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.&nbsp; Read the article:  Credits: Speakers: Francis Fukuyama, John Kampfner, Hongying Wang Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Episode 96: The US-China rivalry in an age of crisis

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 analyse the transformations which happened in the region over the last decade. Find out more:  Credits: Speaker: James Zogby Host: Lina Khatib Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Contentious politics: legacies of the Arab spring

The Contentious politics since the ‘Arab Spring’&nbsp;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  examine the political dynamics across the Arab world in the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’ and analyse the transformations which happened in the region over the last decade. Find out more:  Credits: Speaker: Laury Haytayan Host: Lina Khatib Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Contentious politics: Change in Lebanon

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 look at the conditions which have allowed authoritarian political systems to emerge across the Arab world. Find out more:  Credits: Speaker: Alaa&nbsp;Al Aswani Host: Lina Khatib Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Contentious politics: Authoritarianism in the Middle East

The Contentious politics since the ‘Arab Spring’&nbsp;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 aftermath of the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, the struggle to rebuild Libya's institutions and the critical role played by women in this movement. Find out more:  Credits: Speaker: Zahra' Langhi Host: Lina Khatib Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Contentious politics: Libya's decade of upheaval

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.

War in Ukraine: How is the invasion impacting China?

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 displaced by conflict or natural disasters lack access to the energy services that are necessary for forging dignified lives and livelihoods.&nbsp; Approximately 94% of refugees do not have access to electricity to heat or cool hospitals, schools and dwellings, or to light streets. This first part examines efforts to electrify refugee settlements in Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, shedding light on what has worked and what has not. Since 2015, Chatham House has been researching this issue and convening dialogues to spur action by humanitarians, energy companies and others. Our seminal  report provided the first ever comprehensive assessment of access to energy in refugee camps and urban areas with high numbers of refugees. This two-part podcast is part of the  project. Led by Practical Action, the project provides access to affordable and sustainable sources of renewable energy, and improves the health, wellbeing and security of refugees and neighbouring communities. Credits: Speakers: Emmanuel Aziebor (Mercy Corps), Laura Clarke (Practical Action), Kevin Mwangi (GIZ) Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Power for refugees: Electricity

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 displaced by conflict or natural disasters lack access to the energy services that are necessary for forging dignified lives and livelihoods.&nbsp; This second episode examines efforts to provide alternative fuel for cooking in displaced settings in Kenya, Niger and Rwanda, shedding light on what has worked and what has not. Approximately 81% of refugees rely on basic fuels like wood for cooking. This brings about major difficulties for refugees and the environment, such as illness-inducing fumes from burning wood, the threat of violence to the women and girls who travel often long distances to collect wood, and deforestation. Since 2015, Chatham House has been researching this issue and convening dialogues to spur action by humanitarians, energy companies and others. Our seminal  report provided the first ever comprehensive assessment of access to energy in refugee camps and urban areas with high numbers of refugees. This two-part podcast is part of the  project. Led by Practical Action, the project provides access to affordable and sustainable sources of renewable energy, and improves the health, wellbeing and security of refugees and neighbouring communities. Credits: Speakers: Suzy Huber (Inyenyeri), Benoit Moreno (UNHCR Niger), Syrus Mutua (Sanivation) Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Power for refugees: Cooking

This episode of Africa Aware examines colonial land reparations, focusing on the Kipsigis and Talai clans of Kericho county in Kenya. Between 1895 and 1963 inhabitants of the county were evicted from their lands to make way for lucrative tea plantations owned by settlers. Governor Paul Chepkwony, Rodney Dixon QC and Maureen Okoth outline their efforts to engage with the UK Government to receive reparations and an apology for human rights violations the victims they represent suffered and continue to be affected by. In 2021, the UN recommended that the UK Government should at a minimum meet with the victims and then discuss compensation, an apology as well as memorialisation.

Episode 13: Colonial Land Reparations in Kenya

How does Russia utilise 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&nbsp; Clips used: BBC News Guests: , ,  This episode was produced by David Dargahi and Anouk Millet of  on behalf of .

War in Ukraine: Disinformation and the cyber war

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 to Mariana about EU-Turkey migration diplomacy and the Turkish role in international migration governance. Looking back, Ayşen outlines the implications of the 2016 statement and the evolving attitudes of Turkish cities towards migrants and asylum-seekers in the intervening years. Then Stefanos Levidis from Forensic Architecture explores the other side of the border with Danai, looking at the Greek case as the external border of the EU. Stefanos explains why the EU-Turkey border is important and how the natural environment can be weaponized to enforce border controls. Read Chatham House’s expert comments on EU migration policies:   
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/03/ukraine-exposes-europes-double-standards-refugees

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/10/what-externalization-and-why-it-threat-refugees

Credits: Speakers: Ayşen Üstübici, Stefanos Levidis Hosts: Danai Avgeri, Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Episode 105: EU-Turkish migration and borders

Chatham House is an independent policy instute, based in London. We have been a source of independent analysis, trusted dialogue and influential ideas for one hundred years. Today, at the beginning of our second century, we continue to offer solutions to global challenges and actively seek to empower the next generation to change their world.

Episode 96: The US-China rivalry in an age of crisis

Chatham House

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