The Foreign Desk

Kenya wants to shut down its refugee camps, which means more than half a million people will be told to go home. But is it safe? Is it legal? And why is Europe so silent?


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

The Eurovision Song Contest, the final of which takes place in Stockholm next week, is one of the greatest expressions of European solidarity and soft power. But as the whole continent struggles, what can it tell us about the state of Europe today?


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

Elections are about taking sides, making a choice and deciding between left or right. A look at recent elections around the world, however, suggests these choices have become ever more polarised.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

At some stage this year a peace deal is likely to be signed between the Colombian government and Farc guerrillas, ending a 50-year civil war. It’s not easy to balance peace and justice. We ask whether this agreement can teach us how to solve other wars.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

For the first time since 1945, Austria’s president will not come from the centre. Instead two politicians with two very different messages will compete for the presidency: Alexander van der Bellen, a one-time leader of the Green party, and Norbert Hofer, a charismatic gun-carrying politician from the far-right Freedom party.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

Libya’s five-year experiment with democracy has so far been a failure. With the country split, rival militias still fighting for control and the ever-present threat of Isis, the West is considering sending in an international force. We chat to former UK Ambassador to Libya, Sir Richard Dalton, and founder of the ‘Libya Herald’, Sami Zaptia, about whether that’s a good idea.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

The attempted impeachment of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has thrown the country into turmoil but the impact of Brazil’s political crisis will not be felt solely inside its own borders.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

Once the genuine public anger over the Panama Papers revelations subsides, what will actually change? Can tax havens really be eradicated – and what would it mean if they were? To discuss these questions Steve Bloomfield is joined by Nicholas Shaxson, the author of ‘Treasure Islands’; Francesco Guerrera, chief financial correspondent for Politico; and John Christensen, executive director of the Tax Justice Network.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

The race to succeed Ban Ki-moon has begun in earnest but exactly how will that person be selected?


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.

Justin Trudeau became Canada’s prime minister in November. Since then he’s become one the world’s most famous politicians but does his image match the reality? We dig beneath the photo ops to examine Trudeau’s first few months in power.


Join us at Midori House in London on Thursday 11 May for a special live recording of The Foreign Desk. For details and to book tickets visit https://monocle.com/events/the-foreign-desk-live/.