The US-Israel war on Iran is straining Trump's alliances, at home and abroad.

Three weeks into exactly the kind of war of choice that he spent years decrying, US President Donald Trump is not getting the amount of international support that he seeks for his campaign of air strikes on Iran.

There is also reluctance among NATO and other allies to be drawn into the political and economic turmoil caused by the US-Israeli campaign, and Tehran's region-wide retaliation.

Our experts discuss the state of US-Gulf relations, the muted European response to Trump's appeals for help in re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, and what it could mean elsewhere in the world for ongoing crises in Ukraine, Cuba and Venezuela.

Joining host Bronwen Maddox this week are Dr Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow in our Middle East and North Africa Programme; Dr Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America; and Heather Hurlburt, a consulting fellow in our US and North America Programme.

Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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Expert comment | Should the Gulf Arab states join the war against Iran?

Expert comment | The Iran war should boost security cooperation by US Pacific allies like Japan, the Philippines and South Korea

The US military's AI provider Anthropic is feuding with the Pentagon after the company tried to impose 'red lines' over the use of its artificial intelligence products for lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of Americans. President Trump accused the US firm of being 'radical left' and designated it a 'supply chain risk' – usually reserved for Chinese or Russian firms who could compromise US security. Our panel discusses the dispute, the battle to control artificial intelligence systems already being used in Iran, Venezuela and Ukraine, and how a public battle between tech and government throws a much-needed spotlight on the wider global issues of AI governance and who is – or isn't – writing rules for the new era of warfare. They also look at how China is pushing ahead quickly with its plan to integrate 'AI Plus' into all aspects of its economy and military. This week's guest host of the Independent Thinking podcast is Alex Krasodomski, director of Chatham House's Digital Society Programme. He is joined by Laurel Rapp, director of the US and North America Programme; and James Kynge, a senior research fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme who has spent years studying China and its high-technology industrial sector.

Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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Comment | Anthropic's feud with the Pentagon reveals the limits of AI governance

The World Today magazine article | Can the West recover from China's hi-tech knockout blow?

Comment | Do AI summits work?

What does President Trump hope to achieve in Iran – a quick show of force, or long-term regime change?

The US and Israel's long-threatened air strikes on Iran have materialized, and the Middle East is facing widespread disruption and a mounting death toll as the war spills across borders.

In this episode of Chatham House's international affairs podcast, our expert panel analyses the Trump administration's many stated motivations for the attack, whether there can be a clear-cut end game, and who is likely to take over in Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

They also discuss the effect of the war on President Trump's popularity at home as mid-term elections loom, and the criticism levelled at UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer for doing, his detractors say, too little, too late.

Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme; General Sir Richard Barrons, senior consulting fellow with the International Security Programme; and Laurel Rapp, director of the US and North America Programme.

Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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Comment | Trump, the polls, and the war with Iran: What happened to the 'President of Peace'?

Comment | Sánchez's principled stand against Trump matters. So does Merz's silence

Comment | Netanyahu's biggest gamble

The US Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump on his first justification for tariffs, but he says he will push them through by other means.

On this week's Independent Thinking podcast, our experts analyse why Trump is wedded to tariffs as an economic and political tool, and what effect they will have on the US and global economies.

They also discuss whether tariffs have ended globalization for good even after the Trump era ends.

Joining regular host Bronwen Maddox are Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance programme at Chatham House, and down the line from Washington, Heather Hurlburt, a consulting fellow in our US and North America Programme.

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.

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Video | Al Carns – Acting on the SDR: Britain's defence in 2026 at Chatham House's Security and Defence conference

Negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war do not appear to have made significant progress. In the meantime, the focus of US President Donald Trump's 'lighthouse diplomacy' appears to have switched to Iran.

Chatham House analysts discuss the state of the talks, and whether Europe will step up to provide the weapons and military support that Ukraine needs. They also examine how the Russia-Ukraine conflict fits into the wider superpower competition between the US, Russia and China.

Joining host Bronwen Maddox are Grégoire Roos, director of Chatham House's Europe, Russia and Eurasia programmes; Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine Forum; and Natalie Sabanadze, Senior Research Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme.

This episode comes as we look ahead to two major upcoming Chatham House events: a conversation with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, marking four years since Russia's full-scale invasion, and our annual Security and Defence conference.

Both events are now fully booked for in-person attendance, but audiences will be able to watch General Zaluzhnyi's appearance and some of the defence conference events online.

Full details are available on our website: https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/upcoming

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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In a special edition of Chatham House's Independent Thinking podcast recorded at the Munich Security Conference 2026 over the weekend, Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox and Grégoire Roos, Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes, unpack the key issues that emerged from this year's forum.

The main speaker, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adopted a different tone from Vice President JD Vance, who shocked many in the audience last year when he delivered a verbal broadside against Europe at the same conference.

But does it signify a shift in the Trump administration's newly assertive stance, or was it the same message in a different wrapping?

In a recording session in a side room amid the hustle and flow of the conference, they also discuss innovations in defence technology and drone development, the resilience of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, what level of support Ukraine can expect from Europe, and whether European companies and policymakers will respond effectively in the face of increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers.

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Comment | The West vs the West at the Munich Security Conference

Comment | Climate security should be a bigger priority at the Munich Security Conference

Comment | What should a more European NATO look like? The US and Europe disagree

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As Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer ploughs through crisis after crisis, his Labour Party faces multiple threats in upcoming local elections. Our Chatham House analysts examine whether having six prime ministers in a decade is a sign that Britain, like some of its neighbours, has more fundamental underlying problems that make it increasingly hard to govern.

Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Olivia O'Sullivan, Director of the UK in the World Programme at Chatham House and Grégoire Roos, Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes.

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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Comment | The AU summit is an opportunity for decisive action to end the war in Sudan

Comment | Why a resurgent Japan is good for Asia

Comment | What recent developments in Syria mean for the Kurds

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After the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, our analysts discuss where in the Western Hemisphere US President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio may turn their attention to next.

Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Laurel Rapp, director of Chatham House's US and North America Programme, and Dr Christopher Sabatini, Senior Fellow for Latin America. They dissect the so-called 'Donroe Doctrine', Marco Rubio's project to reform Cuba's regime, Haiti, and why oil is central to the MAGA playbook.

Read Dr Sabatini's full research paper 'A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti'.

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Comment | Haiti's vicious circle: Funding is needed to end the violence. But the violence means funding doesn't come.

Event | The new threat? An imperial America

News release | Chatham House fellow gives evidence on Venezuela to UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee

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Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.

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Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Ben Bland, head of our Asia-Pacific Programme, and Dr Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China. They discuss the opportunities and risks of closer engagement between the UK and China, and why the opacity of Chinese elite politics makes them an unpredictable security actor.

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EU leaders echo de Gaulle, saying Europe must depend on no-one. But where should autonomy begin?

UK ratification of the Chagos Archipelago treaty will not violate international law

The US and Russia's nuclear weapons treaty is set to expire. Here's what's at stake

Myanmar 'election' shows the military regime is here to stay. How should the world respond?

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox joins the Independent Thinking podcast from the World Economic Forum in Davos. In London are guest host David Lubin, a Senior Research Fellow in Chatham House's Global Economy and Finance Programme; and Grégoire Roos, Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes.

They examine the implications of President Trump's speech for Greenland, NATO, Europe, China and others after Trump pulled back from using force in Greenland, but left allies with a loss of trust in US intentions. Our analysts also discuss the impact of the address by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a former President of Chatham House, who laid out his alternative vision for middle powers to cooperate when faced with what he called 'a rupture' in the world order.

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Trump's Davos speech backed off escalation in Greenland. That will not prevent an EU rush for strategic autonomy

Trump, Diego Garcia and the 'Donroe Doctrine' in the Indian Ocean

Trump's Greenland tariffs show the UK must prepare for a new era of economic coercion

A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell.

Read the Winter issue of The World Today

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

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Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.