Independent Thinking

A fragile ceasefire and hostage deal has been agreed between Israel and Hamas to end 15 months of war and suffering. Chatham House experts discuss the timing of the deal, whether it can hold and what comes next. Bronwen Maddox is joined by Sanam Vakil, the director of our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) programme, Leslie Vinjamuri, the director of our US and Americas programme, and Amjad Iraqi and Yossi Mekelberg, associate fellows with our MENA programme. Read our latest: The new Trump administration could herald a remaking of the international order. How should the world respond? Trump’s ambiguous stance on China raises the risk of accidental conflict in the Indo-Pacific The tough dilemma Trump 2.0 poses for Beijing Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Read the Winter issue of The World Today  Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧  Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.

From the devastating wars in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza to Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland and the Panama Canal, what are the places to watch this year? Bronwen Maddox is joined by Gideon Rachman, the FT’s chief foreign affairs commentator, Leslie Vinjamuri, the director of our US and America’s programme and Renad Mansour, a senior fellow for our Middle East and North Africa programme. Read our latest: As the UK government seeks greater engagement with China, a clearer strategy is crucial – and long overdue A rapid ceasefire in Ukraine could lead Donald Trump into a Russian trap With Trump’s inauguration, the EU and Turkey must finally get serious about security cooperation Russia’s economic dilemmas give Trump important leverage in negotiations on Ukraine. But will he use it? Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Cross-border conflict, evidence, policy and trends (XCEPT) Read the Winter issue of The World Today  Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧  Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.

Does Bashar al-Assad’s removal offer a renewed chance for peace in Syria, or is his fall the start of a new phase of conflict in the Middle East? Bronwen Maddox is joined by Gideon Rachman, the FT’s chief foreign affairs commentator, former BBC Persia journalist Rana Rahimpour and Haid Haid, a senior consulting fellow for our Middle East and North Africa programme. Read our latest: The fall of Assad has exposed the extent of the damage to Iran’s axis of resistance While international support is crucial, Syrians must lead their country’s political transition How South Korea’s turmoil will reverberate beyond its borders  Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Read the Winter issue of The World Today  Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧  Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.

Five months in, has Sir Keir Starmer's foreign policy been a success? The UK-EU relationship remains a major challenge for 2025, as does the prospect of a new US president. How will Starmer respond, and will the recent Chagos Islands deal impact the UK's international standing? Bronwen Maddox is joined the BBC’s diplomatic editor James Landale, Professor Anand Menon, the director of UK in a Changing Europe at King's College London and Olivia O’Sullivan and the director of our UK in the World programme. Read our latest: Starmer and his government must make a better case for an active UK foreign policy Syria’s conflict was never going to stay frozen. A new push for a lasting peace is needed North Korea and Russia’s dangerous partnership State capacity, mining and community relations in Peru Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Read the latest issue of The World Today  Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧  Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.