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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 453: Does China really control the Panama Canal?
Is there any truth to Donald Trump’s claims that China controls the Panama Canal or is he out of his depth? Following secretary of state Marco Rubio’s meeting with Panama’s president, Andrew Mueller explains the US’s rocky history with the country and its waterways.
What is Rwanda doing in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
The idea of Rwanda invading the Democratic Republic of Congo looks, on paper, preposterous. However, as an alliance of rebel groups seized Goma, the biggest city in the DRC’s east, we ask: what is the plan? Fred Bauma joins Andew Mueller with the latest from Kinshasa. Then: Jason Stearns and…
Explainer 452: Trump’s Greenland grab
Why is US president Donald Trump eyeing up Greenland? And if it’s not for sale, would he take it by force? Andrew Mueller explains the likelihood of an old-school territorial conquest.
Can the Israel-Hamas ceasefire become lasting peace?
Relative calm has descended over Gaza after 15 months of war. A ceasefire agreement has been enacted but what happens next is unclear. Nada AlTaher, Esther Solomon and Aaron David Miller join Andrew Mueller to discuss how Palestinians would like to move forward, the domestic political tensions in Israel and…
Explainer 451: The veteran rebels behind Colombia’s violent turf war
At least 100 people were killed this week during renewed fighting in Colombia’s northeast. Who is involved? And what are they fighting over? Andrew Mueller explains.
Mr Trump goes to Washington: the sequel
Donald J Trump will head to the National Mall in Washington on Monday for his second inauguration. When he takes the oath of office, Trump will become the second man to serve non-consecutive terms as president and the first convicted criminal to inhabit the White House. Tom Nichols, Nathalie Tocci…
Explainer 450: What is Lebanon’s new government up against? Spoiler: itself
As Lebanon welcomes a new president and prime minister, Andrew Mueller explains the peculiarities of the country’s 1943 political settlement and why it has proved to be an inhibitor to actual governance.
The legacies of US presidents
As US president Joe Biden’s time in office comes to a close, we consider how to assess the legacies of national leaders. What makes a president great? And why do our views change over time? Andrew speaks with the custodians of these legacies – biographers, presidential library directors and historians…
Explainer 449: Is China cutting Taiwan’s cables or are their wires crossed?
Andrew Mueller explains how likely it is that China is cutting Taiwan’s undersea cables and what’s in it for them.
The geopolitical risks of 2025
Andrew Mueller talks to Lithuania’s outgoing foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, and Monocle regulars Latika Bourke, Yossi Mekelberg and Charles Hecker about what to keep an eye on as geopolitical risks rise in 2025.
