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The column inches on Brexit were quickly racked up this week by those enraged or enamoured with the result, so here\u2019s just a taste. Late night TV superstar John Oliver was <\/span>excoriating in his analysis<\/span><\/a> of the referendum, along with the lack of leadership and truth emanating from the Stay or Leave camps. Over at <\/span>New Statesman<\/span><\/i>, Laurie Penny <\/span>isn’t happy<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>The New Yorker<\/span><\/i>\u2019s John Cassidy and the <\/span>FT<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Gideon Rachman <\/span>aren\u2019t yet convinced<\/span><\/a> that Brexit will go ahead<\/span><\/a>; and a blistering column from the former foreign and associate editor of <\/span>The Times of London<\/span><\/i> lays the blame at the feet of Britain\u2019s newspapers<\/span><\/a>. In <\/span>The New York Times, <\/span><\/i>Marine Le Pen, president of France\u2019s National Front, <\/span>cooes about a \u2018People\u2019s Spring\u2019<\/span><\/a>, an EU-trouncing zeitgeist set to sweep the continent. (As an aside, here\u2019s <\/span>a profile on Le Pen<\/span><\/a> from <\/span>The Economist<\/span><\/i>\u2019s 1843 Magazine.) If you\u2019re lost in the lexicon, <\/span>here\u2019s a guiding light<\/span><\/a> through Nexit, Boxit and Full English Brexit. And this strong piece on <\/span>the sociology of the Brexit<\/span><\/a> is something different\u2014the fourth part on \u2018facts\u2019 is particularly hearty in light of the \u2018post-factual democracy\u2019 idea captured in <\/span>this widely-circulated post-poll comment<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n A few days back the US House of Representatives\u2019 Select Committee on Benghazi <\/span>released its final report<\/span><\/a> into the 2012 attacks in Libya which left four Americans dead. Two pieces will help unlock meaning. The first is from <\/span>The New Yorker<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Amy Davidson on <\/span>the politics around the report<\/span><\/a>, which were repeatedly over-egged by both Republicans and Democrats. The second is from <\/span>Wired<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Issie Lapowski, who makes <\/span>some fair points<\/span><\/a> about news consumption biases in these heady Internet days. The bottom line is that \u2018the Committee both eviscerates the Obama administration for failing to adequately respond to threats in Libya and utterly fails to convincingly pin the blame on Clinton. Both, not either.\u2019 So there you have it\u2026 Whether it\u2019s Brexit or Benghazi: read widely and read often.<\/span><\/p>\n Later this month, Republican and Democrat delegates will descend on their respective national conventions to determine their nominees for President and Vice President to take them through to November. Here are two snappily titled book reviews to get you in the spirit: The first, <\/span>How Bad Can a President Be?<\/span><\/i><\/a>, reflects on a new biography of George W. Bush, which opens with the line: \u2018Rarely in the history of the United States has the nation been so ill-served as during the presidency of George W. Bush.\u2019 The second, <\/span>Can the Monster Be Elected?<\/span><\/i><\/a>, hoists in two new efforts (one on the 2012 US election, the other on democratic governance) to read fortunes for the 2016 Donald vs. Democrat race. (ELECTION BONUS: <\/span>This corker from <\/span>NYRB<\/span><\/i><\/a> on two-time NYC mayoral candidate and scandalite Anthony Weiner; along with Weiner\u2019s <\/span>truly compelling chat with Alec Baldwin<\/span><\/a> back in May.)<\/span><\/p>\n And finally, plenty of new research has bubbled up this week. Papers include Paul Dibb\u2019s ASPI Strategy on <\/span>why Russia is a threat to the international order<\/span><\/a>; John Blaxland\u2019s<\/span> case for a MANIS regional maritime cooperation forum<\/span><\/a>; an effort under the US Studies Centre banner on<\/span> the US and China in Southeast Asia<\/span><\/a>; and, from CSIS,<\/span> Landing Together: Pacific Amphibious Development and Implications for the US Fleet<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Podcasts <\/b><\/p>\n Put a wide lense on Brexit with these offerings from the <\/span>Council on Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a> (43 mins), <\/span>Brookings<\/span><\/a> (95 mins), <\/span>CSIS<\/span><\/a> (40 mins), <\/span>Monocle 24<\/span><\/i>\u2019s <\/span>The Foreign Desk<\/span><\/a> (29 mins), and <\/span>ABC<\/span><\/i>\u2019s <\/span>Between the Lines<\/span><\/a> (43 mins).<\/span><\/p>\n Catch up with \u2018Special Relationship\u2019, a podcast on the US election pulled together by <\/span>The Economist<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Mic<\/span><\/i>. Recent episodes have covered off on <\/span>the politics of gun control, Bernie Sanders and the role of the media<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Videos<\/b><\/p>\n Short on time? IHS Jane’s has a collection of bite-sized videos on everything from <\/span>Australia\u2019s election and defence environment<\/span><\/a> (6 mins) through to <\/span>Russia\u2019s military modernisation<\/span><\/a> (7 mins). Their YouTube channel is <\/span>worth a look<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Events<\/b><\/p>\n Perth: CNAS head honcho Richard Fontaine will be in the country shortly for a stint as <\/span>the inaugural Alliance 21 Fellow<\/span><\/a> with the Perth USAsia Centre and the US Studies Centre. Catch Richard next week while he\u2019s out west, where he\u2019ll speak to <\/span>this recent CNAS report<\/span><\/a> on how to defeat ISIS. More info <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n