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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
The fight for Aleppo
This is a divided city: the west is controlled by the Assad government, the east held by rebels. And if either side eventually wins it could have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the entire Syrian war. Monocle’s Steve Bloomfield speaks to Dr Lina Khatib, professor Paul Rogers and…
Explainer 28: What Russia is doing while we’re watching the Olympics
Just because most of the media is focusing on sport doesn’t mean the world’s horrors have disappeared. Vladimir Putin, for a start, is still keeping himself busy. And really, what better time to stir things up than when other world leaders are on holiday and the rest of us are…
Are the Olympics still worth it?
Now that the Olympics Games have begun, what better time to ask why cities so desperately want to host it? We discuss Toronto’s failed bids and Antwerp 1920 in the days when small cities had their moment in the Olympic sun. Plus: we talk to sports historian David Goldblatt, author…
Explainer 27: Why Catalonia wants to be independent
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.
Rio 2016
When Rio won its bid to host the Olympics back in October 2009, Brazil was on the rise: its economy was strong and its leader was popular and charismatic. Now, against a backdrop of corruption scandals, an impeachment process and a free-falling economy, we ask whether the Rio Olympics are…
Explainer 26: Are the Olympics still worth celebrating?
Brazilian politics is not at its best and no doubt there will be problems and huge costs involved in the country hosting the Olympics. But the Games have the potential to bring nations together. So, is it worth it?
Turkey: what next?
For a brief moment last Friday it seemed as if the attempted coup in Turkey would succeed. That it failed should be a cause for celebration, regardless of your views on the authoritarian nature of the Erdogan government. But the crackdown that has followed should worry those who believe in…
Explainer 25: How can Donald Trump become US president?
The numbers suggest Donald Trump cannot win the US presidency. He’s behind in the polls and seems unlikely to win enough minority voters to have a fighting chance. But what if he doesn’t need them? Can he get enough elusive non-voters to back him?
How to make immigration work
Immigration has become the number-one issue in the UK yet despite the issue’s importance, neither the Conservatives nor Labour have found a way of dealing with it. How should Westminster deal with this political hot potato?
Explainer 24: How the UK elects its prime minister
As Theresa May prepares to settle in at 10 Downing Street, we unpack British-style democracy.
