Chatham House - Undercurrents

Examining China and its relationship to Russia and Ukraine. What is China’s role in the war in Ukraine? What is the state of the relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin? Should they serve as mediator or do they have an active interest in a particular outcome?   Host: Ned Sedgwick  Clips used: South China Morning Post Guests: Professor Rana Mitter, Dr. Yu Jie This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies on behalf of Chatham House.

The Contentious politics since the ‘Arab Spring’ project seeks to challenge the current prevalent narrative of a failed 2010/2011 series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The project does this by interrogating the events in the Arab region since 2010 in a critical light, and by introducing a more nuanced analytical lens to understanding the evolution of change in the region and its contentious politics. The project is supported by the Carnegie Corporation New York. In this four-part mini-series from the Undercurrents podcast, Dr Lina Khatib, the Director of the MENA Programme at Chatham House speaks to leading experts about the great upheaval which occurred in the Arab region during the ‘Arab Spring’, the changes across Arab countries that have happened since and the outlook for the future. In the final episode, Lina and Libyan peace activist Zahra' Langhi discuss the struggle to rebuild Libya’s institutions and the critical role played by women in this movement and the need for the internat

The Contentious politics since the ‘Arab Spring’ project seeks to challenge the current prevalent narrative of a failed 2010/2011 series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The project does this by interrogating the events in the Arab region since 2010 in a critical light, and by introducing a more nuanced analytical lens to understanding the evolution of change in the region and its contentious politics. The project is supported by the Carnegie Corporation New York. In this four-part mini-series from the Undercurrents podcast, Dr Lina Khatib, the Director of the MENA Programme at Chatham House speaks to leading experts about the great upheaval which occurred in the Arab region during the ‘Arab Spring’, the changes across Arab countries that have happened since and the outlook for the future. In this third episode, Lina and Alaa Al Aswani explore contentious politics in the Middle East generally, and Egypt specifically, and the conditions which allowed for authoritarian political systems to em

The Contentious politics since the ‘Arab Spring’ project seeks to challenge the current prevalent narrative of a failed 2010/2011 series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The project does this by interrogating the events in the Arab region since 2010 in a critical light, and by introducing a more nuanced analytical lens to understanding the evolution of change in the region and its contentious politics. The project is supported by the Carnegie Corporation New York. In this four-part mini-series from the Undercurrents podcast, Dr Lina Khatib, the Director of the MENA Programme at Chatham House speaks to leading experts about the great upheaval which occurred in the Arab region during the ‘Arab Spring’, the changes across Arab countries that have happened since and the outlook for the future. In the second episode, Lina and Laury Haytayan discuss changes in Lebanon’s political system, and in particular the new political parties which are beginning to emerge to challenge the status quo. Find ou

The Contentious politics since the ‘Arab Spring’ project seeks to challenge the current prevalent narrative of a failed 2010/2011 series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The project does this by interrogating the events in the Arab region since 2010 in a critical light, and by introducing a more nuanced analytical lens to understanding the evolution of change in the region and its contentious politics. The project is supported by the Carnegie Corporation New York. In this four-part mini-series from the Undercurrents podcast, Dr Lina Khatib, the Director of the MENA Programme at Chatham House speaks to leading experts about the great upheaval which occurred in the Arab region during the ‘Arab Spring’, the changes across Arab countries that have happened since and the outlook for the future. In the first episode, Lina and James Zogby examine the political dynamics across the Arab world in the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’ and the impact of US foreign policy on the transformations which happened i

As the Philippines are set to elect a new president and vice president on May 9, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte appear to be heading for victory at the polls. To better understand how the son of a past dictator and the daughter of the current president are set to win the presidential ticket, Mariana speaks to Philip Bowring about the role of family dynasties in national politics. Drawing on insights from his new book, The Making of Modern Philippines: Pieces of a Jigsaw State, Philip assesses outgoing President Duterte’s policies and some of the most pressing problems for the next president, from the economy, to governance and the national stance on China. Credits: Speaker: Philip Bowring Host: Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

How reliant is the EU on Russian oil? What would an all-out ban on Russian oil look like? Which countries would be most affected? Does this offer an opportunity for renewable energy? Clips used: Bloomberg News Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Helene von Bismark, Neil Quilliam, Antony Froggatt Producer: Anouk Millet from Earshot Strategies

Russia has faced an unprecedented level of sanctions by the West covering the government itself, financial institutions, oligarchs associated with the Kremlin, and much more. But are these sanctions working? Can they really change anything on the ground in Ukraine? Clips used: - DW News - C-Span Credits: Host: Ned Sedgwick Guests: Creon Butler, Christine McDaniel, Bill Browder Producer: Anouk Millet from Earshot Strategies

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have seen an exponential increase in food prices around the world. In this second episode of our mini-series War in Ukraine, we’re trying to understand how and why a war in one part of the world risks causing famines in distant parts of the globe, and what can happen when people go hungry. Read Chatham House’s latest research paper on the war’s impact on food and energy supplies. Clips used in this episode: - DW News - Al Jazeera - France 24 Credits: Host: Ned Sedgwick Guests: Joe Glauber, Tim Benton, Mohamed Elkaramany Producer: Anouk Millet from Earshot Strategies

The war in Ukraine has caused the largest refugee crisis in Europe since WW2. In this first episode of our new War in Ukraine mini-series, we’re looking at what Ukrainians face when crossing the border, whether enough is being done to protect them, and the impact on the real lives behind the numbers. Guest-host Ned Sedgwick speaks to Joung-Ah Ghedini-Williams (UNHCR), Emily Venturi (Chatham House) and Sonya Sceats (Freedom from Torture). Clips used in this episode: - NBC’s Today programme - United Nations Credits: Host: Ned Sedgwick Guests: Joung-Ah Ghedini-Williams, Emily Venturi, Sonya Sceats Producer: Anouk Millet from Earshot Strategies

To mark the 100th anniversary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, a new series of six archive collections will explore the past, present and future of current affairs issues. Each collection will be accompanied by an episode in this mini-series, where we explore what the research tells us about policy-making today.   This episode is all about war and conflict. Krisztina Csortea chats with the collection’s editors and war experts Andrew Dorman and Tracey German. They reflect on who has been talking about war in the journal, how debates have changed over time and how academics follow fashions in research. Later, Isabel Muttreja speaks to T.V. Paul about India and Pakistan’s nuclear policies and how the Ukraine conflict reminds us why this is such an important topic.  International Affairs was started at Chatham House in 1922 to communicate research to members who could not attend in person. Over the last 100 years it has transformed into a journal that publishes academically rigorous and pol

A year on from the publication of the UK's Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, Chatham House Director Dr Robin Niblett shares his assessment of how Boris Johnson's government has implemented its vision of Global Britain.  Read the Chatham House research paper: Global Britain in a divided world: Testing the ambitions of the Integrated Review Credits: Speaker: Robin Niblett Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Protracted conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, Horn of Africa and parts of Asia, although usually arising from intra-state disputes, rarely remain contained within national borders. Through the XCEPT project, supported with UK Aid from the UK government, Chatham House explores the informal supply chains and economies that develop across borders during times of war.  In this episode, XCEPT Project Manager Leah de Haan speaks to Chatham House experts Tim Eaton, Lina Khatib and Renad Mansour about cross-border conflicts in North Africa and the Levant.  First, Lina and Renad explain how a regional approach to analysing war economies in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq can enable us to better understand the dynamics of the conflict. Then Tim reveals the connections between civil war in Libya and conflict zones elsewhere in north Africa.   Find out more: Cross-border conflict, evidence, policy and trends (XCEPT) Credits: Speakers: Tim Eaton, Lina Khatib, Renad Mansour Hosts: Leah de Haan, Ben Horton Editor: Jamie

What has been going on in UK foreign policy over the last century, and how have leading thinkers approached it? To mark the 100th anniversary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, a new series of six archive collections will explore the past, present and future of current affairs issues. Each collection will be accompanied by an episode in this mini-series, where we consider what the research tells us about policy-making today.  In this episode we’re talking about the first archive collection, on UK foreign policy. Krisztina Csortea, Managing Editor of the journal, and Isabel Muttreja, Marketing Manager speak to the collection’s editor (and Undercurrents host) Ben Horton about the four themes that UK foreign policy-makers and analysts have been preoccupied with over the last century.  Then, Isabel speaks to The Rt. Honourable Lord William Wallace of Saltaire about how national identity continues to shape UK foreign policy-making, and how his 1990 article relates to Brexit and global Bri

The idea of feminist foreign policy has entered the political mainstream in recent years, but does adoption by governments risk diluting the more radical dimensions of its agenda? To mark International Women's Day, Mariana is joined by Marissa Conway, co-founder of the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, to discuss the trajectory of FFP.  Then Ben speaks with former UK Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher CMG, about his new book Ten Survival Skills for a World in Flux. As the world contends with numerous overlapping crises from climate change and COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine, the capacity of individuals and societies to deal with geopolitical turbulence has rarely been so critical. In this interview, Tom explains the skills needed to navigate the modern world, and how education systems must adapt to deliver the required change. Read The World Today article: Eve of a foreign policy revolution Watch the Chatham House #IWD2022 event: Feminist solutions to the climate crisis Find the book: Ten Survival Skills for

As a site of enormous economic and military potential, space is the latest domain to be drawn into the strategic competition between Earth's great powers. In this episode, Ben is joined by Asia-Pacific Programme Senior Research Fellow Yu Jie, who explains the development of China's space policy, and why we should be worried about US-China relations in orbit.  Then Yusuf Hassan and Ani Martirossian interview Professor Lee Major, from Exeter University, about the state of social mobility in the UK. They discuss the politics of class in the 21st century and how to break down barriers to entry within elite institutions and education systems. Read The World Today article: Beijing briefing: Watch this space Credits: Speakers: Yu Jie, Lee Major Hosts: Yusuf Hassan, Ben Horton, Ani Martirossian Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

The murder of George Floyd in 2020 and subsequent global escalation of Black Lives Matter movements highlighted the racial inequalities that exist in the United States and beyond. In the United Kingdom and many other former colonial states these movements have come to reflect upon the ongoing legacies of empire in modern society. Today, colonial history has become a weapon in the culture wars, with some commentators arguing that it is time to 'move on' from feeling ashamed of our imperial past. Often, this focus on race is presented as a new development. However, a new special issue published by the Chatham House journal International Affairs (celebrating its centenary year in 2022) shows that race and imperialism have underpinned western social sciences since the birth of these disciplines in the early 20th century.   In this episode, Amrit is joined by Dr Jasmine Gani, Dr Jenna Marshall to discuss the key insights from the special issue. They explore how race and imperialism were written out of the study of

This week, Undercurrents is joined by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to explore a new report on the humanitarian crises that require global attention in 2022. A record number of people across the world are in need of humanitarian assistance. 20 countries which are home to 10% of the global population account for 89% of global humanitarian need, driven by a wide range of factors including conflict, natural disasters, economic collapse and health crises. These situations are worsened by systemic failures at the state, diplomatic, legal and operational levels. The IRC's 2022 Emergency Watchlist assesses the severity of the crises in these countries, and provides recommendations for how international humanitarian actors can respond.   In this episode, Ben discusses the findings of the Emergency Watchlist with George Readings (lead author of the report), and hears about the specific struggles facing the citizens of Afghanistan from Vicki Aken (IRC's Country Director for Afghanistan). Read the IRC report:

On 6 January 2021, a large crowd supporting the defeated President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol. The violence which ensued resulted in the deaths of at least seven people, and caused shockwaves around the world. In this episode Ben is joined by Gabriella Cook-Francis, the Leland Foundation Association of Marshall Scholars Transatlantic Academy Fellow in the US & Americas Programme at Chatham House. They discuss the events surrounding 'January 6', the implications of the riot for notable elections this year and in 2024, and what progress the Biden Administration has made in shoring up the United States' democratic institutions.  Watch the Chatham House event recording: The state of American democracy Credits: Speaker: Gabriella Cook-Francis Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

The twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change have exposed weaknesses in the institutions and diplomatic relationships designed to support global governance. In a new series of articles for Chatham House, author and journalist John Kampfner has been exploring how competition between the United States and China has exacerbated these faultlines. In his final piece, John assesses the relative soft power of the two states, and argues that the era of rivalry has tarnished both the American and Chinese brands, with many countries around the world growing wary of choosing allegiances. In this episode, Ben and John discuss the US-China strategic rivalry with Francis Fukuyama, the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and Hongying Wang, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and Senior Research Fellow at CIGI.  Read the article: Big power rivalry: Who is winning the popularity wars? Credits: Speakers: Francis