Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell

Most of the times, the control of the seas empowers countries, logistically and economically, as well demontrated from Iran which now controls the strait of Hormuz. To discuss this further I spoke to Dr Ian Ralby, an American lawyer specialised in maritime affairs. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if...

I was delighted to be invited by Will Wintercross of the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund to participate in a panel on geopolitics with Hannah Lucinda Smith, a distinguished foreign correspondent and author of the recent book, Hinterlands. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a...

On the 10th anniversary of the UK's fateful Brexit vote, I wanted to re-issue a conversation I recorded back in November 2023 with the leader of the European Movement, Dr Mike Galsworthy - a scientist, campaigner and passionate European about how we might rejoin the EU. We cover a lot of ground and we started with the impact of Brexit on science - Mike’s professional calling, before moving on to d...

It was my pleasure to speak to George Osborn, expert on video games, about how this artform, which is used by over 3 billion people worldwide, has been weaponised and exploited by extremists, populists and authoritarians. I confess to knowing nothing about video games, but found this whole subject fascinating and I hope you do too. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking o...

I spoke to Dr Frank Ledwidge, former serviceman and defence expert about the resignation of John Healey. Recorded on 11 June just after the announcement of Healey's resignation, we analysed the state of Britain's armed forces and what to make of this news. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don'...

Can Donald Trump find a way out of the mess he's made for himself in Iran? Is the Islamic Republic doomed? Who's in charge in Tehran? Charlie Gammell, Iran expert and historian answers these and many more questions in this fascinating interview recorded in the morning of 9 June 2026. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell...

As Russia faces embarrassment and humiliation with the St Petersburg Economic Forum taking place against a backdrop of plumes of smoke from burning oil refineries, Ukraine has been bracing against huge Russian air-raids targeting Kyiv. Nonetheless, Ukraine seems to be gaining an upper hand, with Russia unable to make progress and struggling to mobilise troops in the face of enormous casualties. To...

Long before Putin's invasion of Ukraine, conflict was simmering on Europe's borders. In overlooked territories in eastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus - from the Balkans and Cyprus to Abkhazia on the fringes of Georgia - local disputes spiral into regional crises, global alliances are forged and broken, and power is brokered while the West looks elsewhere.  In Hinterlands, ac...

Imagine, if you can, a king with two younger brothers. One of them, the youngest, is hardworking and loyal, a little dull, but always shows up when needed. The middle brother is flamboyant, egotistical, entitled, unreliable and capable of great cruelty and abusive behaviour. After putting up with this for perhaps longer than might be expected, eventually the Crown loses patience and the law takes...

The new government of Syria, led since last year by former Al-Qaida commander Ahmad Al-Shara'a is allegedly a pragmatic, multifaith movement righting the wrongs of the Assad era. But might it be a front for more extreme jihadist elements? The escape of thousands of Islamic State militants under the noses of Al-Shara'a's forces points to a lack of concern at the very least. To discuss this I was de...

Why did the UAE announce its departure from OPEC? What does this have to do with the Iran war, relations with Saudi Arabia and Israel and the role of the United States? To answer these questions and more, I spoke to Michael Stephens, RUSI Middle East expert and Gulf affairs specialist. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursne...

As an ancient imperial civilisation, Iran (or, to use an earlier name, Persia) has had a complex relationship with the West from the Roman era to the present day. I spoke to historian James Barr about this long and winding road. You can find James on Bluesky and his website, with details of his books, is here: https://historythatmatters.org If you would like to support this podcast please consider...

Away from the war with Iran, Trump and many of his associates have been talking about bringing an end to the communist regime in Cuba. To discuss this further I spoke to Nicolas Forsans who is author of the excellent Substack sinfiltroya.substack.com which focuses on Latin America. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.s...

Please follow my guest Sian Norris's work at https://sianushka.substack.com⁠ and on Bluesky. She mentioned Save Ukraine and the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to bu...

Helene von Bismarck is a writer, historian and political commentator who has become a familiar face and voice for those that follow British politics. After an academic career as a historian of late British colonial history, she has now published Fantastic Kingdom: A Stranger's Notes on a Contrary Country. I spoke to her about her new book and what it tells us. You can pre-order Helen's book at thi...

I decided to talk to Thom Reilly, former head of UK govt international energy policy and also with experience from one of the world's largest energy firms about the realities of what the Iran crisis means for energy markets. No exaggeration: it's scary stuff. If you like what you hear, please order the full audiobook or you can by the a discounted copy of the physical book at this bookshop.org lin...

As a special partnership with Somerville College Oxford, it was my huge pleasure to be able to interview three of their Sanctuary Scholars - young academics displaced by conflict now pursuing their studies in Oxford, but at the same time making change in their own countries - rewriting the future. Dr. Hadeel Abdelseid  Hadeel was still a medical student in Sudan when the civil war broke out again...

Exclusive audiobook clip: this week's episode is a chapter from the Audiobook of Elemental, my book which came out last week. If you like what you hear, please order the full audiobook or you can by the a discounted copy of the physical book at this bookshop.org link. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or...

Once again and back by popular demand - I have Charlie Gammell, Iran expert, former diplomat and historian and now author of the brilliant https://onceadiplomat.substack.com on the latest in Iran. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee!...

I spoke to Iran expert Charlie Gammell about the extraordinary events unfolding. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to buy any of the books talked about in this show, please support independent boo...

John Sweeney, veteran war correspondent - the man in the orange hat - spoke to me about four years of Russia's war on Ukraine, the heroism, the tragedy and the importance of it for all of us. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-f...

With the dramatic events in Yemen leading to a breakdown in relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, I took the chance to speak to Amr Al-Beidh of the STC - the Southern Yemeni separatist movement which has been at the heart of this issue but which has had very little, if any coverage in the world's press. He gave his side of the story and how it illustrates the world of great-power action that...

I spoke to Neil Barnett about his recent work researching political money laundering and the role played by cryptocurrency. You can find his report here https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/uk-election-security-threatened-political-money-laundering-cryptocurrency If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack art...

Professor Klaus Dodds has been studying Arctic security for decades, long before it had addled the mind of Donald Trump. He is the author of Unfrozen - the Fight for the Future of the Arctic and he spoke to me about the real situation there, the impacts of climate change, the potential for future conflict and the role of great powers, including Russia, China and the United States. If you would lik...

Dr Samir Puri works at Chatham House and has written a brilliant book called Westlessness. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to buy any of the books talked about in this show, please support indep...