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
Are we living in a golden age of conspiracy theories?
Last week the US Congress held a bizarre hearing on UFOs, which included explosive testimony about alien spacecraft defying laws of physics. What did we learn from America’s UFO hearing? Why do people latch…
David H Petraeus
In this special episode, Andrew Mueller sits down with former CIA director David H Petraeus to discuss the Wagner mutiny and western support for the war in Ukraine.Â
What’s next for Nato?
In this episode recorded at the Nato summit in Vilnius, we examine the high-priority issues dominating the in-trays of foreign and defence ministers. Andrew Mueller speaks to the ministers of foreign affairs of Finland,…
Nato’s Ukraine dilemma
In this special episode, the team travels to Vilnius for a historic Nato summit. What’s in store for the alliance and when will Ukraine be joining? Andrew Mueller speaks to the prime minister of…
Imagining a Third World War
Militaries around the world are enlisting novelists to dream up the wars of the future. What can defence experts learn from science fiction? Andrew Mueller speaks to political scientist Peter Singer, general Sir Richard…
Lukashenko and Putin: brothers in arms?
Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko became an unexpected major player in the apparent resolution of the dispute between Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group and the Russian state. What does Belarus have to gain (and lose) from…
Forging the future of Nato
National leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are gearing up for the alliance’s high-stakes summit next month in Lithuania. How has the war in Ukraine transformed Nato? And what comes next? Andrew Mueller…
The war in Ukraine: a reality check
Almost 16 months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war shows no signs of ending. How long will the conflict last – and is the West actually afraid of a Ukrainian…
What happened to EU enlargement?
As the war in Ukraine rages on, calls for EU enlargement have returned to the top of the political agenda. To explore the future of European integration, the team travels to the Globsec 2023…
Mirror conflicts
With no end in sight to the bloody war in Ukraine, we ask what lessons can be drawn for parallel conflicts in Taiwan and Belarus. In a special episode recorded at the Globsec 2023…
