Defending the Pacific: George Friedman on Australia, Japan and the coalition against China

Defending the Pacific: George Friedman on Australia, Japan and the coalition against China

Author: Geopolitical Futures - Geopolitics from George Friedman and his team at GPF November 7, 2025 Duration: 41:06

The Australian defense minister said this week that China's military defense build up required a response. China's defense spending has increased 13 fold in the past 30 years, while its Navy is projected to grow by nearly 50% by the end of the decade. That last statistic would be of particular concern to Australia's defense minister, Richard Marles, who said that open sea lanes, including around China, are crucial to Australia's national security.

So how is great power competition playing out in the Asia-Pacific? What is the role of Australia, AUKUS and the Quad, and can America's allies trust the US and its nuclear umbrella to be there as it seeks to disengage from the world. Host Christian Smith is with GPF Chairman George Friedman to discuss this and much more.

 

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Talking Geopolitics offers a clear-eyed, non-partisan look at the forces shaping our world, moving beyond the daily headlines to examine the deeper historical and strategic currents. This podcast comes from the team at Geopolitical Futures, the publication founded by George Friedman, whose analysis is grounded in decades of experience. You'll hear discussions that distinguish between fleeting noise and the underlying realities that truly matter in international affairs. The conversations focus on understanding national imperatives, regional tensions, and long-term trends, all framed within a historical context. It’s for anyone who feels overwhelmed by fragmented news cycles and seeks a more structured, insightful perspective on global power dynamics. By tuning into this podcast, you gain access to a disciplined method of thinking about geopolitics, one that prioritizes enduring geographic, economic, and political constraints over partisan narratives. Each episode aims to provide listeners with a coherent framework, making sense of complex events from Eastern Europe to the South China Sea. The analysis presented here is designed to be practical and forward-looking, exploring not just what happened, but the likely consequences and strategic options available to key nations. Engaging with this content regularly helps build a more nuanced understanding of why states behave as they do, offering a valuable resource for navigating an interconnected world. The tone is conversational yet precise, reflecting the serious work done by Friedman and his analytical team at GPF.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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