The Focus

Can Japan become the Indo-Pacific's indispensable strategic power?

For decades, Japan has been viewed as an economic powerhouse constrained by its post-war constitution and reliance on the United States for its security. Today, that assumption is being tested.

As strategic competition intensifies across the Indo-Pacific, Japan finds itself confronting an increasingly assertive China, a nuclear-armed North Korea, a more closely alig...

🌐 The global balance is shifting. For decades, economists claimed trade would keep the peace—but what happens when the world’s two biggest superpowers weaponise trade against each other? 🇺🇸 vs 🇨🇳 Who really holds the power? Has globalisation created an economic ticking time bomb—where neither side can strike without risking total financial meltdown? And what about countries caught in the crossfire—like ...

Britain’s Defence Secretary has resigned. NATO is transforming. Europe is rearming.
So is Britain 🇬🇧 still a serious power?

Against this backdrop, the recent resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey over the Defence Investment Plan has reignited debate over whether Britain is matching its ambitions with the resources needed to achieve them. 

Show notes:

Professor Julian Lindley-French is one of Europe’s le...

A global power shift is underway—and most people haven't realised how profound it is.

From the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz to Ukraine, China, energy security, economics, and the future of American power, Professor Roy Casagranda maps the emerging strategic landscape and explains why today's crises may be early indicators of a much larger transformation in world affairs.

This conversation explores:
• Iran, Israel ...

Are UFOs real — or are humans simply terrible witnesses?

In this thought-provoking episode of The Focus Podcast, Avi Loeb joins John Bruni to explore the dangerous intersection of UFOs/UAPs, artificial intelligence, military surveillance systems, and the limits of human perception.

As AI increasingly interprets battlefield data faster than humans can, could false positives, hallucinations, or sensor misinterpretation ...

For decades, the West operated under a simple assumption: American power would underpin global stability indefinitely.

But today, that assumption is under growing pressure.

In this episode of The Focus Podcast, John Bruni speaks with Andrew A. Michta about the future of NATO, Europe’s rapid rearmament, the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the limits of American power, and whether the post-Cold War order is beginning to fract...

What happens when middle powers stop trusting the old global order?

In this episode of The Focus, host John Bruni speaks with Kishore Mahbubani — one of the world’s leading geopolitical thinkers — about the growing fragmentation of the international system, the future of American leadership, the rise of Asia, and whether middle powers can shape the emerging global order rather than simply survive it. 

Show No...

Is the United States still the stabilising force of the international system — or has it become part of the instability?

In our first episode back, Professor Scott Lucas joins John Bruni to unpack the Iran War, the growing global energy crisis, NATO’s deepening anxiety, and whether Trump-era America has entered a state of permanent political and strategic turbulence.

From the Strait of Hormuz to Washington itsel...

George Mamalis joins us for a deep dive into South Australia, political power, and the future of the Australian system.

Australia’s political landscape is shifting — and not just in South Australia.
In this episode of The Focus, we explore the deeper forces reshaping politics across the country.

Dr. John Bruni sits down with George-Alexander Mamalis — political commentator and host of The Adelaide Set — f...

Two wars are raging in the world right now: Ukraine and Iran. Both are, at their core, energy wars. Modern economies depend on cheap and reliable supplies of oil and gas. But what happens when war disrupts access to energy in not just one, but two of the world’s most critical regions at the same time? The Ukraine war has already reshaped Europe’s energy landscape. Now escalating conflict involving Iran is placing the wi...

As Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its fifth year, the geopolitical map is shifting in real time.
In this episode of The Focus, Dr. John Bruni speaks with Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ben Hodges, former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, about the war’s trajectory, the future of NATO, and the global ripple effects now shaping the international order.
Recorded before the outbreak of U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, ...

🎙️ Is Australia’s Defence Capability Strong — or Structurally Vulnerable?

Australia talks constantly about defence capability.

But if we can’t build, sustain, and properly crew our own force structure — are we truly sovereign?
In this episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with Mel Pikos from Talking Tactics about the real state of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the country’s defence in...

Is India still a strategic partner of the United States — or is it becoming an independent pole in a rapidly shifting global order?
In this high-level panel discussion, Dr. John Bruni is joined by Lt. General Ravi Shankar (Retd.), former Director General of Artillery of the Indian Army, and Professor Salvatore Babones, political economist at the University of Sydney, to examine India’s evolving role in global geopoli...

In our second episode for 2026, John is joined by returning guest Professor Scott Lucas to talk about the recent tragic events in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

Show Notes:

Episode Description

From Minneapolis to Washington, D.C., Minnesota has become the epicentre of seismic political conflict — from mass protests to intense debates over immigration enforcement, federal power, and public accountability. We explore how the stat...

The first episode of The Focus for 2026 opens with a wide-ranging and hard-edged conversation with political theorist and commentator Roy Casagranda.
As global politics enters a period of heightened uncertainty, Dr Bruni and Casagranda examine the strategic, political, and moral pressures shaping the international system — from the Americas to Europe and the Middle East. The discussion explores the return of transactional ...

Britain enters 2025 facing economic strain, strategic uncertainty, and intensifying global competition. In this hard-hitting year-end special, Dr John Bruni sits down with former Royal Navy submariner and intelligence specialist CDRE Pat Tyrrell OBE (Ret.), and investigative journalist Pete Warren, for an unfiltered assessment of the UK’s political and strategic direction.

We break down the British Budget, stal...

Is the climate debate more complex than we’re being told? In this episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni sits down with Professor Ian Plimer — geologist, author, and one of the most contested voices in Australia’s climate conversation.

Plimer has spent decades arguing that natural geological and planetary processes play a larger role in climate variability than many policymakers acknowledge.
In this extended ...

In this episode of The Focus, Dr. John Bruni speaks with leading strategist Professor Andrew A. Michta about whether the West is in decline or on the cusp of renewal, exploring the fractures inside the transatlantic alliance, America’s fading primacy, Europe’s struggle for strategic agency, China’s growing economic fragility, and the deeper civilisational crisis undermining Western confidence. ...

🇪🇺 Is Europe finally rising as a defence power?
As the war in Ukraine grinds on and populist politics reshape Europe, the EU faces a historic test: defend the continent, support Kyiv, and hold the line against Moscow — while staying united.
In this episode, Dr John Bruni speaks with EU analyst Piotr Maciej Kaczyński on Europe's defence transformation, Poland’s upcoming EU Presidency, and the popul...