Chatham House

Design In An Age of Crisis is a new mini-series on the Undercurrents podcast feed. On 22 July 2020, and launched an inviting radical design solutions from the world’s design community, the public and young people. The open call hopes to harness the creativity that comes from crisis. In this episode, and Rose Abdollahzadeh explain the role design can play in solving the challenges facing our world...

The Climate Briefing returns with two new interviews on the transition towards a renewable energy sector.  It is widely acknowledged that slowing climate change will be impossible without reducing the global reliance on fossil fuels as a source of energy. In this episode, Ben and Anna speak to from Chatham House, and from the UK Cabinet Office, to assess the recent progress of the 'energy tra...

Policy-makers and researchers are daily confronted by violent images that influence how complex political problems are seen and consequently understood. From bodycam footage revealing acts of police brutality, to media coverage of the catastrophic impact of the refugee crisis, depictions of violence and horror spread at startling speed through social media platforms, drawing out powerful emotional...

The meeting that called into being the British Institute of International Affairs was held on July 5, 1920 at the Royal Society of Arts on the Strand. The institute, as noted by Arthur Balfour, UK foreign secretary until the previous year, would cultivate ‘mutual comprehension between different nations and between the leaders of thought in different communities’.  100 years later, Chatham Hou...

The 21st century has been a time of significant change for the global LGBTQ+ movement. While same-sex marriage and gender transition are increasingly celebrated in some parts of the world, laws to criminalise homosexuality and gender non-conformity have been strengthened in others. In this episode, Ben speaks to journalist to find out more. Then Agnes discusses China's global reputation with from...

Industry accounts for approximately 24% of global CO2 emissions, and the decarbonisation of the sector is therefore essential to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. To date, however, the emissions from 'heavy' industries - like cement, steel and chemicals - have been considered particularly difficult to abate.   This episode focuses on the strategies that can be deployed to enable the...

While in recent times much attention has been paid in the media to the machinations of trade negotiations, from chlorinated chicken imports to fishing quotas, an often-overlooked concern is how such agreements fail to take account of human rights. In this discussion and Rosie Beacock explain why human rights impacts are so difficult to monitor, and what steps governments and international organisa...

In the first of two episodes this week, Agnes takes a deep dive into the politics of statues with historian and from the Africa Programme at Chatham House. They discuss the recent removal of the statue of slave-trader and philanthropist Edward Colston in Bristol, UK, and more broadly consider the significance of statues as public history.  Read the Article:  Credits: Speakers: Yusuf Hass...

The first term of Donald Trump's presidency has coincided with what many see as a fundamental shift in US foreign policy. Rather than viewing Trump as the exception to a past 'norm', argues that his administration is the latest expression of the characteristics that mark out the US from other western states. Ben is joined by Bruno to discuss the political implications of American exceptionalism.&n...

The tragic killing of George Floyd in Minnesota at the end of May has sparked a wave of protests in the US and around the world. It has also sparked an important, long-overdue and often difficult, discussion on racism. This week Ben speaks to about the issue of race in UK politics, and the obstacles that face ethnic minority individuals seeking to pursue a career in Westminster.  Then Agnes d...

In this week's episode Ben speaks to Erin Baines and Camile Oliviera about their research on the social status of children born as the result of ‘forced marriage’ during the Ugandan civil war of the 1990s and early 2000s, and attempts by some of the fathers to assume responsibility for their care and well-being.  Children ‘born of war’ are increasingly recognized as a particular victim group...

Finance plays a key role in enabling climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is also a contested issue in the UN climate negotiations. The UK Government has made climate finance one of its top thematic priorities for COP26 and 2020 constitutes the deadline for developed countries to mobilise USD 100 billion per year to support climate action in developing countries.  This week the Climat...

This week the Undercurrents team present a double-bill of interviews exploring the politics of Israel.  Agnes discusses the recent political fortunes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with , including the domestic and foreign policy implications of his ongoing corruption trial. Then Ben speaks to and about their investigation into the identity politics behind Israel's hosting of the 2019 E...

This week the Undercurrents team explore two perspectives on the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ben speaks to from the Asia-Pacific Programme about the Indian government's response to the virus, exploring the impact of a severe lockdown and the limitations of a new contact tracing app.  Then Agnes discusses how the media has covered the crisis with of the . What is the media's r...

This week Agnes is joined by Lysa John, the Secretary-General of , to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on worker's rights across the world.  Then Ben speaks to Leena Hoffmann from the Africa Programme at Chatham House about the food security crisis in West Africa and the Sahel. They explore the challenges facing governments in the region as they attempt to ensure their citizens...

In this bonus episode , Director of the Energy, Environment and Resources Programme at Chatham House, speaks to Anna about the environmental implications of COVID-19. How might manmade pressures on the environment have contributed to the emergence of the virus? What are the environmental impacts of the virus-driven economic slowdown? And how can we rebuild society in a more sustainable way in the...

This week, Ben speaks to from the Global Health Programme about the WHO's communication challenges around the coronavirus. They explore how pandemics are defined, and the implications of when the announcement was made. Then Agnes meets to find out how former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has gained political office in Ukraine.  Read the Expert Comments:  Credits: Speak...

This week Agnes speaks to about how states can learn the lessons from our coronavirus response, and better prepare for future pandemics. Then Ben meets to find out about a speech given at Chatham House in 1931 by Mahatma Gandhi, as part of his campaign for Indian independence. Read the Expert Comment: Read The World Today article: Read Gandhi's speech: Credits: Speakers: Patricia Lewis, Gitika Bha...

Extreme weather, rising sea levels and a melting Arctic - the effects of climate change are posing an increasingly large threat to national security worldwide. In this episode the team explore the implications of climate change for national security, and how the defence establishment is incorporating environmental concerns into its military planning.  Anna speaks to about the threats posed by...

This week, Agnes speaks to Chatham House Senior Press Officer Jordan Lim about the challenges facing governments and the media as they try to communicate effectively during the coronavirus pandemic.  Then Ben discusses the prospect of justice for the Rohingya community, with from the Asia-Pacific Programme. Sandra explains the ongoing international investigations into Myanmar's treatment of t...

Undercurrents returns from remote corners of lockdown UK to discuss how the EU has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, and to find out how celebrity interacts with politics.  This week, Ben speaks to about the economic impact of Europe's lockdown measures, and the challenges facing the Eurozone as the pandemic continues. Then Agnes meets to discuss his new book on the history of celebrity....

After a short hiatus Undercurrents will return in a few days. In the meantime we are bringing you an excerpt from , a new podcast series from the Energy, Environment and Resources Programme at Chatham House. Ben speaks to Jennifer Austin, Policy Director of the , about the role that business can play in addressing the climate emergency.  Listen to the full series:

The Climate Briefing returns with interviews on European approaches to climate action, and the role that business can play in achieving the Paris Agreement goals. Johanna and Ben are joined in the studio by two guests; Imke Lubbeke, Head of EU Climate and Energy Policy at the , and Jen Austin, Policy Director of the coalition. Please note: this episode was recorded prior to the postponement of COP...

This week the Undercurrents team explores the debate around intelligence accountability, and asks who should be paying to fix climate change.  How can democratic governments hold intelligence and security agencies to account when what they do is largely secret? Agnes meets author Jamie Gaskarth to find out how intelligence professionals view accountability in the context of 21st century polit...

A new documentary from Pakistani-American director explores the politics behind Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws. The film follows conservative cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi and examines the cases of those accused of disrespecting Islam, including Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who spent almost 10 years on death row. This week Agnes and Ben meet with Mohamed to discuss the making of the film...