Chatham House

In this week's episode, Mariana is joined by Hameed Hakimi from the Asia-Pacific Programme to discuss the implications of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. They consider, among other things, the strength of Afghan governance structures, the prospects for the Taliban, and the complexity of responding to widespread population movement in the region.  Then Amrit speaks to Debashish Roy Chowdhury and John Keane about the state of Indian democracy under PM Narendra Modi. Their latest book, To Kill A Democracy, describes India's daily struggles for democratic survival, and explains how lived social injustices and unfreedoms rob elections of their meaning, while at the same time feeding the decadence and iron-fisted rule of its governing institutions. Read the World Today article: Credits: Speakers: Hameed Hakimi, Debashish Roy Chowdhury, John Keane Hosts: Amrit Swali, Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

In the wake of the storming of Capitol Hill on 6 January 2021, social media platforms took steps to remove former President Donald Trump from their websites for infringing community standards. This step was welcomed by many, but also raised serious questions about the power of social media companies to limit free speech and censor elected officials. The suspension of President Trump from Facebook was referred to the Oversight Board, an independent body of experts set up to scrutinise the platform's content moderation decisions.  In this episode, Ben speaks to Thomas Hughes, Director of the Oversight Board Administration, and Dr Kate Jones from Chatham House's International Law programme. They discuss the outcome of the Oversight Board's inquiry into the Trump suspension, and the wider implications for content moderation on social media.  Then Lara is joined by Hans Kundnani from the Europe Programme at Chatham House, to assess the political outlook in Germany and reflect on the legacy of Chancellor Angela Merkel.  Read the Chatham House expert comments: Credits: Speakers: Thomas Hughes, Kate Jones, Hans Kundnani Hosts: Lara Hollmann, Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

In this episode of Africa Aware, Ahmed Soliman discusses the context in which the Ethiopian elections are taking place, while Lidet Tadesse emphasizes the importance of peacebuilding and intercommunal dialogue during and after the elections.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused governments across the world to re-imagine their systems for engaging with citizens. Many have turned to digital tools to find new ways of tracking the spread of the virus, and to deliver public services during national lockdowns. In this episode of Undercurrents, Ben is joined by Kyriakos Pierrakakis, the Minister of Digital Governance for the Hellenic Republic (Greece). They discuss the e-governance tools Greece is pioneering under the administration of Prime Minister Mitsokakis, and the challenges involved with rolling out digital systems to the public.  Then, Mariana is joined by Dr Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director of the charity Protection Approaches. They discuss Ferguson's new book, Architectures of Violence, which explores state involvement in violent mass atrocities, from Yugoslavia to Syria.  Read the book: Credits: Speakers: Kate Ferguson, Kyriakos Pierrakakis Hosts: Ben Horton, Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Ahead of the G7 Summit in June 2021, the Climate Briefing returns to the question of financing climate action. While the economic challenge of dealing with climate change was already well-established before the pandemic, the costs of responding to COVID-19 threaten to limit the fiscal capacity of governments to fund climate action.  In this episode, Anna and Ben speak to two experts about the relationship between economic development, developing country debt and climate action.  Ben speaks to Farhana Yamin, a leading environmental lawyer who is also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. They discuss the economic threat posed by climate change and the need for a paradigm shift away from conventional, carbon-intensive, approaches to economic development.  Then Anna is joined by Paul Steele, Chief Economist for Shaping Sustainable Markets at the International Institute for Environment and Development, to find out how developing country debt relates to climate finance, and what can be done to address the so-called triple crisis of debt, climate change and biodiversity loss.  Credits:  Speakers: Farhana Yamin, Paul Steele Hosts: Anna Aberg, Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House 

In 2021 the UK is hosting COP26, but also presiding over the G7. How can it leverage its presidency of the G7 to accelerate climate action in the run-up to COP26? To discuss this, Anna is joined by , Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. They consider the key opportunities and debates that will emerge at the G7 Leaders Summit.  Read the Chatham House briefing: Credits: Speaker: Rachel Kyte Hosts: Anna Aberg, Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

In this episode, Undercurrents has teamed up with Saferworld's to discuss security forces in Nigeria and the role played by young people in trying to bring about change. The episode is broken into two halves. Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho are first joined by Tarela Ike from Teesside University and Odeh Friday from Accountability Lab. They discuss the problems with responses to Boko Haram in the North East of the country and the recent EndSars movement.  Then Amrit Swali speaks to Mariam Haruna, a member of Chatham House’s Common Futures Conversations, and Tolu Oni, a member of Chatham House’s Panel of Young Advisers, about their experiences of the EndSARS movement in 2020, the role of social media in the protests and how to move towards sustainable change in policing structures.  The episode can also be listened to on the Saferworld . Please note the views and opinions expressed during this podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld or Chatham House.  Read the Common Futures Conversations article: Read the Chatham House expert comment: Credits Speakers: Odey Friday, Mariam Haruna, Tarela Ike, Tolu Oni Hosts: Delina Goxho, Amrit Swali, Abigail Watson Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House and Saferworld.

This week Lara Hollmann and Mariana Vieira bring you two fascinating interviews with recent contributors to Chatham House's publications, International Affairs and The World Today.  First, Lara speaks to Dr Sophie Harman from Queen Mary University of London about her research into the gender dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sophie argues that for too many policymakers, gendered roles are complacently seen as a solution to the social effects of the pandemic, with women expected to shoulder the additional burdens of domestic work and childcare during national lockdowns.  Then Mariana is joined by Dr Daniel Strieff to discuss the trajectory of the climate politics in the United States. They cover the early signs from the Biden administration as well as the domestic forces influencing foreign policy in this area.  Read the International Affairs article:   Read The World Today article: Credits: Speakers: Sophie Harman, Daniel Strieff Hosts: Lara Hollmann, Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Over the course of five episodes, all published this week, John Nilsson-Wright, the Korea Foundation Fellow in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House explores the strategic relations of Korea, asking how the country is seeking to protect its interests in an increasingly contested Pacific region. In this, the final episode, John is joined by Eui-Hae Cecilia Chung, Deputy Director-General of the ASEAN & Southeast Asian Affairs Bureau, in the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They discuss how the Republic of Korea is positioning itself within the key organizations and alliances of the region, and what the Korean government’s priorities are in an increasingly contested international context. Credits:  Speaker: Eui-Hae Cecilia Chung Hosts: John Nilsson-Wright Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Over the course of five episodes, all published this week, John Nilsson-Wright, the Korea Foundation Fellow in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House explores the strategic relations of Korea, asking how the country is seeking to protect its interests in an increasingly contested Pacific region. In this, the fourth episode, John is joined by Nathalie Tocci, Director of Italy’s Istituto Affari Internazionali. They discuss the European perspective on the politics of the Korean peninsula, identifying opportunities for deeper engagement between the Republic of Korea and the European Union. Credits:  Speaker: Nathalie Tocci Hosts: John Nilsson-Wright Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced by Chatham House