26 March 2021
Episode 2451
30 minutes
Has North Korea become Biden’s biggest foreign-policy headache? Plus, EU member states continue bickering among themselves over vaccine rollouts, a roundup of stories from Costa Rica and Andrew Mueller’s reflections on the past seven days.
26 March 2021
Share episode
Download
Want more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Briefing - latest episodes
The White House’s view on Israel
President Biden rejects the ICC’s arrest warrants while US envoy Amos Hochstein continues ceasefire efforts. Plus, we head to Bucharest ahead of this weekend’s Romanian presidential elections. Then, we’re off to Milan to…
Keir Starmer's global balancing act
We discuss the first Japan-hosted meeting of the Five Eyes grouping of intelligence officials from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Plus: the UK prime minister is one of the last centre-left leaders who hasn’t…
US shuts Kyiv embassy ahead of potential air strike
The US embassy in Kyiv closes amid fears of a major Russian missile attack, just as US president Joe Biden agrees to give anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine. Then: Austria’s three-party coalition begins to take shape and…
Hong Kong jails 45 pro-democracy activists in landmark case
As the world reacts to Hong Kong’s imprisonment of 45 pro-democracy activists, Steve Tsang joins Georgina Godwin to discuss Beijing’s defence of the landmark sentencing. Then: the first globally extinct bird species from…
Ukraine receives permission to strike inside Russia
After months of asking, Ukraine has been granted permission to use long-range missiles provided by the West, to strike deep inside of Russia. Biden’s decision comes just days before a major assault is expected by Russian…
Brazil prepares to host G20 summit
Brazil is set to host the G20 summit with world leaders expected to focus on social inclusion, global reform and sustainability. But will it be overshadowed by president-elect Trump? Plus: Marine Le Pen battles to stay on…
China’s push to bolster ties with Latin America
As Xi Jinping inaugurates a $1.3bn port during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru, we discuss China’s expanding influence in South America ahead of next week’s G20 summit. Plus: is Cop29 doomed to fail? And…
Can Elon Musk boost US government efficiency?
President-elect Donald Trump has made Elon Musk a cost-cutting tsar as the head of a newly created Department of Government Efficiency. Then: we examine how the violence in Amsterdam surrounding a football match involving…
Trump’s cabinet takes shape
US president-elect Trump has begun forming his new cabinet. We examine what the White House hopefuls could bring to their roles. Then: world leaders descend on Lima for the Apec summit. Plus: we dig through the archives at…
Confusion over Trump’s Ukraine strategy
Ukraine takes the fight to Moscow amid confusion over whether Donald Trump actually spoke with Vladimir Putin over the weekend. Will Kim Jong-un be feeling “fire and fury” from the president-elect or will they be exchanging…
Trump appoints Susie Wiles
As Trump appoints Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, Katie Gaddini joins from Washington to discuss the speculations around Trump’s cabinet appointments. Plus: violent attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam and Karen…
Kamala Harris delivers concession speech
As Harris delivers her concession speech, Natasha Lindstaedt joins Andrew Mueller to discuss what Trump’s first 100 days could look like. Then: Melissa Hamilton discusses the small matter of Trump’s criminal convictions and…
US election series: The world reacts
What will Donald Trump’s second presidency mean for the world? We get the global reaction from Japan, Europe and Bangkok, and look at the future of the West’s war effort in Ukraine too. Plus: we hear from Republican stra…
US election latest and ballot cybersecurity
As America goes to the polls, Monocle’s Chris Cermak joins Andrew Mueller to discuss the latest from Washington. Plus: we look at cybersecurity concerns around the ballots and Yuan Potts details the result of another imp…
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris make their closing remarks
As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris make a final sprint across key battleground states, we consider why the election campaign in Wisconsin has remained so close. Then: we explore Asia Society Switzerland’s annual State of…
