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
Lula’s legacy
To fall from Brazil’s most popular and celebrated president to a suspect in one of Latin America’s largest corruption investigations is a disaster not only for Lula da Silva, the left-wing leader who helped…
Why refugee camps don’t work
The refugee camp should be a place of safety – a camp for those seeking refuge. But the reality is very different: from Calais to the borders of Syria refugee camps have become places…
What is Australia’s role in the world?
It’s a question that the country’s politicians have long grappled with: Australia’s history links it to the UK, it’s language and politics to the US and it’s geography to Asia. Listen to the discussion…
The difficult diplomacy behind captivity
Prisoner swaps and hostage exchanges are some of the most difficult pieces of diplomacy to pull off – and they require careful negotiation and bring up ethical dilemmas for nations too. This week we…
US election special: Polling
Polls are not always accurate and in the US they are more regular and more detailed than everywhere else. But can polling actually shape a campaign, rather than merely reflect it? In this special…
How worried should we be about the global economy?
The global economy is in trouble again: Europe is stagnant, China is slowing down and we still haven’t really recovered from 2008. Monocle’s Steve Bloomfield is joined by Tom Keene, the editor at large…
Germany and the refugees
In her end-of-year message German chancellor Angela Merkel said “thank you” to those who had welcomed the large numbers of refugees to the country over the previous months. However, that same evening a string…
Spain, what next?
Who governs Spain? Elections in December were inconclusive: the old parties lost votes, the new ones won some and no-one came out on top. Spain’s divide will not be easy to fix. Monocle’s Steve…
Should Schengen be saved?
For more than three decades Europe has been enjoying the end of internal borders between nations. But weaker border controls in the newest frontier countries and the influx of refugees has made the Schengen…
Iran vs Saudi Arabia
If there was any doubt that the proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia is one of the greatest threats to peace in the Middle East, the events of the past few days have…
