The Foreign Desk
141 episodes — Page 1 of 3
After America: Europe’s new security order
Explainer 531: Could Moldova reunite with Romania?
The Democrats’ warring factions: Each have won battles but who will win the war?
Explainer 530: Who even is Russia’s anti-war party?
The Ceuta border crisis: Who’s really threatening Schengen?
Explainer 529: What’s driving Morocco’s Trump highway?
CTRL + ALT + RIGHT: Has technofascism taken over Silicon Valley?
Explainer 528: Does India’s Cockroach party have legs?
How can we ensure that the politics of heatwaves doesn’t cool off?
Explainer 527: Andy Burnham and the revolving door of UK politics
When politics kicks off at the World Cup: what separates the screamers from the own goals?
Explainer 526: Why Japan has been spooked into launching an intelligence service
Powering Purpose in London
The scramble for critical minerals
Explainer 525: You can’t keep a Le Pen down
Does the US still have a free press?
Explainer 524: Why is Marco Rubio trying to unify Libya?
Live from Almedalen 2026: The state of Swedish politics
Explainer 523: Flight of the White Eagle
‘El juego bonito’: Can the beautiful game help Mexico win off the pitch?
Explainer 522: The World Cup seat France won’t fill
Live from Odesa: Ukraine’s journey from needing help to providing it
Explainer 521: Trump Island
Lessons from Odesa: the changing landscape of war
Explainer 520: Is it the end of the road for Ferrari’s new electric vehicle?
Upping the ante: How prediction markets are shaking geopolitics
Explainer 519: Why Morocco and Senegal’s football rivalry is the one to watch this World Cup
The Cuban man-made crisis: will the US’s maximum-pressure campaign topple Havana’s government?
Explainer 518: Duterte vs Marcos in the latest episode of Filipino Family Feud
The rise of the middle powers
Explainer 517: How the revival of gerrymandering is hurting democracy
Live from Delphi: Can Europe remake itself into a superpower?
Explainer 516: Are Albertans about to leave Canada?
Live from Delphi: Can the US and Europe find a way back?
Explainer 515: Has King Charles saved the special relationship?
Live from Delphi: Europe breaks with the US over the war in Iran
Explainer 514: Why is Teddy Afro’s music roiling Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed?
From Maga to Orbán: The cracks emerging in the global right
Explainer 513: Why does Viktor Orbán’s defeat matter?
Operation Epic Fury: Is that it?
Explainer 512: Why is JD Vance in Hungary?
As the war in Iran enters its second month, is victory for anyone still possible?
Iran’s regime is battered but intact and holding the Strait of Hormuz while the US is militarily dominant but strategically stagnant. Is victory for anyone still possible? Do realistic off-ramps exist?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Explainer 511: Why is Germany telling Syrians to return home?
At a joint press conference this week, chancellor Friedrich Merz and president Ahmed al-Sharaa encouraged Syrians to return home. But who benefits from the plan?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why has Israel invaded Lebanon?
Israel has invaded Lebanon, again. With more than 1,000 people killed and 1.2 million displaced, many fear a return to civil war. What does Israel want from this? Does Lebanon have any options?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Explainer 510: From Angola with love: are there Russian spies in southern Africa?
This week two Russians are on trial in Angola, accused of espionage. Has the southern African nation been infiltrated by foreign spies or are they scapegoats for a failing government? Andrew Mueller explains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The war in Iran: the global fallout
The consequences of the US-Israel war in Iran are rippling around the world. Can Volodymyr Zelensky retain focus on the war in Ukraine? Will an already fragile Nato splinter? Is this the end of rules-based order? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Explainer 509: Is Cuba next on Trump’s hit list?
Despite the ongoing military strikes in Iran, Donald Trump has been sizing up his next potential conquest: Cuba. But could, would and should he actually strike the country? Andrew Mueller explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Iran: Are the US and Israel fighting the same war?
The US and Israel have a shared target in Iran but do they have the same goals? We discuss with guests including John Bolton and Nate Swanson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Explainer 508: How did rapper Balen become prime minister of Nepal?
Rapper turned politician Balendrah Shah was elected Nepal’s prime minister this week. Andrew Mueller traces his political ascent, fuelled by last year’s Gen-Z protests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Foreign Desk Exclusive: Canada prime minister Mark Carney on the new world order
Canada’s Mark Carney sits down with Monocle’s editorial director and chairman, Tyler Brûlé, to discuss how middle powers can shape the future, the importance of a national brand and finding opportunities in global disorder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.