One Decision

Former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson sits down with One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove for his first ever podcast interview. Johnson discusses the state of the Ukraine war— his thoughts on Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed mutiny and details from his recent conversation with former President Donald Trump about supporting Ukraine in defeating Russia. He also talks about his post-Brexit frustrations, if he would change how he handled the pandemic, and what's the one decision he regrets during his time in office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House, Brett Bruen hosts our weekly special One More Decision with Sir Richard Dearlove for analysis on Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's short-lived coup against Russia and exile to Belarus. Sir Richard shares his views on the aftermath, and what this means for Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and the war in Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary Mark Esper has come out against his old boss who fired him by tweet in November 2020, just days after the election. Esper has revealed in his memoir that he stayed in the administration in order to ‘hold the line’ against suggestions that the United States might bomb Mexico, Venezuela, or send a quarter million troops to the southern border. One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove and Julia Macfarlane sit down with Dr. Mark Esper to discuss the current threats to Western interests originating overseas, his assessment of the Ukraine counter-offensive, and if Europe is sleepwalking into a security crisis, arming Ukraine but not refreshing their stocks fast enough. They also discuss the threat China poses to Taiwan and what he would change about AUKUS, the pact between the United Kingdom and the United States, to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a series of strategic deals aimed at strengthening military, economic and technological ties between the two countries. The strategic partnership is crucial as the United States moves to reign in Russia’s influence and counter China’s growing military presence. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove discuss the details of the joint pact including increased defense capabilities, building semiconductor facilities and jet engines in India, more collaboration on advanced technology and what this new partnership means for China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove sit down with Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the powerful United States Senate Intelligence Committee. In his role, the Virginia Democrat oversees the vast intelligence community and investigations related to national security. The discussion features the committee's work on investigations into the mishandling of classified documents, the challenge from China, and the emerging threat of artificial intelligence and advanced technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two major decisions by European entities this week will likely transform how the world interacts with technology. First, the European Parliament passed legislation that could introduce some of the first major regulations around the use of artificial intelligence, including how the police deploy facial recognition systems. POLITICO's Chief Brussels Correspondent Suzanne Lynch just returned from Strasbourg, where the bill was being debated. She provides an inside look at how the proposed law is shaping up and the ways other governments are likely to use it as a model for their own rules. Additionally, the European Commission took steps to crack down on Google's dominance of online ads. This move may end up leading to the breakup of the company, which has dominated the tech sector for decades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Decision sits down with Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas to talk about America’s foreign policy priorities and what should be done about China. Hutchinson is an outsider in the race, but insists he is there to widen the parameters of the debate, as Trump and DeSantis continue to offer a populist, nativist vision of America to voters. And, Sir Richard Dearlove reacts to the unsealing of the criminal indictment against former President Trump, as the world learns what exactly was sitting in the rooms at Mar-a-Lago before the FBI carried out raids to retrieve the highly classified intelligence Trump was hoarding nearly a year ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since President Biden and President Xi exchanged handshakes and smiles at last year’s G20, relations between the two powers have been on shaky ground. Most recently, the United States Defense Secretary was snubbed by his Chinese counterpart in Singapore during a regional defense summit. The Chinese military has lashed out at the United States holding a joint exercise with Canada in the waters around Taiwan, and the United States is still angry at Beijing over the recent saga of ‘spy balloons’ found floating in the air above American towns. As Taiwan warns that Beijing is getting ready to invade in a matter of years, American leaders still seem to be settling on a strategy for how to defend the island. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and Brett Bruen look at what the latest diplomatic developments and military maneuvers mean for the possibility of avoiding conflict across the Taiwan Strait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine finally began its long-awaited counteroffensive on June 4th, two days before D-Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. Much is at stake - but barely after Ukraine began calculated assaults along Russian lines, someone blew up the Kakhovka Dam. A torrent of floodwater has been unleashed on tens of thousands of homes in both Russian and Ukrainian controlled areas, and both sides are laying blame on each other. If sticky Ukrainian mud was once an issue and a challenge for heavily armored tanks, rising floods, and burst riverbanks are now out of the question. One Decision sits down with CNN’s Nic Robertson, Ukrainian-based editor and founder of The Counteroffensive: A war correspondent's open notebook, Tim Mak, reporting live from Ukraine, and Breaking Defense’s Lee Ferran to discuss Ukraine’s offensive, how the floods might impact Kyiv’s strategy, and what to look out for in the coming weeks ahead of a critical NATO summit in Lithuania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor George Gao, the former head of China's Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recently told the BBC that no theory for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic should be ruled out including whether or not it came from a lab, after years of extremely insistent public denials from the Chinese leadership. Gao added that China investigated whether the virus may have originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and admitted that he hadn't actually seen the results of the investigation, but heard that the Institute had been cleared. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane speaks with co-host and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove about why China is speaking about the origins of the virus now, why he thinks it has zoonotic origins, and why he concluded there's a strong probability it was leaked from the Wuhan lab. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world rushes to meet its targets for a green-powered revolution, the demand for materials like cobalt are set to double by the year 2050 due to its critical role in the manufacturing of lithium ion batteries, and the rising demand for electric vehicles. Author and activist Siddharth Kara sits down with One Decision's Julia Macfarlane to discuss his new book, "Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives'' which details his undercover investigation of what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo—home to the world’s largest sources of cobalt. Although cobalt is blue, Kara argues that the exploitation and violence against the people and children who extract it from the ground for us, and the damage done to their homeland, means that its price is paid for in blood. Plus, analysis from former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove on the scale of the suffering and if the Congo had a stronger identity, how it would be able to determine more of its own fate. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian forces captured the city of Bakhmut largely led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group and its fighters—who suffered heavy losses on the battlefield. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove discuss Russia's next move as it prepares for Ukraine's counter-offensive, and what's behind the border skirmishes in the Russian town of Belgorod. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent months the Biden administration has put a concerted effort into wooing the African continent. It’s not a moment too soon, because China is busy forging ties and building infrastructure across African countries - with a growing number of African economies, such as Ghana’s, becoming increasingly dependent on the Chinese to bail out their debt. Russia has also been busy, deploying Wagner mercenaries across countries in Africa, where they are making a fortune out of the bountiful resources and minerals that African nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic have to offer. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane leads a roundtable of three veteran White House specialists on Africa, Jendayi E. Frazier, former United States Ambassador to South Africa, John Simon, former Ambassador to the African Union, and Bobby J. Pittman, former Senior Director for African Affairs in the White House. They discuss the emerging challenge from Moscow and Beijing's engagement with the aim of displacing Western interests, the damage to relations after former President Donald Trump reportedly used the word "shithole" to describe African countries, and the Biden administration's race to reinvigorate America’s standing with the African continent and boost investment. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's One More Decision, former Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House, Brett Bruen is joined by Nikkei's Diplomatic Correspondent Ken Moriyasu from the G7 summit venue in Hiroshima to discuss Japan's agenda as it plays host to world leaders in the city that suffered the first nuclear attack in the world. They discuss what will come from the high-stakes gathering, China's aggressive posturing towards Taiwan, the buildup of Japan's own military defenses, and how world leaders are reacting to United States President Joe Biden cutting a dinner and his Asia trip short to focus on negotiations to avoid a potential catastrophic debt default in the United States. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venezuela is known to have the world’s biggest reserves of crude oil - but more than 90% of its citizens live in poverty. Millions of people have fled the country since 2015, in what the United Nations has described as the second biggest displacement disaster in the world. The policies of the Hugo Chavez government live on in the Bolivarian regime and leadership of Nicholas Maduro - but can the communists be ousted? One Decision speaks with former United States Ambassador to Caracas Patrick Duddy and exiled opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to consider what is at stake and whether the opposition can chart a route forward before elections in 2024. And former President Juan Guaidó sits down exclusively with One Decision's Brett Bruen for his first interview in Washington as an exile to talk about the details of his family's flight from Venezuela and why he felt it was no longer safe to stay. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

En un episodio especial de One Decision en español Brett Bruen, exasesor del presidente Obama, entrevista a Juan Guaidó en su primera visita como exiliado a Washington D.C. El expresidente venezolano reflexiona sobre las lecciones aprendidas, las sanciones y hasta hace una autocrítica de la gestión del gobierno interino. Revela la influencia rusa en el país asentado sobre las mayores reservas de petróleo del planeta, la presencia china y cómo la nación latinoamericana se ha convertido en un santuario de grupos irregulares como el ELN, la FARC y el narcotráfico. In a special episode of One Decision in Spanish, Brett Bruen, former adviser to President Obama, interviewed Juan Guiadó on his first visit as an exile to Washington D.C. The former Venezuelan President reflects on the lessons learned, the sanctions and even makes a self-criticism of the interim government. It reveals the Russian influence in the country seated in the largest oil reserves on the planet, the Chinese presence and how the Latin-American nation has become a sanctuary of irregular groups such as the ELN, FARC and arms and drug trafficking. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove are back for our regular episode dropping on Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judges in Pakistan have ordered the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from custody after his dramatic arrest in Islamabad on what his supporters claim are trumped up charges of corruption. The Supreme Court has ordered Khan be freed on protected bail, meaning he cannot be re-arrested on the same charges for another two weeks. The country has seen waves of violence after his supporters who have protested his arrest clashed with the police and the military. Several people have died and thousands have been arrested. Authorities shut down internet and cellphone networks to try and quell the unrest. One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove, who ran MI6, reflects on his past dealings with the country's powerful military and intelligence services, and why many are speculating that Khan's ouster last year from office and his current troubles are to do with him running afoul of Pakistan's powerful army and intelligence chiefs. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turkey’s longtime leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing what many describe as his toughest election yet. On Sunday, May 14th polls will open for presidential and parliamentary elections, and amid a dire economic crisis in the country, his prospects are in doubt. His leading rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu is a mild-mannered and bookish elderly lawmaker who is presenting himself as a man of the people, and the polar opposite to the incumbent. Unlike Erdogan - the poster boy for populist politics - who has shunned closer ties with the European Union and the West and courted Vladimir Putin, Kilicdaroglu could lead Turkey in a different direction. As one of the mightiest armies in NATO, straddling Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Turkey is a strategically important nation, and how the country votes could have implications for us all. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove, along with the former United States Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield and Turkish academic and author Gonul Tol discuss what’s at stake. International Intrigue is a <5min daily newsletter written by former diplomats. They scan over 600 sources a day so you don't have to. Sign up to join 50,000 global thinkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States and Ukraine have strongly denied any involvement in an alleged drone assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin this week. According to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, two drones were reportedly downed by Russian air defences above the Kremlin, the fortress which is the heart of the government. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove analyze the incident, the possibility it could be a false flag operation by Russia to escalate the war, and how Moscow could retaliate against Kyiv. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove was a guest of the Kyiv government during the last week of April - coinciding with the day that Russia launched its biggest air strikes on Ukraine in two months. Sir Richard reveals the details of his unfortunate night spent in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, what he learned from conversations on the ground with high-level government officials, Ukraine's focus on NATO's upcoming summit in Vilnius, preparations for the long awaited 'spring offensive' and why the Discord intelligence leaks worked to Ukraine's advantage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House, Brett Bruen joins to host our weekly special One More Decision to provide analysis on President Joe Biden's announcement—that at 80 years old he will seek another term as president setting up a potential Trump vs. Biden rematch in 2024. Brett speaks with Johanna Maska, the former Director of Press Advance at the White House during the Obama administration. Maska shares an insider view on the personal side of Joe Biden, what makes him tick, insights on his campaign style and how staffers made sure he stayed on script. And how will the world view a potential Biden vs Trump rematch, and if a divisive presidential election poses the greatest threat to the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Donald Trump were to return to office in 2025 he would find that NATO, the target of so many of his scathing comments, is now more closely resembling the kind of alliance the former President said he wanted. It is more muscular, fed by bigger budgets paid for by its constituent European parts. And as NATO changes, Japan and Germany have shifted away from their postwar military restraint in the face of a raging war in Europe and the growing threat from China. One Decision sits down with Trump’s NATO Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison for her view on its dramatic transformation, if she thinks the US or Europe deserves the credit and how a divisive 2024 presidential election could affect Europe’s security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House Brett Bruen joins to host our weekly special One More Decision to provide analysis on the violent clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group, Rapid Support Force (RSF). Brett speaks with Ambassador Cameron Hume who ran the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum for his inside take on foreign influence in the conflict, whether sanctions would make a difference, and the logistics behind evacuating thousands of people amid intense fighting between Sudan's warring factions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest porn upload site Pornhub is facing a slew of lawsuits by women who accuse the site of enabling and profiting from sexual exploitation. The advent of the internet means that the abuse of victims of human rights violations including rape and violence now, arguably, is compounded - every time someone views the material. To get a sense of the scale of the issue of trafficking and where these long chains of abuse can begin, we speak with Laila Mickelwait who leads the campaign to shut down Pornhub, and Nick Grono, CEO of Freedom Fund on where vulnerable people are targeted around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House Brett Bruen joins to host a special One More Decision to provide analysis on the discovery of a young Air Force reservist's role in stealing over a hundred secret documents and publishing them online. Bruen takes us inside the American security clearance system and looks at whether after so many intelligence issues, allies are now going to be less likely to share their sensitive insights with Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia says it will “not tolerate pressure” from the U.S. over detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, a Russian senior official has warned. Washington has recently escalated his case, officially designating him as “wrongfully detained” - meaning he is now seen as a hostage. As Bloomberg reports that Putin himself personally approved his detention, there are growing questions on what price the U.S. is willing to pay to free yet another American taken by Russia. And with each exchange, does the risk of incentivizing Russia to claim more hostages grow? We speak with New York Times Moscow correspondent Valerie Hopkins, a good friend of Evan Gershkovich who left Moscow shortly after his arrest, and Jason Rezaian who was wrongly held in Iran on espionage charges while serving as Tehran bureau chief for the Washington Post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus episode from the One Decision team: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the infamous boss of the Wagner mercenary group, claimed a big victory this week - that his fighters had taken substantial control of the contested city of Bakhmut in Ukraine, and that it had been “legally captured”. However, this is not necessarily good news for the Kremlin. Putin’s once close ally has been badmouthing the Russian military - complaining about bad tactics, logistics and poor planning by the Russian defence chiefs leaving soldiers hungry, ill-equipped and unprepared for battle. After a mysterious assassination of a blogger in a cafe Prigozhin owns, One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove discuss if the noose is tightening on Putin’s old friend, and at what point is he too much of a liability for the Russian leader? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu’s place in history is now secure. He may not always be the longest-serving PM, but he will always be the first sitting PM to be indicted on criminal charges. It’s those corruption charges that many of his critics are saying are the motivation for his new judicial reforms - which aim to limit the power and independence of the Supreme Court, and make it harder for a Prime Minister to be ruled unfit for office. While Netanyahu may be motivated by self-preservation, it is also a bit more complicated than that - he also has to keep together a fragile coalition of the most right-wing, religious, and nationalist governments in Israel’s history, with partners who have their own reasons for disempowering the judiciary. Netanyahu may have postponed pushing through the controversial legislation - but the debate will return later this month. One Decision speaks to Shalom Lipner, who spent 26 years as an adviser in the PM’s office. He’s served under seven Prime Ministers including Netanyahu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man who once led British intelligence, Sir Richard Dearlove weighs in on the mass protests we have witnessed in response to major reforms proposed by both President Emanuel Macron and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their countries. Will these leaders and their proposals survive? We offer a special short analysis on the situations & scenarios for the deep public discontent on display at the moment in Israel, as well as France. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine welcomed the first arrival this week of sophisticated tanks, as well as armed personnel carriers from the United Kingdom and the United States. They arrive on the battlefield just in time for a long-anticipated counteroffensive by Kyiv. As heavier military support begins to trickle in from western allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin weighs another political calculation of his own - if and when is the time to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. He set off alarms abroad when he announced in recent days that some nuclear weapons would be moved to Belarus. CNN's Clarissa Ward recently returned from Ukraine and sits down with One Decision to discuss these latest developments, her conversations with Ukrainian officials, and what Putin might be thinking of doing next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans in the United States are divided on how much support to provide Ukraine in the fight against Russia's invasion of its territory. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has courted controversy by pursuing Trump’s base, arguing that supporting Kyiv is not in America’s national security interests. He’s been deeply criticized by senior figures within his own party for doing so. What is driving this divide in the party? What are the politics of transitions when it comes to important foreign policy commitments? We speak to Stephen Hadley, former National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush, about the division developing in the Republican party, what remains of bipartisan American values, and how he feels about the war in Iraq, 20 years since its beginning. Interested in hearing more about the decisions behind the Iraq War? Tune in to hear our interview with former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar: pod.fo/e/1620f0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A veteran diplomat and one of the leading experts on China, Charlie Parton, joins his old friend Sir Richard Dearlove to discuss the increasing and personally invasive threat posed by the tiny chips present in everything from your smart fridge to your Fitbit. It’s a remarkable conversation that will change the way we look at the modern technology that now fills our homes. They also delve into how China’s monopoly in the production of these chips has put the world in a very vulnerable position and what we can do to extract ourselves from this dangerous dependency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner was jailed and sent to a penal colony in Moscow last year, the US government got to work on securing her release. But, a few days after she was detained by Russian authorities, Putin invaded Ukraine. Suddenly, it became complicated for the Americans to talk to the Russians in an official capacity. But luckily for Griner, they weren’t the only ones on the case. One Decision sits down with former American Ambassador Cameron Hume, who worked on the small team that traveled to Moscow to directly deal with the Kremlin themselves, on behalf of Griner’s and other detained Americans’ families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Richard Haass became the head of the influential policy think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, twenty years ago, the world was very different from where we are now. Dominated by a post-9/11 reality, the American-led international order was in little doubt. In 2003, China had only just joined the World Trade Organization and had yet to become the rising power and economic behemoth it is today. The new Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the European Union was Russia’s "natural, most important partner". War fatigue was far on the distant horizon, even if opposition to what was to become the ‘forever wars’ was there from the start. Richard Haass sits down with One Decision to reflect on the past 20 years of observing global events and why the next decade may be even more dangerous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day before Putin's State of the Union address, President Joe Biden emerged in dramatic fashion beneath Ukraine's glimmering golden domes. A secret operation got him on the ground to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital. Air raid sirens blared out as Biden strolled the streets of Kyiv with Zelensky - the first time in modern US history a serving president visited a warzone without the aegis of an American military presence. The former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove talks about the significance of such a visit and what it portends for enduring American support. Plus, the NATO Secretary General is publicly floating the idea of Finland being fast-tracked to membership in the alliance without their neighbor Sweden, with whom they presented a joint bid. Sweden’s Foreign Minister joins us to discuss how worried his country is about Turkey’s intransigence on the issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Pompeo is the only American to have served as both CIA Director and Secretary of State. A bullish defender of the legacy of the Trump era, in a new autobiography on his time during office, he argues that ‘peace through strength’ is the only way to ensure that America’s foes like Putin and Xi will not actualize the threat they currently pose to Western interests. As speculation mounts over whether he will become the latest Republican to announce a bid for the Presidency in 2024, Pompeo makes it clear that - even if he doesn’t decide to run - he has some pretty strong opinions on what the United State’s foreign policy objectives must be and will continue to play a prominent role in shaping his party's foreign policy. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove join him for a robust chat about his time in office and his thoughts on the current global security outlook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian President Vladimir Putin is particularly observant when it comes to anniversaries. This month he marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis in the battle of Stalingrad. Given he is an enthusiastic student of history - albeit, his own versions of history - watchers of the war in Ukraine have raised the question: what will Putin do when his invasion reaches the ‘one-year’ mark? Max Seddon is the Bureau Chief in Moscow for the Financial Times. He will share the view from Moscow, and as the war enters a new phase. It's one that is likely to increasingly hinge on political will from Washington, where we are joined by Fox News’ White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. She discusses what support remains among Republicans for arming Ukraine, one year from the invasion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty years after the invasion of Iraq, the decision to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power continues to shape the Middle East and the world. In this episode, guest host Helena Humphrey speaks to former Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, about his decision to support the war despite widespread opposition in his own country. He joined American President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to launch the war from the Azores islands in 2003. We explore his central role in one of the most important events of the 21st century and what lessons can be learned as Europe once again grapples with how far it should dive into a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seldom do you get this level of access. The former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency General Michael Hayden sits down with One Decision. In one of his rare recent interviews, he shares an unvarnished view of the risks posed by Xi Jinping's ambitions and the lessons we should have learned from the War on Terror. In a remarkable exchange, he speaks with co-host and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove about how intelligence gathering has changed and how it should work to better address emerging threats. They cover decisions made and ongoing in Europe, the Middle East, India, and Russia. Hayden, who also led the National Security Agency, lets us in on his conversations with the current Director of the CIA William J. Burns, and where he thinks the world is headed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christo Grozev once humorously described himself as an ‘internet nerd’ who hunted Russian trolls in his spare time. Well, his hobby has now made him an internationally celebrated journalist - and earned him a place on Russia’s most wanted list. As Lead Russia Investigator for the open-source investigative website Bellingcat, Grozev is one of the best people to talk to if you want to learn more about the war of information being fought by Moscow, and how data trails from some of the GRU’s more clumsy spies are giving canny investigators and journalists the chance to expose some of Russia’s activities it would rather you not know about. Sir Richard Dearlove and Julia Macfarlane sit down with him to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2022 was a crazy year. And our Sir Richard Dearlove says 2023 won't be any less eventful. The former head of MI6 sits down with host Julia Macfarlane to discuss what the future might hold for the war in Ukraine, the burgeoning protest movement in China, and the United States presidential race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rory Stewart caused a buzz when he challenged Boris Johnson for leadership of the Conservative Party. He did not win the leadership, but he won widespread support for his ‘Rory Walks’ campaign across the United Kingdom, from Brits of all political stripes. He is also known for his walks across Afghanistan, where he was hunted by the Taliban in the mountains between Herat and Kabul at the height of the United States occupation in 2001. Stewart has been a diplomat, a politician, a soldier and - some say - a spy. But you’ll find him today championing one of his biggest passions - international aid, as the head of GiveDirectly, one of the biggest international charities in the world. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove talk with Stewart and discuss whether the United Kingdom’s handling of its aid and soft power has seen better days, and what it means for Britain’s place in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As part of our end-of-year review looking into the biggest decisions of 2022, we look at how Putin's invasion of Ukraine plunged Europe into its biggest security crisis since the Second World War. Just a few days after Putin ordered troops to cross the border into Ukraine, German Chancellor Scholz declared a historic reversal of decades-old policy and a 100 billion euro fund to bolster Germany's armed forces. After leading the UK out of the EU, Boris Johnson suddenly became one of the continent's biggest advocates for defense, spearheading much of the response to Ukraine. And old attitudes to Russia and the West were suddenly reevaluated around the world. The Economist's Anne McElvoy, Prashant Rao of Semafor, and BloombergTV's Maria Tadeo joined One Decision for a look at how the Ukraine war has changed the political map for Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our end-of-year review, we analyzed the big events and decisions made in 2022 - the headline blockbusters that dominated the headlines: Putin’s war in Ukraine, Xi’s third term, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the surprising United States midterm elections. But what about the choices made that flew under the radar? Or the choices that needed to be made in 2022, but were ignored? One Decision is joined by a panel of leading journalists to discuss a momentous year and the stories that you may have missed. One Decision has been selected as a finalist for the 1st Annual Signal Listener’s Choice Award for Best Conversation Starter. Please follow this link to vote now: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2022/individual-episodes/general/best-conversation-starter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2022 started with the White House warning that Putin planned to invade Ukraine. Many were skeptical. But in this year's most significant decision survey of more than 100 journalists, the consensus is in: Putin's decision to invade Ukraine was the biggest decision of 2022. Some of the other decisions will surprise you and might end up having more impact in 2023. In this roundup of the biggest stories of the year, we examine them all as we end one year and move on to the next. One Decision is joined in London by The Economist's Anne McElvoy, Semafor's Prashant Rao, and Bloomberg's Maria Tadeo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Bowen, International Editor at the BBC sits down with One Decision shortly after returning from the Ukrainian frontline, having been embedded with troops as government forces retook control of the occupied city of Kherson last month. A huge victory for Kyiv and a humiliating setback for Putin, who has this week admitted on television that his 'special operation' is likely to take a long time to complete, and tried to downplay rumors swirling of a second mobilization for more soldiers to join his invasion. Meanwhile, United States intelligence says that the Russians and Ukrainians are likely to pause the fighting over the bitter winter period - though aerial bombardment on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities is causing devastation for civilians facing freezing temperatures with no heating, water, or electricity. The United Kingdom's Defence Ministry says that the Russians may be preparing to attack more cities close to the areas they control in the east of Ukraine. As always, we will have an analysis by One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove, the former chief of MI6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States' last legislative elections surprised many political onlookers in the country. Unlike long-standing precedent, where the president's party usually suffers severe losses during these midterm elections, the Democrats actually held control of the Senate and narrowly lost the House of Representatives. We bring together President Donald Trump's former Communications Director Alyssa Farrah Griffin together with Johanna Maska, a veteran of President Obama's Director of Press Advance. They offer a special post-mortem on the gains, losses, and the challenging roads that lie ahead for both parties over the next two years. These prominent pundits for their parties provide unvarnished and at times unexpected analysis of who may stand for the presidency in 2024, along with the international implications of these historic elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The global supply chain has taken a battering since COVID. But it’s not just about how long you have to wait for your Playstation - the disruption to global trade has illuminated how dependent we all are on other countries for necessary goods. It’s a reality that could also have national security implications, as many countries in Europe who rely on imported gas from certain hostile counties in their neighbourhood, are swiftly finding out. Brian Wenck, the CEO of Flat World Global Solutions, a global supply chain and logistics firm, walks us through the butterfly effects of supply chain disruption - why China shipping PPE to Africa and America meant that Europeans couldn’t get their electronics for months. And co-host Sir Richard Dearlove joins us to explain why all of the above should give us concerns for our national security too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of people in Iran have been killed after the death of a 22-year-old woman sparked the biggest uprising in the country for years. More than 15,000 have been arrested in women-led protests demanding human rights, freedoms - and an end to Iran’s oppressive laws concerning women. The regime has accused the protests of being “foreign-backed riots”, meanwhile, the niece of the Supreme Leader has spoken out against what she described as the “murderous, child-killing regime” in Tehran. One Decision speaks to Iranian journalist Negar Mortazavi to hear more about the situation in the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our third installment on China at a crossroads, we look at where President Xi Jinping is positioning China in the world order and what his politics means for Chinese expansionism, influence, and aggression in the wider region. Is he likely to make a move on Taiwan? Will the contested areas in the seas around China be a new arena for hostilities? Will the US and China eventually be forced to go head-to-head, or is there too much financial incentive to cooperate? Brig. Gen. David Stilwell was the American Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and an Air Force veteran of 35 years. A fluent Chinese and Korean speaker, he also served as Defense Attache at the US Embassy in Beijing and has been a close watcher of Chinese politics ever since. He sits down with One Decision for a look at China's place in the world at the beginning of Xi's third term, with our Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, providing exclusive analysis on what he thinks the world should do in response. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices