The Inquiry

The concept of the national museum which developed during the 18th and 19th Centuries coincided with the age of exploration, emerging science and empire building. The grand stone structures of these museums reflected a sense of national pride. They were places where members of the public could see specimens and artefacts representing other cultures from around the world.

But since those early days, the provenance of many collections has come under increased scrutiny. Today numerous artefacts taken or looted from different countries, often during times of war or occupation, are at the centre of repatriation disputes. The world has changed dramatically since the birth of the first national museums and what they represented, so can they stay relevant or have national museums had their day?

(Photo: A statue of an elephant with trunk up at the National Museum of Natural History, one of the Smithsonian Institution Museums in Washington DC. USA. Credit: BBC/Alex Segre/BBC Images)

Contributors:

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

In January 2027, a new Secretary-General will take the helm of the United Nations, an organisation founded on the principle of international cooperation. The role will involve navigating tensions between its most powerful members, while ensuring the UN can respond to global crises.

The organisation has struggled to influence negotiations in major conflicts, including in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. Meanwhile, US funding cuts and delays in contributions from major powers, alongside reductions in aid from major European countries, have added to the UN’s financial challenges.

The incoming Secretary-General will face pressure to build consensus among divided member states and maintain support for international cooperation.

What can the new Secretary-General achieve, and can one leader help the UN find common ground in an increasingly divided world?

Contributors

(Photo: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria. Credit: Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Presenter: Tanya Beckett

For decades Russia and Japan have been locked in a dispute over the Kuril Islands, which sit between Hokkaido in Northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. At the end of World War Two, the island chain was annexed by the Soviet Union, who deported around 17,000 Japanese residents.

Japan claims four of the southernmost islands and refers to them as the Northern Territories. Attempts to resolve the dispute have made little progress so far. Then in August of this year, Russia’s President Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time since taking office. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticised the visit as “absolutely unacceptable”.

So, considering the current situation, is a deal on the Kuril Islands ever possible?

Our guest panel include Tessa Morris-Suzuki, professor emerita of Japanese history, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; John Nilsson-Wright, professor of Japanese politics and international relations of East Asia, Cambridge University, UK; James DJ Brown, professor of political science, Temple University, Tokyo, Japan, and Valérie Niquet, senior research fellow and director of the Japan programme, Foundation for Strategic Research, Paris, France.

(Photo: Kuril islands in Siberia, Russia in July, 1993. Credit: Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho)

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

The balance of power in the world is changing. The United States and China continue to be the dominant forces in international affairs, but other countries are looking for new ways to protect their interests and shape events on the global stage.

Countries often described as middle powers are seeking new ways to work together and exert influence.

Canada is one example. Prime Minister Mark Carney has argued that the old rules-based international order, shaped by US dominance, is changing. Canada is strengthening its ties with Europe, while countries in the Gulf and Indo-Pacific are also seeking new partnerships.

If middle powers can cooperate, they could have a greater role in shaping events beyond their borders. Are middle powers able to reshape the world?

Contributors:

(Photo: Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney talks to media at the end of an EU - Canada Summit Credit: Thierry Monassey/Getty Images Europe)

Presenter: Tanya Beckett

Nepal is still reeling from the devastation caused by recent flash floods. More than a thousand people are reported to have lost their lives and thousands more are still missing. The physical impact is extensive with many hydropower stations, providing the country’s main source of energy, either damaged or destroyed. The floods have also severely impacted Nepal’s other major industries including tourism.

The concern now is that the billions of dollars required for Nepal to get back on its feet go way beyond its own resources. And reconstruction will mean elevating those measures required for monitoring and responding to future geological hazards and climate change. But right now, the country’s road to recovery appears long, costly and almost impossible. So just how can Nepal’s economy rebuild after floods?

Contributors:

(Photo: An aerial view of houses surrounded by mud, rocks and debris following flash floods in Betravati village, Rasuwa, Nepal. Credit: Ritesh Shukla/Stringer/Getty)

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

Italy has long been associated with political instability, with governments on average lasting just over a year.

Current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has broken that pattern. Her government has become the longest continuously serving administration in post-war Italian history, surpassing the previous record for a single uninterrupted period in office. Meloni has presented the stability of her own right-wing coalition as one of her government’s major achievements.

A general election must take place next year. As that approaches, she faces fresh challenges, including the emergence of new opposition on the right.

Meanwhile, the current government’s longevity record raises a bigger question about whether Italy has entered a new era of political stability, and what has made that possible. So how did Italian politics become stable?

(Photo: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivers her speech to celebrate the government's record-breaking longevity at Porto di Bari on September 4, 2026 in Bari, Italy. Credit: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Contributors

Rosario Forlenza, associate professor at Luiss University, Italy

Presenter: Tanya Beckett

Conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global shipping routes including the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. China is now turning to Russia for support in developing an alternative trade path: the Northern Sea Route.

On 15 August, China sent its first ship on its newly commercialised, regular shipping route, navigating north around Russia’s coastline. The maritime trade path connects eastern Chinese ports including Ningbo to Europe, offering a quicker way to EU markets which account for 20 per cent of China’s exports.

Ships must be specially designed to break ice and open up frozen waters. Global warming could increase access to this path. South Korea among other nations are beginning to discover its potential. Can China’s polar silk road transform global trade?

Our panel this week are Dr Marc Lanteigne, professor of political science at the University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway; Nan Hao, researcher in economic security at Helsinki Geo-economics Society, Finland and Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland; Prof Dr Katarzyna Zysk, professor of international relations and contemporary history at Norweigan Institute for Defence Studies, Oslo, Norway, and Karen van Loon, research fellow in Security and Defence programme at Clingendael Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands

(Photo: The icebreaker Kronprins Haakon sails through sea ice. Credit: Oliver Morin/Getty Images)

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

Just under 20 years ago Kenya pioneered the use of mobile money. Since then, other countries in Africa have carved out a share of the digital market for themselves, from gaming in Morocco to artificial intelligence in Tunisia. But the picture is not the same across the whole continent. A lot of governments face too many socio-economic challenges and limited resources to spend money on digital infrastructures. Instead, foreign countries like the United States and China are investing in the African tech market.

The bulk of South Africa’s data centre investment comes from American providers of cloud, networking and storage services. And while this may provide a boost for local economies and create local jobs, it also creates some risks, as data resides outside of the country.

There are efforts at the continent, national and regional levels to reposition the continent from being a consumer to a creator in the digital marketplace, but there are concerns that there isn’t enough joined up thinking to allow Africa to take control of its digital future?

(Photo: A robotic waiter stands on standby at Robot Café in Nairobi, Kenya, the country's first restaurant to employ humanoid robots as waiters. The robot, equipped with a serving tray, is positioned among curved blue seating, modern lighting, and café tables, with the café counter visible in the background. The image was taken on August 27, 2024. Credit: Tony Karumba via Getty Images)

Contributors:

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

River systems around the world are under stress from various factors ranging from pollution, to agriculture, to extractive industries. In some parts of the world there are regulations to help protect rivers, but in a lot of cases these are just preventative measures for a system already seriously degraded.

Another way to protect rivers which has been receiving attention is to give them legal rights, like those we associate with being a person. These rights could include the right to flow freely and the right to regenerate. Corporations have long been recognised as legal persons and increasingly this has been extended to environmental entities. There are different pathways to secure legal personhood, from changing a country’s constitution, to changing local law or to implementing a new ruling on an existing law, but as to whether any of these provide protection in practise, often depends on the way humans respond to the river. If a river can have rights and responsibilities, could they in turn face legal action from humans for failing to meet their own legal duties? Should rivers have personhood?

(Photo: A wide view of the Turag River in Dhaka, Bangladesh, lined with small boats in the foreground and a densely populated riverside settlement on the right bank. Homes and market stalls sit on raised wooden structures above the water, while the shoreline shows piles of debris and exposed earth. The water appears dark with scattered floating vegetation, and trees and buildings fade into a hazy background. Credit: Md Manik/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Contributors:

Presenter: William Crawley

In July 2026, tens of thousands of students took to the streets in India’s capital, demanding reforms to education. The protests followed the leak of medical entrance exam papers but quickly grew to reflect wider concerns about job opportunities for graduates.

The movement became known as the Cockroach Janta Party. What began as an online campaign developed into a youth-led protest movement, attracting prominent activists and drawing international attention.

As the protests grew, they posed a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been in power for more than a decade. The movement has brought together people from different parts of Indian society and highlighted dissatisfaction over job opportunities and prospects for young people. So, how has the Cockroach Janta Party changed India’s politics and what does it mean for its future?

Our expert panel this week include Ruchi Gupta, executive director of the Future of India Foundation, India; Sadanand Dhume, senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, US; Rahul Verma, fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, India and Dr Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, UK.

(Photo: Students celebrate the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in Amritsar, 25 July, 2026. Fourteen students all protesting with one arm in the air making peace signs. They are holding multiple placards and an Indian flag. Credit: Narinder Nanu/Getty Images)

Presenter: Tanya Beckett