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
The fall of Aleppo
The United Nations described it as “a complete meltdown of humanity”. It wasn’t just the level of destruction and the loss of civilian lives, it was the fact that we knew this was going…
Portugal: a lesson for Europe’s left?
One of the overarching political stories of the past decade has been the steady decline in Europe of the centre-left. But an exception can be found in Portugal. Four parties – the centre left…
The French left
President François Hollande has an approval rating of 4 per cent and it’s hard to see how any of the leading Socialists candidates can make it into the second round of next spring’s presidential…
Ghana votes
A presidential election in Ghana doesn’t tend to get much coverage in western media and the reason is very simple: it tends to run smoothly. Unlike many of its neighbours it’s a real democracy…
The Foreign Desk Live
Last Tuesday we hosted a special edition of ‘The Foreign Desk Live’ from our London HQ in front of a sold-out audience. The topic? Donald Trump and what his election means for the rest…
Donald Trump won. So, what next?
It happened. Donald Trump is set to be the next president of the US. But what does it all mean? Our editors and correspondents around the world describe the impact that Trump’s victory has…
The Philippines and the rest of the world
There is more to Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines, than the cartoon character he is often depicted as. And his rhetorical shift away from the US and towards China might turn…
Foreign correspondents in the US election
There are more than 1,500 foreign correspondents based in the US and hundreds more have flooded in to cover the country’s upcoming election. This week we speak to five of them to find out…
What’s missing from the US elections?
Let’s be honest, this has been a horrible American election. And while they are never bloodless discussions about policy, it would be nice to talk about some of the issues that really matter. So…
Somalia votes
Somalia has been without a functioning government for more than 25 years. The fact that it is about to hold a presidential election should be seen as progress but the more you learn about…
