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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 139: Trump’s predictable October surprise
Although the group of asylum seekers travelling towards the US from Central America is real, the threat they pose to American citizens is not. With only a few days until the midterm elections, it doesn’t take a political scientist to work out why Donald Trump has decided that now is…
Xinjiang: China’s captive province
China does a good job of keeping its Uyghur minority out of international headlines. But, as more stories of huge numbers of Uyghurs incarcerated in detention centres emerge, so do less-than-convincing excuses from Beijing. What do the Uyghurs want that China fears so much? And could this type of persecution…
Explainer 138: What does the Wentworth by-election mean for Australia’s conservatives?
In an historic upset, Australia’s governing coalition lost its one-seat parliamentary majority following a by-election in the Sydney electorate of Wentworth. Andrew Mueller explains why this comes as a shock, and asks if Australian conservatism has wandered deep into the ideological weeds.
Saudi Arabia vs the world
When news broke earlier this month of the disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi the outcry was appropriately loud. But what about the war in Yemen, the human rights abuses, the support for terrorism around the world? These were seen more as inconveniences to global powers that…
Explainer 137: Who will run against Trump in 2020?
The US midterms are only a few weeks away but Democrats seem just as concerned about who could go head to head with Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. What’s certain is that local media is enjoying the guessing game. Ed Stocker, our Americas editor at large, asks who…
Can Brexit be stopped?
Time is running out to reach a deal on what will happen when the UK leaves the EU in March – but as negotiators get ready for the next set of talks this week, campaigners are calling for another referendum. Can – and should – Brexit be stopped? We’re joined…
Explainer 136: Why did Nikki Haley resign?
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, quit this week in what was, to many, a shock announcement. Along with speculation as to why, the question of who will replace her remains unanswered. Andrew Mueller gazes into his crystal ball.
Iraq: is the future here at last?
Just over 15 years since the US and UK invaded Iraq with a promise to remove Saddam Hussein and install democracy, the country is still struggling. Internal divisions and external interference aren’t making things any easier – but can a newly agreed government lead Iraq towards a thriving future? Andrew…
Explainer 135: How is Canada pushing its feminist foreign policy?
In Montréal at the end of last month, Canada’s foreign minister Chrystia Freeland and the EU’s commissioner of foreign affairs Federica Mogherini co-hosted a meeting of the world’s women foreign ministers – the first meeting of its kind to have been held for 20 years. Monocle’s Toronto bureau chief, Tomos…
The war on drugs: time to surrender?
Canada will shortly become the next of only a handful of countries to legalise recreational marijuana. How will this affect the illegal drug traders who remain untouchable to the governments trying to stop them? Andrew Mueller is joined by Misha Glenny, Lizzie Porter and Jodie Emery.
