It has been five years since the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, accepting defeat after a 20-year presence in the country. Was this ever a winnable war? War correspondent Jon Lee Anderson of The New Yorker walks former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host John Raine through the Taliban resurgence. Anderson discusses why it was a strategic error to not allow Hamid Karzai to actually govern, and how that blunder facilitated both the return of opium production and the Taliban comeback. He also talks about what happened to the Northern Alliance, the complexities of Afghan allegiances and loyalties, lessons in counterinsurgency, the importance of winning the hearts and minds of a people, and what diplomatic relations with a Taliban-led Afghanistan could look like.

In this episode:

(00:00) Ceding an Aura of Invincibility

(03:15) Was Afghanistan Ever a Winnable War?

(07:26) Karzai and State Building

(11:12) Opium Production and Taliban

(18:43) Shadow Taliban Government 

(27:09) What Happened to the Northern Alliance?

(33:39) Navigating US-Afghani Cultural Differences 

(39:14) Afghanistan’s Geography

(42:45) Lessons in Counterinsurgency

(48:26) Legacy of Afghanistan War

(50:09) Persistence of Taliban Government

(51:58) Diplomatic Relations with Taliban

(55:28) One Decision: The West Must Engage Afghanistan

(56:41) Takeaways and Wrap Up

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did a Holocaust-denying, hardline former president of Iran become the centerpiece of an Israeli plan to topple the regime in Tehran? Former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host John Raine sit down with New York Times investigative journalists Mark Mazzetti and Ronen Bergman to detail the high-stakes intelligence mission that preceded Operation Epic Fury. They explain how Israel’s Mossad groomed former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into an intelligence asset, and how Mossad director David Barnea Ahmadinejad to the White House in February 2026 as part of a plan for rapid regime change in Iran. They also discuss the plan’s collapse within days of the decapitation strikes, why the plan to use Kurdish forces as a ground proxy was a non-starter, how the political fallout from the war may forever change US-Israel relations, and the electoral implications for both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this fall.

(00:00) Legacy of the Iran War

(02:30) Origins of Ahmadinejad Plot

(05:10) Planning Iranian Regime Change

(08:08) Was Ahmadinejad a Double Agent?

(12:45) Why Recruit Ahmadinejad? 

(15:34) Selling Trump on Regime Change

(25:12) Credibility of Kurdish Option

(33:27) War Planning vs. Reality

(35:32) Legacy of Ahmadinejad Plot

(38:55) Did Israel Manipulate the US?

(41:44) Mood of Iranian People

(43:58) Deal Prospects

(46:18) Maximum Pressure on Iran

(48:05) Impact of Israel’s Coming Elections

(49:03) Takeaways, Audience Comments, and Wrap Up

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vladimir Putin promised Russia a "dictatorship of law" when he took office in 2000. He delivered the dictatorship -- but not the law.

In this episode:

(00:00) Why Ukraine Matters

(02:06) Germany Expands BND Powers

(05:01) Zhu Rongji

(07:52) Iceland EU Vote and NATO Role

(11:46) Iran Deadline and Strait Tensions

(15:11) Meet Jamison Firestone

(16:42) Growing Up Around Gangsters

(26:15) Loving Russia Despite Putin

(30:46) Can Russia Reach a Tipping Point

(34:32) Mobilization Pressure and Next Steps

(36:15) Ukraine Aid and Frozen Funds

(41:17) Legal Case For Seizure

(43:57) Reparations Loan Explained

(50:25) US Politics And Trump Parallels

(54:24) How Putin Could Fall

(57:06) Can Russia Be Democratic

(59:03) Putin Isolation And Ukraine Motive

(01:02:12) Life In London And Safety

(01:05:08) Magnitsky Legacy And Costs

(01:11:33) Drone Swarms And Future War

Show Notes: 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What role do intelligence services play under a president that does not heed their advice? That’s one of the questions Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Tim Weiner posits in his most recent book, The Mission, which details how the modern Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has evolved during the era of the global war on terror. Weiner describes the evolution of the missions undertaken by the CIA, which were historically driven by presidential desires to change the world through covert action, and contrasts them with the post-Cold War agency that grapples with trust and reputation in the information era. Weiner also discusses how the delicate interplay between betrayal and trust underwrites intelligence work, the common aim of pursuing secrets that intelligence and journalism share, and why he believes the cumulative effects of partisan purges within intelligence services under President Donald Trump leaves the United States in a dire state of danger.

Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood dive into the news stories in geopolitics shaping the world this week: how a secret CIA task force in Cuba may be laying the groundwork for a more American-friendly government, why the construction of a new giant embassy for China is igniting political NIMBY-ism in London, and what US intelligence says about how stray Russian missiles and drones may be Putin’s way of testing NATO’s resolve. 

(03:07) Secret CIA Cuba Task Force

(07:24) New Chinese Embassy in London

(12:31) Will Putin Test NATO’s Resolve?

(14:37) Interview with Tim Weiner

(15:29) Difficulty of Writing About the CIA

(20:07) Human Element of Espionage

(22:56) Evolution of the CIA

(25:57) Sir Richard’s Post-9/11 Intel Recollections

(30:08) Journalists, Intelligence, and Secrecy

(34:58) Intelligence and Policy

(39:59) Modern CIA Missions Under Trump

(48:31) Partisan Purges in US Intel Services

(54:55) Can Institutional Trust Recover?

(58:48) Trump’s Potential Paradoxical Legacy

(01:02:47) One Decision to Watch

(01:03:32) Takeaways, Audience Comments, and Wrap Up 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (international journalist).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the Russian military actually losing ground, or adapting faster than Western allies realize? Fresh off a tour of the Ukrainian front lines, Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Michael Kofman delivers a realistic assessment of the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war. Kofman explains why Ukraine is in its strongest position since mid-2023, how Russian military commanders reporting false progress to Putin may lead to a mismatch between goals and means in the war, the strategic implications behind Ukraine’s recent command changes and political shifts in defense procurement, and why it’s critical that NATO learns what it can from Ukrainian force exercises to be prepared to face Russia’s next post-war threat.

Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host Kate McCann unpack the latest and most significant news stories in geopolitics: the launch of Sweden’s own civilian intelligence service, whether President Trump’s rhetoric on Iran reflects uncertainty or strategic deception, and the data supporting the skeptical American attitude about AI. 

In this episode:

(02:13) Sweden to Launch Its Own MI6

(06:01) Trump Hyperbole and Iran

(09:18) America’s AI Skepticism

(12:26) Interview with Michael Kofman

(13:10) State of the Ukrainian-Russian Frontlines

(15:30) Russian Military Goals vs. Means

(19:43) Russia’s False Picture of Success

(23:17) Evolution of Warfare on the Frontlines

(28:58) Assessment of International Response

(33:18) Patriot Missile Licensed Production Timeline

(37:02) Changes in Ukrainian Defense Leadership

(43:28) Corruption, Procurement, and Funding in Ukraine(

48:58) Russia’s Threat Post-War(54:50) Ukrainian Morale on the Frontlines\(57:18) Defining the Front Line of Fighting

(01:00:21) One Decision to Watch

(01:02:47) Takeaways, Audience Comments, and Wrap Up

Show Notes: 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and co-host Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI models in the United States may be ahead of China’s in terms of capability, but China far surpasses America in adoption and use. That’s what former US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo says about the state of the AI race, and why she believes it's critical for the US and its allies to understand one thing: China is not our friend. She spells out how exactly China is creating technological dependencies, particularly in European countries, why it’s still important the West maintains continuous, managed economic competition with China, what social adoption of AI should look like in the US to curb anxieties around job loss, and why she remains optimistic about the promise of AI despite all this.

Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Sabrina Singh analyze the events making the biggest geopolitical headlines: FBI Director Kash Patel’s upcoming trip to Russia, a nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia, more changes in defense leadership in Ukraine, and the latest with the war in Iran.

In this episode:

(01:04) Kash Patel to Visit Russia

(04:45) US-Saudi Nuclear Deal

(09:39) Changes to Zelenskyy’s Cabinet

(14:06) State of the Iran War

(18:24) Interview with Gina Raimondo

(19:17) US-China AI Race

(23:00) Europe’s Vulnerability to China’s Influence

(26:16) Managing Economic Competition between US/China

(28:31) Why AI is a Geopolitical Net-Good

(30:27) Social Adoption of AI

(35:31) Regulation for AI

(37:44) One Decision to Watch

(38:58) Takeaways and Wrap Up

Show Notes: 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Sabrina Singh (Former Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Vali Nasr argues that the single objective that's driven Tehran since 1979 has been defending its independence from the US. Author of Iran’s Grand Strategy, Nasr says that logic, more than ideology, explains the current war. He unpacks Iran's shift toward hard-nosed nationalism, what leverage it has left, and whether the country will take a more pragmatic approach to geopolitics. 

Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host John Raine talk through the headlines shaping today’s geopolitics: Japan's intelligence overhaul, the fallout from Zelensky's clash with his defense minister, China's new AI cooperation push, and the UK's untested new PM Andy Burnham.

03:16 Japan Builds Spy Agency07:35 Ukraine Defense Shakeup11:14 China Pushes AI Rules14:49 New UK Prime Minister18:24 Guest interview begins23:20 From Islam to Nationalism28:15 War Pragmatism and New Leaders32:27 Proxies and Forward Defense38:21 How the War Ends43:43 Gulf Markets and Hormuz48:12 Buying Peace49:49 Energy Shifts and Long Game55:37 One Decision to Watch56:23 Takeaways and Wrap Up

Show Notes: 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent months of the war, Ukraine has managed to hold its front lines and bring war to regular Russians via attacks on infrastructure. That’s why Economic Advisor to the President of Ukraine Chrystia Freeland believes Ukraine has flipped the narrative from being the virtuous victim of Russia’s aggression to the necessary ally and shield of Europe. This week, she joins Sir Ben Wallace and co-host Kate McCann to make the case for why Ukraine is winning, and why winning on the economic battlefield is equally important to the country’s future. 

Freeland talks about how Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is laying the political groundwork for Ukraine’s economic success, the importance of Ukraine’s alliances, and why Poland’s success story should serve as a model for Ukraine’s post-war future. They also discuss Ukraine’s strong defense industrial base, the importance of rooting out corruption and the remnants of Soviet ideology for bringing in investment to the country, the challenges of attracting people back to Ukraine, and why victory for Ukraine is a victory for liberal democracy.

Plus, In Brief: what Andy Burnham is up against on the UK’s defense front as he ascends to the role of Prime Minister, another battle in the Strait of Hormuz reignites conflict between Iran and the United States, and a leadership shakeup in China’s People’s Liberation Army.

In this episode:

(02:21) Incoming UK PM Andy Burnham 

(04:16) IRGC Proscription Explained

(05:20) Renewed Tensions with Iran

(09:14) China Military Leadership Shakeup

(10:32) Chrystia Freeland On Ukraine

(11:35) Is Ukraine Winning?

(15:38) Ukrainian Sentiment on the State of War

(24:43) Zelenskyy’s Political Strategy

(29:44) Ukrainian Defense Innovation

(33:36) Why Crimea Was A Strategic Blunder for Putin

(37:17) Ukraine’s Future Economic Vision

(42:39) Corruption and Investment in Ukraine

(53:32) Rebuilding Ukraine and Returning Home

(56:28) Why Allyship is Key for Ukrainian Success

(59:48) Reflecting On Politics, Alliances, and the Future of Ukraine

Hosted by Sir Ben Wallace (former UK Defense Secretary) and co-host Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Football can be geopolitics by other means. Financial Times Journalist Simon Kuper has covered every World Cup since 1990. This week, he joins Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika to unpack how football and geopolitics collide. 

Kuper explains why he thinks FIFA president Gianni Infantino runs the organization like an autocrat, how U.S. President Donald Trump's red card intervention echoes historical precedents set by Mussolini and Brazil's military government, and why hosting a World Cup brings prestige but rarely economic benefit. The conversation also covers the KGB's use of Soviet football clubs for cover during the Cold War, football's role in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, why China's investment in football hasn't paid off, and how France's multicultural national team has become a flashpoint in its domestic politics.

Plus, in Brief: Russian strikes on Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit, German prosecutors' Nord Stream allegations against Ukraine, deepening Russia-China military cooperation, and reports of Trump pushing for a "master list" of intelligence assets.

In this episode:

Show Notes: 

Soccernomics: Why European Men and American Women Usually Win―and American Men Don’t (Yet) | https://a.co/d/07dBzyak

World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments | https://a.co/d/0g5raBr3

Football Against The Enemy: https://a.co/d/04OUzQgR 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika (House of Lords)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has continued his pressure campaign on European defense spending. But in the lead-up to the next NATO Summit, there is another core question to ask: How is Europe coordinating its defense production? This might be the key issue that determines how Trump's pressure campaign pays off in the long run. 

Kate McCann and Sir Richard Dearlove are joined by Ambassador Julianne Smith (Former United States Permanent Representative to NATO under President Biden) and A. Wess Mitchell, Ph.D. (former senior State Department official who helped shape the first Trump administration's Europe strategy) to break down what's really at stake in Ankara. 

Plus: Should NATO stay laser-focused on Russia and leave China to the U.S.? How deep is the lingering trust deficit after the Greenland dispute? 

Got a question or comment? Email us at [email protected] or drop us a comment on YouTube. We might answer it in next week's episode.

In this episode:

(00:00) Cold Open

(00:57) Where US-Iran Talks Stand

(06:33) Five Eyes Warnings: Chinese LinkedIn Recruitment & AI Threats

(11:51) Setting the Scene for NATO's Ankara Summit

(13:35) What Does the US Want Out of This Summit?

(19:47) Debating What "US Leadership" Really Means

(24:59) Trump's Balancing Act: Pressure vs. Reassurance

(28:04) The Coordination Problem: Europe's "Potluck Dinner"

(37:19) Should NATO Even Focus on China?

(44:31) The Anglosphere & AUKUS Debate

(45:23) Who's the Most Awkward Meeting for Trump in Ankara?

(47:47) Is Trump's Personality a Distraction From Policy?

(50:05) Will the Iran War Overshadow the Summit?

(52:35) Chaos Agent or Strategic Operator?

(56:19) The One Decision to Watch at Ankara

(59:31) Listener Mail: Energy Pricing & Geopolitical Reality

(1:04:15) Listener Mail: Cuba's Civil Society Problem

Show Notes: 

https://youtu.be/0pYUYBwRdLs?si=2fbDUznnuIs-Y5H3 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7FGkxRO_es 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices