Chatham House

As COP29 kicks off in Baku, Chatham House's Environment and Society Centre assembles on the airwaves. The team talk Azerbaijan's climate leadership, World Leader vibes, prospects for the conference, and why working on climate change makes you a terrible dinner party guest. Special guest hosted by Climate Briefing Alumnus, Ben Horton. 

Donald Trump has decisively defeated Kamala Harris in the US presidential election. What does his return to the White House mean for America and the world?

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Edward Luce, the FT’s North America editor, Gerald Seib, the former Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal and Leslie Vinjamuri, the head of our US and Americas programme.

In this episode, Khalid Omer Yousif discusses how Sudan’s broadest anti-war, pro-democracy coalition, Tagadom, aims to bring civilian voices to the fore in a war dictated by military powers, and their plans to the end of Sudan’s war despite mounting atrocities engulfing the country.

North Korea is sending troops to Russia, but what is Kim Jong Un hoping to get from Vladmir Putin for military assistance against Ukraine? The panel also discuss the role military conscription plays in Israel, South Korea and Ukraine.

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Edward Howell, the Korea Foundation fellow at Chatham House, Orysia Lutsevych, the head of our Ukraine Forum and Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow with our Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Ahead of a crucial budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the UK’s national debt is at almost 100 per cent of GDP - and it's not alone. Many G7 economies face massive debt levels, restricting ambitions when it comes to foreign policy and global engagement. Bronwen Maddox is joined by Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s Diplomatic Editor and Ranil Dissanayake, a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Global Development. With them are Olivia O’Sullivan and David Lubin from Chatham House.

France is facing political turmoil. The survival of Michel Barnier’s new government rests on whether he can pass a controversial budget intended to rescue the country from its huge fiscal deficit. Bronwen Maddox is joined by Sophie Pedder, the Paris Bureau Chief of The Economist, Shahin Vallée, a former advisor to Emmanuel Macron and Armida van Rij, the head of our Europe programme.

Sanctions regimes are intended to be preferable to military force as a tool of foreign policy, but do they work to change behaviour or end up hurting ordinary people? With Bronwen Maddox is Daniel W Drezner, Professor of International Politics at Tufts University, Allie Renison, Associate Director at SEC Newgate, and Chris Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America with our US and Americas Programme.

On the first anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attacks, we discuss the possible pathways for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Bronwen Maddox is joined by Daniel Levy, the president of the US/Middle East Project. With them are Sanam Vakil, director of our Middle East and North Africa Programme (MENAP), and Amjad Iraqi, a MENAP associate fellow.

In this episode, Abdihakim Yusuf Ali Ainte and Maram Ahmed discuss ways to turn Somalia’s climate vulnerability to climate resilience – from identifying the environmental and socio-political challenges brought by devastating climate events to exploring innovative climate financing methods for improved climate adaptation.

With the Israeli military launching sustained attacks across Lebanon against Hezbollah, we explore why Israel has decided to ramp up strikes on Hezbollah now, as the war in Gaza rages on and tensions continue to rise in the West Bank. Bronwen Maddox is joined by The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, Gregg Carlstrom. With them are Lina Khatib and Yossi Mekelberg, associate fellows with our Middle East and North Africa Programme.