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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
Peru’s procession of presidents
Last week, Peru’s former president Martín Vizcarra was impeached. His replacement Manuel Merino resigned a few days later after police killed two protesters. Can Merino’s successor, Francisco Sagasti, calm the political turmoil? Andrew Mueller is joined by Maria Luisa Puig, Simeon Tegel and Natalia Sobrevilla Perea.
Ethiopia: a Nobel Peace laureate goes to war
It’s barely a year since Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Prize for Peace. Now, his country is – at the very least – on the verge of civil war. Why has he chosen military force to resolve his dispute with Tigray? Andrew Mueller speaks to Mary Harper,…
The Foreign Desk Live: 2020 election special
Andrew Mueller is joined by Jeffrey Howard and Amy Pope to discuss what a Biden presidency might look like, how he’ll bring a divided nation together and the challenges ahead. Plus: the future of Trumpism with Nicholas Lemann.
PJ O’Rourke and the search for the centre ground
In our final episode before US voters decide whether or not to renew Donald Trump’s lease on the White House, we look at whether a more reasonable – or at least less obviously deranged – politics is still possible. We’re joined by the satirist PJ O’Rourke, whose new book, ‘A…
Coronavirus – what have we learned?
In much of Europe this winter feels depressingly like last spring: a spike in coronavirus transmissions and a surge in lockdowns and other restrictions. But are we any wiser about what works and what doesn’t? Or the costs of shutting down cities and countries? Andrew Mueller is joined by Chris…
The Macron doctrine
President Macron always looked like he wanted to reassert France as a global power. As his presidency has overlapped with domestic crises consuming France’s traditional allies the US and the UK, he has found himself with even greater foreign policy opportunities than he might have anticipated. What kind of influence…
Can Belgium survive?
After nearly 500 days of negotiations, Belgium finally has a national government. It consists of seven parties but excludes the two biggest – both Flemish nationalist parties. Is Belgium’s complex political system workable in the long term? And can the country hold together? Andrew Mueller asks Régis Dandoy, Carl Devos…
Why has Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again?
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over Nagorno-Karabakh many times before. The renewed fighting this week seems more serious than usual, however, with both sides deploying heavy weaponry and weighty rhetoric. As casualties on both sides mount, and as Turkey and Russia both take a close interest in the conflict, Andrew…
And finally, Florida
In the final episode in our series on the 2020 US presidential election, we take a close look at Florida, the most crucial of swing states. What makes it so volatile? How can Donald Trump or Joe Biden win there? And who is Florida Man? Andrew Mueller talks to Bianca…
What is QAnon and why does it matter?
QAnon is not the first conspiracy theory to have run wild in American politics but it is the first to have been indulged and encouraged by the sitting president. Many millions of US voters believe some or all of it, despite a complete lack of evidence. Could it be a…
