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• Australia's Security - Risks & Realities - Peter Layton | 2025 Episode 22

  In this interview, strategist and defence analyst Dr. Peter Layton offers a clear-sighted assessment of how Australia is recalibrating strategy, capability, and partnerships amid intensifying regional competition. Drawing on policy and academic expertise, he probes alliance choices with the United States and Japan, AUKUS and submarine procurement, the Quad and ASEAN engagement, and the trade-offs between economic dependence on China and national security.Dr. Peter Layton is a Visiting Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University; an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI); and a Fellow of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group. With extensive experience in aviation and defence, he received the US Secretary of Defense’s Exceptional Public Service Medal for his work on force structure at the Pentagon. For his academic research, he was awarded a Fellowship at the European University Institute.Peter's research interests include grand strategy, national security policies particularly relating to middle powers, defence force structure concepts and the impacts of emerging technology.Content00:00 – Introduction02:00 – Alliances with the US and Japan: Security Gains or Strategic Constraints?04:16 – Multilateralism in Australia’s Security Strategy07:02 – AUKUS and the Future of Australian Defence15:50 – Submarine Procurement: Strategic Rationale and Implications23:02 – The Quad and Australia’s Security Role29:54 – Making the Quad More Effective and Productive33:03 – Security Cooperation with ASEAN: Opportunities and Limits41:52 – Managing the Dual Relationship with China: Economics vs Security50:26 – Assessing the 2024 National Defence Strategy and Middle-Power Vulnerabilities55:51 – Military Spending: Balancing Capability and Sustainability01:01:06 – Diversifying Australia’s Defence Supply Chains01:07:52 – Under-Researched Dimensions of Australia’s SecurityOfficial Websitehttps://irthinker.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Georgia's Energy Security - Murman Margvelashvili | 2025 Episode 21

  Professor Murman Margvelashvili charts Georgia’s path from Soviet-era systems to a contested contemporary energy landscape, where hydropower dependence, emerging technologies, and grid vulnerabilities intersect with strategic autonomy.Murman MargvelashviliProfessor Murman Margvelashvili is a Georgian energy policy expert with more than 30 years of experience, in energy sector. His broad interests include energy security, sustainability, and geopolitics of energy transition.As Director of Energy Studies at World Experience for Georgia, Associate Professor at Ilia State University, and Director of the Energy and Sustainability Institute, he has helped shape key national energy strategies. Notably, Professor Margvelashvili played a key role in shaping the National Energy Policy and National Energy and Climate Plan, as well as conceptualizing the National Hydrogen Strategy.He contributes as a country expert for the EU4Energy programme under the International Energy Agency and consults widely across Georgia and Central Asia, advancing renewable energy, efficiency, and regional energy security initiatives.Content00:00 – Introduction01:58 – From Soviet system to 2025: evolution of Georgia’s energy mix05:03 – Dependency and geopolitical risk across Georgia’s energy sources09:17 – Ownership and control of Georgian hydropower10:53 – Hydrogen in Georgia: prospects and pathways15:16 – Have renewables peaked? Headroom for additional capacity17:18 – Nuclear power in Georgia: options, debates, feasibility19:52 – Abkhazia and South Ossetia: implications for Georgia’s power grid22:48 – Balancing Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Russia, the EU and China: safeguarding strategic autonomy32:53 – Expanding Caspian gas to Europe: do new Georgian transit pipelines need to be built?34:51 – Armenia’s role in Georgia’s energy geopolitics36:50 – United States interests in Georgia’s energy sector38:51 – Türkiye–Azerbaijan energy cooperation: impacts on Georgia43:03 – Untapped and hidden energy potential in Georgia45:40 – Reinvesting transit revenues into energy modernisation50:20 – Supply shocks and blackouts: resilience and response53:21 – Assessing the effectiveness of Georgia’s energy strategy56:35 – Governance gaps and failures: lessons for reform01:02:14 – Under-researched energy topics in GeorgiaOfficial Website:https://irthinker.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Ireland's National Security Strategy - Kenneth McDonagh | 2025 Episode 20

  Ireland is in the midst of a historic shift, moving from its long-standing tradition of neutrality towards a more structured national security strategy. In this interview, Dr. Kenneth McDonagh unpacks the drivers, dilemmas, and implications of Ireland’s evolving security posture at home, in Europe, and on the global stage.Kenneth McDonaghKen McDonagh is Associate Professor of International Relations at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University. His research focuses on EU foreign policy, the Common Security and Defence Policy, and the intersections of gender and international security.Content00:00 – Introduction01:53 – Reinterpreting Ireland’s Policy of Military Neutrality05:43 – Why Develop a National Security Strategy in a Neutral Country?08:14 – Key Drivers Behind Ireland’s Security Strategy10:23 – Will Military Neutrality Remain Central?11:58 – Is This a Step Towards NATO Membership?14:07 – Understanding the Capacity of Ireland’s Defence Forces19:00 – Is There Willingness to Invest in the Army?21:12 – Private Initiatives for Defence Development23:34 – Protecting Critical Infrastructure: Cables, Energy, Ports, Airports26:18 – Coordination of Defence, Gardaí, and Intelligence Without a Strategy28:11 – Ireland’s Integration into EU Security Structures31:37 – Could EU Forces Be Deployed on Irish Soil?33:38 – Is Ireland Viewed as a Strategic Territory by the EU?36:10 – US–Ireland Relations on Security39:25 – Expanding Security Cooperation with the US41:29 – Ireland’s Cybersecurity Posture45:17 – Presenting the Cyber Sector as a Deterrent48:02 – Ireland’s Role in UN Peacekeeping and Security54:05 – Northern Ireland and the New Security Strategy59:01 – Terrorism in Northern Ireland and Its Security Impact01:02:17 – Under-researched Areas in Ireland’s National SecurityOfficial Website:https://irthinker.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Georgia's EU Accession Journey - David Bujiashvili | 2025 Episode 19

  What does Georgia’s EU integration really mean for democracy, regional security, and great power competition? David Bujiashvili unpacks the past, present, and future of this pivotal process.Content00:00 – Introduction02:37 – Historical and Normative Drivers of Georgia’s EU Integration14:10 – EU Response to Georgia’s Membership Application17:01 – Democracy, Rule of Law, and Human Rights Narratives18:26 – Public Access to EU Information During Accession21:22 – Example of Russian Disinformation Campaigns23:31 – Early Challenges of Reform and Implementation26:19 – Current Stage of Georgia–EU Accession29:37 – Why Has the Accession Process Stalled?32:32 – Georgian Representation in the EU Today34:56 – The Future of Abkhazia and South Ossetia37:03 – Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)39:34 – EU Visa Liberalisation and Georgia43:17 – Learning from Central European EU Accession Experiences45:26 – Forms and Practice of Regional Cooperation48:03 – Impact of the War in Ukraine50:37 – Russia’s Changing Role in the South Caucasus52:32 – China’s Influence on EU–Georgia Relations54:02 – Lessons for the EU from Georgia’s Accession ExperienceDavid Bujiashvili is a distinguished expert on European affairs with more than 25 years of experience in EU integration and assistance coordination. He holds a PhD in Economics and a Master’s in International Economic Relations, combining academic depth with extensive diplomatic and policy practice.At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, he served as Director of the EU Assistance Coordination and Sectoral Integration Department, where he played a pivotal role in overseeing the implementation of the EU–Georgia Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). His work focused on aligning Georgian legislation with the EU acquis, ensuring inter-institutional coordination through sectoral working groups, and drafting key EU-related strategies and action plans.Dr Bujiashvili has chaired Association Committees and Sub-Committees in negotiations with the European Commission, coordinated Georgia’s EU Accession Questionnaire (2021–2022), and organised strategic communication and public outreach campaigns on EU integration. He has also worked extensively with civil society and the business community on sectoral reforms, while serving as focal point for major EU assistance tools such as Twinning, TAIEX, SIGMA, INTERREG, and anti-fraud mechanisms in cooperation with OLAF.With wide-ranging experience in capacity building, training, and institutional reforms, he continues to contribute to advancing Georgia’s European integration and sharing his expertise in the broader field of European affairs.Official Website:https://irthinker.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Brexit and EU Hegemony - Patrick Holden | 2025 Episode 18

  In this conversation with Professor Holden we examine how the EU exercised power during Brexit, interrogating the interplay of communication, institutional structures and rhetorical strategy. We discuss surprising findings on structural power, the negotiation styles of Barnier and De Rynck, and the reforms the EU’s external action apparatus may need to preserve influence into 2025.Dr. Patrick Holden is an Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Plymouth, where he leads the Online Master's programme in International Relations: Security and Development.His research focuses on the European Union's external relations, international political economy, and development policy. Widely published and active in policy debates, he brings both academic depth and practical insight to questions of Europe's global role and the future of international order.Content00:00 – Introduction01:54 – Why link the EU with hegemony? A Neo-Gramscian view04:56 – EU power during Brexit: communication and political actions07:28 – Structural power: how EU institutions shaped Brexit11:43 – Surprising findings on EU structural power13:42 – EU values vs. interests: norms as a tool of influence16:10 – UK rejection of EU principles and vulnerabilities of integration20:04 – Who understood vulnerabilities better: the EU or the UK?21:25 – Researching vulnerabilities as a scholar23:18 – Barnier, De Rynck, and rhetorical strategies in Brexit talks26:56 – Power balance in EU–UK negotiations28:47 – Barnier and De Rynck: communication styles and strategy31:39 – Lessons from Barnier and De Rynck’s negotiation styles33:05 – Why rhetoric matters: qualitative insights on EU hegemony34:49 – Have scholars studied Brexit enough?37:30 – Brexit’s impact on EU relations with non-members43:18 – Should the EU’s External Action Service gain more power?45:15 – Brexit as a test of EU hegemonic resilience49:31 – EU hegemony in the shadow of US hegemony56:20 – What EU hegemony needs in 2025Official Websitehttps://irthinker.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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