Chatham House

While in recent times much attention has been paid in the media to the machinations of trade negotiations, from chlorinated chicken imports to fishing quotas, an often-overlooked concern is how such agreements fail to take account of human rights. In this discussion and Rosie Beacock explain why human rights impacts are so difficult to monitor, and what steps governments and international organisations could take to better protect their citizens.    Read the Research Paper: Credits: Speakers: Rosie Beacock, Jennifer Zerk Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced at Chatham House

In the first of two episodes this week, Agnes takes a deep dive into the politics of statues with historian and from the Africa Programme at Chatham House. They discuss the recent removal of the statue of slave-trader and philanthropist Edward Colston in Bristol, UK, and more broadly consider the significance of statues as public history.  Read the Article:  Credits: Speakers: Yusuf Hassan, Charlotte Riley Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

The first term of Donald Trump's presidency has coincided with what many see as a fundamental shift in US foreign policy. Rather than viewing Trump as the exception to a past 'norm', argues that his administration is the latest expression of the characteristics that mark out the US from other western states. Ben is joined by Bruno to discuss the political implications of American exceptionalism.  Then Agnes speaks to about the life and work of Rosemary Hollis, a former head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, who passed away in June 2020. Rosemary was a highly respected authority on the Middle East, and is remembered with great respect and affection, as a colleague and a friend. Read the memorial: Read the obituary: Find the book: Credits: Speakers: Ian Black, Bruno Maçães Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

The tragic killing of George Floyd in Minnesota at the end of May has sparked a wave of protests in the US and around the world. It has also sparked an important, long-overdue and often difficult, discussion on racism. This week Ben speaks to about the issue of race in UK politics, and the obstacles that face ethnic minority individuals seeking to pursue a career in Westminster.  Then Agnes discusses the tensions between expertise and politics in the response to the coronavirus pandemic with .   Explore the New York Times reading list: , by Ibram X. Kendi Read The World Today article: Credits: Speakers: Yusuf Hassan, Calum Inverarity Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

In this week's episode Ben speaks to Erin Baines and Camile Oliviera about their research on the social status of children born as the result of ‘forced marriage’ during the Ugandan civil war of the 1990s and early 2000s, and attempts by some of the fathers to assume responsibility for their care and well-being.  Children ‘born of war’ are increasingly recognized as a particular victim group in relevant international policy frameworks. Their social status falls somewhere between the victimization of their mother and perpetration of their father. Given the circumstances of their birth, they often experience social rejection and loss of identity with a long-term impact on their well-being. In fieldwork carried out between 2016 and 2019, Baines and Oliviera gathered the experiences of many men who served in the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group with links to widespread human rights abuses including the abduction of children.  Warning: sensitive content including references to sexual violence in this episode may upset or offend. Read the International Affairs article: Credits: Speakers: Erin Baines, Camile Oliviera Hosts: Ben Horton, Agnes Frimston Producer: Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Finance plays a key role in enabling climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is also a contested issue in the UN climate negotiations. The UK Government has made climate finance one of its top thematic priorities for COP26 and 2020 constitutes the deadline for developed countries to mobilise USD 100 billion per year to support climate action in developing countries.  This week the Climate Briefing team speak to three experts to find out more. , from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explains the key debates surrounding climate financing. Tenzin Wangmo, Lead Negotiator for the outlines how developing countries view these financial concerns. Finally, Rachel Ward from the  provides an insight into how investors are approaching the issue.  Read the meeting summary: Credits: Speakers: Matias Frumerie, Tenzin Wangmo, Rachel Ward Hosts: Anna Aberg, Ben Horton, Johanna Tilkanen Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced by Chatham House

This week the Undercurrents team present a double-bill of interviews exploring the politics of Israel.  Agnes discusses the recent political fortunes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with , including the domestic and foreign policy implications of his ongoing corruption trial. Then Ben speaks to and about their investigation into the identity politics behind Israel's hosting of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.  Read the Expert Comment: Read the International Affairs article: Watch the team's favourite song from Eurovision 2020: Credits: Speakers: Yossi Mekelberg, Galia Press-Barnathan, Naama Lutz Hosts: Agnes Frimston and Ben Horton Producer: Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

This week the Undercurrents team explore two perspectives on the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ben speaks to from the Asia-Pacific Programme about the Indian government's response to the virus, exploring the impact of a severe lockdown and the limitations of a new contact tracing app.  Then Agnes discusses how the media has covered the crisis with of the . What is the media's role during such catastrophes? And how far can it go in terms of critiquing government policy? Read the Expert Comment: Read the World Today article: Credits: Speakers: Urvashi Aneja, James Ball Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced by Chatham House

This week Agnes is joined by Lysa John, the Secretary-General of , to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on worker's rights across the world.  Then Ben speaks to Leena Hoffmann from the Africa Programme at Chatham House about the food security crisis in West Africa and the Sahel. They explore the challenges facing governments in the region as they attempt to ensure their citizens have access to food despite the disruption caused by COVID-19. Read the Expert Comment:  Credits:  Speakers: Lysa John, Leena Hoffmann Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Edited and produced by Chatham House

In this bonus episode , Director of the Energy, Environment and Resources Programme at Chatham House, speaks to Anna about the environmental implications of COVID-19. How might manmade pressures on the environment have contributed to the emergence of the virus? What are the environmental impacts of the virus-driven economic slowdown? And how can we rebuild society in a more sustainable way in the wake of this crisis?  Read the BBC article: Read the Expert Comment: Credits: Speaker: Tim Benton Host: Anna Aberg Producer: Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House