Independent Thinking

Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox joins the Independent Thinking podcast from the World Economic Forum in Davos. In London are guest host David Lubin , a Senior Research Fellow in Chatham House's Global Economy and Finance Programme; and Grégoire Roos , Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes.  They examine the implications of President Trump's speech for Greenland, NATO, Euro...

Host Bronwen Maddox is joined in the studio by  Laurel Rapp , Director of Chatham House's US and North America Programme; Marc Weller , Director of the International Law Programme and down the line by Juno Berthelsen, of Greenland's opposition Naleraq party, which favours independence.  Read our latest: Who owns Greenland? As Carney visits China to diversify Canada's trade, the 'Donroe Doctrine' f...

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Marc Weller , Director of Chatham House's International Law Programme; Laurel Rapp , Director of the US and North America Programme; and  Christopher Sabatini , Senior Fellow for Latin America. They discuss the failure of regional diplomacy that preceded the 3 January 2026 attack by the US on Venezuela, the tentative response of the international community in its afterm...

In the last Independent Thinking podcast of 2025, host Bronwen Maddox is joined by David Lubin , Senior Research Fellow with Chatham House's Global Economy and Finance Programme; Marion Messmer , Director of the International Security Programme; and Yu Jie , a senior research fellow on China in Chatham House's Asia-Pacific Programme. For further analysis read ' The economics of the new Monroe Doct...

This is a special edition of Chatham House's Independent Thinking international affairs podcast, recorded at the Doha Forum 2025 .  Many of the official and backroom discussions at Qatar's annual gathering of more than 5,000 world leaders, policymakers, dialogue, corporate and humanitarian organizations from 162 countries were dominated by discussions of President Donald Trump's National Security...

How are Europe and Ukraine reacting after the US and Russia sought to strike their own deal, and Putin warned that Moscow – while not planning for war with Europe – is 'ready right now'. Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Grégoire Roos , Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes; Natalie Sabanadze , a Senior Research Fellow and former Georgian Ambassador, and Jaroslava Barbieri , Rese...

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves published her – widely leaked – budget this week. How does it leave her ruling Labour Party positioned in Britain? And what do the calculations look like from overseas, where other countries have adopted different solutions to the problems facing them? For this discussion on Chatham House's international affairs podcast, host Bronwen Maddox is jo...

After the North Darfur capital El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces, aid agencies and survivors talk of civilians being massacred in the streets. The international affairs podcast of Chatham House examines the human toll, and the dynamics of a war fuelled by regional powers and their proxies seeking to control Sudan's territory, gold, natural resources, and access to key waterways.  Host Bro...

Nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials and analysts look at the prospects for a ceasefire, and at the military, economic and human cost that President Vladimir Putin's campaign has inflicted on the country.  They discuss the Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, intended to demoralise the civilian population, and what European allies should do to bo...

Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York's mayoral race this week – and other electoral successes – energized Democrats in the US and left-wing parties worldwide. The new standard-bearer of the American left is hailed by progressives as a generational shift of leadership – at 34 he will be the first Muslim mayor of New York, and one of its youngest ever.  But he faces opposition from many quarters ove...

Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders suffered a setback on Wednesday's elections, with centrists poised to take back power.   Rob Jetten, 38, leader of the centre-progressive Democrats 66 party, is set to become the Netherlands' youngest leader in modern history after running on the upbeat slogan 'Yes we can'. But the hard right remains influential.   To discuss the outcome, and what it tells us a...

China's ruling Communist Party leadership met in Beijing to frame the next five-year-plan. Amid a trade war with the United States, they set priorities for economic policy and technology, including how to build artificial intelligence into key sectors of society.   New faces appeared and old ones vanished, with a purge of senior military officials and others as President Xi Jinping sacked some off...

Beset by early ceasefire disputes between Israel and Hamas, international backers of President Trump's Mideast project must move quickly to elevate it from vague wish list to viable framework. Rapid delivery of aid, reconstruction - and security for Palestinians and Israelis – are essential. But without a political end game, it will founder. Sanam Vakil , Marc Weller and Stephen Farrell join host...

At home the US is mired in domestic dysfunction with a government shutdown now in its second week. But abroad, President Trump has brokered a deal that - although it didn't win a Nobel Peace Prize - could end the two-year Gaza war. Laurel Rapp and Max Yoeli join guest host Christopher Sabatini . They discuss the effects of the government funding crisis and protracted political deadlock on the US e...

It's party conference season in Britain. Both ruling Labour and opposition Conservatives are nervous about the rise of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK, successor to the Brexit Party. Pollster Joe Twyman and Olivia O'Sullivan , Director of Chatham House's UK in the World Programme, join host Bronwen Maddox for this week's podcast. Read our latest: Explainer | Can the Trump peace plan for Gaza s...

The United Nations is a guardian of international law, its leader assured member states this week. But President Trump questioned the point of the UN. Marc Weller and Christopher Phillips join Bronwen Maddox to assess challenges to the global order in a world of strongmen and multipolarity. Read our latest: Event | Is this a new age of nuclear proliferation? Comment | Does the US want to weaken th...

President Donald Trump brought AI and tech CEOs on his second state visit for a deal pledging £31 billion in investment for the UK.  Olivia O'Sullivan and Laurel Rapp join host Bronwen Maddox to discuss the politics and dealmaking behind the pageantry, on Chatham House's weekly international affairs podcast. Read our latest: Event | Global Britain meets America First: What next for the 'special re...

Are we moving into a post-American world and if so will China try to lead and set the rules for it? In the face of American withdrawal, China senses an opportunity to shape a new world order. This week on Independent Thinking,  Samir Puri and James Kynge join Bronwen Maddox to discuss the changing nature of the international order. Read our latest: Event | Interview and discussion with Isaac Herzo...

How much of Donald Trump's sanctions strategy is substance — and how much is performance? In this episode of Independent Thinking, Chatham House experts unpack whether sanctions work. And at Trump's shifting use of sanctions, tariffs and personal power plays in global economic policy. With Dr Christopher Sabatini, Timothy Ash, and Christopher Vandome from Chatham House. Read our latest reports: Un...

What does President Donald Trump's promise of Patriot missiles for Ukraine — and a 50-day tariff ultimatum to Putin — really mean for Ukraine and Russia?  Chatham House experts Jaroslava Barbieri , John Lough and Samir Puri look at whether it is a significant pivot towards Ukraine, how both sides are faring in the war, and how U.S. credibility is affected by Trump's changing positions. They are jo...

What does Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House mean for the likelihood of a Gaza ceasefire? Bronwen Maddox is joined by Stephen Farrell, Yossi Mekelberg, Sanam Vakil and Max Yoeli to examine the state of negotiations, U.S.-Israel and regional dynamics, and competing plans for what comes next. Read our latest: Lebanon's moment of truth The Rio summit showed that BRICS is less anti-Western...

After a crisis week for Britain's ruling Labour Party, host Bronwen Maddox and Chatham House's Olivia Sullivan are joined by economist Professor Stephen Millard and pollster Joe Twyman to look at the foreign and domestic challenges facing the country just one year after Keir Starmer won a landslide election victory. Read our latest: Is China friend or foe to the UK? A government audit says: 'It's...

Did US strikes cripple Iran's nuclear programme — or just set the stage for the next crisis? Bronwen Maddox hosts from Jordan, joined by international security expert Marion Messmer and Middle East associate fellow Lina Khatib in London, to examine the claims and counter-claims and what it means for the region's fragile balance of power. Read our latest: US strikes on Iran: What next for Iran, Isr...

Following Israel's strikes on Iran on 13 June, and the subsequent sequence of retaliation and counter retaliation, fears are rising that the conflict could escalate.   In this special episode of Independent Thinking (an edited version of a live webinar) Galip Dalay joins a panel of experts to discuss strategic goals, the responses of the key regional and international actors, including the Gulf st...

Is Britain chasing faded glory or forging a credible future? As the government lays out its latest spending review, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Jeremy Hunt and Samir Puri to ask whether bold talk of growth, defence and science hides a deeper strategic drift – or a real path back to global influence. Read our latest: Europe could win the battle for the future of digital money History suggests Trump...