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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
Explainer 5: Turkey and the EU
One of the largest nations in Europe isn’t in the EU. And despite fresh talks between Turkey and EU leaders later this month, it’s unlikely to be joining any time soon.
What is Australia’s role in the world?
It’s a question that the country’s politicians have long grappled with: Australia’s history links it to the UK, it’s language and politics to the US and it’s geography to Asia. Listen to the discussion as Steve Bloomfield is joined by Dr Euan Graham from the Lowy Institute and Karen Middleton,…
Explainer 4: Democracy in East Africa
Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni was re-elected in controversial fashion last week: votes were bought, social media was blocked and the opposition leader was arrested. Yet the election didn’t get much coverage from international media outlets. We ask why the west isn’t interested in East African democracy.
The difficult diplomacy behind captivity
Prisoner swaps and hostage exchanges are some of the most difficult pieces of diplomacy to pull off – and they require careful negotiation and bring up ethical dilemmas for nations too. This week we explore the difficult diplomacy behind captivity and hear the story of Nigel Brennan, who was kidnapped…
Explainer 3: What would happen if North Korea collapsed?
Once again, tensions between the top brass in Pyongyang and Seoul are high. After North Korea’s decision to carry out a nuclear test and launch a test rocket earlier this year, its neighbour warned Kim Jong-un that he faces regime collapse. And yet, perversely, isn’t that South Korea’s greatest fear?
US election special: Polling
Polls are not always accurate and in the US they are more regular and more detailed than everywhere else. But can polling actually shape a campaign, rather than merely reflect it? In this special edition of ‘The Foreign Desk’ from New York we look at the upcoming US elections and…
Explainer 2: Can an independent win the White House?
It has become a standard part of the US presidential cycle: just as the primaries heat up, the cry goes out for a third-party candidate who can bring together right and left. In 2016 it seems that the mythical third-party uniter will be Michael Bloomberg. But if he confirms his…
How worried should we be about the global economy?
The global economy is in trouble again: Europe is stagnant, China is slowing down and we still haven’t really recovered from 2008. Monocle’s Steve Bloomfield is joined by Tom Keene, the editor at large of ‘Bloomberg News’; investment advisor and fund manager Bob Swarup; and Isabel Hilton, the editor of…
Explainer 1: Britain and the European Union
Is Britain going to leave the EU? In the first episode of the Foreign Desk Explainer, we look at the troubled relationship between Britain and the rest of Europe. The Foreign Desk Explainer is a five-minute nugget of information, analysis and opinion on the world’s biggest news stories.
Germany and the refugees
In her end-of-year message German chancellor Angela Merkel said “thank you” to those who had welcomed the large numbers of refugees to the country over the previous months. However, that same evening a string of sexual assaults took place in Cologne, carried out by Arab and north African men according…
