25 October 2014
Episode 42
28 minutes
Monocle’s foreign editor Steve Bloomfield hosts a discussion on why Saudi Arabia continues to hold so much influence in the West and whether the relationship with the Arab Gulf kingdom is shifting. Featuring former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Richard W Murphy, and author and commentator Thomas W Lippman.
25 October 2014
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
The Sudanese Spring?
Sudan has been gripped by protests, with some demanding the departure of the president. Sudan’s people have overthrown two military dictators: could Omar al-Bashir be next?
Explainer 152: Will Spain see its third prime minister in a year?
Spain’s government has hit a dead end on its budget reforms, meaning a snap election looks all but certain. Will this help secure a fresh mandate for PM Pedro Sánchez or will it create less stability in the already fract…
Russia in Africa
Russia’s slow but steady spread across Africa has hardly gone unnoticed. Its projects include precious metals, diamonds, oil and nuclear research, as well as arms trading and military training. But is Russia just in it for…
Explainer 151: Ireland and Brexit
As the UK prepares to leave the EU, those caught in the crossfire are starting to feel understandably irritated that the government isn't getting its act together.
Venezuela: a solution at last?
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has long outstayed his welcome – and it appears that the world’s patience is wearing thin, as countries and institutions begin recognising a rival leader. Andrew Mueller is joined by…
Explainer 150: Has Donald Trump’s presidency benefited Taiwan?
The presence of US warships in the Taiwan Strait has buoyed leaders in Taipei. Monocle 24’s Rhys James asks if the self-ruled island can rely on Washington?
Church and state
The church’s influence on politics has been in decline in countries around the world for years. But as populism continues to rise, so does the chance for religious organisations to push their own agenda. Andrew Mueller is…
Explainer 149: The Kuril Islands dispute: another pawn in Putin’s political game?
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was in Moscow this week to discuss an island dispute that arose in the aftermath of the Second World War. But after meeting 25 times, what real progress will be made this time around?
Yemen’s civil war: is the end in sight?
It is nearly four years since the start of Yemen’s civil war, which has turned into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. It is also a complex conflict that seems to have reached a military stalemate. But is there…
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.
