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.
SPECIAL | Why it’s time for a public inquiry into AUKUS
On this special episode, we’re joined by two commissioners from the new community-led, independent inquiry into the AUKUS security deal.
As Trump blusters over Iran, prospects for real peace slip further away
Even as the Trump administration facilitates the demise of the international order the United States helped create, the Australian government’s embrace of Aukus ties the two countries ever closer.
May 2026
Australia gambles on AUKUS as Trump rides Iran merry-go-round
Despite the global upheaval caused by the Trump administration, the Australian government is trying to plough on with AUKUS as if Biden was still in charge.
Trump’s China trip light on substance as his approval rating continues to tank
Stuck in a quagmire of its own making in Iran, the Trump administration has little to show for its diplomatic efforts in Beijing.
The United States we thought we knew is gone
A majority of Australians now think Donald Trump is a bigger threat to world peace than either Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping.
Supreme Court guts voting rights as Iran war support hits new low
160 years after the American Civil War, the Confederacy is ascendent.
April 2026
Correspondents’ dinner attacked, MAGA confronts midterms
Violence is a feature of American democracy.
Trump is fighting for a worse deal with Iran
After tearing up the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under President Obama, Trump is trying to bomb his way to a better outcome and it’s failing spectacularly.
Vance joyless as US-Iran negotiations fall apart
The Trump administration’s failure to reach an agreement with Iran to end the war shouldn’t come as a surprise.
March 2026
The US has left itself with no good options in Iran
The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has been disastrous.
Trump nixes Xi summit as Iran war escalates
Far from winding down, tit-for-tat threats on civilian energy infrastructure suggest the US-Israel war on Iran may enter a new spiral of violence.
“No plan” and no end in sight for Trump’s “little excursion” in Iran
The Trump administration’s war on Iran is the most “incompetent, incoherent” war the United States has fought in a century, according to one US Senator.
Born to rule: Trump’s economy and the State of the Union
In the MAGAverse, it’s white men who are born to rule – at home and abroad.
The US and Israel attack Iran, foment chaos
The ‘president of peace’ has started another war with Iran, with no apparent regard for the consequences.
February 2026
The Mar-a-Lago model: how Trump is trying to dominate global governance
The ‘president of peace’ is at it again: threatening Iran again and boasting that his ‘board of peace’ will look over the United Nations.
The “president of peace” is helping revive the nuclear arms race
By removing guardrails around nuclear weapons, the Trump administration is making the world a far more dangerous place.
Democracy “dies in darkness” and Trump is trying to turn out the lights
As American democracy teeters, the Australian government is trying to pretend everything is just fine.
Why MAGA is here to stay with Don Watson
With each passing day, the Make America Great Again movement is becoming more battle-hardened and less likely to disappear once Trump leaves office (whenever that may be).
January 2026
“Living within a lie”: Carney’s eulogy to the international order
The Trump administration may have killed what remained of the post-war international order, but last week Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered its eulogy.
US extorts Europe in effort to acquire Greenland
American alliances aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.
“Chaotic cruelty”: Trump administration escalating violence at home and abroad
From Minnesota to Greenland, the Trump administration is bulldozing guardrails meant to protect human life and dignity.
US invades Venezuela, threatens Greenland while ICE wreaks havoc
The Trump administration’s imperial march is gathering pace.
December 2025
“Maximum lethality”: the US military under the Trump administration
Defense Secretary Hegseth doesn’t want the US military to fight with “stupid rules of engagement”.
The nuclear option
Trump’s statements about American nuclear testing left administration officials scrambling.
November 2025
Did the US play a role in the Whitlam dismissal?
Rumours about America’s role in the dismissal of Gough Whitlam have circulated for decades – but is there any truth to them?
“Anti-achievement” Democrats let pressure off Trump
By negotiating an end to the government shutdown without getting anything much in return, some Democrats have gone back to their old trick of resisting the President by giving him exactly what he needs.
Democrats sweep to victory after shutdown becomes longest ever
In New York City, California, New Jersey and Virginia, American voters sent Trump and Republicans a clear message.
“Everything is uncertain”: Trump-Xi meeting leaves the world on edge
Trump and Xi may have come to a “deal”, but their meeting was a wasted opportunity. Plus: what do Australians think about our relationship with the US?
October 2025
Trust Trump to be Trump
You may not be able to take the ‘president of peace’ at his word, but you can trust Trump to have his own interests in mind.
No peace without accountability: Sydney Peace Laureate Navi Pillay
Donald Trump may have declared the war on Gaza over, but a welcome-but-shaky ceasefire and lasting peace are not the same thing.
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