Is Democracy for Sale? The degree to which dark money, powerful interests and political power intersects in this country is startling and depressing. One of the most dogged chroniclers of this phenomenon is the investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan whose book, published articles and substack are all essential reading for people that take an interest in this question.

I spoke to Peter about his work and what it means for our politics. You can find Peter's substack here https://democracyforsale.substack.com/ and he is on Twitter here https://twitter.com/PeterKGeoghegan

I'm, as always, at https://twitter.com/SnellArthur and https://arthursnell.substack.com/ as well as on BlueSky for those that celebrate.

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At the heart of much of the discussion of the multiple crises facing the Middle East is Iran, whose proxies are active across the region. But what is it that Iran itself wants? What is it trying to achieve and and what considerations does it bring to these questions?

To try to answer these complicated questions I was fortunate to be joined by Charlie Gammell, historian, Iran expert and former UK diplomat, to talk through Iran's recent history, it's current preoccupations and its possible futures.

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Repeated airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen do not appear to have dampened their willingness or their ability to continue strikes against shipping. What are the appropriate responses to this determined and dangerous group? To get a better understanding of their role in Yemen, the wider political context and the regional factors in play, I spoke to Laura Cretney, scholar, researcher and social entrepreneur based in the region.

You can find Laura on Instagram:Laura.Cretney and on Twitter @LauraCretney1

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BONUS EPISODE

In conversation with Jason Pack of the Disorder Podcast about Yemen. This is a joint episode with Disorder, so if you are already listening to that show, you won't find too much different between these two.

There are some links that were referenced during the show.

https://time.com/6555947/houthi-airstrike-history/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/01/12/houthis-red-sea-british-royal-navy-is-back/

And my substack articles on Yemen can be found here https://arthursnell.substack.com/

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EMERGENCY EPISODE

On 11 January US and UK airforces struck targets in Yemen associated with the Huthi militia which has been targeting international shipping in the Red Sea, purportedly in solidarity with the plight of the Palestinians.

To try to understand the bewildering background to these worrying events I was privileged to be joined by Hannah Porter, Senior Research Officer for Yemen at ARK Group and a particular expert on Yemens Huthis.

Hannah can be followed on Twitter @Hannaheporter

You can find me in the usual places, including a recent Substack piece I wrote about Yemen's Huthis here: https://arthursnell.substack.com/p/what-do-the-houthis-want

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After a tough year in 2023 and a lack of major progress in regaining territory from the Russians, this year promises to be another challenging one for Ukraine. Looming over all of what Ukraine does is the question of Western support. Will the USA be able to overcome its political turmoil and continue to provide the Ukrainians with the weapons and aid they desperately need? Will Europe be able to step up its weapons production? And perhaps the biggest question of all: will Donald Trump return to the presidency, thereby ending American support to Ukraine?

Luke Harding, Guardian foreign correspondent and author of the book Invasion, has spent most of 2023 in Ukraine, reporting from the frontlines of that conflict. He joined me to discuss the war so far and the war to come.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. Please check out my substack Not All Doom https://arthursnell.substack.com/ and don't forget to give us a positive review if you have enjoyed this episode.

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