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
South Africa after Zuma – what next?
After Jacob Zuma was eased out of office by his own increasingly embarrassed party, is President Cyril Ramaphosa the right person to rebuild the African National Congress and revive South Africa? Andrew Mueller is…
Whose side is Turkey on?
In the past week Turkey has returned to war in Syria, using tanks furnished by one Nato ally to fight the allies of another, while allying in turn with Nato’s main rival, Russia. Elsewhere,…
Fighting season
In spring, as the weather heats up in Afghanistan, so does the fighting. In a country that has been home to foreign forces and UN troops for more than 16 years, it’s a time…
Citizenship for sale
Andrew Mueller looks at the theory and practice of buying and selling passports: how it works, who does it, whether we should be worried about it and how it might change our ideas of…
Donald Trump: one down, three to go
He has been the president of the US for exactly one year. And, if all goes to plan, he’ll remain so for at least three more. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying…
The evolution of protest
Last year gave the world much to protest. Political instability and social injustice led to millions taking to the streets in 2017 and even more to social media to make their voices heard. But…
National anthems
Some are rousing, others are melancholy and some are just plain dreary. They’re belted out at sporting events, chanted in the streets to bring nations together and used as a political tool by those…
Reasons to be cheerful in 2018
Monocle’s bureaux staff look ahead to 2018 in terms of elections, surprises and, hopefully, some reasons to be cheerful.
The world in 2017
We look back through the archives to tell the story of a tumultuous year, from Donald Trump’s erratic presidency and troubles in the Middle East to the rise and fall of populism in Europe…
Alabama shakes?
This week all eyes were on Alabama. An election that would normally go unnoticed – even by a good number of the state’s inhabitants – became a litmus test for politics in the US.…
