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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
Explainer 163: What is the One Nation party, and why won’t it go away?
As Australia prepares for the upcoming federal election, Andrew Mueller discusses one particular party that has endured more than its fair share of controversy – and he doesn’t feel sorry for it.
Ukraine’s new president: who’s laughing now?
No Ukrainian election has been as closely watched as last weekend’s presidential run-off. But was comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s landslide victory all about him or was it a rejection of the establishment?
Explainer 162: Why does Russia want a sovereign internet?
Russia has been no friend to the internet in recent years. First it introduced a swathe of tough online restrictions and now it wants to create a “sovereign internet”. Under this plan, the country’s internet service could operate independently from the rest of the world. The so-called digital sovereignty bill…
Libya: as simple as east vs west?
Renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar has been advancing towards Tripoli for some weeks now. It’s not clear what his aims are but most observers agree that further conflict is the last thing the country needs. So what is Haftar after – and what, more importantly, can the rest of Libya…
Explainer 161: Can Haiti prosper without a UN presence?
After 15 years, the final UN forces are pulling out of Haiti. But can the country, which has been gripped by political unrest, failing law enforcement and devastating hurricanes go it alone?
Netanyahu’s fifth term
Benjamin Netanyahu is all but certain to retain the office of prime minister of Israel. But with a number of corruption allegations against him and an increasing reliance on the sort of foreign allies of which Israel would once have been suspicious, will he be able to cement his place…
Explainer 160: Libya: a new civil war?
As the so-called Libyan National Army, led by rebel general Khalifa Haftar, advances on Tripoli, Andrew Mueller asks what, if anything, Haftar is after and if this could lead to yet more violence in the troubled country.
What’s eating Erdogan?
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared last weekend’s local elections to be about the ‘survival of the nation’. That was until his ruling AK party suffered its biggest defeats in years. Votes are still being counted and the results are still contested – by Erdogan, anyway. Are his hitherto loyal…
Explainer 159: Who is Slovakia’s new president?
Last weekend Slovakia voted in its first female president, Zuzana Caputova. The anti-corruption activist has little experience of national politics but has vowed to change the way the country is run. However, what chance does she have of making a difference in what is a largely ceremonial role? Monocle 24’s Vienna correspondent Alexei…
Islamic State’s foreign fighters – what happens to them now?
When Kurdish fighters overran Islamic State’s last stronghold in Syria, victory was declared over the jihadist group. But many of Islamic State’s fighters and their families have survived the collapse of the caliphate. What should become of them? And can we be sure that the defeat of Islamic State is…
