John is joined by Israeli national security expert Dan Schueftan for a blunt conversation about why Israel is so resented and how it remains resilient in spite of widespread opposition. Dan argues that Israel is hated because it challenges Western assumptions, such as the belief that the Arab world is on the road to democracy, and that institutions like the United Nations can settle conflicts.

He explains why Egypt and Jordan, whose interests often align with Israel’s, struggle to act on them in the face of hostile public opinion, and why he sees Turkey under Erdogan as a danger to Israel, NATO and the West. He also argues that democracy depends on national solidarity, and describes the Israeli army as a social institution that brings Israelis from very different backgrounds together. This conversation is a candid look at the challenge of defending a free society in a hostile region without compromising its freedom.

Dr. Dan Schueftan is the Head of the International Graduate Program in National Security at the University of Haifa and director of the university's National Security Studies Center. He has previously served as an advisor to Israel's National Security Council. His recent books include The Israel-Arab Reader – A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict (2016) and Israel's National Objectives - A Comprehensive Perspective (2021).

John sits down with Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD and a former Australian senator, for a wide-ranging conversation on the pressures facing advanced economies, from rising debt and ageing populations to housing affordability, migration and trust in institutions. They trace the OECD’s origins in the Marshall Plan and ask whether globalisation can be fixed rather than abandoned, before turning to the energy transition, defence spending and the war in Ukraine.Cormann warns that debt you do not pay down now means higher taxes or deeper cuts later, and urges governments to rebuild their fiscal buffers. He argues that Australia, once a leader on competition policy, is now in the middle of the pack, with regulation and corporate tax settings among the areas to fix. It is a candid conversation about the hard trade-offs leaders face, and why those choices only get harder the longer they are put off.Mathias Cormann is the Secretary-General of the OECD, a global policy forum/international organisation which groups 38 countries and works with more than 100 countries, promoting policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. He was Australia’s longest-serving Finance Minister (2013-2020), having also served as the Leader of the Government in the Australian Senate.

Nadia Schadlow joins John to discuss the fundamental shifts reshaping global geopolitics and the realities of modern statecraft. Together, they examine the return of great power competition, the evolving expectations surrounding alliance burden-sharing, and the complex challenge of managing relations with strategic competitors like China. The conversation breaks down the urgent need to address critical supply chain vulnerabilities, secure domestic energy supplies, and rethink defence industrial capacity. Schadlow also highlights how technological innovations and rapid adaptations on today’s battlefields, such as the widespread use of drones, are fundamentally altering the character of modern warfare.Dr. Nadia Schadlow is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where she conducts research and analysis on a range of issues at the intersection of national security, technology, and strategy. She previously served as the US deputy national security advisor for strategy, leading the drafting and publication of the 2017 National Security Strategy of the United States. Her writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Hill, Parameters, the Wall Street Journal and Philanthropy.

Alexandra Hudson joins John to explore the breakdown of modern public discourse and to unpack the crucial distinction between superficial politeness and genuine civility. Hudson argues that true civility is not merely adhering to polite etiquette, but an inner disposition that recognizes the inherent dignity of others, even when that requires having difficult, uncomfortable conversations.

Rather than viewing our deep political and cultural divisions as a novel crisis, the conversation frames dehumanisation and the lust for dominance as age-old human flaws. Ultimately, Hudson urges listeners to look inward rather than blaming political figures or the media, emphasizing that true social change begins when individuals take responsibility for cultivating respect, empathy, and personal integrity within their own spheres of influence.

Alexandra Hudson is an author, popular speaker, and the founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and intellectual community dedicated to beauty, goodness and truth comprised of 50,000 intellectually curious people across the globe. Alexandra earned a master’s degree in public policy at the London School of Economics as a Rotary Scholar, and is also the creator of a series for The Teaching Company called Storytelling and the Human Condition. She is the bestselling author of The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.

John sits down with British historian and broadcaster Rafe Heydel-Mankoo to examine why the West has lost confidence in itself. Rafe argues that while individualism is the quality that set the West apart, generating the social trust, curiosity and appetite for risk that no other civilisation produced, it was only ever safe when held in check by strong institutions and the understanding that rights come with obligations.

Once this balance fell away, individualism curdled into the narcissism and identity politics that we see in the present, and the institutions meant to restrain it have themselves been captured by a long march through universities and schools. Rafe contends that the time remaining to reverse this is limited.

Rafe Heydel-Mankoo is one of North America’s leading royal commentators and appears regularly on TV, radio and in the print media, covering global royal events such as The Queen’s Jubilee and the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. An expert in Monarchy, protocol, honours and British traditions, Rafe is the author of the critically-acclaimed Burke’s World Orders of Knighthood & Merit and has advised various governments on policy matters. He is a Senior Fellow at the New Culture Forum, a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a Trustee of the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust.

In partnership with Australian Dialogues, join host John Anderson for a compelling constitutional debate filmed at NSW Parliament House. Moderated by Professor Rosalind Dixon, the panel included former Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby, US Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham, and legal scholar Professor Nicholas Aroney. Together, they tackle one of the most consequential questions in modern jurisprudence: should a constitution be interpreted through the lens of its original public meaning, or as a dynamic, "living" document that evolves with changing times?The panel examines the deep tensions between originalism and living constitutionalism, contrasting the necessity of objective judicial constraint against the realities of governing modern societies. Comparing the Australian and American legal systems, the speakers debate the role of democratic amendments, rights protection, and the decline of public trust in foundational institutions—offering a sharp, nuanced exploration of who ultimately holds the authority to shape the fundamental laws of a free nation.The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMGThe Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1996 to 2009, following appointments as President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and President of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Renowned as one of Australia’s most influential legal thinkers, he has held prominent international roles with the United Nations and the International Commission of Jurists.Judge Andrew OldhamJudge Andrew Oldham serves as a United States Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2018. Prior to his judicial appointment, he served as General Counsel to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Deputy Solicitor General of Texas, and an attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of Justice. Judge Oldham is widely regarded as a leading voice in contemporary American jurisprudence and a steadfast advocate for public-meaning originalism and judicial constraint.Professor Nicholas AroneyNicholas Aroney is a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Queensland and a leading scholar in constitutional theory, comparative federalism, and legal history. He has held visiting positions at top global institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris, and has authored over 100 books, chapters, and journal articles. Professor Rosalind DixonRosalind Dixon is a Professor of Law at UNSW Sydney and Director of the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law. A former associate to Chief Justice Murray Gleeson and a graduate of Harvard Law School, she is an internationally celebrated expert in comparative constitutional law, constitutional design, and democratic resilience.

Join John in conversation with David Harris as they explore the roots and modern resurgence of antisemitism. They discuss the defining characteristics of antisemitism, its historical evolution, and how contemporary political dynamics shape global attitudes toward the Jewish community and Israel.The conversation examines the blurring lines between antizionism and antisemitism, alongside the changing social climate in Western democracies following the December 2025 terrorist attack at Bondi Beach. Harris calls for principled, bipartisan leadership and a unified societal stance that rejects prejudice and protects fellow citizens.David Harris is an international Jewish advocate and the current Executive Vice Chair of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). He served as CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) from 1990 to 2022. He is the author of Anti-Semitism: What Everyone Needs To Know.

John sits down with sociologist and author Frank Furedi to discuss why millions of people across the West are turning against the political establishment, the rise of populism, the collapse of trust in traditional institutions, and the growing divide between ordinary citizens and the elites who govern them.

From immigration and multiculturalism to education, free speech, national identity and the future of democracy, Furedi argues that populism is not simply a threat to the political order — it is a response to people feeling ignored by it. The conversation explores what has been lost, why citizenship matters, and whether Western democracies can rebuild a shared culture strong enough to survive.

Frank Furedi is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent and the author of 26 books, including most recently In Defence of Populism. His work has focused on cultural developments in Western societies, including the culture of fear, education, identity, national sovereignty and the changing relationship between citizens and political institutions. He is a regular commentator on radio and television and has contributed extensively to media outlets across the UK and internationally.

A long-time friend of the program, Frank was one of John’s earliest Conversations guests, first appearing on the show in April 2018.