3 August 2016
06 minutes
Photo: Day Donaldson/Flickr
As with any separatist movement, good old-fashioned sentimental nationalism is essential and Catalonian separatists have an abundance of material on this front: a different language, a distinct culture and a divergent political tradition.
3 August 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 162: Why does Russia want a sovereign internet?
Russia has been no friend to the internet in recent years. First it introduced a swathe of tough online restrictions and now it wants to create a “sovereign internet”. Under this plan, the country’s internet service could…
Libya: as simple as east vs west?
Renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar has been advancing towards Tripoli for some weeks now. It’s not clear what his aims are but most observers agree that further conflict is the last thing the country needs. So what is…
Explainer 161: Can Haiti prosper without a UN presence?
After 15 years, the final UN forces are pulling out of Haiti. But can the country, which has been gripped by political unrest, failing law enforcement and devastating hurricanes go it alone?
Netanyahu’s fifth term
Benjamin Netanyahu is all but certain to retain the office of prime minister of Israel. But with a number of corruption allegations against him and an increasing reliance on the sort of foreign allies of which Israel would…
Explainer 160: Libya: a new civil war?
As the so-called Libyan National Army, led by rebel general Khalifa Haftar, advances on Tripoli, Andrew Mueller asks what, if anything, Haftar is after and if this could lead to yet more violence in the troubled country.
What's eating Erdogan?
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared last weekend's local elections to be about the ‘survival of the nation’. That was until his ruling AK party suffered its biggest defeats in years. Votes are still being cou…
Explainer 159: Who is Slovakia’s new president?
Last weekend Slovakia voted in its first female president, Zuzana Caputova. The anti-corruption activist has little experience of national politics but has vowed to change the way the country is run. However, what chance…
Islamic State’s foreign fighters – what happens to them now?
When Kurdish fighters overran Islamic State’s last stronghold in Syria, victory was declared over the jihadist group. But many of Islamic State’s fighters and their families have survived the collapse of the caliphate. What…
Explainer 158: Ukraine’s presidential elections: out with the old in with the new?
Do Ukrainians voting in the upcoming elections crave a fresh face for president or will they stick with what they know? Paige Reynolds asks whether Petro Poroshenko has done enough to stay in power.
Living with the past: reparations
How do you put a price on historical injustice and who should pay for it? In the final part of this series, Andrew Mueller explores practical solutions to these difficult and often divisive questions. Deena Hayes-Greene and…
Explainer 157: Oh Brexit, where art thou?
With just over a week until the UK was supposed to be leaving the EU, Andrew Mueller asks (yet again) what on earth is going on.
Living with the past: the legacy of empire
In this episode of our series looking at how countries reach an understanding with difficult aspects of their history, we look at empire – how we think about it, talk about it, teach it – and try to answer the question at…
Explainer 156: What is a recession?
With Turkey’s economy officially in recession, Andrew Mueller asks what the phrase actually means, which other countries are experiencing one and whether the global economy should be worried.
Living with the past: Indigenous reconciliation
In the second episode of our series, we hear from Indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand and Canada about what reconciliation means in theory – and how it can work in practice.
Explainer 155: Why have Air India’s crew become cheerleaders?
Air India’s crew has been asked to bark patriotic exclamations at the end of cabin announcements. Andrew Mueller explores a strange new manifestation of Narendra Modi’s nationalism as India’s election approaches.
