Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?

Ray Powell & Jim Carouso

China

United States

Taiwan

Indo-Pacific

South China Sea

Philippines

ASEAN

Australia

Japan

North Korea

India

AUKUS

Donald Trump

Quad

Southeast Asia

Russia

National Security

Bowergroupasia

Vietnam

Ukraine

Chart the world's new strategic crossroads. Join co-hosts Ray Powell, a 35-year U.S. Air Force veteran and Director of the celebrated SeaLight maritime transparency project, and Jim Carouso, a senior U.S. diplomat and strategic advisor, for your essential weekly briefing on the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on decades of on-the-ground military and diplomatic experience, they deliver unparalleled insights ... more

72 ratings

Publishes	Weekly	Episodes	179	Founded	3 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	News CommentaryGovernmentNews

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Latest Episodes

Why Should We Care About America’s Mid-Term Election Tsunami? with Ray Powell and Jim Carouso

America’s mid-term elections delivered a Democratic sweep. Does Donald Trump change course or double down? In a special in-person episode, Ray Powell and Jim Carouso examine what went wrong for Republicans and what the result could mean for tariffs, ... more

6 Nov 2026 • 1 hr 4 min • Most popular

YouTube

Why Should We Care What It's Like to Be Imprisoned in China? | with Cheng Lei

Eight words. That was the evidence: "No growth target. GDP. 9 million jobs target," texted to a friend at Bloomberg minutes before China's premier read out the government's annual work report. For that (but not really for that), Chinese-Australian jo... more

30 Oct 2026 • 51 min

YouTube

Why Should We Care if AI Agents are On the Loose Across the Indo-Pacific? | with Heidi Mah

An AI agent was told to find Australian government health statistics. When it couldn't, it went through a Medicare portal it had no authorization to use. Our guest says that wasn't a cyberattack, and explains why that should worry us even more than i... more

23 Oct 2026 • 48 min

YouTube

Why Should We Care What Southeast Asia Wants from the Quad? | with Arzan Tarapore

The “Quad” – Australia, India, Japan and the United States – insists it isn’t here to make anyone choose sides, while Southeast Asia keeps saying “Please don’t make us choose sides.” So if everyone agrees, why is cooperation still so hard?

Arzan Tar... more

16 Oct 2026 • 51 min

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Cheng Lei

Chinese-Australian journalist, former CNBC China correspondent and CGTN anchor

News24

Episode: Why Should We Care What It's Like to Be Imprisoned in China? | with Cheng Lei

Heidi Mah

Director of Technology at BowerGroupAsia and co-author of Agentic AI in Asia: The New Cybersecurity Frontier

BowerGroupAsia

Episode: Why Should We Care if AI Agents are On the Loose Across the Indo-Pacific? | with Heidi Mah

Arzan Tarapore

Hoover Institution visiting fellow and Indo-Pacific security expert

Hoover Institution

Episode: Why Should We Care What Southeast Asia Wants from the Quad? | with Arzan Tarapore

Kwangyin Liu

Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine, Taipei

CommonWealth Magazine

Episode: Why Should We Care if China is Already Quarantining Taiwan? | with Kwangyin Liu

Bilahari Kausikan

Singapore's former permanent secretary of foreign affairs; renowned Indo-Pacific analyst

Singapore Foreign Service / former permanent secretary of foreign affairs

Episode: Why Should We Care if the “Asian Century” is a Myth? | with Bilahari Kausikan

Charlie Brown

Former US Navy officer; leads the Iran Tanker Tracking Program

United Against a Nuclear Iran

Episode: Why Should We Care if the Illicit Iran-China Oil Trade Goes Through Malaysia? | with Charlie Brown

Gilberto Gibo Teodoro

Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines

Department of National Defense, Philippines

Episode: Why Should We Care About the Defense Secretary Who Won’t Back Down from China? | with Secretary Gilberto Teodoro

Melissa Sanderson

Co-chair of the Critical Minerals Institute; board member of American Rare Earths; 21 years in the U.S. Foreign Service

Critical Minerals Institute; American Rare Earths

Episode: Why Should We Care if China Controls the World’s Rare Earths Supply? | with Melissa Sanderson

Nidia Niao

Managing/Executive Director for Global Trade and Economics (title as discussed in episode)

Unknown (guest from IEJ context)

Episode: Why Should We Care if China Controls the World’s Rare Earths Supply? | with Melissa Sanderson

Hosts

Ray Powell

35-year U.S. Air Force veteran and director of the SeaLight maritime transparency project

Jim Carouso

Senior U.S. diplomat and strategic advisor

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 72 ratings

Thanks
Happy to find your podcast. After a while it is exactly what I was looking for. Loved it. Sound quality needs improvement. Sections are not numbered. Requires some technical attention.
Apple Podcasts
5
Ghadeernabi
Spain2 years ago
Amazing expertise
I love that each episode gets straight to the heart of an issue. Amazing depth of expertise between the hosts and guests.
Apple Podcasts
5
Emile123
United States2 years ago
Whether you are a foreign policy wonk or know nothing about the subject, this podcast will help you get smarter on the Indo-Pacific.
Audible
5
Angelina and David
United States2 years ago
The hosts are fantastic and help explain key issues in the Indo-Pacific and why people should care.
Whether you are a foreign policy wonk or know nothing about the subject, this podcast will help you get smarter on the Indo-Pacific.
Audible
5
Angelina and David
United States2 years ago
This is the Indo-Pacific podcast I’ve been looking forever for
Must listen - Ray & Jim are living legends
Apple Podcasts
5
Malachy J
United States2 years ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Episodes are praised for getting quickly to the heart of an issue.

Listeners value the hosts' experience and the depth of expertise brought by guests.

Listeners recommend the coverage to both newcomers and experienced audiences interested in Indo-Pacific affairs.

One review flags sound quality and section navigation as areas for technical improvement.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#176	Australia/News/News Commentary
Apple Podcasts	#46	Indonesia/News/News Commentary
Apple Podcasts	#47	Philippines/News/News Commentary
Apple Podcasts	#138	Sweden/News/News Commentary
Apple Podcasts	#147	India/News/News Commentary
Apple Podcasts	#170	Netherlands/News/News Commentary

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Should We Care What It's Like to Be Imprisoned in China? | with Cheng Lei

Q: What actually happens in the courtroom during one of these trials?

Lei describes the proceedings as scripted, with the outcome likely decided at arrest. Her own closed trial lasted 90 minutes, a duration that surprised lawyers accustomed to much longer show trials.

Why Should We Care What It's Like to Be Imprisoned in China? | with Cheng Lei

Q: Why would they go after you specifically to get back out of Australia?

Lei says her Chinese ethnicity, professional and diplomatic connections, planned interview with Jack Ma, and public accounts of COVID lockdowns may have made her a target, but the process is secretive and arbitrary.

Why Should We Care if AI Agents are On the Loose Across the Indo-Pacific? | with Heidi Mah

Q: How do I choose which AI model to go with? And how do I make sure the data I enter stays only with me and can't be used to attack my corporate information?

Mah recommends weighing the strengths and risks of available models and providers, working with vendors on accountability and guardrails, and setting internal response processes. Data protections depend on the cloud provider; some allow customers to control the encryption key so the provider cannot access the hosted data.

Why Should We Care if AI Agents are On the Loose Across the Indo-Pacific? | with Heidi Mah

Q: How do agents work and how are they directed to do bad things? How does a program know to attack another system?

Unlike generative AI that responds to a question, an agent receives a goal and can take multiple steps using available tools and permissions. It may adapt when blocked and find other weaknesses, which can enable attacks with less human intervention.

Why Should We Care What Southeast Asia Wants from the Quad? | with Arzan Tarapore

Q: Lightning round: given the current dynamics, will a quad-roadmap emerge that is more credible and less consequential?

Yes, the agenda is likely to stay modest, more credible, and capable of delivering tangible, incremental outcomes through continuous ministerial engagement and focused collaborations rather than grand, sweeping promises.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Weekly, practitioner-focused analysis of the Indo-Pacific's security, diplomacy, economics and shifting balance of power. Ray Powell, a former U.S. Air Force veteran who directs the SeaLight maritime transparency project, and Jim Carouso, a senior U.S. diplomat and strategic advisor, bring military and diplomatic experience to conversations about China, Taiwan, the South China Sea, regional alliances and emerging issues such as AI security, critical minerals and undersea cables. Some episodes feature the hosts' own analysis; others are interviews with officials, researchers, journalists, business leaders and security specialists with direct experience in the region.

The discussions connect specific developments to their policy and commerci... more

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Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Pekingology
2. ChinaPower
3. Net Assessment
4. War on the Rocks
5. ChinaTalk

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 3 years ago and published 179 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Cheng Lei
2. Heidi Mah
3. Arzan Tarapore
4. Kwangyin Liu
5. Bilahari Kausikan
6. Charlie Brown
7. Gilberto Gibo Teodoro
8. Melissa Sanderson

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