The Foreign Desk

In spring, as the weather heats up in Afghanistan, so does the fighting. In a country that has been home to foreign forces and UN troops for more than 16 years, it’s a time to assess how far the country has come since the US invaded back in 2001. How many more fighting seasons can the country take? Andrew Mueller is joined by Michael Semple, Shukrya Barakzai and Patrick Hennessey.

Poland’s government wants to extend its laws against Holocaust denial to include suggestions of Polish complicity. Andrew Mueller asks if this will really prompt constructive discussion?

The full episode of ‘The Foreign Desk’ is back on Saturday – this week we’re assessing the US’s 16-year military involvement in Afghanistan. Be sure to subscribe to get each new episode.

Andrew Mueller looks at the theory and practice of buying and selling passports: how it works, who does it, whether we should be worried about it and how it might change our ideas of what nationality means. Andrew is joined by joined by [Atossa Araxia Abrahamian](https://www.amazon.com/Cosmopolites-Coming-Citizen-Columbia-Reports/dp/099097636X), Julia Rushchenko and Sandeep Parmar.

As we approach Australia Day, large numbers of Australians are wondering what exactly there is to celebrate on 26 January.

The full episode of The Foreign Desk is back on Saturday – be sure to subscribe to get each new episode.

He has been the president of the US for exactly one year. And, if all goes to plan, he'll remain so for at least three more. Love him or hate him, there's no denying that Donald Trump has changed American, and possibly global, politics in profound and unexpected ways. Andrew Mueller is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the highs and lows – and what to expect next.

What's in a name? Well, if you’re Greek and that name happens to be ‘Macedonia’, rather a lot. But is there an end in sight for what may be the world’s least-dignified diplomatic standoff?

‘The Foreign Desk’ returns on Saturday. Listen to hear us examine Donald Trump’s first year in the Oval Office and be sure to subscribe to get each new episode.

Last year gave the world much to protest. Political instability and social injustice led to millions taking to the streets in 2017 and even more to social media to make their voices heard. But as the masses rebel, the authorities clamp down – leading to new and inventive ways of showing discontent. So how has protest changed over the years and where is it heading? Andrew Mueller is joined by Rachael Jolley, Stefan Dickers and Dr Fern Riddell.

With seemingly no one standing in Trump’s way as he nears his one-year anniversary as US president, Monocle’s New York bureau chief Ed Stocker goes in search of the Republican party’s resistance.

‘The Foreign Desk’ is back on Saturday 13 January, when we look at the history and evolution of protest. Be sure to subscribe to get each new episode.

Some are rousing, others are melancholy and some are just plain dreary. They’re belted out at sporting events, chanted in the streets to bring nations together and used as a political tool by those in power. But what makes a great national anthem great, why are so many so terrible and, most importantly of all, which is the best? Andrew Mueller is joined by journalist Alex Marshall, author and broadcaster Clemency Burton-Hill and former diplomat John Everard.

Monocle’s bureaux staff look ahead to 2018 in terms of elections, surprises and, hopefully, some reasons to be cheerful.