Affairs / Podcast

The Foreign Desk

Presented by Andrew Mueller, Monocle’s flagship global-affairs show features expert guests and in-depth analysis of the big issues of the week. Nominated for ‘Best Current Affairs’ show and the ‘Spotlight Award’ in the 2022 British Podcast Awards.

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Artificial intelligence: Scourge or saviour?:

We explore the effects of artificial intelligence and the governments that are desperately trying to keep up with the technology. Are we all doomed or is there hope for mankind? Andrew Mueller speaks with Slovenia’s president, Natasa Pirc-Musar; Digital Europe director-general Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl; and CEO of Mission Control AI, Ramsay Brown.

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Episode	Date	Description	Download	Play
564	19 Oct 2024 38 min	Artificial intelligence: Scourge or saviour? We explore the effects of artificial intelligence and the governments that are desperately trying to keep up with the technology. Are we all doomed or is there hope for mankind? Andrew Mueller speaks with Slovenia’s president, Natasa Pirc-Musar; Digital Europe director-general Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl; and CEO of Mission Control AI, Ramsay Brown.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	16 Oct 2024 7 min	Explainer 439: Why can’t UNIFIL keep the peace in Lebanon? Following attacks by Israeli troops and the discovery of a Hezbollah tunnel close to its base, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, is under scrutiny. Andrew Mueller explains why this nearly 50-year long deployment has failed to reduce tensions between Israel and Lebanon.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
563	12 Oct 2024 38 min	Strange borders With arbitrary borders and conflicts becoming more fashionable of late, we explore three of the world’s stranger borders: Norway-Russia, Spain-Gibraltar and the Beaufort Sea between the US and Canada. Plus: Jonn Elledge author of ‘A History of The World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind The Lines On Our Maps’	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	9 Oct 2024 7 min	Explainer 438: Is Russia and Ukraine’s gas deal about to blow? Despite many countries backing out of energy deals with Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some remaining contracts have required Ukraine to maintain the pipeline between Russia and Europe. Andrew Mueller explains how this surreal business arrangement is funding both sides of the conflict, at least for the time being.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
562	5 Oct 2024 42 min	Reflections on 7 October and the future We look back on Hamas’s brutal attack, Israel’s deadly retaliation and the international community’s hopeless response. One year on, do we have any idea how this ends? Andrew Mueller speaks with Mairav Zonszein in Tel Aviv and Mina Al-Oraibi of ‘The National’ in Abu Dhabi. Plus: a roundtable with two former Israeli ambassadors and advocates of a two-state solution.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	2 Oct 2024 8 min	Explainer 437: Is Austria ‘Back to the Future’? Although they have not achieved a majority, Austria’s Nazi-linked FPÖ party claimed victory after receiving the highest amount of votes at the weekend’s election. Andrew Mueller explains the group’s past and what we may learn for the present.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
561	28 Sep 2024 33 min	Where does Hezbollah go from here? The Foreign Desk is live in the immediate hours after Israel announced the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Andrew Mueller speaks with David Wood of the International Crisis Group in Beirut, and analysts Lina Khatib and Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House. Plus: we hear from Hezbollah scholar Aurélie Daher.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	25 Sep 2024 5 min	Explainer 436: Sri Lanka’s new president Andrew Mueller explores the reasons why Sri Lankans ditched their traditional leaders and plumped for Anura Kumara Dissanayake instead.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
560	21 Sep 2024 41 min	Keeping the Balkan peace It has been more than a decade since a Western Balkan nation joined the European Union and long-simmering tensions between neighbours in the region are beginning to fray. In this special episode, largely recorded at the Globsec conference in Prague, we speak to those keeping the peace including Miroslav Lajčák, Christian Schmidt and former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	18 Sep 2024 6 min	Explainer 435: Kashmir elections Andrew Mueller explains the significance of holding local elections in Jammu and Kashmir.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
559	14 Sep 2024 41 min	In defence of Europe After the election of US president Donald Trump in 2016 and Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a consensus has formed that Europe needs to do more – and spend more – to look after itself. But at a time when the cost of living and other domestic issues remain a priority for many governments, there is little appetite to spend on something that might never be used. In this special episode recorded at the recent Globsec forum in Prague, we speak to Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, Denis Mercier, Lieutenant General Piotr Blazeusz and Jiri Sedivy to consider threats to Europe and their necessary responses.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	11 Sep 2024 7 min	Explainer 434: Is the EU-topia failing? As Germany enforces tougher checks on all its borders, Andrew Mueller questions what this will mean for the Schengen Area.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
558	7 Sep 2024 44 min	Globsec 2024 highlights The first edition in our special series recorded at the Globsec Forum in Prague. We hear a selection of highlights including an insight into defending a country during active conflict with Ukraine’s former defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov; EU harmony with Czechia’s foreign minister, Jan Lipavský; Nato’s priorities with General Chris Badia; and the struggles of democratic journalism as the far-right rises with editor in chief of ‘SME’ Beata Balogová.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
★	4 Sep 2024 8 min	Explainer 433: Brazil vs X Andrew Mueller explains why Brazil has banned the social media platform X.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play
557	31 Aug 2024 34 min	Is centrism in retreat? Amid this year’s elections, protests, frustrations and rise in authoritarianism, we explore what centrism really stands for – and whether it is on the march or in retreat. Andrew Mueller speaks with Monocle’s Paris bureau chief, Simon Bouvier, author and Israeli advisor Yair Zivan and former US defence official Michèle Flournoy.	Download Share X Facebook LinkedIn LINE Email	Play

Affairs / Podcast

The Foreign Desk

Latest episode

Latest episodes

Artificial intelligence: Scourge or saviour?

Explainer 439: Why can’t UNIFIL keep the peace in Lebanon?

Strange borders

Explainer 438: Is Russia and Ukraine’s gas deal about to blow?

Reflections on 7 October and the future

Explainer 437: Is Austria ‘Back to the Future’?

Where does Hezbollah go from here?

Explainer 436: Sri Lanka’s new president

Keeping the Balkan peace

Explainer 435: Kashmir elections

In defence of Europe

Explainer 434: Is the EU-topia failing?

Globsec 2024 highlights

Explainer 433: Brazil vs X

Is centrism in retreat?