bUZkItDEOGI?si=0cOd…

This month marks the 70th anniversary of Quadrant, the prominent anti-communist magazine created at the height of the Cold War. The special milestone will bring former prime ministers and other distinguished guests to Sydney’s Royal Automobile Club tonight (October 21) to celebrate the occasion. There’s much to celebrate. For seven decades, Quadrant has occupied a singular place in Australian intellectual life, making it arguably the most successful and influential magazine of ideas in our nation’s history. Here's my tribute in, appropriately, Quadrant: quadrant.org.au/news-opinion…

Investigators have yet to establish the alleged assailant’s motive behind the attack on independent MP Helen Haines, although reports suggest he holds strong environmentalist and pro-Palestinian views. If confirmed, that mindset will inevitably invite questions about the relationship between political conviction and violence. Had the accused been associated with the far right, the media would be quick to examine whether extremist views helped fuel the attack. The same scrutiny should apply if the accused’s sympathies lie on the far left. Political hostility, meanwhile, remains a troubling feature of democracies across the Western world.  Read my column in The Australian: theaustralian.com.au/comment…

Is France on the cusp of civil war? The most troubling consequence of the worst riots since 1968 is that a Marine Le Pen victory next May could intensify rather than resolve France’s divisions. Sections of the radical left might refuse to accept a democratic outcome. Here’s my interview with Professor Simon Heffer, one of the English-speaking world’s leading experts on French politics: youtu.be/3Pg1gNFnbYo?si=i-h0…

Ukraine cannot win the war, and Trump’s pressure on Kyiv and his easing of sanctions on Russia are steps towards ending it. So says my guest John Mearsheimer.   Plus, will Tehran spring an October surprise before the US midterms? And former US president Barack Obama has accused Israel of having taken Palestinian land and warned that its reliance on military superiority, without meaningful concessions, had “ceded moral ground”.  Here’s the show:  youtube.com/live/VfWGiwIFVb0…

The Houthi rebels of Yemen have become one of the most consequential and disruptive forces in the Middle East. And to think they are more than capable of creating more mayhem across the Persian Gulf. Elizabeth Kendall from Cambridge is one of the world’s leading experts on the Houthis, and in our recent exchange she  explains the movement’s origins, ideology and leadership.   Can the Saudis defend themselves without American military support, and is Donald Trump prepared to help? And what does the Houthis’ campaign means for global energy supplies and international shipping?  youtu.be/2JUgo6YlK9U?si=jZvj…

Josh Frydenberg is a good bloke, but he’s no Liberal savior. The media adulation obscures an awkward truth: the former treasurer is closely associated with the policies and political assumptions that helped alienate the party’s conservative grassroots. No wonder Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is rising. Here’s my essay: open.substack.com/pub/tomswi…

Until recently, Trump and the neocons insisted Iran was being crushed. Yet in recent days Tehran and its Houthi allies have struck back, attacking Persian Gulf oil producers and sending oil prices soaring. Iran has shown it can still threaten the region’s energy lifelines — and Washington has few good options. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s proposal to livestream the execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan raises disturbing questions about presidential leadership and Pete Hegseth’s judgment. And that’s to put things mildly and politely. Watch John Mearsheimer and Aaron Maté during the second half of Switzerland. youtube.com/live/ao3or2pIE4g…

President Donald Trump has turned up the pressure on Ukraine, calling for Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced as president and urging Kyiv to halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries. The timing is striking. The Trump administration has also reached an agreement allowing Russia to supply hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel fuel to the United States. Does all this represent a significant shift in policy towards Moscow, potentially easing pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine as the White House seeks to contain fuel prices ahead of next month’s US midterm elections? Here’s Aaron Mate with John Mearsheimer on my YouTube program today youtube.com/live/ao3or2pIE4g…

Why is the MSM so intolerant of dissenting views on the Ukraine war? Mary Dejevsky spent decades at the heart of British journalism, including many years as a columnist for The Independent. But in June she stepped down from her weekly column, in part because she had become increasingly frustrated by the shrinking space for dissenting views on Russia and Ukraine in Britain’s mainstream media. What does Mary’s experience tell us about the state of journalism, free expression and intellectual debate in the West? youtu.be/bpJ3lCOgHhE?si=tzSu…

Jim Chalmers has rightly attracted widespread criticism for policies that have added to Australia’s cost-of-living pressures. Most ­Australians would be glad to see him shafted. But the hostility towards Chalmers and Labor should not obscure a larger and more uncomfortable truth: politicians are responding to an electorate that has come to expect governments to cushion almost every economic pain with taxpayers’ money. Nothing illustrated this better than a Newspoll published on the eve of the 2025 federal election. On March 10, the poll found that 83 per cent of Australians supported more government spending to help with cost-of-living pressures, against just 12 per cent who disagreed. The partisan breakdown makes it even harder to portray this as simply a Labor problem. Ninety-two per cent of Labor voters supported more government spending; so did 77 per cent of Coalition voters. Here’s my column in The Australian: Most ­Australians would be glad to see Jim shafted. But voters need the truth about spending theaustralian.com.au/comment…

Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen are intensifying Australia’s efforts to decarbonise the economy at precisely the time when the rest of the world, especially the world’s biggest emitters —the United States, China and India —are backing away from their climate commitments. And there is no evidence that the developing world is prepared to sign up to legally binding, enforceable and verifiable emissions cuts. Their priority is economic growth and reducing poverty, and for the foreseeable future the cheapest and most reliable sources of energy remain coal, oil and gas. Australia can decarbonise as much as it likes, but unless the major emitters move with us, the impact on global temperatures will be negligible. Better to adapt to climate change. Here’s me w/ Chris Kenny on news24: youtu.be/06U-4Db1JVU?si=5L8a…

Sir Max Hastings, one of the world's leading journalists and historians, on what a lifetime of studying war and history can tell us about the extraordinarily unsettled world of 2026. We discuss Donald Trump, poor political leaders across the West, Ukraine, Iran and the significance of the recent US decision to abruptly withdraw B-1 bombers from Britain. What does history reveal about the ambitions of great powers, the dangers of miscalculation, and the way wars begin and end? We also discuss Sir Max's new book, Plunder, his gripping account of the final weeks of the Second World War in Europe, as well as thoughts on the terrific new two-part movie on Charles de Gaulle. youtu.be/LZUOS4ag6VM?si=rINl…

China may be the one country capable of breaking the deadlock between Washington and Tehran. Why does Beijing have both the leverage and the incentive to intervene? My guest is Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington, DC. youtube.com/live/Wn60nclDJ6M…

Steve Hanke, the veteran and acclaimed free-market economist, discusses America’s cost-of-living crisis, persistent inflation, the $40 trillion national debt and the warning signs coming from the bond market. Professor Hanke also explains why he thinks the AI boom may be a bubble, why Iran could inflict serious economic damage on the US, and why he has broken with Vice President JD Vance over the future of conservative economics. He’s my guest: youtu.be/GFaSgP8lLYQ?si=fP5E…