Chatham House podcast specials

Why did the German-French-Spanish fighter project – the Future Combat Air System – fail? Has Germany's rise to become Europe's leading defence investor profoundly shifted the balance of power on the continent? In a wide-ranging discussion about European defence ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara on 7-8 July, Dr Marion Messmer, Director of Chatham House's International Security Programme, and Grégo...

Lawrence Freedman, author and international relations authority, reflects on the 'utter chaos' of the Trump administration, America's 'catastrophic' foreign policy, the likelihood of an international shock to Britain's politics, the impact of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in his time working at Chatham House, his meetings with KGB agents ,   and much more ,   in a wide-ranging conversation w...

With the publication of the recent Chatham House research paper 'A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti', Christopher Sabatini and Laurel Rapp discuss how the international community can help Haiti.

The last episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs , looks at women's contributions to international thought, and how they have been erased from the discipline of International Relations. Isabel and Krisztina speak to Dr Katharina Rietzler about women's contributions to the journal and international relations, especially in the UK. Then, Krisztina speaks to Prof...

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of  International Affairs , the journal of Chatham House, looks at how empire and decolonization have been discussed in the journal. Isabel and Krisztina speak to Meera Sabaratnam about how thinkers and policy-makers from the 1920s to 1970s understood both empire and then decolonization. Meera highlights four tensions present within the dis...

What drives refugee movements and how should policies manage them? This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs , the journal of Chatham House, looks at refugees and migration. Isabel speaks to Emily Venturi about the movement of refugees, the development of global humanitarian systems and the change in thinking on refugees over time. Then she interviews Ali B...

In this final episode of our special series, we speak to Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and Professor Georgiy Kassianov. How can Ukraine rebuild while coexisting with Russia? What is needed to rebuild a stronger country efficiently and effectively? Host: Ned Sedgwick Guests : Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko (Ukrainian diplomat currently serving as Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK), Professor Georgiy Kassiano...

How have western financial institutions created loopholes for the Russian elite? Are sanctions truly enforceable on oligarchs with a strong foothold in cities like London? What is Putin's role in all of this? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Thomas Mayne (Chatham House Visiting Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme), Oliver Bullough (author of Butler to the World and Moneyland ) This episode was produce...

In this episode we follow up on the food shortage crisis we looked at in the beginning weeks of the war on episode two . What long-term problems can we expect because of the disruption to agriculture in Ukraine? Is there any hope for a solution? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests : Marianne Schneider-Petsinger (Chatham House Senior Research Fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme; Project Director, G...

What can the UN do on the ground to help the people of Ukraine? Does the war bring the EU a greater sense of purpose or does it mask underlying issues? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests : Saviano Abreu (Head of Communications at The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Pepijn Bergsen (Research Fellow, Europe Progamme) This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies on...

Why are some peace talks more fruitful than others? Why do negotiations break down? What role can mediators play in sensitive discussions? To answer these questions, Mariana is joined by Isabel Bramsen, who discusses her recent article in the International Affairs journal. In it, Isabel draws on her research and first-hand experiences as a neutral observer during the Philippines peace talks in 201...

What has the war revealed about both the Russian and Ukranian military capabilities? Was the Russian military surprisingly unprepared? What impact is the course of the war having on the global military industrial complex. Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests : Andrew Dorman   (Chatham House Editor of International Affairs, Professor of International Security at Kings College), Bettina Renz (Professor at the...

How has the war impacted Ukranians' sense of identity? How has Ukrainian language, culture, and politics changed after fall of the Soviet Union. Are Putin's views on Ukrainian identity shared by others in Russia? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Orysia Lutsevych (Head and Research Fellow, Ukraine Forum, Russia and Eurasia Programme); Professor Georgiy Kassianov (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lub...

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs , the journal of Chatham House, looks at China's role in the world over the past century. Isabel Muttreja and Krisztina Csortea speak to Evelyn Goh, who provides a whistle-stop tour of Chinese history. They also discuss how China has been understood in the journal over time.   Then Krisztina interviews Rosemary Foot...

How has the relationship with the United States and Putin changed from president to president? When did the relationship sour and what, if anything, could have been done to send warning signals to Putin? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Dr Leslie Vinjamuri (Director, US and the Americas Programme Chatham House), Dr Charles Kupchan (Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University, former Sen...

How have Brazil and Africa reacted to the war in Ukraine? With impending elections in Brazil, how is President Bolsonaro's relationship with Putin received by the public?  How will food insecurity affect African nations' response to the war? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Oliver Stuenkel (Associate Professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation), Samuel Ramani (University of Oxford & Assoc Fellow at the...

The war in Ukraine and global cost-of-living crisis are exerting pressure on economies across the world. With ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and food supply chain issues on top of this, China is facing a particularly severe challenge.  In this episode Ben speaks with Dr Yu Jie (Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House) about the economic 'perfect storm' presenting such an obstacle to President Xi Jinping...

How has India and Southeast Asia reacted to the war in Ukraine? Are they aligning with western sanctions or strengthening ties to Russia? What do they have to gain or lose in involving themselves in the war. Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Dr. Shruti Kapila (University of Cambridge), Ben Bland (Chatham House Director, Asia-Pacific Programme), Hunter Marston (Associate 9dashline) This episode was produ...

What was NATO's original purpose and what is its role in the war in Ukraine? Will Finland and Sweden join NATO and what significance does this have? What is Russia's historical relationship with NATO and how did it sour? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Clips used: BBC News Guests: Jamie Shea (Former NATO official, Chatham House associate fellow), Dan Sabbagh (The Guardian's Defense and Security Editor), Renat...

Six years after the EU-Turkey Joint Statement, domestic changes in Turkey and international developments such as the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan have ensured the border between Greece and Turkey remains a hotspot for migration flows. Today, Turkey is one of the world's biggest refugee-receiving countries and hosts four million refugees. In this episode, Ayşen Üstübici, assistant professor at K...

How does Russia use disinformation and who are they targeting? How are social networks shaping the war in Ukraine? What can be done to stop the spread of disinformation? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Clips used: BBC News Guests: Emily Taylor , Keir Giles , Damian Collins MP This episode was produced by David Dargahi and Anouk Millet of Earshot Strategies on behalf of Chatham House .

Power for refugees is a new two-part podcast on the Undercurrents podcast feed. Over two episodes Ben explores an often-overlooked aspect of humanitarian assistance: access to energy. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Sudan - the world is grappling with the consequences that emerge when people are forced to flee from their homes. One factor that does not usually make the headlines is that many people...

Power for refugees is a new two-part podcast on the Undercurrents podcast feed. Over two episodes Ben explores an often-overlooked aspect of humanitarian assistance: access to energy. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Sudan - the world is grappling with the consequences that emerge when people are forced to flee from their homes. One factor that does not usually make the headlines is that many people...

Examining China and its relationship to Russia and Ukraine. What is China's role in the war in Ukraine? What is the state of the relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin? Should they serve as mediator or do they have an active interest in a particular outcome?   Host: Ned Sedgwick  Clips used: South China Morning Post Guests: Professor Rana Mitter , Dr. Yu Jie This episode was produced b...

The Contentious politics since the 'Arab Spring'  project seeks to challenge the current prevalent narrative of a failed 2010/2011 series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The project does this by interrogating the events in the Arab region since 2010 in a critical light, and by introducing a more nuanced analytical lens to understanding the evolution of change in the region and...