Chatham House

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has historically had a strong record of regional norm-setting on governance and democracy. Yet ECOWAS now faces significant challenges in how to reorient its role and credibility amid a rise in military and 'constitutional' coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and most recently in Niger. On this episode of Africa Aware, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS's Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, discusses the regional bloc’s immediate response to the coup in Niger, and outlines the organization's strategic vision for tackling the complex peace and security challenges in the Sahel and West Africa.

In the final episode of our first season, we return to the topic we started Season 1 of the podcast with: China and how Beijing sees the world post-February 2022. Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Western capitals, especially Washington and London, have been watching ties between Russia and China closely, attempting to decipher any signs of disagreement or even disapproval between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.  We discuss how China views the invasion of Ukraine, the ties between China and Russia and above all how both countries view the EU, NATO, and the transatlantic alliance.  Joining on the show this week is , a Senior Research Fellow with our Asia-Pacific programme; , a tutor of international relations at the University of Oxford and author of the book Putin’s War on Ukraine and , a Lecturer in Security Studies at the University of Glasgow. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by . Produced by Sound by Matthew Docherty and Abdul Boudaif.

Countries in the Horn of Africa face several interlinked challenges to their stability, including conflict, resource contestation and cross-border divisions. These complex issues are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and the competing interests of external actors. On this episode of Africa Aware, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Dr Workneh Gebeyehu highlights efforts by the regional body to improve stability and further integration. Dr Workneh provides his insights into reforms within IGAD, following the adoption of a new treaty by the regional bloc, and IGAD-African Union efforts to bring an end to the war in Sudan.

On the show this week we discuss artificial intelligence, the hopes, and opportunities the technology may bring, as well as the challenges and even the risks it presents to governments and above all democracy. This week the United Nations Security Council, operating under the UK presidency, met for the first time to discuss the issue of AI, with UN officials and diplomats alike urging the world to take the emergence of this new technology seriously. Meanwhile in the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to host the first global summit on artificial intelligence in the autumn.  Joining on the show to help us understand the enormous implications of this subject are , a Senior Research Fellow with our International Law Programme; , a Senior Research Associate with our Digital Society Initiative; , until very recently with the Open Data Institute and writer and journalist . Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by . Produced by Sound by Matthew Docherty.

Africa’s maritime domain is an essential, yet often underappreciated component of the continent’s stability, trade, and development. The blue economy offers an ocean of untapped potential, presenting African nations with the means to diversify their economies, create sustainable jobs, and alleviate poverty.  On this episode of Africa Aware, Yusuf speaks to Amb. Nancy Karigithu, Special Envoy and Advisor to the President of Kenya, and Kenyan Candidate for Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).  The Ambassador outlined her thoughts on how regional collaboration can enhance maritime security in the face of transnational threats, and highlighted key policies to enhance maritime infrastructure and connectivity to improve trade.

The geoeconomics of climate change are shifting. The US and the EU are among those launching major packages to gain a competitive advantage as economies transition.  In this episode of the Climate Briefing, Antony speaks to Jane Nakano (Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS) and Suzana Carp (Cleantech for Europe) about how the US and the EU are positioning themselves in the new era of green industrial policy.

On the podcast this week we discuss the fallout from the NATO Summit in Vilnius. Turkey cleared the way for Sweden to join the alliance this week, and across Vilnius there were signs aplenty calling for F-16s for Ukraine, and of course, NATO membership. We discuss what was agreed at the summit, what was deferred and what the NATO joint communique means for President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people. Also, on the show this week we discuss the European Union and its relations with countries eager to join, such as Ukraine and Turkey and one that’s just left, namely the UK. Faced with the prospect of EU enlargement for the first time in over a decade, will Brussels and EU capitals be able to handle all the newcomers Joining to help answer all these questions are , the Telegraph’s senior foreign correspondent, , the DINAM Fellow at the London School of Economics and , an Associate Fellow with our Middle East and North Africa programme.  Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by . Produced by Sound by Matthew Docherty and Abdul Boudiaf.

On the show this week, we ask how long Russia’s Vladimir Putin can survive. Two weeks on from the mutiny by the Wagner Group and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s challenge to his rule, we’ve seen a flurry of activity by the Russian leader to reassert his authority in Moscow. Russian history however is replete with leaders who appear unassailable, right up until the point they’re not. We discuss whether Putin’s grip is weakening, and how might Western governments react if he falls. Also, on the show this week we look ahead, once more, to the NATO Summit in Vilnius next week. As we discussed at our London Conference special, multilateralism is being challenged everywhere and the NATO alliance is no exception. With Turkey showing no signs of budging on Sweden’s membership, Ukraine not likely to be offered membership anytime soon, and infighting over who the next Secretary General might be, can the alliance rally next week? Joining  on the podcast this week is is the chair of the UK Parliament’s Defence Select Committee; , a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times covering Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia and , a Ukrainian journalist and Associate Fellow with the Atlantic Council.  Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by . Produced by Sound by Robin Gardner and Abdul Boudiaf.

This episode of Africa Aware reflects on Sierra Leone’s peace process as the country concludes its 2023 general elections and marks the 24th anniversary of the Lomé Peace Agreement - which helped to bring an end to its decade-long civil war. Yusuf speaks to Dr Comfort Ero, President and CEO of Crisis Group, who discusses her experience as a researcher in Freetown during the civil war. Dr Ero highlights the challenges and innovations that emerged from the interlinked peace processes in Sierra Leone and Liberia - including the establishment of the landmark Kimberley Process which marks its 20th anniversary this year - and the wider lessons on how durable peace was achieved in the region. This podcast is an output of our project on ‘African peace processes: Lessons learned,’ supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

We are live this week from our London Conference, where we discuss the war in Ukraine, the recent events in Russia with the mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group and the weakening of Vladimir Putin’s grip on power. And then later in the show, we look at the increasing tensions within the international system and discuss how the UK as a ‘middle power’ can manage these tensions with an increasingly fragile economy and Brexit. And finally on the podcast, we announce this year’s Chatham House prize winner. The prize is an annual honor awarded to the person, persons, or organization deemed to have made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year. The Chatham House Prize is voted for by Chatham House members following nominations from the institute’s staff. The winner this year, is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Joining on the podcast this week is , a world-renowned Russian chess grandmaster, turned ardent critic of Vladimir Putin; the former chief of staff for Tony Blair; the chief economics commentator at the Financial Times and the head of our Ukraine Forum here at Chatham House. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by . Produced by Sound by Matthew Docherty.