Chatham House

This week on the show we look at the outcome of Nigeria’s historic presidential election. On the 24 February, millions of Nigerians went to the polls in an election widely seen as crucial for the direction of the country, with the winner, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declared the president elect. We look at the state of Nigeria’s democracy and ask what lies ahead? We’ll also be looking at events closer to home this week. On Monday, Rishi Sunak, and Ursula von der Leyen announced a new deal for Northern Ireland, with implications for all the UK. Three years after the UK formally left the EU, we look at whether Rishi Sunak has indeed finally gotten Brexit done. Joining Bronwen Maddox this week are Leena Koni Hoffman, an Associate Fellow with our Africa programme, Aanu Adeoye, the West African correspondent for the Financial Times, and Charles Grant, the Director for the Centre for European Reform. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

African countries face collective climate and job creation-related challenges. Yet policymaking often remains regionally siloed according to differing political, energy sector and ecological realities.

This podcast reflects on the key policy messages from the Africa Programme’s series on Towards just transition: Connecting green financing and sustainable job creation in Africa.  This output is part of a stream of work supported by the Chatham House Sustainability Accelerator and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

This week on the podcast we look at Russia’s war on Ukraine. Friday February 24th marks exactly one year to the day when Vladimir Putin launched his all-out assault on Ukraine. A decision that unleashed the largest war seen in Europe since 1945, and with-it hundreds of thousands of casualties on all sides. Twelve months on we discuss the impact of the invasion, for Ukraine and its people but also the world. We also discuss Vladimir Putin's speech on the anniversary of the war and the ramifications of Russia suspending participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty, as well as reflect on perceptions of the war from the Munich Security Conference. Joining Bronwen on the show this week are Mariya Ionova, a Ukrainian opposition MP, journalist Samantha de Bendern, an Associate Fellow with our Russia and Eurasia programme, Patricia Lewis, the Director of our International Security programme, and James Nixey, the Director of our Russia and Eurasia programme. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

Listen to the second episode of #NigeriaDecides, a special mini-series focused on upcoming elections in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Electoral Act, enacted in February 2022, has contributed to improved hope around the election process: reflected in the addition of 12.29 million new voters in Nigeria’s voter registration exercise – 9.51 million of which were then validated, bringing the total number of registered voters to more than 93 million. We are joined on the episode by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, who discussed INEC’s preparation ahead of the election, the implementation of technology and how electoral security – both physical and cyber – has been prioritized amidst a challenging period for the country.

Listen to the first episode of #NigeriaDecides, a special mini-series focused on upcoming elections in Nigeria. Nigeria stands at a critical juncture, having suffered from two recessions in the past six years, unprecedented levels of physical and food insecurity, persistent fuel scarcity and high levels of crude oil theft. Civic fatigue also remains a critical challenge. We are joined on the episode by Dr Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo and Dr Leena Koni Hoffmann, who shared key insights on these elections, including the prospects for inclusivity and on how the implementation of technology has changed the process.

This week on the show we look at the aftermath of the tragic earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 and discuss the far-reaching consequences on the region’s fragile geopolitics. With thousands dead and international aid flooding in, what hopes are there for the many thousands of victims caught between groups and governments at war with each other for over a decade? We also discuss the impact within Turkey, as fears grow that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may postpone the election, amid outcries over corruption and the devastating loss of life. Joining Bronwen this week from Beirut is Lina Sinjab, a Syrian filmmaker and BBC journalist covering the Middle East, from Washington, Charles Lister, a Senior Fellow, and Director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute and from London, Ziya Meral, a Senior Associate Fellow on Turkey at 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 John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

In December 2021, governments agreed on a new Global Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse the alarming rate of biodiversity loss we are currently witnessing. But will the new framework make a difference? To find out, Antony speaks to Professor Andrew Gonzalez of McGill University.

This week on the show, we look at Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union. This week saw President Biden address an unruly joint session of Congress, during which he discussed, Americas place in the world, China, Ukraine, and the state of the US economy. As we enter the start of a new presidential cycle and the mid-point of Biden’s presidency, we look at how Biden is doing and what are challenges lying. We also look at AUKUS, eighteen months on from the announcement that the UK and US will help Australia develop nuclear hunter killer submarines. What does AUKUS mean for Australia, non-proliferation, and the Indo-Pacific more broadly? Finally, we’ll also discuss the topic everyone on Twitter suddenly became an expert on this week, China’s spy balloon over Montana. Was it a diplomatic signal from Beijing and what was it trying to photograph? Joining guest host John Kampfner this week are Euan Graham, the Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Defence and Strategy at IISS, Leslie Vinjamuri, the Director of our Americas programme and Patricia Lewis, Director of our International Security programme. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by John Kampfner. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.

This week on the show, we look at the crisis in Myanmar. February 1st marks the two-year anniversary of the coup d'état by the armed forces, the Tatmadaw, who in February 2021 overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the country has descended into a brutal and complex civil war. Our panel look at the state of the country and its people two years on. Can Myanmar hold together, can democracy ever be restored and is the world ignoring a major humanitarian crisis in the making? Joining Bronwen Maddox are two journalists who have covered Myanmar extensively. Sebastian Strangio is an author and the Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat and Ali Fowle, a freelance journalist with Al Jazeera and the BBC. Joining them in the studio are Ben Bland, the Director of the Asia-Pacific programme, and Rashmin Sagoo, the Director of Chatham House's International Law Programme. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Robin Gardner.

This week on the show, we look at the deployment of western main battle tanks to Ukraine, specifically the importance placed on the Leopard II and the contentious diplomacy seen this week to pressure Germany into allowing its export. What kind of capabilities will these new weapons give to Ukraine, amid fears of Russian offensive looming in the spring? We also discuss Germany and the intense pressure Olaf Scholz’s government has been under since the invasion of Ukraine started. How has Germany’s standing changed over the last twelve months, and what are the challenges facing the country as a long and cold winter sets in for relations with Russia?     Joining Bronwen Maddox from Berlin this week is Jeremy Cliffe, Writer-at-Large for The New Statesman Magazine. Alongside them is Orysia Lutsevych, the Head of our Ukraine Forum, Ed Arnold, a Research Fellow for European Security at the Royal United Services Institute, and Marion Messmer, a Senior Research Fellow in the International Security Programme here at Chatham House. Read our expertise: Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Robin Gardner.