After America
The United States we thought we knew is gone. And it isn’t coming back. Every week on After America, Dr Emma Shortis examines the second Trump presidency, what’s happening in global politics, and how Australia can help shape our rapidly changing world for the better. Presented by the Australia Institute.
Episodes
Donald Trump may have declared the war on Gaza over, but a welcome-but-shaky ceasefire and lasting peace are not the same thing.
On this episode of After America, Judge Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and 2025 Sydney Peace Prize Laureate, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss accountability in international law and the prerequisites for genuine peace.
This discussion was recorded on Monday 13 October 2025.
As Trump and his officials look at invoking the Insurrection Act, the administration is using the ongoing government shutdown to lay off workers and consolidate power.
On this episode of After America, Elizabeth Pancotti, economic policy specialist and former advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the US government shutdown and how the Trump administration is using it to further consolidate power.
This ...
After several failed attempts at brokering a ceasefire, President Donald Trump, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced a 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
On this episode of After America, Antoun Issa joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the prospects for a deal that did not include Palestinians in the negotiating process. They also discuss the role of the United States in the Middle East, how power works in foreign...
As Trump takes a sledgehammer to American democracy, Australia’s leader snagged a selfie – and a one-on-one meeting in October. How that will go is anyone’s guess.
On this episode of After America, Charlie Lewis joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the apparent obsession of Anthony Albanese’s opponents with that bilateral meeting, the transformation of the Republican Party under Trump, and how Australia&rs...
After a rocky week for Australian diplomacy, Prime Minister Albanese is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly...and maybe, just maybe, a meeting with President Trump.
On this episode of After America, Allan Behm joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the MAGA movement’s weaponisation of Charlie Kirk’s murder, why no Trump meeting might be the best outcome for Anthony Albanese, formal recognition of Palestine, an...
Instead of trying bring Americans together after the latest act of political violence, the Trump administration is fanning the flames of division.
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Elon Musk’s latest foray into global far-right politics, and the devastating impact of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda.
This e...
Senior leaders from the Ukrainian Red Cross join us to discuss how international standards in armed conflict are being “compromised”.
On this episode of After America, Maskym Dotsenko and Illya Kletskovskyy, the Director General and Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross, join Allan Behm to discuss the impact of the Russian invasion on Ukrainians, the role of Red Cross in armed conflict, and the importance o...
Trump is behaving like “an emperor”, enabled by insufficient checks and balances on the power of the Oval Office.
On this episode of After America, Professor Elizabeth Saunders from Columbia University joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the extreme volatility of this administration’s foreign policy and how Trump is breaking down the guardrails of American democracy.
This episode was recorded on Thursday 28 August.
An imperial revival is occurring under the second Trump presidency.
On this episode of After America, Allan Behm joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss Trump’s deployment of federal authorities to Democrat-voting jurisdictions, land grabs by the Russian and Israeli governments, and what a collapse of American democracy might mean for Australia.
This episode was recorded on Friday 22 August.
You can sign our petition calling on the ...
US President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. But did he get played again?
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis joins Angus Blackman to discuss the fallout from Trump’s meeting with Putin, the Australian government’s commitment to recognising Palestinian statehood, and the not-super-encouraging prospects for American democracy as Trump sics the Nat...
“Probably not...”
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss how Trump is normalising the idea that he might not leave the White House once his second term is up. Then, Helen Haines MP, independent member for Indi, joins Emma to discuss her community’s concerns about Israel’s actions in Gaza and the growing push for more transparency and accountability in Aus...
From Gaza to AUKUS, pressure for change is building on Australian foreign policy.
On this special crossover episode of Follow the Money and After America, Dr Emma Shortis joins Glenn Connley to discuss the Australian protests calling for more action to protect Palestinians, the momentum against the troubled AUKUS submarine pact, and Trump’s decision to fire his chief of labour statistics after job growth slowed.
This discuss...
By courting neo-cons and failing to address cost of living concerns, have establishment Democrats signed the party’s death warrant?
On this episode of After America, Assistant Professor Musa Al-Gharbi joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the catastrophic failure of the Democrats to effectively resist Trump’s agenda and whether a new generation of leaders can turn the party around.
This discussion was recorded on...
It’s only been SIX MONTHS.
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman take a step back to reflect on what’s happened since Trump was inaugurated in January.
Tl;dr: it's all pretty grim.
This discussion was recorded on Monday 21 July 2025.
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A 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals would help Big Pharma make bigger profits, but it’d be a disaster for Americans’ health.
Dr Ruth Mitchell, neurosurgeon and Nobel Peace Prize winner with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss why a growing number of Australians want an AUKUS review, Trump’s pharmaceuticals tariffs, and what the US President can learn from J...
The legislation will turbocharge inequality and the climate catastrophe – and it’s all part of the administration’s plan to radically reshape American society.
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis discusses how Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will further redistribute wealth from lower and middle class people to the richest Americans, before Josh Bornstein joins the show to discuss the ...
Last week, President Donald Trump announced that the United States had signed a trade deal with China. Did it though?
On this episode of After America, Professor James Laurenceson, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the Trump administration’s confused approach to China and how Australia is navigating these complex relationships.
This discussion was recorded on Friday 13 June ...
It’s never about regime change (until it is).
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss Trump’s decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites, the comparisons with America’s 2003 invasion of Iraq, and what this decision could mean for Australia.
This discussion was recorded on Monday 23 June 2025 and things may have changed since recording.
You can sign our petition calling on the...
Australia traded sovereignty for security with the AUKUS submarine deal, but it might end up with neither.
On this episode of After America, Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s 29th Prime Minister, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss Trump’s AUKUS review, Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Trump, and why Australia doesn’t share values with the US administration.
This discussion was recorded on Monday 16 June 2025 and th...
Musk may be out, but the influence of the tech bros has never been greater.
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss Trump’s dystopian presidency, the administration’s renewed pressure on the Australian government to increase defence spending, and the end of the Trump-Musk bromance.
This discussion was recorded on Friday 6 June 2025 and things may have changed since recording.
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