The Foreign Desk

Monocle

​Presented by ​Andrew Mueller, Monocle’s flagship global-affairs show features​ expert guests ​and in-depth analysis of the big issues of the week. Nominated for ‘Best Current Affairs’ show and the ‘Spotlight Award’ in the 2022 British Podcast Awards. 

  • 7 minutes 9 seconds
    Explainer 452: Trump’s Greenland grab

    Why is US president Donald Trump eyeing up Greenland? And if it’s not for sale, would he take it by force? Andrew Mueller explains the likelihood of an old-school territorial conquest. 

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    29 January 2025, 8:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 9 seconds
    Can the Israel-Hamas ceasefire become lasting peace?

    Relative calm has descended over Gaza after 15 months of war. A ceasefire agreement has been enacted but what happens next is unclear. Nada AlTaher, Esther Solomon and Aaron David Miller join Andrew Mueller to discuss how Palestinians would like to move forward, the domestic political tensions in Israel and whether real peace is on the table.

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    25 January 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 7 minutes 22 seconds
    Explainer 451: The veteran rebels behind Colombia’s violent turf war

    At least 100 people were killed this week during renewed fighting in Colombia’s northeast. Who is involved? And what are they fighting over? Andrew Mueller explains.

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    22 January 2025, 8:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 6 seconds
    Mr Trump goes to Washington: the sequel  

    Donald J Trump will head to the National Mall in Washington on Monday for his second inauguration. When he takes the oath of office, Trump will become the second man to serve non-consecutive terms as president and the first convicted criminal to inhabit the White House. Tom Nichols, Nathalie Tocci and Alex von Tunzelmann join Andrew Mueller to consider what Trump 2.0 means for the US and the world. Plus: what makes for an inaugural address to remember?

     

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    17 January 2025, 5:58 pm
  • 6 minutes 17 seconds
    Explainer 450: What is Lebanon’s new government up against? Spoiler: itself

    As Lebanon welcomes a new president and prime minister, Andrew Mueller explains the peculiarities of the country’s 1943 political settlement and why it has proved to be an inhibitor to actual governance.  

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    15 January 2025, 5:46 pm
  • 40 minutes 27 seconds
    The legacies of US presidents

    As US president Joe Biden’s time in office comes to a close, we consider how to assess the legacies of national leaders. What makes a president great? And why do our views change over time? Andrew speaks with the custodians of these legacies – biographers, presidential library directors and historians – to see how these mythologies are created and maintained.

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    11 January 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 6 minutes 33 seconds
    Explainer 449: Is China cutting Taiwan’s cables or are their wires crossed?

    Andrew Mueller explains how likely it is that China is cutting Taiwan’s undersea cables and what’s in it for them. 

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    8 January 2025, 7:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 48 seconds
    The geopolitical risks of 2025

    Andrew Mueller talks to Lithuania’s outgoing foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, and Monocle regulars Latika Bourke, Yossi Mekelberg and Charles Hecker about what to keep an eye on as geopolitical risks rise in 2025.

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    4 January 2025, 7:37 am
  • 34 minutes 58 seconds
    Elections, conflicts and the rise of the right: a look at 2024

    More than one billion people headed to the polls, wars turned into regional crises and right-wing parties found new footholds in 2024. Andrew Mueller speaks with electoral expert Tony Banbury, and Monocle regulars Latika Bourke, Charles Hecker and Yossi Mekelberg take stock of the year.

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    28 December 2024, 12:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 44 seconds
    The case for foreign aid

    The holidays are a time of giving but wealthy nations have not been in a generous mood. Andrew Mueller explores the case for foreign aid and how to turn the concept into a win-win for both donor and recipient. With Mark Lowcock, Andrew Mitchell and Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou.

     

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    21 December 2024, 12:00 pm
  • 6 minutes 10 seconds
    Explainer 448: Trudeau in trouble

    Following the scathing resignation letter of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, Andrew Mueller explains why Canada’s prime minister may be about to lose his job and what Trump has in store if he doesn’t. 

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    18 December 2024, 5:52 pm
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