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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
How to topple a tyrant
As last year’s rapid descent of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad attests, when a dictator falls, they fall fast. But what are the conditions under which that fall occurs? And how can they be sparked?
Explainer 474: Tuvalu’s climate-change escape to Australia
Andrew Mueller explains the relocation ballot being offered to Tuvaluans by Australia and what’s in it for the host nation.
Has the ‘12-Day War’ settled anything?
Despite Trump’s assertions, the state of play between Israel and Iran remains unclear. We’re joined by Arash Azizi, Tara Kangarlou and Tom Nichols to consider the possible consequences of the past 12 days.
Explainer 473: Cambodia, Thailand and phone-call warfare
Andrew Mueller explains the leaked phone call scandalising Thailand in its ongoing border dispute with Cambodia.
The view of Europe from Globsec Forum 2025
Reporting from the Globsec Forum in Prague, we hear from guests including the host country’s foreign minister and Georgia’s president to discern how their countries are adapting to today’s security, military and political threats.
Explainer 472: The furious funeral row over Zambia’s former president
Andrew Mueller explains how the rivalry between the late and former president, Edgar Lungu, and the current president, Hakainde Hichilema, is going well beyond the grave.
‘The Foreign Desk’ in Odesa: the international ripple effects of war in Ukraine
Reporting from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Andrew Mueller talks to leaders – domestic and international – about why Ukraine’s struggle for survival matters around the globe.
Explainer 471: Who gets to be an Italian citizen?
(Some) Italians headed to the polls this week to decide who gets to be one of them. Andrew Mueller explains what’s at the heart of this debate and why apathy might have won the day.
Odesa, the Black Sea, the front line and Ukraine’s future
Andrew Mueller reports from the Black Sea Security Forum, asking why Odesa matters beyond Ukraine’s borders and how Ukrainians have managed to keep fighting more than three years into Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion.
Explainer 470: The on-again, off-again US-Iran nuclear talks
The latest round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, why Trump is now eager after rejecting the previous deal and why Iran has fewer cards to play than in the Obama years.
