Ground Truth

Jasmine Westendorf
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  • Politics
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The world is more violent, more contested, and more complicated than the headlines suggest — and making sense of it harder than ever. In this podcast, join host Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf as she chats to people who've spent years - sometimes decades - trying to understand conflicts, crises and what they mean for the people living through them. This is a podcast from the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne.

Episodes

  1. 17h ago

    From misogyny to extremism (with Sara Meger)

    Why are some young people embracing more traditional viewsabout gender? How are online influencers and digital spaces shaping the way young people think about their identities, grievances and politics? What does misogyny have to do with violent extremism and anti-liberal political movementsglobally? And what is the techno-patriarchy? Jasmine and Nora sit down with Dr Sara Meger from theUniversity of Melbourne to discuss her new research on misogyny, online radicalisation and youth extremism in Australia, and how this connects to her longer-term work on backlash movements, foreign fighters in Ukraine, and theglorified, gamified visions of "the warrior" that motivate some men. Drawing on one of the largest studies of its kind, they explore why growing numbers of young Australians are expressing support for traditional gender roles and anti-feminist ideas, how these attitudes are linked to extremistbeliefs across the ideological spectrum, and the role that online spaces, from social media and gaming platforms to pornography and "manfluencer" content, play in shaping them. Together, they trace the historical patterns that draw men to extremist causes – from the KKK to Al Qaeda – and ask whyunderstanding misogyny is critical to understanding not just contemporary political extremism, but the state of the world today. Guest: Dr Sara Meger, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Melbourne Host: Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf, Co-director, Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne Producer: Nora Davies, Colby College and Initiative for Peacebuilding Intern Recorded: 20 July 2026

  2. Aug 12

    What's going on in Myanmar? (with Sophia Htwe and Tamas Wells)

    What's driving the overlapping conflicts in Myanmar? What's daily life like for people living in areas affected by war? How does Myanmar's military regime constrain humanitarian aid and access? And how are criminal enterprises, like trafficking people for forced labour in scam centres, fuelling violence and instability? Jasmine and Nora sit down with Sophia Htwe, a Myanmar-born PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, and Dr TamasWells, who leads the Myanmar Research Network at the University of Melbourne, to unpack the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar. Together, they explore the roots and complexities of the country's multiple armed conflicts, the everyday experiences of communities living through them, and the challenges of delivering much-needed humanitarian aid to the estimated 16 million people who need it to survive. They examine the role of Myanmar's military regime in restricting humanitarian access, the links between conflict and criminal economies, and why the idea of "peace" has become so contested in Myanmar today. Guests: Sophia Htwe (University of Melbourne) and Dr Tamas Wells (University of Melbourne) Host: Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf, Co-director, Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne Producer: Nora Davies, Colby College and Initiative for Peacebuilding Intern Recorded: 28 July 2026

  3. Aug 5

    Peace, Inc.? Trump's Board of Peace and the Privatisation of Peace (with Teresa Almeida Cravo)

    Who gets to decide the terms of peace after war? Is peace a business opportunity? And what happens when the people most affected by conflict are excluded from the negotiating table? Jasmine and Nora sit down with Dr Teresa Almeida Cravo, Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Coimbra, to unpack President Trump's controversial "Board of Peace" and what it tells us about the changing nature of global peacemaking. From Gaza to Ukraine and beyond, they explore who gets a seat at the table, who is left out and why the Board for Peace may be reshaping how peace is made around the world. Is this a radical break from the past, or the logical endpoint of a much longer trend? Guest: Associate Professor Teresa Almeida Cravo, University of Coimbra Host: Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf, Co-director, Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne Producer: Nora Davies, Colby College and Initiative for Peacebuilding Intern Recorded: 24 July 2026

  4. Jul 28

    Ground Truth: Diplomacy, Disrupted (with Amanda Gorely)

    Is the world getting more dangerous? Is the UN fit for purpose? Does diplomacy still work in an era of rising tensions, shifting alliances, great power competition — and WhatsApp messages between world leaders? Jasmine and Nora sit down with Amanda Gorely — former Australian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, the Philippines, and for Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation — to explore over three decades on the front lines of global diplomacy. From negotiating arms control to navigating the corridors of the United Nations, Amanda offers a rare insider's perspective on how diplomacy has evolved, what's at stake in today's volatile global landscape, and whether diplomacy can still make a difference to global peace and security. Guest: Amanda Gorely, former Australian diplomat. Host: Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf, Co-director, Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne Producer: Nora Davies, Colby College and Initiative for Peacebuilding Intern Recorded: 22 July 2026 Ground Truth is a podcast from the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne

  • 4 Episodes

About

The world is more violent, more contested, and more complicated than the headlines suggest — and making sense of it harder than ever. In this podcast, join host Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf as she chats to people who've spent years - sometimes decades - trying to understand conflicts, crises and what they mean for the people living through them. This is a podcast from the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne.

Information

  • Creator
    Jasmine Westendorf
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jasmine Westendorf
  • Show Website
    Ground Truth