Chatham House

Undercurrents is back for a second season!  This week Agnes and Ben interview two leading academics from the worlds of International Relations and History. John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) discusses his new book, The Great Delusion, on the rise and fall of liberal foreign policy. With China's rise and Russia's resurgence the world has returned to a zero-sum balance of power political...

The Undercurrents team are back for a bonus episode! If you are looking for a fiendishly difficult politically-minded quiz of the year to test out your relatives on Christmas Day then give this a listen.  Beside much more you will find out: How Rodrigo Duterte offended the faith of millions in the Philippines; How Donald Trump sacked his Secretary of State; Which team England beat in the firs...

It's the SEASON FINALE!! Join Ben and Agnes for the final episode of Undercurrents in 2018. This week they speak to Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House, about his recent work on the future of think tanks in the new uncertain political landscape. Up for discussion: How think tanks should respond to the rise of populist politics Whether think tanks have spent too long defending globalisation Ho...

In 2013 China launched its flagship economic project, the 'Belt and Road Initiative' (BRI). In the five years since the initiative has rapidly expanded trade and infrastructure relationships between China and 88 countries in Eurasia and Africa, covering over 60% of global GDP. Ben speaks to the Asia-Pacific Programme's Yu Jie to find out more. The rise of populism is a phenomenon affecting politic...

The day after the US Midterm elections, Agnes and Ben meet Anthony Gardner (former US Ambassador to the EU) to discuss the state of US relations with Europe, the importance of the special relationship and the likelihood of a post-Brexit US-UK trade deal. Will the Midterm results influence the Trump administration's stance on Europe? And likewise will European observers take any comfort from events...

Soraya Chemaly is a writer and activist whose work focuses on the role of gender in culture, politics, religion and media. Her latest book, Rage Becomes Her, explores how women can embrace the anger generated by modern gender relations for positive change.  Agnes and Ben met with Soraya to discuss among other things the #MeToo campaign, sexual politics and the impact of the scandal over...

Across the world more attention is being placed on how to construct environmentally sustainable, carbon neutral buildings as part of the wider fight against climate change. Agnes discusses green building projects in Jordan with Glada Lahn, a Senior Research Fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Department at Chatham House. Alongside the Olympics, the football World Cup is possibly the mo...

US President Donald Trump found much of his electoral success by utilising two central ideas in American political culture - the 'American Dream' and 'America First'. Academic and commentator Sarah Churchwell's new book Behold America explores the historial roots of these ideas, and the significant consequences of their manipulation. Agnes meets with Sarah to find out more.  The illegal trade...

In the latest volume of his diaries, out this week, Alastair Campbell (former Director of Communications for Tony Blair) looks back on Gordon Brown's time in office between 2007 and 2010. Ben met Alastair to discuss among other things the art of political leadership, Brexit, the state of the Labour Party and policies to combat mental illness. Listen from 5:17. This month marked 10 years since the...

Cybercrime is on the rise throughout the world, but the vast wealth of the GCC states (Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait) makes them especially vulnerable. In response increasingly stringent laws governing online activity have been enacted, but do these measures encroach too much on the rights of individuals? Agnes speaks to Joyce Hakmeh to find out.  Much is written about th...

Just under 18 months have passed since the UK government triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning the UK's exit from the European Union. With only seven months left to sign a withdrawal agreement, Ben discusses the state of the negotiations with Georgina Wright, from Chatham House's Europe Programme. Among other issues they tackle the Irish border question, Michel Barnier's ap...

The average refugee camp has a lifespan of 18 years, but in most cases the infrastructure in place is designed for temporary emergency responses. One area this particularly affects is energy provision, with the majority of refugees reliant on burning wood. On top of this, many humanitarian agencies are dependent upon costly and damaging diesel fuel to power their relief efforts.  The Moving E...

India is the world’s largest democracy, with more than one billion people and an economy expanding faster than China’s. But the rewards of this growth have been far from evenly shared, and the country’s top 1% now own nearly 60% of its wealth. James Crabtree's new book The Billionaire Raj explores the dynamics behind the rise of a new class of Indian billionaires. Ben met up with James, and C...

President Trump is visiting the UK this week in between summits with NATO and Russian President Putin. Agnes discusses the UK-US special relationship and European responses to the current President with Leslie Vinjamuri (Head of the US & Americas Programme) and Hans Kundnani (Senior Research Fellow in the Europe Programme).  Another country adapting its foreign policy approach in light of...

Alistair Burt MP is Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. In a recent speech at Chatham House he launched a new report from the government's Stabilisation Unit on new approaches to resolving armed conflicts. Drawing on examples from conflicts as diverse as Libya and Colombia, the report explores how deal making and peace building can reduce conflicts aroun...

In this bonus episode we bring you a recording of a roundtable from the 2018 Chatham House London Conference. This annual event brings together policy-makers, academics and business figures from around the world to London to discuss key global issues. Undercurrents hosted a breakfast roundtable as part of the conference, focusing on how elites can re-engage with their publics. A panel of experts f...

Technology driven by artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, but the political spectrum is not responding fast enough. Agnes discusses machine learning, the profusion of cat photos on the internet and public-private partnerships in AI regulation with Jacob Parakilas from the US and Americas Programme. In 2017 the government of Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on women driving, to international a...

Since ancient times states have attempted campaigns of subversion against their rivals. Sir David Omand, former Head of GCHQ, argues that cyberspace provides a multitude of new possibilities for interfering abroad. Ben met Sir David to discuss Russian interventions, fake news, foreign policy frenemies and jihadist social media.  After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukrainian activists have...

Ronan Farrow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was previously a foreign policy advisor to Hillary Clinton. In his new book, War on Peace, Farrow traces the decline of US diplomacy over the past 30 years, drawing on conversations with every surviving Secretary of State. This week Agnes met up with Farrow to discuss the waning reputation of career diplomats, how foreign leaders should deal...

The United Nations has been going since 1945, and is the basis for most international cooperation. But in this disruptive political environment, is it still relevant? This week, Ben speaks to UN expert Thomas Weiss to find out. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the situation in Libya has disappeared from international headlines. Seven years on, a new report by Tim Eaton explores the chaot...

This week Agnes meets Thomas Raines and Matthew Goodwin of the Europe Programme to revisit their research on the political Tribes of Europe in light of recent elections across the continent. Then, recording in San Francisco, Ben speaks to Rebecca Sanders from Cincinatti University about her recent article in International Affairs, which sheds light on conservative efforts to disrupt the women's ri...

In this week's episode Ben speaks to Laura Wellesley, a Research Fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Department at Chatham House, about her recent report assessing vulnerabilities in the global food trade. Then Agnes mediates a debate about how the internet is transforming the English language between journalist Marie Le Conte and The World Today editor Alan Philps. Read the Chatham Ho...

This week, Ben speaks to Rob Yates, Head of the Universal Heath Coverage Policy Forum in the Centre on Global Health and Security at Chatham House. They discuss the widespread practice of detaining hospital patients in their wards if they cannot afford to pay their medical bills, an illegal policy affecting thousands in Africa and South Asia. Then, Agnes learns about the growth in activism around...

In this week’s episode, Ben speaks to Champa Patel about President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines, and the prospects for the preliminary examination launched recently by the International Criminal Court. Agnes then discusses UK defence policy and wider European security with Andrew Dorman, who also gives an insight into publishing with International Affairs. Read the Expert...

This week, Agnes speaks to Helen Fitzwilliam about a new Italian judge-led project to relocate the wives and children of the Calabrian mafia family, the ‘Ndrangheta. Ben then interviews Xenia Wickett about her recent report on transatlantic relations. Read the article Escape from the Mafia: an Italian Judge’s Radical Plan Read the report Transatlantic Relations: Converging or Diverging? Department...