The Foreign Desk
Monocle’s global-affairs show with Andrew Mueller. Expert guests, in-depth analysis, and sharp commentary on major geopolitical issues.
Latest Episodes
Explainer 522: The World Cup seat France won’t fill
While Fifa faces reports of unsold tickets, one seat at France’s World Cup matches is being deliberately left empty. But why?
Live from Odesa: Ukraine’s journey from needing help to providing it
Live from the Black Sea Security Forum, we hear from Ukrainian MPs on the country’s future and the state of warfare. As Ukraine fights on, it has shifted from needing aid to providing new intelligence.
Explainer 521: Trump Island
Ivanka Trump has revealed extensive plans to redevelop Albanian island Sazan into a luxury resort. But after thousands gathered in protest, will it go ahead?
Lessons from Odesa: the changing landscape of war
Live from the Black Sea Security Forum, we hear stories from both the front line and surrounding regions in the war against Russia, including senator Ruben Gallego and Salomé Zourabichvili, fifth president of Georgia.
Explainer 520: Is it the end of the road for Ferrari’s new electric vehicle?
Italians are up in arms about the newly unveiled Ferrari Luce, the luxury carmaker’s first electric vehicle. But why the controversy? Andrew Mueller explains.
Upping the ante: How prediction markets are shaking geopolitics
The rapid rise of prediction markets is prompting questions about their influence on politics, military operations and the way we consume news. We discuss with guests including PredictIt founder John Aristotle Phillips.
Explainer 519: Why Morocco and Senegal’s football rivalry is the one to watch this World Cup
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has pardoned 15 Senegalese football fans ahead of the World Cup. But what happened at the Africa Cup of Nations final to trigger their arrest?
The Cuban man-made crisis: will the US’s maximum pressure campaign topple Havana’s regime?
Cubans are facing a nightmarish humanitarian crisis. Driving the emergency is Washington DC, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio has long dreamed of regime change on the island. We head to Havana for the picture on the ground.
Explainer 518: Duterte vs Marcos in the latest episode of Filipino Family Feud
The feud between the Philippines’ most powerful political dynasties continues. This week, vice-president Sara Duterte was impeached. Andrew Mueller unpacks the latest turn in the country’s ongoing political saga.
The rise of the middle powers
As great powers become increasingly unstable and unpredictable, smaller nations are building alliances and trade deals. Guests including Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, consider whether we have entered the age of the middle power.
