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
Tahrir Square, 10 years on
Ten years after Egyptians rose up against long-ruling dictator Hosni Mubarak during the first hopeful weeks of the Arab Spring, we look at why it didn’t work out as the protesters might have hoped and ask if the energy of Egypt’s revolution is still alive anywhere. Andrew Mueller is joined…
What’s next for Uganda?
Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, has been declared the winner in a general election. We look at what it means for the future of Ugandan politics and the country’s youthful population. What will Museveni’s sixth term look like? And where does this leave his opponent, Bobi Wine, and his supporters? Plus:…
Vacci-nations
As coronavirus vaccine programmes begin rolling out around the world, we explore a nation’s duties, interests and opportunities to do it quickly and efficiently. What is a government’s duty towards its citizens – and, in a global crisis, to the world? Who should get it first? And how might vaccines…
The Foreign Desk Live: where do Trump’s supporters go now?
In this special live edition of ‘The Foreign Desk’ Andrew Mueller is joined by Suzanne Lynch, Cynthia Miller-Idriss and Jeffrey Howard to discuss the aftermath of the siege of the US Capitol building. Who were the groups behind the insurrection, where does the movement go in a post-Trump era and…
2021: Back to normal… or is it?
We look ahead to 2021. Even after Joe Biden becomes president and a vaccine has been rolled out, will things go back to what we thought of as normal or has the definition of normal changed? What will post-pandemic life look like? Is Trumpism here to stay? Has Black Lives…
2020: The year in review
It hasn’t been an easy 12 months to keep up with, but ‘The Foreign Desk’ has done its best. We pick out our highlights in an attempt to make sense of the 21st century’s weirdest year yet.
Ami Ayalon on the two-state solution
The retired admiral and former director of Israel’s Shin Bet security service talks about his book ‘Friendly Fire: How Israel Became its Own Worst Enemy’. It is a memoir criticising Israel’s counterterrorism policies and arguing for a two-state solution in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. He argues that it is not…
Australia vs. China: a cautionary tale?
Tensions between Australia and China have noticeably worsened this year. Andrew Mueller asks Beijing-based journalist Sophia Yan what lies behind the ongoing spat – and former Australian prime minister and China specialist Kevin Rudd offers suggestions for how to fix the relationship.
The United Kingdom: United no more?
After Brexit, coronavirus and other shocks, how long can the United Kingdom hold together? Is momentum for Scottish independence accelerating? Where is Wales heading? Might Northern Ireland want to join the Republic of Ireland after all? And what would it all mean for an England left on its own? Andrew…
Soft Power 2020
As the latest issue of Monocle hits newsstands, we take a close look at the magazine’s annual Soft Power Survey, which considers how well countries project themselves abroad. Andrew Mueller is joined by Megan Gibson, Chiara Rimella and Fernando Augusto Pacheco. Plus: a conversation with Enna Park, South Korea’s ambassador…
