7 May 2016
Episode 122
28 minutes
Photo: STV
The Eurovision Song Contest, the final of which takes place in Stockholm next week, is one of the greatest expressions of European solidarity and soft power. But as the whole continent struggles, what can it tell us about the state of Europe today?
7 May 2016
Share episode
DownloadWant 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 Foreign Desk - latest episodes
Explainer 148: Can Emmanuel Macron reason with the yellow-vest protesters?
As France’s president Emmanuel Macron sets off on a countrywide tour of debates with protesters, Andrew Mueller asks if even the yellow vests themselves know what they want.
Flags: whose is best?
We wave them at sporting events, we paint them on our faces at national celebrations, we fly them from our tanks when we go to war. To some they are merely a useful way to distinguish between countries; to others they’re…
Explainer 147: What will House Democrats do with their newfound power?
After the so-called blue wave in November’s midterm elections, Democrats now control the House of Representatives. But will they be able to hold President Trump and his administration to account or will the new, progressive…
Conspiracy theories: from obscurity to mainstream
Once traded among small pockets of people on society’s fringes, conspiracy theories (and those who believe in them) have become a powerful political force. How have they infected the mainstream?
2019... if we must
It seems that every year we look back and say, 'Could it get any worse than that?' But there has to be a limit... doesn’t there? Andrew Mueller is joined by Parag Khanna, Tom Nichols and Amelia Hadfield to find out what we…
The world in 2018
Andrew Mueller leafs through ‘The Foreign Desk’ archives to tell the story of another turbulent year.
Explainer 146: Will the campaign for a people’s vote on Brexit succeed?
With 100 days until the UK is set to leave the EU, campaigners are resorting to a variety of tactics to ensure the British public have the final say on the withdrawal agreement. Stephanie Sy-Quia asks if they will be suc…
Russia and the Middle East
Russia’s increasing presence is being felt across the Middle East. Not just in Syria, where it has been fighting alongside the Assad regime for almost three years, but also with business, arms and oil deals and numerous…
Explainer 145: Brexit. What fresh hell is this?
Confused about what's going on with the Brexit negotiations and inside Britain's parliament? So is Andrew Mueller – but he tries to make sense of it nonetheless.
Does Europe need an army?
A unified European army is not a new idea but whenever it’s raised it’s usually forgotten just as quickly. Will this time be any different? And, if it is, what would a unified military force look like? Andrew Mueller is…
Explainer 144: Who’s burning the Gävle goat?
It is tradition in the small Swedish town of Gävle to erect a giant straw goat to celebrate Advent. However it is also tradition, or at least it has become so, to try to destroy it in increasingly imaginative ways. Andrew…
How democratic is the DRC?
On 23 December, voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo will choose a new president and hope to witness the country’s first peaceful transfer of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. But the freeness and…
Explainer 143: Why is Asia so behind on LGBT rights?
The results of last weekend’s referendum on equal marriage rights in Taiwan were unexpected – and have wider implications for LGBT rights across the continent. Monocle’s HK bureau chief, James Chambers, explores why Asia…
Europe's rogue states
When EU member states won't toe the line should they be punished – at the risk of inflaming populist resentments – or should the EU turn a blind eye and just hope others won’t have similar ideas? Andrew Mueller asks how the…
Explainer 142: Who are the DUP?
Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party, a Protestant group that wishes to remain part of the UK and separate from its Catholic neighbours to the south, has just 10 elected representatives in the UK’s House of Commons…
