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 194: Who killed Daphne Caruana Galizia?
The murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 has influenced Malta’s politics for the past two years. Andrew Mueller asks whether we’re getting closer to finding out who is responsible.
Tear Down This Wall: Legacies
Description: In the final episode of our series on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Andrew Mueller is joined by Istvan Rev, Oana Serafim and Cerstin Gammelin to explore the legacy left by the Soviet…
Explainer 193: What is France doing in Mali?
On Monday, 13 French soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in Mali – the French army’s worst day of active service since 1983. Andrew Mueller asks what France is doing in Mali and the wider region.
Tear Down This Wall: The resistance
In the third episode of our series reflecting on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Andrew Mueller explores the forms of resistance from within the Eastern Bloc. Whether led by peaceful playwrights, pow…
Explainer 192: What have we learned from the Iran cables?
This week hundreds of Iranian intelligence reports were leaked to a US news website. These reports not only confirm the vast amount of influence Iran has in neighbouring Iraq but also include some intriguing insight into…
Tear Down This Wall: Life behind the Iron Curtain
In the second part of our series on the fall of communism 30 years ago, Andrew Mueller is joined by Carmen Bugan, Anna Funder and Tim Mohr to look at what life was like behind the Iron Curtain, including the surveillance…
Explainer 191: Why are Australia’s governing parties denying the obvious?
As catastrophic wildfires spread across New South Wales in “the most dangerous bushfire week Australia has ever seen”, Andrew Mueller asks why some of those in power are dismissing the views of climate experts.
Tear Down This Wall: Tipping Points
In the first episode of a four-part series exploring the end of communism in Eastern Europe, we look at the fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 years ago this week, and ask when and where the cracks began. Andrew Mueller is joined…
Explainer 190: Will Ukraine-gate be the end of Trump?
Yet more testimonies have been released by those investigating Donald Trump’s phone call to Ukraine’s President Zelensky. Andrew Mueller asks if this might be the scandal that actually unseats the US leader.
Do targeted killings really work?
The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Isis, will not have been upsetting to many. But it did serve as a reminder of how much warfare has changed this century. Who gets to decide who is captured and who is killed?…
Explainer 189: Why are Ethiopia and Egypt fighting about water?
Just weeks after winning the Nobel Peace prize for his outreach to Eritrea, Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed warned Egypt that “no force” can stop Ethiopia from building a dam that had been planned for years. Andrew…
The threats to democracy
Special episode in association with the Nordic Council of Ministers. ‘The Foreign Desk’ has teamed up with the Nordic Council of Ministers for a series of five special episodes that delve deeper into topics of global imp…
Explainer 188: What is different about Lebanon’s protests?
As people across the world are taking to the streets, Andrew Mueller explains why there’s optimism around protests in Lebanon, where demonstrators are calling for the government to resign over a tax on WhatsApp calls.
The battle for Rojava
When US president Donald Trump withdrew US troops from Syria, he bewildered many among his own military, intelligence and foreign-policy establishments. But, most of all, his decision dismayed the Kurds of Northern Syria…
Explainer 187: Who is Kais Saied?
Tunisia has just elected a new president and it’s only the second time it has ever done so. Kais Saied is a big favourite among Tunisia’s impatient youth – but can he meet their expectations?
