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Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
By Monocle
1,147
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Presented by Andrew Mueller, Monocle’s flagship global-affairs show features expert guests and in-depth analysis of the big issues of the week. Nominated for ‘Best Current Affairs’ show and the ‘Spotlight Award’ in the 2022 British Podcast Awards.
Presented by Andrew Mueller, Monocle’s flagship global-affairs show features expert guests and in-depth analysis of the big issues of the week. Nominated for ‘Best Current Affairs’ show and the ‘Spotlight Award’ in the 2022 British Podcast Awards.
How to win a trade war
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
It seems clear that the newly inaugurated US president Trump has a philosophy on trade wars: they are good and easy to win. Tina Fordham, Alex von Tunzelmann and Elisabeth Braw join us to discuss whether the history of trade wars can tell us anything about how to wage one. And are these new economic tussles really anything remarkable, or just part of a wider backlash against globalisation?
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30:39
Explainer 453: Does China really control the Panama Canal?
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Is there any truth to Donald Trump’s claims that China controls the Panama Canal or is he out of his depth? Following secretary of state Marco Rubio’s meeting with Panama’s president, Andrew Mueller explains the US’s rocky history with the country and its waterways.
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07:48
What is Rwanda doing in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
The idea of Rwanda invading the Democratic Republic of Congo looks, on paper, preposterous. However, as an alliance of rebel groups seized Goma, the biggest city in the DRC’s east, we ask: what is the plan? Fred Bauma joins Andew Mueller with the latest from Kinshasa. Then: Jason Stearns and Michela Wrong tell us about the history behind this conflict and consider the view from Rwanda.
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36:05
Explainer 452: Trump’s Greenland grab
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Why is US president Donald Trump eyeing up Greenland? And if it’s not for sale, would he take it by force? Andrew Mueller explains the likelihood of an old-school territorial conquest.
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07:09
Can the Israel-Hamas ceasefire become lasting peace?
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Relative calm has descended over Gaza after 15 months of war. A ceasefire agreement has been enacted but what happens next is unclear. Nada AlTaher, Esther Solomon and Aaron David Miller join Andrew Mueller to discuss how Palestinians would like to move forward, the domestic political tensions in Israel and whether real peace is on the table.
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34:09
Explainer 451: The veteran rebels behind Colombia’s violent turf war
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
At least 100 people were killed this week during renewed fighting in Colombia’s northeast. Who is involved? And what are they fighting over? Andrew Mueller explains.
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07:22
Mr Trump goes to Washington: the sequel
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Donald J Trump will head to the National Mall in Washington on Monday for his second inauguration. When he takes the oath of office, Trump will become the second man to serve non-consecutive terms as president and the first convicted criminal to inhabit the White House. Tom Nichols, Nathalie Tocci and Alex von Tunzelmann join Andrew Mueller to consider what Trump 2.0 means for the US and the world. Plus: what makes for an inaugural address to remember?
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36:05
Explainer 450: What is Lebanon’s new government up against? Spoiler: itself
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
As Lebanon welcomes a new president and prime minister, Andrew Mueller explains the peculiarities of the country’s 1943 political settlement and why it has proved to be an inhibitor to actual governance.
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06:17
The legacies of US presidents
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
As US president Joe Biden’s time in office comes to a close, we consider how to assess the legacies of national leaders. What makes a president great? And why do our views change over time? Andrew speaks with the custodians of these legacies – biographers, presidential library directors and historians – to see how these mythologies are created and maintained.
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40:26
Explainer 449: Is China cutting Taiwan’s cables or are their wires crossed?
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Andrew Mueller explains how likely it is that China is cutting Taiwan’s undersea cables and what’s in it for them.
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06:32
The geopolitical risks of 2025
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Andrew Mueller talks to Lithuania’s outgoing foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, and Monocle regulars Latika Bourke, Yossi Mekelberg and Charles Hecker about what to keep an eye on as geopolitical risks rise in 2025.
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35:48
Elections, conflicts and the rise of the right: a look at 2024
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
More than one billion people headed to the polls, wars turned into regional crises and right-wing parties found new footholds in 2024. Andrew Mueller speaks with electoral expert Tony Banbury, and Monocle regulars Latika Bourke, Charles Hecker and Yossi Mekelberg take stock of the year.
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34:58
The case for foreign aid
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
The holidays are a time of giving but wealthy nations have not been in a generous mood. Andrew Mueller explores the case for foreign aid and how to turn the concept into a win-win for both donor and recipient. With Mark Lowcock, Andrew Mitchell and Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou.
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42:43
Explainer 448: Trudeau in trouble
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Following the scathing resignation letter of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, Andrew Mueller explains why Canada’s prime minister may be about to lose his job and what Trump has in store if he doesn’t.
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06:10
The spectacular fall of the Assad regime
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
How did the rebels manage to topple Bashar al-Assad’s regime so quickly? How inclusive will any new government realistically be? Who in the region wins and who loses? Andrew Mueller speaks with Syrian-born writer Rime Allaf, counter-insurgency expert David Kilcullen, Middle East security analyst Burcu Ozcelik and Russia expert Mark Galeotti.
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47:45
Explainer 447: Why is Israel striking Syria?
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
As Syrians celebrate Assad’s fall, Israel is striking targets across the country. Andrew Mueller explains why.
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07:16
The case for indigenous political inclusion
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
Against strong resistance, indigenous communities are asserting their right to inclusion in the political systems of their respective nations. Andrew Mueller speaks to Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, the illustrator of ‘When the World Was Soft: Yindjibarndi Creation Stories’, Alex Mankiewicz, and a justice of the Shawnee Tribe Supreme Court and law professor, Kristen Carpenter.
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37:24
Explainer 446: The South Korean coup that wasn’t
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
As South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol attempts to undo last night’s shock announcement of martial law, Andrew Mueller explains the real reasons behind the attempted coup.
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07:08
Taiwan’s China problem
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
As Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te embarks on his first international tour, we explore this delicate moment for an island that China still claims as a rogue province. Will China really try to reclaim Taiwan? And how would the island – and its allies – go about its defence? Andrew Mueller speaks with journalist, William Yang, and defence expert, Arthur Ding, in Taipei, plus filmmaker Venessa Hope in London.
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32:56
Explainer 445: Are Romania’s election candidates really that surprising?
Episode in
Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk
As we wait to hear if Romania will annul its first round of elections, Andrew Mueller explains why the shocking result should not be that shocking.
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06:52
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