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PODCAST

Independent Thinking

Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox hosts conversations with leading policymakers, journalists and Chatham House experts to provide insight into the latest international political issues. Independent Thinking gives listeners the opportunity to engage with the high level conversations hosted by Chatham House.

news politics

All Episodes

29:05

Trouble for Emmanuel Macron at home and abroad

Independent Thinking ·

2023/04/21

This week on the podcast we focus on France and the domestic and foreign policy travails of the fifth republic and its president, Emmanuel Macron. At home, President Macron faces a wave of popular discontent, amid his plans to raise France’s pension age. We discuss how Macron’s decision to bypass the French parliament has impacted his ability to govern, as well as look at his wider standing within the country. Has this opened the door for the far-right in the next presidential election, and can

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23:54

Will Finland join NATO without Sweden?

Independent Thinking ·

2023/03/31

This week on the podcast we look at the latest developments relating to Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO. This week the Hungarian parliament finally ratified Finland’s membership to the alliance, two weeks after President Erdogan in Turkey gave his seal of approval following a meeting with the Finnish president. Sweden however remains trapped in limbo, with both Turkey and Hungary delaying Stockholm’s membership and Erdogan in particular asking for more concessions. We discuss why Turkey and

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28:41

Iraq special: The invasion twenty years on - with...

Independent Thinking ·

2023/03/24

This week on the podcast we mark twenty years since the start of the invasion of Iraq led by the US. Launched amid fears that Saddam Hussein was acquiring weapons of mass destruction, the war changed the Middle East and inflicted huge damage on Iraq and many civilian casualties, with effects that persist today. We discuss the invasion with those who were in power here in London when the decision was made to commit UK forces to the invasion, and with those in Iraq who lived with the consequences.

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32:12

The UK's foreign policy refresh, protests in Georgia...

Independent Thinking ·

2023/03/17

This week on the podcast we discuss AUKUS and the UK’s Integrated Review Refresh. The UK and Australia will soon be building nuclear submarines together, but is the UK’s tilt to the Indo-Pacific sustainable? Likewise two years on from the last IR, has the UK finally clarified its foreign policy priorities, on Russia, China and on defence? And importantly does it have the money to do any of it? Also, on the show this week, we discuss Georgia and the recent anti-government protests in Tbilisi

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34:42

Celebrating the women of Chatham House

Independent Thinking ·

2023/03/10

This week on the podcast we celebrate the women of Chatham House for International Women’s Day. Joining Bronwen Maddox in the studio are some of the many researchers who work at the institute, and they discuss their experiences working in global affairs and their advice for those wanting to work in public policy. We also discuss India this week. On Monday, Chatham House hosted Rahul Gandhi, a leading Indian politician and former president of the Indian National Congress (INC). We discuss what he had

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27:39

Nigeria elects a new president, Northern Ireland gets...

Independent Thinking ·

2023/03/03

This week on the show we look at the outcome of Nigeria’s historic presidential election. On the 24 February, millions of Nigerians went to the polls in an election widely seen as crucial for the direction of the country, with the winner, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declared the president elect. We look at the state of Nigeria’s democracy and ask what lies ahead? We’ll also be looking at events closer to home this week. On Monday, Rishi Sunak, and Ursula von der Leyen announced a new deal for Northern

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32:19

Ukraine special: Russia’s invasion one year on

Independent Thinking ·

2023/02/24

This week on the podcast we look at Russia’s war on Ukraine. Friday February 24th marks exactly one year to the day when Vladimir Putin launched his all-out assault on Ukraine. A decision that unleashed the largest war seen in Europe since 1945, and with-it hundreds of thousands of casualties on all sides. Twelve months on we discuss the impact of the invasion, for Ukraine and its people but also the world. We also discuss Vladimir Putin's speech on the anniversary of the war and the ramifications

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26:41

A humanitarian catastrophe stikes Syria and Turkey

Independent Thinking ·

2023/02/17

This week on the show we look at the aftermath of the tragic earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 and discuss the far-reaching consequences on the region’s fragile geopolitics. With thousands dead and international aid flooding in, what hopes are there for the many thousands of victims caught between groups and governments at war with each other for over a decade? We also discuss the impact within Turkey, as fears grow that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may postpone the election,

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34:23

Biden's State of the Union and AUKUS – with Euan Graham

Independent Thinking ·

2023/02/10

This week on the show, we look at Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union. This week saw President Biden address an unruly joint session of Congress, during which he discussed, Americas place in the world, China, Ukraine, and the state of the US economy. As we enter the start of a new presidential cycle and the mid-point of Biden’s presidency, we look at how Biden is doing and what are challenges lying. We also look at AUKUS, eighteen months on from the announcement that the UK and US will help

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26:55

Myanmar: Two years after the coup d'état – with Ali...

Independent Thinking ·

2023/02/03

This week on the show, we look at the crisis in Myanmar. February 1st marks the two-year anniversary of the coup d'état by the armed forces, the Tatmadaw, who in February 2021 overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the country has descended into a brutal and complex civil war. Our panel look at the state of the country and its people two years on. Can Myanmar hold together, can democracy ever be restored and is the world ignoring a major humanitarian crisis

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28:55

Western tanks head for Ukraine - with Jeremy Cliffe

Independent Thinking ·

2023/01/27

This week on the show, we look at the deployment of western main battle tanks to Ukraine, specifically the importance placed on the Leopard II and the contentious diplomacy seen this week to pressure Germany into allowing its export. What kind of capabilities will these new weapons give to Ukraine, amid fears of Russian offensive looming in the spring? We also discuss Germany and the intense pressure Olaf Scholz’s government has been under since the invasion of Ukraine started. How has Germany’s

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36:33

Insurrections and elections in Brazil and America

Independent Thinking ·

2023/01/19

This week on the show, we look at the role disinformation plays in the United States and Brazil. The storming in Brasilia of federal government institutions by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro echoed strongly the events seen at the US Capitol Building on January 6th 2021. We discuss the impact on Brazil's democracy, the role played by social media platforms and how conspiracy theories percolate online. This week we also look at the state of American politics going into 2023. How are

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30:08

China's role in Africa, conflicts to watch in 2023

Independent Thinking ·

2023/01/13

In our first episode of 2023, we look at Africa and the complex role China plays on the continent. A recently published Chatham House report highlights twenty-two African countries suffering from debt distress, with Beijing a key creditor to many. This comes as China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is touring several African this week and next, with visits to Ethiopia, Angola, Gabon, and the headquarters of the African Union. This week we also hosted Dr Comfort Ero, President of the International

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23:44

The UK tilts to the Indo-Pacific – with Shashank Joshi

Independent Thinking ·

2022/12/16

In our final episode of the year, we discuss the UK’s foreign policy ‘tilt’ to the Indo-Pacific where, despite the turnover in British prime ministers, London has eyes on being a strategic player in the region. The last eighteen months have seen the deployment of a Royal Navy carrier strike group, the emergence of the AUKUS alliance, talk of closer diplomatic ties with India and ASEAN and, in the context of Brexit, the UK potentially joining the CPTPP pan-Pacific trade deal. How sustainable is a UK

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28:20

Reporting Putin’s wars: Ukraine and Syria – with Oz...

Independent Thinking ·

2022/12/08

As 2022 comes to a close, this week on the podcast the staff of Chatham House reflect on a year of war in Ukraine and twelve years of war in Syria. Joining Bronwen Maddox in the studio is Oz Katerji, a war correspondent and freelance journalist who in the early stages of the Syrian uprising reported on the brutality of the regime of Bashar al-Assad from neighbouring Lebanon and Turkey and covered closely the role played by Russia's armed forces in the conflict. Having written extensively on the

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31:21

Protests in China, missile tests in North Korea -...

Independent Thinking ·

2022/12/02

Anti-lockdown protests are sweeping the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. What does the unrest tell us about China’s response to COVID-19? How serious a challenge are they for Xi Jinping’s legitimacy so soon after the 20th Party Congress? Meanwhile on the Korean Peninsula, 2022 has been a record year for Pyongyang’s ballistic missile tests. How far has the North’s nuclear programme and its missile systems developed, and what does it mean for the country’s neighbours such as Japan? Joining

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32:54

War in Tigray, Zaporizhzhia under fire

Independent Thinking ·

2022/11/25

In Tigray, the world’s largest armed conflict rages between Ethiopian federal government troops and the Tigray Defence Forces. With estimates placing those killed in the fighting at 600,000, how did Ethiopia, one of Africa’s great success stories, descend into civil war, and what hopes are there for recent peace initiatives? Meanwhile in Ukraine, all eyes are on Zaporizhzhia, as Europe’s largest nuclear plant continues to be occupied by Russian forces. With fresh reports of explosions near the

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40:44

Protests sweep Iran, Iraq's invasion legacy

Independent Thinking ·

2022/11/18

In Iran, since September the country has been swept by thousands of women-led protests, demanding an end to the morality police and the even the fall of the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile at Chatham House this week, we hosted our long-awaited Iraq conference, which delved heavily into the multiple challenges facing Iraq two decades on from the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Joining Bronwen Maddox on the podcast this week are Dr Sanam Vakil, the Deputy Director of our Middle East and North Africa

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32:00

The US midterms surprise, COP27 begins

Independent Thinking ·

2022/11/11

In the United States, the midterm elections threw up some surprising results, with the anticipated Republican ‘red wave’ failing to materialise. Meanwhile at COP27 in Egypt, world leaders met in the first week of the summit. What did their presence achieve? To find out, returning to the podcast this week with Bronwen Maddox are Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of our US and Americas Programme who was in Atlanta Georgia for the midterms and Anna Aberg Research Associate, Environment and Society Programme

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23:59

Lula wins in Brazil, US midterms approach

Independent Thinking ·

2022/11/04

In Brazil, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro by the narrowest of margins. Meanwhile in the United States, the Democrats are fighting to retain the House and Senate from a resurgent Republican Party, still enamoured with Donald Trump. Joining Bronwen Maddox this week are Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of our US and Americas Programme, Christopher Sabatini, Senior Fellow on Latin America and Ana Yang, Executive Director of our Sustainability Accelerator. Read our

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142 results

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