After the landmark Aukus announcement, the former prime minister Paul Keating launched a blistering attack on the government – calling the trilateral agreement the ‘worst deal in history’. The response from China was even more pointed, accusing Australia of a cold war mentality and participating in an arms race. But despite all the sound and fury, are we any closer to understanding the geopolitical risks of this momentous commitment? Gabrielle Jackson talks to Guardian Australia’s editor-in-chief, Lenore Taylor, and head of news, Mike Ticher, about the need for scrutiny of the Aukus agreement