The Explanation

How has Venezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves, become crippled with food and medicine shortages, hyper-inflation, violence and corruption? Hugo Chavez promised a socialist revolution in the 1990s, using high oil prices to fund his economic developments. However, during his time in power, he became increasingly autocratic and the economy slumped. Following Chavez’s death, Nicolas Maduro, also from the socialist PSUV party, became President but global oil prices began to plummet. The economy went into freefall and controversial elections in 2018 have led to ongoing political unrest. Jorge Pérez, a BBC Mundo journalist, explains how Venezuela descended into chaos.

With its foundations in the ashes of World War II, the European Union was initially formed to avoid further wars and remove trade barriers. It grew from a six-nation club as the ECC in 1957, to today’s 27 members that covers much of the continent and has evolved to tackle contemporary issues such as mass migration, a global pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In recent years, it survived a wave of Euroscepticism that led to Britain leaving (Brexit), but other member states have looked to reform from within, preferring to stay part of the larger bloc during uncertain times. Katya Adler, the BBC’s Europe Editor, shares insights into the EU from its foundation to its contemporary challenges.

In 2017, a deadly crackdown by Myanmar's army resulted in the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims across the border into Bangladesh. Years later, many of those who fled are still in refugee camps.But why have the Rohingya people become stateless? And will they ever return to Myanmar, which is now run by a military junta after a coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi and her government in 2021.The BBC’s Burmese Editor, Soe Win Than, explains how tensions grew in the Rakhine State and explores if the Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists could ever live side by side again.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

What is the difference between a war crime, a crime against humanity and genocide? And who holds those responsible to account?Anna Holligan, the BBC's correspondent in The Hague, gives an insight into how the International Criminal Court works. She shares some of the cases of those who have been charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, from Congolese warlord Thomas Lubang to Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

What should we done with stolen treasures? The BBC's culture editor, Katie Razzall, confronts colonialism's legacy with world affairs editor John Simpson. John also finds out if victory is finally in sight for the Ukrainians. Security correspondent Frank Gardner thinks it might be if they can push past the Russians' strong defences - but not all Ukrainians are up for fighting. Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe has been on the trail of those who risk life and limb to escape the front line. Plus, who might fill the vacuum left by first French and now UN troops leaving Mali - Wagner or jihadis? Beverly Ochieng from BBC Monitoring reveals a precarious state of affairs.

Since Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010, the country has been in turmoil. Some 200 gangs have taken control in the absence of a functioning state, with murder, kidnapping and rape becoming commonplace. President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021 and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the violence.Harold Isaac, a Port-au-Prince based journalist, explains how Haiti has descended to this point, and if there’s any hope of a more stable future for the country.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

President Putin's days might well be numbered, BBC Russian service editor Famil Ismailov tells world affairs editor John Simpson. John also hears from Ukrainian journalist Olga Malchevska about how united Ukrainians are as the war drags on, and finds out why President Biden rolled out the red carpet for India’s prime minister - and what it says about China - with BBC Hindi reporter Zubair Ahmed. Plus, is populism in politics finally on the way out? Diplomatic correspondent James Landale gives his take on some of the world's most memorable leaders.

Protests, power cuts and bank hold-ups – Lebanon was already struggling before the 2020 port explosion that devasted its capital, Beirut, but now it’s in a desperate economic collapse. The Lebanese people are struggling to buy basic food and medicine. And the country also hosts the highest number of refugees per capita worldwide. BBC correspondent in Beirut, Carine Torbey, tells us how Lebanon got here and how it might recover. Presenter: Claire Graham. Producer: Owen McFadden.

Chinese service editor Howard Zhang speaks to world affairs editor John Simpson about Xi Jinping's growing ambition and what it means for China - and the rest of us. We also speak to Olga Ivshina, BBC News Russian correspondent, to find out how many Russian soldiers have really died so far in the war - a figure that's a lot higher than the Kremlin will admit - and we find out why the Saudis are so keen to get their hands on major sports tournaments with sports editor Dan Roan. Plus, the seas around the UK and Ireland are hotter than ever before. We ask environment correspondent Matt McGrath how worried we should be.Produced by Pandita Lorenz and Benedick Watt

The Wagner group has been linked to military conflicts around the world, but who are they?The Russian mercenary organisation is believed to have been founded nearly 10 years ago, but ramped up recruitment in recent years, particularly since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, it now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine alone, but is said to have links to other parts of the world, particularly in many African nations.BBC Russia’s Andrei Goryanov has been based in Riga, Latvia since the BBC Russian Bureau relocated after the invasion of Ukraine. He explains who the Wagner Group are, where they have been and how aligned they are with President Putin and his government.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, asks defence correspondent Jonny Beale where the war in Ukraine is heading and what victory might look like; finds out from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher if any of the Republican presidential candidates will give Donald Trump a run for his money; analyses a new era in relations in the Middle East with Baran Abbasi from BBC Persian; and explores why South Africa is in so much trouble, and what can be done about it, with South Africa correspondent Nomsa Maseko.Produced by Pandita Lorenz and Benedick Watt.

The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, asks Russia editor Steve Rosenberg what the mood is like in Russia as the war gets closer to home; finds out from South Asia editor Rebecca Henschke why no one is taking any notice of the brutal civil war in Myanmar; and asks Balkans correspondent Guy Delauney why tensions are flaring up again in Kosovo. John also speaks to former Beijing correspondent John Sudworth, to find out if Covid really originated from a lab in Wuhan after all.Produced by Pandita Lorenz and Benedick Watt

Can the US transform the world's economy? We get the detail - and why it matters for the rest of us - from economics editor Faisal Islam. And our host, the BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson, asks Olga Robinson from BBC Verify how the new team goes about sorting fact from fiction in Russia's war with Ukraine. BBC Urdu's Farhat Javad examines what's next for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in Pakistan. And environment correspondent Helen Briggs marvels at thousands of newly discovered ocean creatures already at risk from deep sea mining.Produced by Pandita Lorenz and Benedick Watt

Unspun World provides an unvarnished version of the week's major global news stories with the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson and the BBC's unparalleled range of experts.This week, John finds out what it's like to report from the battlefield with Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse; Asia Pacific editor Celia Hatton on President Xi's gameplan; how worried should we be about artificial intelligence, with technology editor, Zoe Kleinman, and what is fuelling the political, economic and social turmoil in Ecuador, with BBC's Mundo's Ana Maria Roura.

Unspun World provides an unvarnished version of the week's major global news stories, with the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson and the BBC's unparalleled range of experts.This week John explores the ongoing war effort in Ukraine with BBC Monitoring's Vitaliy Shevchenko; the future of Turkey with international correspondent Orla Guerin; what President Assad of Syria's rehabilitation will mean for Syrians, with Middle-East correspondent Lina Sinjab, and he speaks to the BBC's science correspondent, Pallab Ghosh, about the pangenome. What is it, and how can it help humanity?Producers: Pandita Lorenz and Benedick Watt

On a mission to make sense of the world. A new podcast, with hosts John Simpson and Claire Graham. Episodes released weekly from 20 May 2023.

This year marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement, signed by politicians from Northern Ireland and the British and Irish governments in an attempt to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Over his 26 years at the BBC, Denis Murray reported extensively on the peace process, including this pivotal moment. He explains to Claire Graham how it came about, its legacy and how it's still discussed in today's political battles.Producer: Owen McFadden Presenter: Claire Graham

Relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia have historically been difficult. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war. A bitter border war between the two countries began a few years later. But by 2020, Eritrea sent troops to fight alongside the Ethiopian government against rebel forces in its northern Tigray region.Kalkidan Yibeltal is a BBC correspondent in Addis Ababa. He explains the complex history between the two countries, and looks at the tentative peace now emerging in Tigray.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

A military coup in 1989 brought Omar al-Bashir to power, until being overthrown by the military in the face of mass protests in 2019. During this time, war has raged in Darfur, South Sudan has gained independence and the Sudanese people demanded a return to civil government. BBC journalist Mohanad Hashim grew up in Khartoum and has reported extensively on the Middle East and Africa. He speaks to Claire Graham about Sudan’s journey from independence to revolution.Producer: Owen McFadden Presenter: Claire Graham

After almost a decade of fighting, civil war in Yemen has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Nawal Al-Maghafi is a Special Correspondent with the BBC who has been reporting on the Middle East since 2012. She explains to Claire Graham how this complex war began between government backed forces and the Houthi rebels.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

China has been accused of the mistreatment of the Uyghur people in the north-western region of Xinjiang for a number of years. This Muslim ethnic group are distinct with different culture, language and history to China's ethnic majority, Han Chinese. But why did the government start this crackdown? And what’s really going on?Senior correspondent John Sudworth was based in China for nine years, and reported on the treatment of the Uyghur people. He speaks to Claire Graham to help us understand the region and how Xinjiang became a surveillance state.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

Cuba and the United States share a long, complex history. From the Spanish-American War of 1898 to Fidel Castro's Cuba, these neighbours have often had an uneasy relationship. Claire Graham speaks with BBC World Service journalist Ana Maria Roura to understand the history between the two nations.

Fifty years ago, Jane Roe found herself at the centre of a ruling that would fuel US politics for the following decades. The Roe V Wade case gave women the constitutional right to abortion, until 2022 when it was overturned by the US Supreme Court.Claire Graham speaks with Katty Kay about the 1973 legal case, the legacy of that ruling and how abortion became such a central issue in contemporary American politics.Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

Inspired by the Arab Spring, peaceful protests began in Syria in early 2011. However, a complex civil war followed which has lasted over a decade and involved many other countries. Lina Sinjab, a BBC Middle East correspondent, explains how the conflict in her native country began. From the arrest and torture of protesting teenagers in Daraa to the rise of the Islamic State (IS), the last 12 years have devastated the country and inflicted immense suffering on the Syrian people. Is there an end to war in sight? Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden

Claire Graham talks to former BBC foreign correspondent Kevin Connolly about what has historically bound Russia and Ukraine together, and what has pulled them apart.

Claire Graham talks to the former BBC News Africa Bureaux Chief, Milton Nkosi, to get a better understanding of why the post-apartheid dream of a ‘Rainbow Nation’ has still not materialised. The Explanation is a snackable audio guide giving you the backstory behind the headlines. Unpacking complex chains of events, The Explanation will make the stories in question much easier to understand.

Claire Graham and guests explain the important, long-running stories that are in the newsClaire Graham talks to the BBC’s Middle East correspondent, Anna Foster, to get a better understanding of how the Saudi Royal family has maintained a strong global influence in spite of events which have drawn worldwide criticism.

Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s Taiwan correspondent, Cindy Sui, to get a better understanding of China’s reluctance to accept Taiwan’s strengthening independence, and why reunification is so important to China.Audio for this episode was updated on 30 March 2022.

Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s West Africa correspondent, Mayeni Jones, to get a better understanding of how Boko Haram, the militant Islamic group, took hold in northern Nigeria.

Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s Correspondent in Seoul, Laura Bicker, to get a better understanding of North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive countries.

Anu Anand talks to Quentin Sommerville about the rise, fall and potential re-emergence of the Islamic State group.

Anu Anand talks to Sarah Rainsford about how everyday life in Russia has changed under Vladimir Putin.

Anu Anand talks to Yogita Limaye about the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. They reveal how a turbulent history dictates the ever-shifting attitudes towards women and girls in the country.Presented by Anu Anand

Anu Anand talks to Rana Rahimpour about how decades of turbulence have shaped Iran, and why religion, democracy and ideals all combine to explain Iran today.

How did the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians reach its current point? Jeremy Bowen talked to Anu Anand in 2021 about the backstory behind the headlines.

Why are there democracy protests in Hong Kong? Anu Anand talks to Stephen McDonell.The Explanation is a snackable audio guide giving you the backstory behind the headlines. In each episode, presenter Anu Anand meets a BBC News correspondent who has lived and breathed these stories. She’ll hear clear analysis along with powerful archive. The Explanation will go back in time to unpack complex chains of events and will make the stories in question much easier to understand.