The Fourcast

It was hoped the fall of Syria's former dictator Bashar al-Assad would usher in a period of stability, unity and perhaps - eventually - democracy.

But now the country enters a new and unpredictable phase as President Ahmed Al-Sharaa tightens his grip on power.In the north-east of the country the Kurds were the West’s key ally against Islamic State.

Now their control in the region is collapsing after days of fierce battles with government forces. A tentative ceasefire is in place but the fallout is far from clear, including the fate of thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families who were in Kurdish-controlled camps.Regional powers like Turkey and Iran, as well as China, Russia and the West are also jostling for influence.

Could these developments finally bring a period of calm and stability in Syria or just open the door to new dangers?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long was joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and Lina Khatib, Principal Analyst at geopolitical foresight company ExTrac.

As Donald Trump marks a year back in office, his threats against Europe and hard-line trade policies are pushing his allies to the edge - while China and Russia, once considered America’s enemies, watch on with apparent glee.

And if the UK once thought flattery was the best form of defence, the president has put paid to that with potentially crushing tariffs and a swipe at Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal - an agreement he had supposedly signed off on.

So how do we make sense of a global future in flux?On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long was joined by geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan.

Donald Trump wants Greenland - and he’s willing to use tariffs to get it.

If European allies refuse to sell, the US president has threatened to escalate trade penalties, weaponising economic pressure rather than military force. The proposal has sparked alarm across Europe, with some leaders calling for the EU to deploy its so-called “trade bazooka” in response. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned that a trade war benefits nobody.

So is this just bluster - or the opening shot in a new phase of transatlantic economic conflict? And what would a trade war over a sparsely populated Arctic territory mean for the global economy?

On this episode of The Fourcast, we’re joined by Mark Leonard, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, speaking as he travels to the World Economic Forum in Davos, and our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi is in the studio to break down the economic stakes.

It’s been quite the week in Westminster. A sacking, a defection, and a deepening crisis on the right. Robert Jenrick’s move to Reform has capped off a dramatic few days for the Conservatives. While Nigel Farage has celebrated the moment, calling it a historic realignment of centre-right politics in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has described the Conservative Party as a "sinking ship".

So what does this mean for the future of the Conservatives? And what does Jenrick’s defection mean for Reform - is there a real possibility that Reform could win the next election?

Donald Trump is once again threatening to annex Greenland, but is it different this time? What once sounded like a joke, now feels like a genuine test of how far Europe is willing to stand up to its most powerful ally.

So is President Trump actually a bigger threat to Nato than President Putin? And if so, what should Europe do about it?

On this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long is joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and former Danish diplomat Jonas Parello-Plesner who led the foreign policy department at Denmark’s embassy in Washington from 2013 - 2017.

The Iranian regime is facing its most serious unrest in years - with protests sweeping Iran despite a near-total internet blackout and a deadly response from security forces. Donald Trump is threatening new tariffs, Western governments are debating whether to escalate sanctions and blacklist the IRGC and the German Chancellor says he believes the embattled Iranian government is in its "final days and weeks".One of the most outspoken voices on what should happen next is the comedian and actor Omid Djalili. Born in London to Iranian parents, he has been sharply critical of the regime, insistent that this is a genuine people’s uprising, and vocal about what he believes the international community must do next. He joined Matt Frei on this episode of The Fourcast.

Iran’s foreign minister insists the situation is “under total control.” But reports inside Iran tell a different story, with human rights groups warning of hundreds killed and thousands arrested as the regime tries to crush a new wave of nationwide protests. Internet blackouts make verification difficult, yet glimpses of the streets show anger not just at the authorities but at the symbols of state-backed power.

In this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei speaks to Masih Alinejad, the Iranian American journalist and activist, about what she is hearing from inside the country and why she believes the demonstrations represent a deeper rupture with the Islamic Republic, and to Narguess Farzad, Senior Lecturer in Persian Studies at SOAS, to understand the wider cultural picture, the roots of Iran’s cycles of unrest, and whether this moment could mark a turning point. She explains how Iran’s young, highly educated population has reached its limit, why some mosques are now seen as symbols of oppression, and how the regime weighs controlled concessions against total brutality.

A fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis has ignited a battle over the truth. Federal officials say Renee Nicole Good tried to run over an immigration agent. City leaders say she was wrongly killed. And the videos circulating online raise more questions than answers

This confrontation unfolds as President Trump launches one of the largest immigration crackdowns in years, flooding Minneapolis with thousands of federal agents just months before the midterms. Schools have closed, protests are growing, and Washington and Minnesota are locked in a public fight over what happened on that street and why the city has become a political flashpoint.

A fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis has ignited a battle over the truth. Federal officials say Renee Nicole Good tried to run over an immigration agent. City leaders say she was wrongly killed. And the videos circulating online raise more questions than answers.

Iran is in the grip of its most intense unrest in years with protests spreading across the country and Donald Trump vowing that the US will defend Iranian protesters - prompting Tehran to accuse him of psychological warfare. 

What began in Tehran’s bazaar over soaring prices and a collapsing currency has spread across 27 provinces, with inflation above 50% and a government struggling to contain anger over corruption and falling living standards.

Human rights groups say dozens have been killed and more than 1000 arrested, as police move into universities and the judiciary warns that any period of concessions is over. 

So who will back down, the protesters or the regime? And what does this mean for the future of the Islamic Republic of Iran and it’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Professor Ali Ansari, a leading voice on Iran’s modern history, and Doctor Sanam Vakil, director of Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham house.

Venezuela has long been a country of contradictions, sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves while its economy collapsed around it. Now Donald Trump’s removal of Nicolás Maduro and Washington’s effective control of the country has pushed Venezuela back to the centre of global politics.

At stake is not only a vast energy prize but a bigger shift in how nations compete for resources,, from crude oil to the critical minerals shaping the future of technology.

To unpack what Trump’s move really means, what is happening inside Venezuela’s broken energy sector, and how this connects to a wider global race, Cathy Newman is joined by economics correspondent Helia Ebrahimi and Henry Sanderson, journalist and RUSI associate fellow.