Chatham House

On the podcast this week we look at the UK’s role in the defence of the Nordic region. Since the annexation of Crimea, the UK has taken a keen interest in the Nordic and Baltic regions, with the formation of the Joint Expeditionary Force. With Kyiv’s counter-offensive now underway, we look at how Europe’s security is being reshaped by events in Ukraine, what London and the JEF states are looking to achieve by operating more closely in the north, and the balance of forces between NATO and Russia in the Baltic now Finland is a NATO member. Also, this week, we look ahead to the NATO summit in Vilnius next month. With Finland now an alliance member, but Sweden still outside, are alliance politics (with Turkey and Hungary) leaving NATO's northern flank vulnerable. What role are key alliance members like France and the UK playing ahead of Vilnius, and in the face of intense fighting in the east, what kind of plan might the alliance offer Ukraine? Joining on the show this week are , Director of our UK in the World program, , a Research Fellow with Chatham House’s Europe program and from Helsinki , a Researcher with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by . Produced by Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

Agriculture accounted for 26 per cent of Mozambique's GDP in 2020 and employs more than 70 per cent of its workforce. The Mozambican government has made agriculture a top priority, and in recent years, the sector has seen significant growth.  On this episode, Yusuf speaks to Hon. Celso Ismael Correia, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Mozambique. The Honourable Minister discussed the challenges facing the agricultural sector, and outlined his ambitions on how Mozambique can continue to grow this vital sector and improve the lives of its citizens.

On the podcast this week, we look at the growing tensions between India and China. This week marks three years since Indian and Chinese troops were killed fighting each other in the Himalayas along the contested border. Since then, ties between Beijing and New Delhi have gone from bad to worse. This week, India's last remaining journalist in China was asked to leave. A stark sign of the increasingly cold ties between the two countries. We discuss the current state of India’s relations with China and how concerned the world should be. Also on the show, we take a wider look at India’s foreign policy ambitions and the challenges it faces as it attempts to become a global power, amid a turbulent neighbourhood in South Asia and beyond. We look at India’s relations with its key neighbours in South Asia, the security challenges it faces, notably the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, as well as New Delhi’s growing ties with the Quad nations, Japan, Australia, and the United States. Will the 21st Century be an ‘Indian Century’ after all? Joining Bronwen Maddox this week are from University London SOAS; from New Delhi ,the Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and from Nepal journalist , author of the book All Roads Lead North. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Matthew Docherty.

On the podcast this week, we look at the Wagner Group, the shadowy paramilitary organisation, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wagner has been active on the ground and involved in some of the conflict’s fiercest battles, notably around Bakhmut. We discuss the group’s relationship with the Russian armed forces, its ties with the Kremlin and the increasingly tense relationship Prigozhin seems to have with senior Russian leaders. Also on the show we discuss the latest developments from the frontline in Ukraine. With Kyiv’s counter-offensive seemingly imminent, the world woke up to news this week that the Nova Kakhovka dam along the Dnipro River had been destroyed by Russia. We discuss the impact of this ecological disaster on Ukraine, as well as the recent fighting in Belgorod, the drone attacks in Moscow and whether these are all key signs that Kyiv may be about to go on the offensive. Joining guest host on the show this week to discuss all these topics are is the Director of our International Security programme; journalist , an Associated Fellow with our Russia and Eurasia programme and , a Research Fellow for European Security from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

On the podcast this week we look at the outcome of the final round of Turkey’s presidential election. Despite the polls showing him behind, and amid a devastating earthquake and an economy in crisis, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been re-elected as Turkey’s president, winning by 52 per cent of the vote.

In the last episode we covered what Erdoğan’s re-election might mean for Turkey’s fragile democracy and economy, this week we discuss what five more years of Erdoğan’s foreign policy means for Ankara and for its relations with critical players like the US, NATO and Russia.

Joining Leslie Vinjamuri on the show to discuss where Turkey may be heading is Galip Dalay and an Associate Fellow Middle East and North Africa programme, Sinem Adar, an Associate Researcher for the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and Dimitar Bechev from the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies.

This week on the podcast we discuss Syria and the regime of Bashar al-Assad. For over a decade, the regime in Damascus has been an international pariah, amid a brutal campaign of terror by the Syrian armed forces against its people. The geopolitical sands however are shifting, with signs that regimes across the Middle East are prepared to talk with Assad once more. We look at what this means for the region, the implications for the alliance between Iran and Syria, and whether justice for the Assad regime’s victims is now lost to realpolitik diplomacy.  We also look this week at the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia. This week Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a rallying call for Ukraine at the summit, in a part of the world where views of the war differ greatly from those here in Europe. We ask what Zelenskyy was trying to achieve, not least by meeting Mohammed Bin Salman, what influence Russia has in the region and how is the war perceived by the people of the Middle East more widely. Joining Bronwen Maddox on the show this week s , the new Director of our Middle East and North Africa programme. , a Consulting Fellow with our MENA programme, and from Queen Mary University London, and the author of the book The Battle for Syria. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sound by Robin Gardner and Alex Moyler.

On this special episode of Africa Aware, Yusuf speaks to H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS).

His Excellency explores the future of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), outlines the potential long-term impacts of climate change on peace and security, and discusses the role of the African Union in facilitating greater security, integration and cooperation among its member states.

Ambassador Patricia Espinosa Cantellano served as executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) between July 2016 and July 2022.  In this role, she headed the UN entity tasked with supporting the global response to climate change. In this episode of the Climate Briefing, Ambassador Cantellano talks about the major developments in international climate politics during her tenure, and discusses the key issues tackled by the role of executive secretary at the UNFCCC.

This week on podcast we look at the fallout from the first round of Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections. President Erdogan is just a hair's breadth away from securing the 50% of the vote needed to become president. With Turkey set to enter a presidential run-off on 28 May we ask what this means for Turkey’s fragile democracy? Has the opposition under Kilicdaroglu lost momentum? And what impact did issues such as identity politics, the economy, foreign policy, and the devastating earthquakes play in the election?  We also look more broadly to what the result means for Turkey’s place in the world. With Turkey potentially about to enter a third decade of rule under Erdogan, where will this place Ankara’s ties with Russia, Europe, and the United States? What does this mean for Sweden’s entry into NATO? And what does the election result mean for the future of Turkey’s fragile economy? Joining Bronwen Maddox on the show this week is  is an Associate Fellow with our MENA programme; an Associate Fellow with our Russia, and Eurasia programme; , a Professor of International Relations at Özyeğin University and journalist , formerly with the BBC, but now with Cambridge University.  Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

This week on the podcast we look at the announcement by Vladimir Putin to move Russian nuclear weapons into Belarus and equipping Belarusian forces with dual-use equipment and technology. We discuss what the security implications are of this decision, how it fits into Russia’s wider nuclear doctrine and how concerned we should be. We also dive into the internal dynamics of Belarus. It’s been three years since the 2020 presidential election. An election Aliaksandr Lukashenka was widely seen to have lost, sparking widespread pro-democracy protests. Since then, however, Lukashenka has crushed the opposition in Belarus, kidnapped journalists and been drawn into Russia’s invasion against Ukraine. Our experts discuss the sentiment in Belarus via polling data commissioned by Chatham House and ask how the West should engage with Europe’s last dictatorship? Joining Bronwen Maddox on the show this week are colleagues from our Russia and Eurasia Program. is a Senior Consulting Fellow with REP and the author of a recent Chatham House report on Russia’s nuclear doctrine; is the Director of our Belarus Initiative and joining them is journalist and Associate Fellow  . Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Robin Gardner.