On this week’s Policy Forum Pod, we take a look at the hopes and headwinds in Timor-Leste’s under new Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak – from personality politics and gender inequality, to an economy that’s on the brink of a 'fiscal cliff'.Despite being one of Australia’s closest neighbours, Timor-Leste doesn’t usually get too much attention from mainstream media. But you might see it in the news this week, and that’s because after months of political stalemate and election manoeuvring, it has a new Prime Minister – Taur Matan Ruak. On the latest podcast, hosts Martyn Pearce and Sharon Bessel ask experts Sue Ingram, Michael Leach and Sara Niner whether the new government can steer the country away from the turbulence of the past, or whether political, economic and social headwinds could once again blow it off course. Listen here:Dr Sue Ingram is an Honorary Senior Policy Fellow at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. She has wide experience in public policy, peacebuilding and international development, including senior appointments in UN peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste before and after independence.Professor Michael Leach teaches International Relations, Comparative Politics, and the Politics of the Pacific at Swinburne University of Technology. He has also published widely on the politics of Timor-Leste, and is a founder of the Timor-Leste Studies Association.Dr Sara Niner is an interdisciplinary researcher and lecturer in Anthropology at Monash University. She is an expert in the field of gender and international development, with a particular interest in those issues in the post-conflict environment of Timor-Leste.ShownotesThe following pieces were referred to in this episode:VIP culture is a blight on India’s democracy by Ramesh ThakurNational Security Podcast: Summitry and strategy with ZackCooperPodcast: Scoring goals in Putin’s Russia with Elizabeth Buchanan, Matthew Sussex, and Olga KrasnyakSounding the alarm on ‘directed energy’ attacks by Robert BunkerHearing things? by Timothy LeightonPolicy Forum Pod is available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.