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Clinton and Trump went toe-to-toe this week for the first Presidential debate. 30 minutes in, it looked like Trump was pulling off \u2018The Haranguing at Hofstra\u2019, but Clinton soon stepped forward to slay an increasingly unhinged DJT with her studied wonkery, serene expression and even <\/span>a shimmy<\/span><\/a>. If you\u2019re reading this you\u2019ve likely imbibed a lot of debate analysis already, so we\u2019ll just present our favourite piece (not to be \u2018<\/span>braggadocious<\/span><\/a>\u2019): Frank Bruni\u2019s <\/span>Sympathy for the Donald<\/span><\/a>. (<\/span>Break here<\/span><\/a> for an effective post-Trump treatment, captured at <\/span>the infamous Altamont \u201869 concert<\/span><\/a>. We have no word on whether the Hells Angels will take on crowd control duties at the second debate…)<\/span><\/p>\n Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson wasn\u2019t invited onto the debate dais, so instead he took to the Grey Lady\u2019s op-ed pages <\/span>to make his case for change<\/span><\/a>. (For a dispassionate look at what\u2019s on offer, check out <\/span>this recent profile<\/span><\/a> from <\/span>The New Yorker<\/span><\/i>.) It wasn\u2019t a great week for Johnson, who had another \u2018<\/span>Aleppo moment<\/span><\/a>\u2019\u2014a tag he himself slapped on his inability to name a world leader he admires, beating editors to the punch. The utility of protest votes to third party candidates\u2014Johnson or the Green\u2019s Jill Stein\u2014continues to be <\/span>comprehensively<\/span><\/a> sidelined<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Kicking off this week\u2019s top new research are two completely different offerings from the Council on Foreign Relations: the first is<\/span> an interactive report<\/span><\/a> on Syria\u2019s civil war, and the second is<\/span> an in-depth backgrounder<\/span><\/a> on the FARC\u2019s recent role in Colombia in light of this week\u2019s peace deal. An<\/span> interesting visual piece popped up on <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i><\/a>, helping readers to break down the US foreign aid budget as a proportion of the 2017\u2019s federal budget, and where in the world it\u2019s going. A<\/span> brand new report<\/span><\/a> by former Lowy associate Brendan Thomas-Noone looks at nuclear arms control in an era where technological advances are making nukes \u2018potentially more usable\u2019, while<\/span> a longer read from CNAS<\/span><\/a>, complete with infographics, asks whether Americans prefer manned or unmanned systems for airstrike capability. And<\/span> this excellent piece of multimedia journalism from <\/span>The National Geographic<\/span><\/i><\/a> dives into the history of European immigration, from WWII to the Syrian diaspora, and how it has shaped the multicultural continent.<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this month, Russian newspaper Kommersant published a story revealing President Putin\u2019s plans to conduct an overhaul of Russia\u2019s security services\u2014merging their domestic and international spy agencies to create a <\/span>\u2018supersized secret service\u2019<\/span><\/a>: the Ministry of State Security. Check out this <\/span>solid piece from <\/span>Politico<\/span><\/i><\/a> which assesses the role and goals of what\u2019s being called the newly-resurrected KGB.<\/span><\/p>\n And finally, forget<\/span> Domino\u2019s pizza drones<\/span><\/a>\u2014<\/span>this piece from <\/span>The Drive<\/span><\/i><\/a> unpacks the story of Regulus I; the Cold War-era nuclear-capable cruise missile that played postman to US senators, dignitaries and President Eisenhower by carrying over 3,000 letters.<\/span><\/p>\n Podcasts<\/b><\/p>\n War on the Rocks<\/span><\/i>\u2019 consistently excellent podcast has a <\/span>particularly good offering this week<\/span><\/a> (35 mins), as editor-in-chief Ryan Evans interviewed the Hoover Institution’s Jim Mattis and Kori Schake on civil\u2013military relations in the US, and CNAS\u2019s Richard Fontaine to discuss his time working with our friends at USSC and US strategy in the Asia\u2013Pacific.<\/span><\/p>\n Tech-heads, military nuts and anyone with a passing interest in mind-blowing national security innovation should make haste to get the <\/span>new podcast from the smart folks over at DARPA<\/span><\/a>. Each installment will <\/span>shine a light<\/span><\/a> on the work of each of the Agency\u2019s programs. Buckle up.<\/span><\/p>\n Videos<\/b><\/p>\n Boeing\u2019s Renton Production Facility, perhaps the most efficient airplane factory on earth, plans to up its game over the next year and produce 57 Boeing 737s a month, as opposed to the current output of 42. <\/span>Wired<\/span><\/i> dropped in on the well-oiled operation this week\u00a0and offers <\/span>a unique look<\/span><\/a> (3 mins) at how the world\u2019s best-selling jet is assembled over just nine days.<\/span><\/p>\n The ineffable E.J. Dionne has done a snappy video for Brookings <\/span>on election polling<\/span><\/a> (4 mins). The bite-sized but full-flavoured effort covers off on questions, answers, samples, methodologies and more. While we\u2019re at it, here\u2019s a <\/span>useful <\/span>Washington Post <\/span><\/i>piece from 2014 <\/span><\/a>to bring some more context to the polls you\u2019re no doubt seeing a lot of.<\/span><\/p>\n Events<\/b><\/p>\n Canberra: Join Professor Roderic Broadhurst on 25 October for <\/span>the launch<\/span><\/a> of his fascinating new book, <\/span>Violence and the Civilising Process in Cambodia<\/span><\/i><\/a>, and an in-depth discussion on the history of Cambodia and how the country has transformed itself after decades of conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n