Australia and Indonesia are tied together by geography — but how well do we really understand each other? Despite being close neighbours, relations between Canberra and Jakarta are often uneasy, marked by cooperation, competition, and occasional mistrust.

In this episode of The Focus, Dr. Gatra Priyandita (Australian Strategic Policy Institute) joins Dr. John Bruni to unpack one of the most important — yet least understood — relationships in our region. From trade, migration, and defence, to cultural ties and political tensions

Show Notes:

Contact Gatra

X: @GPriyandita

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gatra-priyandita/

ASPI: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/dr-gatra-priyandita/

Gatra’s Publications

1. Priyandita,Silence as strategy: Southeast Asia and China’s persistent cyber campaigns, ASPI, Canberra, 01/09/2025.
2. Hogeveen, G. Priyandita & J. Corera, Curbing the cost of cybersecurity fragmentation: an agenda for harmonisation across the Indo-Pacific, ASPI, Canberra, 28/08/2025.

(eds.) J. Corera & M. Opatha, Hyperscale cloud and shared security in the Indo-Pacific: Views from The Strategist, ASPI, Canberra, 26/08/2025.

1. Graham & G. Priyandita, Australia and Indonesia can deepen security cooperation by fighting hybrid threats, The Strategist, ASPI, Canberra, 05/08/2025.

👉🏻 E. Graham & G. Priyandita, Australia-Indonesia defence and security partnership: Overcoming asymmetric aspirations to tackle common threats, ASPI, Canberra, 05/08/2025. The article upon which much of this episode is based.

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What if the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS wasn’t natural — but alien technology?

In this special episode of The Focus, Dr. John Bruni speaks with Harvard astrophysicist Prof. Avi Loeb about the James Webb Space Telescope’s new images and asks the ultimate question:

Who speaks for Earth if the universe makes contact? What are the geopolitical implications?

Show Notes:

Contact Avi:

Medium - https://medium.com/me/following-feed/writers/adb0e108a94b

X - @GalileoProject1

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thegalileoproject/?hl=en

The Galileo Project website - https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/galileo/home

Best-selling Books by Avi

Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars (2023) – His follow-up, expanding the discussion beyond ʻOumuamua to humanity’s role in the cosmos, the search for alien civilisations, and the implications for our future.

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth (2021) – His breakthrough popular science book, where he argued that the interstellar object ʻOumuamua could be a form of alien technology. It became a New York Times bestseller and put him at the centre of global debates about extraterrestrial life.

Relevant Articles by Avi:

Should We Be Happier if 3I/ATLAS is a Comet?

https://avi-loeb.medium.com/should-we-be-happier-if-3i-atlas-is-a-comet-91b3f8e74f98

The Adaptive Communication Framework (ACF) for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Discovery

https://avi-loeb.medium.com/the-adaptive-communication-framework-acf-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence-discovery-c1cc91fd0e7e

What Should Humanity Do on the Day After an Interstellar Object is Recognised as Technological? (The article that made us reach out to Avi)

https://avi-loeb.medium.com/what-should-humanity-do-on-the-day-after-an-interstellar-object-is-recognized-as-technological-ff26c6fec04d

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Europe stands on shaky ground. With Trump floating “peace plans” for Ukraine, Putin pressing his advantage, and NATO allies second-guessing their future, uncertainty is the only constant. In this episode of The Focus Podcast, Dr. John Bruni speaks with Commander Anders Puck Nielsen of the Royal Danish Navy — one of Europe’s sharpest military analysts.

Show Notes:

Connect with Anders

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anderspucknielsen/

Bluesky: @anderspucknielsen.dkHis ‘Logic of War’ Newsletter: https://www.logicofwar.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anderspuck

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