Chatham House

Former US Climate Envoy and Director of Chatham House's Environment and Society Centre join hosts Ruth Townend and Anna Aberg to talk about prospects for climate action in 2025. Following Trump's inauguration, what are the likely consequences for climate diplomacy, and how will Brazil balance domestic demands against international obligations as COP30 and BRICS president this year?

A fragile ceasefire and hostage deal has been agreed between Israel and Hamas to end 15 months of war and suffering. Chatham House experts discuss the timing of the deal, whether it can hold and what comes next. is joined by , the director of our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) programme, , the director of our US and Americas programme, and and , associate fellows with our MENA programme. Read our latest: Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by .   🎧  🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.

From the devastating wars in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza to Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland and the Panama Canal, what are the places to watch this year?

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Gideon Rachman, the FT’s chief foreign affairs commentator, Leslie Vinjamuri, the director of our US and America’s programme and Renad Mansour, a senior fellow for our Middle East and North Africa programme.

Does Bashar al-Assad’s removal offer a renewed chance for peace in Syria, or is his fall the start of a new phase of conflict in the Middle East?

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Gideon Rachman, the FT’s chief foreign affairs commentator, former BBC Persia journalist Rana Rahimpour and Haid Haid, a senior consulting fellow for our Middle East and North Africa programme.

Chatham House's Environment and Society Centre reassembles to discuss the outcomes of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, what this means for climate finance and multilateralism, and how Ben’s Christmas jumper sums up the interconnected challenges developed countries face in balancing global resilience with domestic obligations. With Chris Aylett, Richard King and Ruth Townend, and special guest host Ben Horton. 

Five months in, has Sir Keir Starmer's foreign policy been a success? The UK-EU relationship remains a major challenge for 2025, as does the prospect of a new US president. How will Starmer respond, and will the recent Chagos Islands deal impact the UK's international standing? is joined the BBC’s diplomatic editor , Professor , the director of UK in a Changing Europe at King's College London and and the director of our UK in the World programme. Read our latest: Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by .   🎧  🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.

Europe is contending with a stagnating economy, political dysfunction in Germany and France, and Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine, all while it looks to the return of Donald Trump. Will the continent’s democracies hold together in the face of such challenges?

Bronwen Maddox is joined by journalist and historian Timothy Garton Ash, Mujtaba Rahman, Europe Managing Director at the Eurasia Group and Armida van Rij, senior research fellow and the Head of our Europe programme.

As the world moves closer to crossing the 1.5 degree threshold, Bronwen Maddox is joined by former BBC journalist Roger Harrabin and Maria Netto, executive director of the Institute for Climate and Society in Brazil. Also with them from COP29 in Baku is Ruth Townend, senior research fellow with our Environment and Society Centre.

In this episode, Professor Carlos Lopes discusses what the African Union’s G20 membership means for Africa’s economic and geopolitical influence on the global stage. 

The re-election of Donald Trump has major consequences for America’s relations with China. The panel discuss how the US-China relationship might change under the next president. Guest host Ben Bland is joined by historian and political scientist Professor Rana Mitter, the FT’s US-China correspondent, Demetri Sevastopulo and Dr Yu Jie, a senior research fellow with our Asia-Pacific programme.