Chatham House

Across the world more attention is being placed on how to construct environmentally sustainable, carbon neutral buildings as part of the wider fight against climate change. Agnes discusses green building projects in Jordan with Glada Lahn, a Senior Research Fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Department at Chatham House. Alongside the Olympics, the football World Cup is possibly the most-watched international event. Hosting the World Cup can be a powerful statement of a nation's intent to gain a global profile, but there are often unintended consequences. Ben speaks to Paul Brannagan from Manchester Metropolitan University about Qatar's soft power experiment in hosting the 2022 World Cup.  Read the International Affairs article:  'The soft power-soft disempowerment nexus: the case of Qatar'

US President Donald Trump found much of his electoral success by utilising two central ideas in American political culture - the 'American Dream' and 'America First'. Academic and commentator Sarah Churchwell's new book Behold America explores the historial roots of these ideas, and the significant consequences of their manipulation. Agnes meets with Sarah to find out more.  The illegal trade in ivory is a significant element of the informal economies of many African states, not least Uganda. In a new article in International Affairs Kristof Titeca reveals his findings from a series of interviews conducted with Ugandan individuals involved in all stages of the ivory trade. Ben spoke to Kristof to discuss the challenges posed by policy-makers hoping to cease this lucrative trade.   Read the book: Behold America: The Entangled History of 'America First' and the 'American Dream' Read the article: 'Understanding the illegal ivory trade and traders: evidence from Uganda'

In the latest volume of his diaries, out this week, Alastair Campbell (former Director of Communications for Tony Blair) looks back on Gordon Brown's time in office between 2007 and 2010. Ben met Alastair to discuss among other things the art of political leadership, Brexit, the state of the Labour Party and policies to combat mental illness. Listen from 5:17. This month marked 10 years since the 2008 financial crisis, an event that still weighs heavily on political systems across the world. Agnes visited London's Guildhall to discuss the aftermath of the crash with Alistair Darling (former Chancellor of the Exchequer), who was speaking at an event organised by Chatham House's Global Economy and Finance Department. Listen from 35:47. Read the book: Alastair Campbell Diaries Volume 7: From Crash to Defeat 2007-2010 Find out more about the event: A Decade on from the Financial Crisis: the Legacy and Lessons of 2008 We apologise for the sound quality at the start of this episode, please stick with it - it improves!

Cybercrime is on the rise throughout the world, but the vast wealth of the GCC states (Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait) makes them especially vulnerable. In response increasingly stringent laws governing online activity have been enacted, but do these measures encroach too much on the rights of individuals? Agnes speaks to Joyce Hakmeh to find out.  Much is written about the experiences of refugees, but rarely do we hear from them directly. Shatila Stories, a new novel from Peirene Press, is the result of a groundbreaking project to teach creative writing in the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon. Ben finds out more in conversation with Meike Ziervogel and Suhir Helal.  Read the research paper: Cybercrime legislation in the GCC countries: fit for purpose?  Read the book: Shatila Stories  

Just under 18 months have passed since the UK government triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning the UK's exit from the European Union. With only seven months left to sign a withdrawal agreement, Ben discusses the state of the negotiations with Georgina Wright, from Chatham House's Europe Programme. Among other issues they tackle the Irish border question, Michel Barnier's approach to the negotiations and how the EU member states are responding to the challenge of Brexit. Listen from 7:00. The global financial system has long allowed wealthy individuals to escape the confines of their domestic tax systems and hide their money in foreign havens. Oliver Bullough is an investigative journalist whose new book Moneyland explores how the institutions of Europe and the United States have become money-laundering operations, undermining the foundations of Western stability and allowing dictators in the Global South to siphon away their country's resources for personal gain. Agnes meets Oliver to find out more. Listen from 27:37.  Read the Expert Comment: An Orderly No-Deal Brexit Would Still Come With Costs Read the book: Moneyland: Why Thieves And Crooks Now Rule the World and How to Take it Back    

The average refugee camp has a lifespan of 18 years, but in most cases the infrastructure in place is designed for temporary emergency responses. One area this particularly affects is energy provision, with the majority of refugees reliant on burning wood. On top of this, many humanitarian agencies are dependent upon costly and damaging diesel fuel to power their relief efforts.  The Moving Energy Initiative at Chatham House believes that renewable energy solutions can improve the health and quality of life of refugees while also saving money for the aid providers. Agnes speaks to Owen Grafham, who manages the initiative, to find out more.  Also in this episode, Ben meets Richard McGregor, a Senior Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Affairs in Sydney, to discuss Australia's foreign policy in the midst of the Sino-US struggle for supremacy in Asia. Read the Expert Comment: Why Access to Energy Can Empower Refugees Read more on Asian geopolitics: Publications by Richard McGregor

India is the world’s largest democracy, with more than one billion people and an economy expanding faster than China’s. But the rewards of this growth have been far from evenly shared, and the country’s top 1% now own nearly 60% of its wealth. James Crabtree's new book The Billionaire Raj explores the dynamics behind the rise of a new class of Indian billionaires. Ben met up with James, and Champa Patel from the Asia-Pacific Programme, to discuss inequality, corruption and capitalism in modern India. A series of scandals involving the sexual exploitation of vulnerable people by individuals working for, or with, the United Nations have shaken the organization in recent years. The issue is beginning to be addressed by an ambitious new strategy from Secretary-General Guterres. Ben and Agnes met Jane Connors, the first Victims’ Rights Advocate for the United Nations, to discuss the difficulties of  Find the Book: The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age Watch the Chatham House Event: Preventing Sexual Exploitation in the United Nations    

President Trump is visiting the UK this week in between summits with NATO and Russian President Putin. Agnes discusses the UK-US special relationship and European responses to the current President with Leslie Vinjamuri (Head of the US & Americas Programme) and Hans Kundnani (Senior Research Fellow in the Europe Programme).  Another country adapting its foreign policy approach in light of an increasingly unpredictable US is Japan. A new special issue of International Affairs explores Japan's relations with its Asian neighbours. Ben speaks to Corey Wallace, one of the issue's guest-editor's, about Japan's response to the Singapore Summit, TPP and China's role in the region.  Read the Expert Comment: To Engage America, Theresa May Should Recognize the Real Concerns that Trump Raises Read the International Affairs special issue:  Japan's Pivot in Asia

Alistair Burt MP is Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. In a recent speech at Chatham House he launched a new report from the government's Stabilisation Unit on new approaches to resolving armed conflicts. Drawing on examples from conflicts as diverse as Libya and Colombia, the report explores how deal making and peace building can reduce conflicts around the world. Agnes spoke with Alistair after the speech to find out more. Despite the success and acclaim garnered by movements such as Time's Up and #MeToo, women's access to the global economy is still a major issue. From gender pay gaps to the lack of affordable childcare, in the majority of countries women are still greatly disadvantaged. The Gender and Growth Initiative at Chatham House seeks to develop policies for combatting these problems. In their first joint interview Agnes and Ben caught up with Stephane Dubois and Roxanne Bildan to discuss how the initiative is working with the G20 to drive change in this area.  Read the speech: Deal Making and Peace Building: a New Approach to Reducing Conflict Find out more: Chatham House 2018 International Policy Forum on Gender-Inclusive Growth  

In this bonus episode we bring you a recording of a roundtable from the 2018 Chatham House London Conference. This annual event brings together policy-makers, academics and business figures from around the world to London to discuss key global issues. Undercurrents hosted a breakfast roundtable as part of the conference, focusing on how elites can re-engage with their publics. A panel of experts from six different countries joined Ben and Agnes to share their views on questions including: Is political participation in decline? Are traditional forms of politics outdated? What impact has the digital revolution had on the political sphere?  How can politicians reconnect with their voters? Listen to more highlights from the London Conference 2018.