The Focus

You’ve heard the extraordinary UAP claims. But how do you judge them when the evidence remains out of reach?

Harvard astrophysicist Professor Avi Loeb joins Dr John Bruni on The Focus to examine the claims surrounding Jay Stratton—and the questions that matter if you want to separate compelling testimony from verifiable evidence.

At stake is more than whether we are alone. It is how we decide whom to trust, what governm...

Hitting Russia harder might inflict more damage. But what turns that damage into victory—and what would victory actually look like?

Former US Army Europe commander Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben Hodges joins Dr John Bruni on The Focus Podcast to examine Ukraine’s options, Russia’s vulnerabilities and the difficult choices facing Western governments.

At the centre of the conversation is a hard strategic question: ho...

Could the November 2026 US midterms reshape Donald Trump’s presidency—and how far would the consequences travel beyond America?

Dr John Bruni welcomes Professor Scott Lucas to The Focus for a discussion of the prospect of a Democratic “blue wave”, the pressures facing the Republican Party, and the capacity of America’s institutions to hold presidential power accountable.

At the centre of the co...

Can military superiority compensate for bad strategy?

In this special episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with Sir Lawrence Freedman—one of the world’s foremost authorities on strategy and war—about the strategic failures shaping today’s increasingly interconnected conflicts.

Using the Iran War as a starting point, Sir Lawrence explains why strategy remains an art rather than a science, why ov...

Australia is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse societies—but is it truly multicultural?

In Episode 116 of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with Associate Professor Salvatore Babones, political sociologist at the University of Sydney, about immigration, assimilation and what he calls “the multicultural myth.”

Babones argues that Australia is a multiracial society held together by a broadly shared nati...

On September 10, 2001, the United States stood at the height of its power.

Twenty-five years later, what happened to the American moment?

In this special 25th-anniversary episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni sits down with historian and political scientist Professor Roy Casagranda for a sweeping — and at times fiercely provocative — conversation about America before 9/11, the choices it made afterwards, and the world tho...

What if Russia’s most dangerous weapon isn’t the one that starts a war — but the one that keeps us permanently on the edge of one?

From drones over European airports and sabotage to cyberattacks, disinformation and military intimidation, Russia is testing NATO below the threshold of open conflict. But how far can Moscow push before someone miscalculates?

In this episode of The Focus Podcast, Dr John Bruni speaks w...

India has spent decades pursuing strategic autonomy. But what happens when the world around it begins choosing sides?

In this episode of The Focus Podcast, Dr John Bruni is joined by LTGEN (Ret.) Ravi Shankar to examine India's increasingly complex strategic position as instability surrounding Iran reshapes the Middle East and reaches deep into South Asia.

At the centre of the discussion is a larger question:

Can India preserve str...

From pandemics and wars to artificial intelligence, geopolitical rivalry, and presidential candidates, the pace of change has never been faster. Yet governments, businesses and intelligence agencies continue to be caught off guard by events they often should have seen coming. Why? In this episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with strategic foresight expert Patti Morrissey about why strategic surprises keep happening, how lead...

How did Colombia defeat the FARC—and what can other democracies learn from its experience?

In Part 2 of my conversation with General Alberto José Mejía Ferrero, former Commander of the Colombian Armed Forces, we continue our examination of counterinsurgency, national resilience and the long campaign that transformed Colombia’s security environment.

We begin with Colombia’s enduring urban-rural divide, and the way ...

How does a democracy defeat one of the world's longest-running insurgencies?

For more than fifty years, Colombia fought a brutal conflict against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)—a war fuelled by ideology, narcotics trafficking and some of the most challenging terrain on Earth. Yet against the odds, Colombia changed the strategic balance.
I

n Part One of this special two-part conversation, Dr John Brun...

In Part 2 of this in-depth conversation, Dr John Bruni continues his discussion with economist Dr Jenny Gordon to examine one of the defining questions of the 21st century: who shapes the global economic system in an era of great-power competition, technological disruption and growing public discontent?

From the role of governments in setting the rules of the economy to the impact of artificial intelligence, inflation, immigration ...

Few conflicts have shaped global politics as profoundly—or generated as much division—as the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians. Yet meaningful discussion is often replaced by slogans, outrage, and competing narratives.

In this episode of The Focus Podcast, Dr John Bruni is joined by internationally renowned Palestinian journalist, historian, and author Ramzy Baroud for an in-depth discussion that goes beyond th...

Can Japan become the Indo-Pacific's indispensable strategic power?

For decades, Japan has been viewed as an economic powerhouse constrained by its post-war constitution and reliance on the United States for its security. Today, that assumption is being tested.

As strategic competition intensifies across the Indo-Pacific, Japan finds itself confronting an increasingly assertive China, a nuclear-armed North Korea, a more closely alig...

🌐 The global balance is shifting. For decades, economists claimed trade would keep the peace—but what happens when the world’s two biggest superpowers weaponise trade against each other? 🇺🇸 vs 🇨🇳 Who really holds the power? Has globalisation created an economic ticking time bomb—where neither side can strike without risking total financial meltdown? And what about countries caught in the crossfire—like ...

Britain’s Defence Secretary has resigned. NATO is transforming. Europe is rearming.
So is Britain 🇬🇧 still a serious power?

Against this backdrop, the recent resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey over the Defence Investment Plan has reignited debate over whether Britain is matching its ambitions with the resources needed to achieve them. 

Show notes:

Professor Julian Lindley-French is one of Europe’s le...

A global power shift is underway—and most people haven't realised how profound it is.

From the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz to Ukraine, China, energy security, economics, and the future of American power, Professor Roy Casagranda maps the emerging strategic landscape and explains why today's crises may be early indicators of a much larger transformation in world affairs.

This conversation explores:
• Iran, Israel ...

Are UFOs real — or are humans simply terrible witnesses?

In this thought-provoking episode of The Focus Podcast, Avi Loeb joins John Bruni to explore the dangerous intersection of UFOs/UAPs, artificial intelligence, military surveillance systems, and the limits of human perception.

As AI increasingly interprets battlefield data faster than humans can, could false positives, hallucinations, or sensor misinterpretation ...

For decades, the West operated under a simple assumption: American power would underpin global stability indefinitely.

But today, that assumption is under growing pressure.

In this episode of The Focus Podcast, John Bruni speaks with Andrew A. Michta about the future of NATO, Europe’s rapid rearmament, the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the limits of American power, and whether the post-Cold War order is beginning to fract...