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
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…
The battle for Sudan
Fighting continues in Sudan despite successive ceasefire deals. Is there a way to stop two rival soldiers from destroying their country? Andrew Mueller speaks to Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Kholood Khair and Mat Nashed.
Global swing states: can the west win them over?
Russia’s war in Ukraine has galvanised western alliances but many other countries feel no imperative to come down on either side. This new class of nations are the global swing states of the 21st…
Baroness Catherine Ashton
Baroness Catherine Ashton, former high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, joins Andrew Mueller to discuss her remarkable career, the global response to the war in Ukraine and what it…
Eurovision: Ukraine in the spotlight
Last year’s Eurovision Song Contest was a demonstration of the extraordinary political and diplomatic potency of this curious annual circus. For many of the same reasons, this year’s Eurovision will be as well. What…
