Independent Thinking

China's ruling Communist Party leadership met in Beijing to frame the next five-year-plan. Amid a trade war with the United States, they set priorities for economic policy and technology, including how to build artificial intelligence into key sectors of society.

New faces appeared and old ones vanished, with a purge of senior military officials and others as President Xi Jinping sacked some officials he had earlier promoted. As Xi prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump in South Korea, Chatham House senior research fellows Yu Jie and James Kynge join host Bronwen Maddox.

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The UK must prioritize cybersecurity or be left dangerously exposed

Sanae Takaichi sees herself as the successor to Shinzo Abe. But changes in Japan's politics present big challenges

Tanzania election: Erosion of democracy will also come at the cost of economic potential

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell.

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Beset by early ceasefire disputes between Israel and Hamas, international backers of President Trump's Mideast project must move quickly to elevate it from vague wish list to viable framework. Rapid delivery of aid, reconstruction - and security for Palestinians and Israelis – are essential. But without a political end game, it will founder.

Sanam Vakil, Marc Weller and Stephen Farrell join host Bronwen Maddox in this week's podcast from Chatham House.

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Comment | The US needs a new Iran strategy if Trump's Gaza plan is to endure

Comment | India is seeking to reset relations with the Taliban. But can this rapprochement last?

Comment | Netanyahu's concepts collapsed, one by one, as Trump piled on pressure: What next for his government?

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and John Pollock.

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At home the US is mired in domestic dysfunction with a government shutdown now in its second week. But abroad, President Trump has brokered a deal that - although it didn't win a Nobel Peace Prize - could end the two-year Gaza war. Laurel Rapp and Max Yoeli join guest host Christopher Sabatini.

They discuss the effects of the government funding crisis and protracted political deadlock on the US economy, international investment, the military and foreign policy.

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Comment | Egypt is crucial to Trump's Gaza plan – but fears a security vacuum after an Israeli withdrawal

Comment | The rise of Reform, the AfD and RN is more than a blip – so what happens if the E3 goes far right?

Comment | Attacks on 'drug boats' are pushing the US away from the consensus on the rules of international law

Presented by Christopher Sabatini. Produced by Stephen Farrell.

Read the Autumn issue of The World Today

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It's party conference season in Britain. Both ruling Labour and opposition Conservatives are nervous about the rise of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK, successor to the Brexit Party.

Pollster Joe Twyman and Olivia O'Sullivan, Director of Chatham House's UK in the World Programme, join host Bronwen Maddox for this week's podcast.

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Explainer | Can the Trump peace plan for Gaza succeed?

Comment | A 'Drone Wall' is needed for Europe to defend against a new threat

Comment | Africa must strengthen continental unity to boost its global influence

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and John Pollock.

Read the Autumn issue of The World Today

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

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The United Nations is a guardian of international law, its leader assured member states this week. But President Trump questioned the point of the UN. Marc Weller and Christopher Phillips join Bronwen Maddox to assess challenges to the global order in a world of strongmen and multipolarity.

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Event | Is this a new age of nuclear proliferation?

Comment | Does the US want to weaken the UN or make it 'great again'?

Comment | A new international order is forming. Will China make it 'green'?

Comment | Recognition of Palestine can be more than symbolic if Europe and Gulf states remain aligned

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and John Pollock.

Read the Autumn issue of The World Today

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President Donald Trump brought AI and tech CEOs on his second state visit for a deal pledging £31 billion in investment for the UK.

Olivia O'Sullivan and Laurel Rapp join host Bronwen Maddox to discuss the politics and dealmaking behind the pageantry, on Chatham House's weekly international affairs podcast.

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Event | Global Britain meets America First: What next for the 'special relationship'?

Comment | President Trump's second state visit to the UK: What to expect

Comment | The UK must guard against new risks to financial stability coming from the US

Comment | Egypt now sees Israel as an imminent threat

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and John Pollock.

Read the Autumn issue of The World Today

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

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Are we moving into a post-American world and if so will China try to lead and set the rules for it?

In the face of American withdrawal, China senses an opportunity to shape a new world order. This week on Independent Thinking, Samir Puri and James Kynge join Bronwen Maddox to discuss the changing nature of the international order.

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Event | Interview and discussion with Isaac Herzog, President of Israel

Comment | It may take a generation for a stable new world order to emerge

Comment | Syria's parliamentary elections: A turning point or another top-down exercise?

Comment | Why ending the war in Sudan should be a higher priority for the West

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock.

Read the Summer issue of The World Today

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How much of Donald Trump's sanctions strategy is substance — and how much is performance?

In this episode of Independent Thinking, Chatham House experts unpack whether sanctions work. And at Trump's shifting use of sanctions, tariffs and personal power plays in global economic policy. With Dr Christopher Sabatini, Timothy Ash, and Christopher Vandome from Chatham House.

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Understanding and improving sanctions today

Russia's struggle to modernize its military industry

Why the Indo-Pacific should be a higher priority for the UK

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Executive producer - John Pollock. Produced by Jonathan Coates and Warren Nettleford. 'Independent Thinking' is an Indio Media production for Chatham House.

Read the Summer issue of The World Today

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What does President Donald Trump's promise of Patriot missiles for Ukraine — and a 50-day tariff ultimatum to Putin — really mean for Ukraine and Russia?

Chatham House experts Jaroslava Barbieri, John Lough and Samir Puri look at whether it is a significant pivot towards Ukraine, how both sides are faring in the war, and how U.S. credibility is affected by Trump's changing positions. They are joined by guest host Stephen Farrell, standing in for Bronwen Maddox.

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Trump is changing his words about Putin, who only cares about actions

After Brexit: E3. New treaty puts UK, Germany and France back at the heart of European security

New Zealand should rethink its pivot towards the US to retain strategic autonomy in the Indo-Pacific

Presented by Stephen Farrell. Executive producer - John Pollock. Produced by Jonathan Coates and Warren Nettleford. 'Independent Thinking' is an Indio Media production for Chatham House.

Read the Summer issue of The World Today

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧

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

What does Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House mean for the likelihood of a Gaza ceasefire? Bronwen Maddox is joined by Stephen Farrell, Yossi Mekelberg, Sanam Vakil and Max Yoeli to examine the state of negotiations, U.S.-Israel and regional dynamics, and competing plans for what comes next.

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Lebanon's moment of truth

The Rio summit showed that BRICS is less anti-Western than Russia would like it to be

Mobilizing 'Team Ukraine' for a successful recovery

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Amanda Nunn. 'Independent Thinking' is an Indio Media production for Chatham House.

Read the Summer issue of The World Today

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧

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