Chatham House

This week Undercurrents returns with interviews on decolonization and the impact of the coronavirus crisis on China’s economy. Ben is joined by Events team colleague Amrit Swali to interview and about the decolonization process. They explore the role of civic institutions in re-thinking the legacies of the British Empire and breaking down colonial power structures which survive to this day.  Next, Agnes discusses the Coronavirus crisis with from the Asia-Pacific Programme. They assess the impact of the health emergency on China's economy and its reputation globally.  Watch the Chatham House Event: Read the Chatham House Expert Comment: Listen to the new podcast: Credits: Speakers: Tristram Hunt, Meera Sabaratnam, Yu Jie Hosts: Agnes Frimston, Ben Horton, Amrit Swali Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced at Chatham House

This week Ben explores the political outlook in Kazakshtan with colleagues from the Russia and Eurasia Programme. Kazakhstan is at a turning point in its history. A partial handover of political power through an orchestrated transition in 2019 has taken the country into uncharted territory. Will it be able to pursue modernization and reform, and break from its authoritarian past? In this episode Ben speaks to and from the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House to find out more.   Afterwards Ben is joined by Communications Department colleague Jemma Finnegan to discuss a new youth engagement project, Common Futures Conversations.  Read the Chatham House Report: Learn about the project: Credits: Speakers: James Nixey, Kate Mallinson and Jemma Finnegan Host: Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced at Chatham House

As the New Year dawned a serious crisis emerged in the Middle East after US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Quds special forces. In the aftermath Ben and Agnes speak to two experts about the background to the crisis.    , Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme, joins Ben to provide some historical context to the state of domestic politics in Iran and the factors driving its foreign policy.  Agnes then speaks to , a Senior Research Fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme, who explains the effects of the crisis on the political situation in Iraq and delves into the history of Iran-Iraq relations.  Read the Expert Comments:

In this final episode before Christmas the team discuss the implications of the UK General Election, before Ben meets Ukrainian opposition politician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. As the dust begins to settle after an intense general election campaign in the UK, Ben and Agnes are joined by Tom Raines to reflect on the implications of Boris Johnson's victory for British domestic politics and the UK's policy overseas.  Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is a Ukrainian activist and politician, who in 2019 founded a new political party, Golos. In legislative elections this year the party made a statement by winning 20 seats in the Ukrainian parliament. Ben meets Svyatoslav to discuss the challenges facing Ukraine at home and abroad.  Read the Chatham House Expert Comments: What Boris Johnson's Big Win Means for Brexit and Scotland UK General Election 2019: The UK's New Foreign Policy Divide Credits: Speakers: Thomas Raines and Svyatoslav Vakarchuk Hosts: Agnes Frimston and Ben Horton  Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Producer: Ben Horton Recorded and produced at Chatham House

This week Ben takes a deep dive into the US-China economic competition over technology, and then discusses intelligence agencies in the Global South.  Marianne Schneider-Petsinger from the Americas Programme and Yu Jie from the Asia-Pacific Programme explain their recent co-authored report on US-China strategic competition, and Zakia Shiraz from the University of Leicester draws on her recent article in International Affairs to explore the culture and practice of intelligence agencies beyond the 'Five Eyes' alliance.  Read the Chatham House Research Paper: US-China Strategic Competition: The Quest for Global Technological Leadership Read the International Affairs article: Secrecy, spies and the global South: intelligence studies beyond the 'Five eyes' alliance

Undercurrents returns with interviews on data-driven advertising in media and politics, and why Chile had to give up the COP25 climate conference.  Artificial Intelligence and machine learning have given advertisers the tools to target specific groups of people with personalised messaging. In a new research paper for the International Security Department at Chatham House, Sophia Ignatidou explores how this personalisation is changing the media and political landscapes for the worse.  In October this year, the Chilean government were forced to cancel the COP25 climate conference due to mass protests on the streets of Santiago. Patrick Schröder from the Energy, Environment and Resources Department joins Ben to explain how the unrest demosntrates the importance of ensuring a 'just transition' to a sustainable future.  Read Chatham House Expert Comments: New Reports on Online Influence Operations Should Jolt Policymakers Chile's Social Unrest: Why It's Time to Get Serious About a 'Just' Transition 

Undercurrents is back with two new interviews! This week Ben speaks to Ory Okolloh from Luminate about the flows of dark money permeating the global economy, and how they could endanger democracy.  Then Cleo Paskal of the Asia-Pacific programme and Energy, Environment & Resources department at Chatham House joins us to discuss a new project on the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region.  Read the Chatham House Expert Perspective: Drive Global Action on Money-Laundering Read The World Today article: Western allies, divided loyalties

In the second summer special episode of Undercurrents, Ben speaks to Allison Gardner about how to prevent bias in AI. Artificial intelligence is widely heralded as a key component of the 'fourth industrial revolution', a wave of technological innovation which will transform the global economy. The concepts of driver-less cars and facial recognition technology have gained many headlines, but have not been universally welcomed.  This week Ben speaks to Allison Gardner, Lecturer in Bioinformatics at Keele University and co-founder of Women Leading in AI, to find out how policy-makers and businesses can work together to ensure AI becomes a force for good. They also discuss the challenge of algorithmic bias, and explore why the tech industry remains so dominated by men.  Watch the Chatham House Event: Shaping the Future We Want: Women Driving the Digital Revolution Watch the lecture: Diversity and gender bias in artificial intelligence   Credits: Speaker: Allison Gardner Host: Ben Horton Edited and produced at Chatham House, London  

In the first of two summer specials, Ben interviews the former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico about the state of Mexican politics under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. In July 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador - commonly referred to as AMLO - was elected president with 53 per cent of the vote on a platform pledging to rid Mexico of corruption, stifle the country’s drug war and offer support for its most vulnerable. Entering office in December, his approval rating was 83 per cent. However, eight months on and AMLO’s approval ratings are at risk with much of the international discourse focusing on how the country is responding to threats of sanctions and tariffs from its northern neighbour as well as how AMLO's campaign promises have or have not been kept. This week Ben speaks to Ambassador Andrés Rozental, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico and special advisor at Chatham House, about how far AMLO has delivered on his campaign promises, and how Mexico's relations with its western hemisphere neighbours are developing.  Read the Expert Comment: Can AMLO Live Up To Mexico's Expectations?   Credits: Speaker: Andrés Rozental Host: Ben Horton Producer: Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced at Chatham House, London

In the last full episode before Undercurrents' summer break, Ben is joined by Chatham House colleague Leah de Haan for two interviews from the annual Gender and Growth Forum.  Ben speaks with Rosamund Ebdon, Head of Policy at Plan International, about a new report looking at girls' perceptions of leadership. They discuss how to improve the gender balance in management, the importance of role models and whether society's understanding of leadership qualities should change. Leah then explores the challenges presented by ageing populations, particularly prevalent in Europe, with leading demography expert Sergei Scherbov. They assess whether existing policy is properly adjusted to meet the needs of older people, and what else can be done.  Watch highlights of the 2019 Chatham House Gender and Growth Forum: Shaping the Future We Want  Read the report: Taking the Lead: Girls and Young Women on Changing the Face of Leadership   Credits: Speakers: Rosamund Ebdon and Sergei Scherbov Hosts: Ben Horton and Leah de Haan Producer: Ben Horton Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Record and produced at Chatham House, London