25 February 2025
Episode 3550
58 minutes
Photo: Getty Images
Why European leaders made a show of strength in Kyiv as the US steps back. We explore how Riyadh is positioning itself on the frontline of diplomacy; keep an eye on the election in Poland after the dust settles in Germany; assess the effect of Lunar New Year domestic travel on China’s airlines; and examine why the next generation of luxury watchmakers is coming from Japan. Plus: the cheese war between Switzerland and France is maturing.
25 February 2025
Share episode
DownloadChapter 1
0 minute
15
15
/
With AFD coming second in this past weekend’s federal elections, Germany is joining other European nations which are leaning to the right. One country it could learn from – and which could learn from it – is Poland. Hardline populist party Law and Justice occupied power for eight years only to lose out in the 2023’s parliamentary elections. Now, Aleks Szczerbiak, professor of politics at the University of Sussex, joins Emma Nelson to discuss a potential comeback in May.
0 minute
Share chapter 1

Want more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Globalist - latest episodes
European leaders rally for Ukraine and Europe’s cheese war
Why European leaders made a show of strength in Kyiv as the US steps back. We explore how Riyadh is positioning itself on the frontline of diplomacy; keep an eye on the election in Poland after the dust settles in Germany…
Germany at the polls
As Germany votes on who will lead the country for the next four years, Monocle’s Chris Cermak joins Emma Nelson from Berlin to discuss what comes next. Plus: we get the latest from Syria, Canada’s flag turns 60, highlights…
Ukraine-US tensions deepen: what’s next?
Trading of insults, a cancelled joint press conference and the refusal to sign a draft UN resolution condemning Russia’s aggression. We examine the deepening feud between Ukraine and the US and what it means for the pros…
Yoon Suk Yeol’s criminal trial begins
As South Korea tries a sitting president in a criminal court for the first time in its history, John Nilsson-Wright and Steven Borowiec join Emma Nelson to discuss where the country’s political crisis could go next. Plus…
Taiwan: the other looming conflict
While the US seeks reconciliation with Russia, it angers China by quietly dropping reference to opposing Taiwan’s independence. Then: Turkey detains PKK suspects, what Ukraine thinks of the US-Russia talks, South Korea’s…
US-Russia talks begin in Riyadh
We discuss Washington and Moscow’s push for peace in Ukraine, without Kyiv or Brussels at the table. Then: China’s president, Xi Jinping, signals that Beijing is open for business as he courts private-sector innovation.…
European leaders to hold emergency summit
As European leaders announce an emergency meeting to discuss Ukraine, Suzanne Lynch joins Emma Nelson to consider where ceasefire talks might go next. Plus: the African Union Summit examines the future of the continent; a…
Car attack rattles first day of the Munich Security Conference
Monocle is in Munich with the latest on the “terror attack” as the Bavarian capital kicks off its high-stakes security conference. Plus: China-UK talks revive, Nordic news and why romance bookshops are booming. Then: a…
Modi at the White House and Erdogan in Islamabad
As Narendra Modi becomes the fourth head of state to visit the White House during Donald Trump’s second term, Maya Sharma and Natasha Lindstaedt discuss the tensions that lie beneath the bonhomie. Then: Turkey’s president…
Will Canada and the EU join forces?
Justin Trudeau visits Brussels as Donald Trump imposes tariffs on allies; Sudan’s civil war enters a new phase; and Denmark reports a historic low of asylum seekers. Plus: Saïd Business School’s Soumitra Dutta at Dubai’s…
King Abdullah II at the White House, JD Vance in Europe
As King Abdullah II visits the White House amid rising anger over Donald Trump's Gaza proposal, Burcu Ozcelik joins Emma Nelson to discuss how tensions might be resolved. Then: JD Vance and Pete Hegseth visit Europe and the…
Ecuador holds polarising elections amid promises on crime
Ecuador holds elections with tackling crime at the top of the agenda. Plus: A tit-for-tat tariff war between China and the US, Bethlehem’s declining visitors, why the Baltics have cut power from Russia and Superbowl fash…
Israel’s army prepares for ‘voluntary departure’ of Palestinians
Israel’s defence minister prepares to put Trump’s Gaza plan into action. Rosa Freedman and Nada AlTaher join Emma Nelson to discuss. Plus: the Philippines’s vice-president is impeached, birthright citizenship and Stockholm…
How to oppose Trump’s Gaza plan
Jordan and Egypt lead reactions to a seismic shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East. Then: why Taiwan is sending marines to its airport, why Austria can’t form a government and why Nissan and Honda won’t be doing…
What role can Turkey play in the new Syria?
As Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s transitional president, meets Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, we ask: what role is Turkey seeking to play when it comes to regional security? Then we discuss Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip…