As the US electoral cycle ramps up, we consider how they may shape the security landscape of the Americas in years to come.

Despite Washington’s historical engagement in security cooperation with countries like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile, US-Latin American relations are not trouble-free.. Positive views of the US have declined, partly due to the emergence of new localplayers who seek alliances with Russia, China and Iran. Could President Biden revitalize relations with its southern neighbours if re-elected this year? And how might the return of Donald Trump influence Washington’s policies towards Latin America?

In this episode of GSB, host Neil Melvin is joined by Brian Fonseca, Director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University and Carlos Solar, Senior Research Fellow for Latin American Security at RUSI, to explore the dynamics of US-Latin American relations.What drives the US and other countries such as the UK to invest in security and diplomacy efforts in the Americas? And how is Washington currently dealing with China policy in the Americas, and its economic, scientific, and security prospects in the region?

As we welcome the new year, the International Security team at RUSI reviews the biggest geo-political events of the past 12 months and discusses what we can expect from 2024 in this two-part holiday special.

What was foreseen, and what came unexpectedly in global security developments during the past year? And how have security events altered the trajectory of various regions? Host Neil Melvin is joined by Carlos Solar, Simon Rynn, and Philip Shetler-Jones to discuss how the past 12 months have shaped Latin America, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific, and what we can expect during the coming year.

As the year draws to a close, the International Security team at RUSI reviews the biggest geo-political events of the year in this two-part holiday special.

From the ongoing war in Ukraine to the crisis in Gaza, 2023 has seen some major global events. But how did 2023 pan out when compared to what was expected at the beginning of the year? What was foreseen and what has been unexpected? And, more importantly, how have security events altered the trajectory of the affected regions? Host Neil Melvin is joined by Emily Ferris, Ed Arnold and Tobias Borck to discuss how this year has shaped Russia, Northern Europe and the Middle East, and what we can expect from 2024.

As the war enters its second winter and third year, are we now facing the prospect of battles lasting until at least 2025?

The prospect of an immediate decisive military breakthrough for Ukraine has disappeared. Kyiv’s offensive – launched in the summer – has largely subsided, with Ukraine’s troops exhausted from over six months of intense fighting. At the same time, Ukraine’s key international support pillars are under pressure. Depleted Western armouries will have far less to provide to Ukraine in the year ahead. Western political unity is being questioned, with struggles in the US Congress to ensure that Kyiv receives the critical military and economic assistance that it will need in 2024. And the EU is facing questions about whether there will be the unanimity to agree a €50-billion aid package and to open membership negotiations. Within Ukraine there are growing signs of concern about the current direction of the war.

With the military campaign appearing to face a period of prolonged stalemate, in this episode of Global Security Briefing we are joined by Mark Galeotti, RUSI Senior Associate Fellow and Principal Director, Mayak Intelligence.

As India is quickly developing as a major power, Global Security Briefing considers its prospects as a partner for the UK in the context of the Indo-Pacific ‘Tilt’

The world has many emerging powers, but India is probably the one with the greatest potential to shift the balance in the Indo-Pacific and, perhaps, the world over coming generations. Following independence, India forged a ‘non-aligned’ path through the Cold War. For most of its history, its main security threat came from neighbouring Pakistan, with which it has fought a series of wars, and competed successfully in a race to acquire nuclear weapons. Today, it is the prospect that India might take a side in the great power competition between the USA and China that is drawing the attention of the world.

India’s gigantic population and skills base also makes it an attractive market and technology partner, not least for Britain, as the UK seeks to develop new economic relations after leaving the EU. The UK government’s ‘Integrated Review’ of March 2021 described India as “an international actor of growing importance” and states the ambition to transform the UK’s cooperation with India “across the full range of our shared interests”. UK-India relations are framed by a mutually agreed roadmap to deepen bilateral ties by 2030 with the aim of developing a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In this episode, host Neil Melvin is joined by Dr Walter Ladwig III of King’s College London. Beyond what it offers the UK ‘tilt’, the trajectory of India’s rise appears certain to influence the outcome of military strategic rivalry, the evolution of global governance and the competition of different civilisational values. The question is ‘how?’.

With David Cameron's return to government, this episode of the Global Security Briefing analyses the UK's approach to China over the past decade.

The UK’s 2023 Integrated Review Refresh declares China a ‘an epoch-defining systemic challenge’. This is a far cry from the tone of the earlier UK policy from 2015, when the then-Cameron government referred to the bilateral relationship with Beijing as entering a ‘golden era’.

This apparent discrepancy has prompted calls for greater coherence in policy execution, public debate and scrutiny. In this episode, we are joined by RUSI's Senior Associate Fellow and Founding Director of the UK National Committee on China, Andrew Cainey, to ask: what is the UK's current China policy, and is a strategy document the best way to achieve desired results?

Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October has opened a new chapter in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We examine how the war is set to reshape the Middle East for years to come.

In a highly complex attack that included a missile barrage and an invasion of southern Israel, Hamas killed 1,400 people and took over 200 people hostage – mostly Israelis, but also a significant number of foreign nationals.

Israel has responded with overwhelming military force in the Gaza Strip, vowing to destroy Hamas once and for all. Thus far, Israel’s extensive air campaign and artillery bombardment has killed thousands of Palestinians.

There are fears that the conflict could escalate further. For the UK and the rest of Europe, the war also represents a difficult challenge. Most European governments have declared strong support for Israel, but there are also growing calls for a ceasefire. In this episode, host Neil Melvin is joined by RUSI Senior Research Fellow Tobias Borck and Dr Louise Kettle, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, to discuss how the war between Israel and Hamas is evolving.

This episode explores the future of UK–EU relations in the light of current challenges.

In the spring of 2021, the Integrated Review signalled the UK's future approach to European security post-Brexit, with an ambitious agenda for 'Global Britain'. Over two years on, there is a palpable sense that the UK may have turned a corner in its relations with the EU, with the ‘Windsor Framework’ agreement in early 2023 ending the most bitter Brexit dispute. Perhaps for the first time since the 2016 vote to leave the EU, the UK can begin to look ahead with greater confidence to its place in Europe and the wider world.

Host Neil Melvin ponders with Richard Whitman, Director of the Global Europe Centre and Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent, whether the UK has found a new post-Brexit foreign and security policy, and discusses how the UK is approaching wider European security framework questions such as NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.

Over a year and a half after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and with both sides incurring significant losses, is the conflict coming to a standstill?

In February 2022, Moscow aimed to seize Ukraine quickly. But 20 months later, the war grinds on inconclusively, with untold human suffering.

Both sides are looking to restock, rearm and mobilise new troops. Ukraine is now coming up against serious constraints on what more can be provided from Western stocks, and there is growing political unease in Europe and the US about the implications of a long-term commitment to Kyiv.

Is the conflict heading for deadlock, and if so, what are the implications for the region? What is the risk of a protracted war? And how can Russia best be managed and deterred in the medium and long term?

Host Neil Melvin is joined by Dr Mark Galeotti, Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI and Principal Executive Director of Mayak Intelligence, as well as Honorary Professor at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, to discuss some of these questions.

As we explore the evolving nature of South Korean foreign and security policies, we ask whether the country is emerging as a more significant international actor.

South Korea’s foreign and security policies have traditionally been defined by regional interests and, above all, the unresolved conflict with North Korea. However, in recent years, South Korea has expanded its foreign policy horizons. In 2022, it adopted its own Indo-Pacific Strategy. Seoul has also backed sanctions against Russia in support of Ukraine’s independence. In addition, it has actively supported the G7’s coordination of the response to the war, and the South Korean president has attended recent NATO summits.

This new foreign policy direction is divisive domestically. In this episode, host Neil Melvin asks Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Head of the Department of European and International Studies and Professor of International Relations at King’s College London, about the nature of South Korea as a foreign policy actor. How should Seoul seek to position itself in the rising confrontation between the US and its allies on the one hand, and Russia and China on the other?