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 538: Are Ethiopia’s enemies uniting?
Rebel groups across Ethiopia are mobilising again. Is this renewed uprising simply unfinished business at home or are regional powers quietly helping to turn up the heat?
As war threatens to accelerate across Europe, why are some countries still stuck in neutral?
With a major war raging on the European continent, there are a few countries that would prefer to be excused. We head to Switzerland, Austria and Ireland to examine what neutrality means today.
Explainer 537: Javier Milei and the Falklands – here we go again
Javier Milei is rattling Argentina’s old Falklands sabre again. But is this latest legal threat over offshore oil a serious strategy, domestic theatre or merely another chapter in history’s strangest recurring argument?
Rebuilding Lebanon: Where do you even start?
From Israel’s strikes in the south and attempting to disarm Hezbollah, to reinstating services and infrastructure, Lebanon’s government is in a pivotal moment. We hear from three ministers on both the headwinds and hope.
Explainer 536: What leverage would the Houthis’s seizing of Bab al-Mandab give Iran?
The Iran-backed Houthis have launched their largest offensive in years, seizing key ports and islands along the Bab al-Mandab strait. What sway will this give Iran over the global economy and ending the war?
Live from the Arab Media Summit: The UAE’s new role in war and peace
The United Arab Emirates’ pitch has always been: you are safe here. This year, that changed. We go to Dubai to examine how the UAE prepared for conflict and its plans for peace.
Explainer 535: Could Andy Burnham be the UK’s last prime minister?
This week the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland signed a joint memorandum declaring that Westminster’s time is “coming to an end”. But is there a clear path to independence?
The firewall falls: what does the AfD’s breakthrough mean for Europe?
The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt tweaked a nerve in Germany and across Europe. We examine how it won, its leaders’ plans and the media’s role in the rise of the far right.
Why is Jamaica asking the United Kingdom for $10bn (€8.6bn)?
Explainer 534: Jamaica’s government is seeking legal guidance from King Charles on receiving reparations. What issues lie at the heart of this request? And how is London likely to respond?
Powering purpose in Stavanger
A special episode in association with Hitachi Energy, recorded at ONS 2026 in Stavanger, Norway. Andrew Mueller discusses the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition with Arancha González Laya, Tinne Van der Straeten, Stephen Bull and Steffen Syvertsen.
