Undercurrents - Season 4

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of&nbsp;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 the international order today. Inderjeet Parmar delves deeper into the influence of Chatham House at the time and situates these discussions in the broader thinktank and global context. Reflections at 100 is a mini-series accompanying the journal’s centenary Archive Collections. The collections bring together articles from our archive which speak to the past, present and future of current affairs issues. In each podcast episode we speak to editors and contributors to the collection and explore what the research tells us about policy-making today.&nbsp; Explore the Archive Collection, free to access until mid-November 2022, including Meera's introduction:  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 policy relevant research. It is published for Chatham House by Oxford University Press.&nbsp;&nbsp; Credits:&nbsp; Speakers: Meera Sabaratnam and Inderjeet Parmar Hosts: Isabel Muttreja and Krisztina Csortea Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services&nbsp; Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

Reflections at 100: Empire and decolonization

Bronwen Maddox is joined this week by Mohammed al-Ta’ishi, a civilian member of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council - where he served as the chief negotiator and main architect of the Juba Peace Agreement. Joining them both are BBC journalist James Copnall and Rosalind Marsden, an Associate Fellow with our Africa programme and the former UK ambassador to Sudan.

Has the world forgotten Sudan?

Bronwen Maddox is joined this week by Sanam Vakil, the director of our Middle East programme to discuss Iran's missile attack on Israel and the possible consequences across the region. Joining them both are Professor Yossi Mekelberg and Dr Elham Fakhro, Associate Fellows with our Middle East programme.

Are Israel and Iran on the brink of all out war?

Bronwen Maddox is joined this week by journalist Oz Katerji and Phillips P. O’Brien, a Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews. Joining them both in the studio is Ukrainian journalist Olga Tokariuk, the OSUN Academy Fellow in the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House.

Is time running out for Ukraine?

This week, Bronwen Maddox discusses whether we are seeing a resurgence of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, given recent events in the Middle East and rhetoric from world leaders. 

On the panel is Robert E Kelly, Professor of Political Science at Pusan National University, Dr Hanna Notte, Director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Dr Patricia Lewis, Director of the International Security Programme at Chatham House.

Which country is next to go nuclear?

In this special episode, Bronwen Maddox interviews a key figure in US foreign policy to the Middle East for over a decade, Ambassador Dennis Ross.

Ambassador Ross engaged directly with both Israeli and Palestinian parties in peace negotiations under multiple US presidents, and was instrumental in brokering agreements between them, including the ‘Oslo II’ accord of 1995 and the 1997 Hebron Accord.

They discuss topics including the US-Israel relationship, what pressure President Biden can exert on Benjamin Netanyahu over a possible invasion of Rafah, global protests against Israeli action in Gaza and whether any hope remains for a deal to end the conflict.

Will the US continue to support Israel?

In this special episode, His Excellency Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, shares insights into his country’s key priorities during its current tenure on the Security Council.

54 years ago, Sierra Leone was elected to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for the first time, serving a two-year mandate from 1970 to 1971. Now, Sierra Leone returns to the Security Council for the 2024-2025 term after enduring a decade of civil war and embarking on a 20-year journey of post-war reconstruction. This period included the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeeping force, which played a pivotal role in facilitating the end of the conflict.

In this special episode, His Excellency Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, shares insights into his country’s key priorities during its current tenure on the Security Council. He explores how these priorities align with broader objectives for the African continent and reflects on the lessons learned from Sierra Leone’s own post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

Sierra Leone's Return to the UN Security Council

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Shashank Joshi, defence editor of The Economist and historian and commentator Helene von Bismarck to discuss what the next government must prioritize in the UK's foreign policy. With them is Olivia O’Sullivan, Director of our UK in the World programme.

What choices will the next UK Foreign Secretary face?

Rishi Sunak called a 4 July election saying the world is more dangerous than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Bronwen Maddox discusses those threats with Chatham House experts Olivia O’Sullivan, director of our UK in the World; David Lubin, our Michael Klein Senior Research Fellow in our Global Economy and Finance Programme; and Tim Eaton, senior research fellow in our Middle East and North Africa Programme.

How will foreign affairs shape the UK election?

Undercurrents returns for its first episode of 2021 with an extended interview on the future of UK foreign policy. The United Kingdom is emerging from four long years of intense debate abouts its relationship with the European Union. While the effects of Brexit are still to be felt, questions now confront policymakers about how the UK should position itself in an increasingly complex global landscape.&nbsp; In this episode Ben is joined by Chatham House Director Dr Robin Niblett to discuss his new report, Global Britain, Global Broker, which proposes a new approach to understanding Britain's international role.&nbsp; Read the Chatham House report:  Credits: Speaker: Dr Robin Niblett Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Episode 69: Global Britain and the Future of UK Foreign Policy

As countries across the world begin to roll out vaccine programmes to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, questions are emerging over how to ensure that competition for supply does not derail the global response. In this week's Undercurrents, Amrit Swali speaks to  about the looming threat of vaccine nationalism and what can be done to realize more equitable distribution.&nbsp; Next, Ben learns about the legal regimes that govern how militaries behave in the 'greyzone' between war and peace, with . They cover how militaries respond to threats such as cyber and economic warfare, and how the national security establishment can adapt to an evolving battlespace.&nbsp; Read the Expert Comment:&nbsp;  Read the Expert Comment:  Watch the Chatham House Event:  Credits: Speakers: Juliet Skingsley, Rob Yates Hosts: Ben Horton, Amrit Swali Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House&nbsp;

Episode 70: Vaccine Nationalism, and Military Action in the Greyzone

This week Undercurrents is collaborating with the Asia Matters podcast to bring you two episodes on recent events in Southeast Asia.&nbsp; In this episode, Dr Champa Patel, Director of the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House, and Tin Htar Swe, the BBC’s former Burmese editor, provide their reaction to the ongoing coup in Myanmar. This episode was first published on 8 February 2021, and events on the ground since may have developed beyond those mentioned in this conversation.&nbsp; Read the Expert Comment:  Credits: Speakers: Champa Patel, Tin Htar Swe Host: Andrew Peaple Introduction: Ben Horton Recorded and produced by the Asia Matters podcast.

Bonus: The Coup in Myanmar

This week, Ben is&nbsp;joined by Claudia Sadoff, Managing Director for Research Delivery and Impact, to discuss the relationship between food systems, climate change and security. Claudia was speaking ahead of the launch of a new campaign from CGIAR and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Transforming Agricultural Innovation for Climate, Nature and People calls for half of public investments in agricultural innovation to focus on innovations that provide new solutions across the entire spectrum of our food and agricultural industries to support the UN Global Goals that related to food, climate and the environment. Then Mariana Vieira speaks to David Veveers, a historian at Queen Mary, University of London, about his recent article on the mis-remembering of British imperial history. They discuss how empire has shaped modern British society, and the troubling signs that the UK government may attempt to define the 'right' interpretation of the nation's history.&nbsp; Find out more:  Read The World Today article:  Credits: Speakers: Claudia Sadoff, David Veveers Hosts: Ben Horton, Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Episode 71: Sustainable Food Systems, and the Politics of National History

This week, Undercurrents takes a deep dive into relations between North Korea and its neighbours. Dr John Nilsson-Wright from the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House interviews Mr Thae Yongho, a North Korean-born politician and member of South Korea's National Assembly. After serving as North Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Mr Thae defected from Kim Jong-Un's regime in 2016. In this discussion he shares his perspective on the domestic situation in North Korea, as well as how South Korea and the United States should be approaching relations with Kim Jong-Un.&nbsp; Then Amrit Swali is joined by Laura Dunkley from the Research Partnerships team to discuss a new toolkit developed by Chatham House, BASIC and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy which sets out ways to mainstream gender in think tank research and events.&nbsp; Read the publication:&nbsp;  Credits: Speakers: Laura Dunkley, John Nilsson-Wright, Thae Yongho Hosts: Ben Horton, Amrit Swali Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Episode 72: Politics on the Korean Peninsula, and Gender in Think Tank Research

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Reflections at 100: Empire and decolonization

Chatham House

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