Undercurrents

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, looks at how empire and decolonization have been discussed in the journal.

Isabel and Krisztina speak to Meera Sabaratnam about how thinkers and policy-makers from the 1920s to 1970s understood both empire and then decolonization. Meera highlights four tensions present within the discussions, and how these may impact th...

What drives refugee movements and how should policies manage them?

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, looks at refugees and migration.

Isabel speaks to Emily Venturi about the movement of refugees, the development of global humanitarian systems and the change in thinking on refugees over time. Then she interviews Ali Bilgic on how populism has impacted r...

In this final episode of our special series, we speak to Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and Professor Georgiy Kassianov. How can Ukraine rebuild while coexisting with Russia? What is needed to rebuild a stronger country efficiently and effectively?

Host: Ned Sedgwick

Guests : Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko (Ukrainian diplomat currently serving as Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK), Professor Georgiy Kassianov (Maria Curie-Skłodowska Universit...

How have western financial institutions created loopholes for the Russian elite? Are sanctions truly enforceable on oligarchs with a strong foothold in cities like London? What is Putin’s role in all of this?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests: Thomas Mayne (Chatham House Visiting Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme), Oliver Bullo...

In this episode we follow up on the food shortage crisis we looked at in the beginning weeks of the war on episode two. What long-term problems can we expect because of the disruption to agriculture in Ukraine? Is there any hope for a solution?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests :Marianne Schneider-Petsinger (Chatham House Senior Research Fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme; Project Director, Global Trade Policy Forum), Laura Wel...

What can the UN do on the ground to help the people of Ukraine? Does the war bring the EU a greater sense of purpose or does it mask underlying issues?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests :Saviano Abreu (Head of Communications at The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Pepijn Bergsen (Research Fellow, Europe Progamme)

This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies ...

Why are some peace talks more fruitful than others? Why do negotiations break down? What role can mediators play in sensitive discussions? To answer these questions, Mariana is joined by Isabel Bramsen, who discusses her recent article in the International Affairs journal.

In it, Isabel draws on her research and first-hand experiences as a neutral observer during the Philippines peace talks in 2017. They explore key learnings for p...

What has the war revealed about both the Russian and Ukranian military capabilities? Was the Russian military surprisingly unprepared? What impact is the course of the war having on the global military industrial complex.

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests :Andrew Dorman  (Chatham House Editor of International Affairs, Professor of International Security at Kings College), Bettina Renz (Professor at t...

How has the war impacted Ukranians' sense of identity? How has Ukrainian language, culture, and politics changed after fall of the Soviet Union. Are Putin’s views on Ukrainian identity shared by others in Russia?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests: Orysia Lutsevych (Head and Research Fellow, Ukraine Forum, Russia and Eurasia Programme); Professor Georgiy Kassianov (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland, author of “From 'the ...

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, looks at China’s role in the world over the past century. Isabel Muttreja and Krisztina Csortea speak to Evelyn Goh, who provides a whistle-stop tour of Chinese history. They also discuss how China has been understood in the...

How has the relationship with the United States and Putin changed from president to president? When did the relationship sour and what, if anything, could have been done to send warning signals to Putin?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests: Dr Leslie Vinjamuri (Director, US and the Americas Programme Chatham House), Dr Charles Kupchan (Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University, former Senior Advisor to President Obama) 

Th...

How have Brazil and Africa reacted to the war in Ukraine? With impending elections in Brazil, how is President Bolsonaro’s relationship with Putin received by the public?  How will food insecurity affect African nations' response to the war?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests: Oliver Stuenkel (Associate Professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation), Samuel Ramani (University of Oxford & Assoc Fellow at ...

The war in Ukraine and global cost-of-living crisis are exerting pressure on economies across the world. With ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and food supply chain issues on top of this, China is facing a particularly severe challenge. 

In this episode Ben speaks with Dr Yu Jie (Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House) about the economic 'perfect storm' presenting such an obstacle to President Xi Jinping's 'common prosperity' agenda. They...

How has India and Southeast Asia reacted to the war in Ukraine? Are they aligning with western sanctions or strengthening ties to Russia? What do they have to gain or lose in involving themselves in the war.

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Guests: Dr. Shruti Kapila (University of Cambridge), Ben Bland (Chatham House Director, Asia-Pacific Programme), Hunter Marston (Associate 9dashline)

This episode was p...

What was NATO’s original purpose and what is its role in the war in Ukraine? Will Finland and Sweden join NATO and what significance does this have? What is Russia’s historical relationship with NATO and how did it sour?

Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Clips used: BBC News

Guests: Jamie Shea (Former NATO official, Chatham House associate fellow), Dan Sabbagh (The Gu...

Six years after the EU-Turkey Joint Statement, domestic changes in Turkey and international developments such as the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan have ensured the border between Greece and Turkey remains a hotspot for migration flows.

Today, Turkey is one of the world’s biggest refugee-receiving countries and hosts four million refugees.

In this episode, Ayşen Üstübici, assistant professor at Koç University in Istanbul, speaks t...

How does Russia use disinformation and who are they targeting? How are social networks shaping the war in Ukraine? What can be done to stop the spread of disinformation? Host: Ned Sedgwick 

Clips used: BBC News

Guests: Emily Taylor, Keir Giles, Damian Collins MP

This episode was produced by David Dargahi and Anouk Millet of Earshot Strategies on behalf o...

Power for refugees is a new two-part podcast on the Undercurrents podcast feed. Over two episodes Ben explores an often-overlooked aspect of humanitarian assistance: access to energy.

From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Sudan - the world is grappling with the consequences that emerge when people are forced to flee from their homes. One factor that does not usually make the headlines is that many people di...

Power for refugees is a new two-part podcast on the Undercurrents podcast feed. Over two episodes Ben explores an often-overlooked aspect of humanitarian assistance: access to energy.

From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Sudan - the world is grappling with the consequences that emerge when people are forced to flee from their homes. One factor that does not usually make the headlines is that many people di...