The Foreign Desk

Episoder

• ‘El juego bonito’: Can the beautiful game help Mexico win off the pitch? 21.06.2026 31min

  Mexico has made a promising start on the pitch but what other victories is the nation eyeing up? Andrew Mueller is joined by former ambassador to the US Arturo Sarukhán, among others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 522: The World Cup seat France won’t fill 17.06.2026 8min

  While Fifa faces reports of unsold tickets, one seat at France’s World Cup matches is being deliberately left empty. But why?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Live from Odesa: Ukraine’s journey from needing help to providing it 13.06.2026 37min

  Live from the Black Sea Security Forum, we hear from Ukrainian MPs on the country’s future and the state of warfare. As Ukraine fights on, it has shifted from needing aid to providing new intelligence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 521: Trump Island 11.06.2026 7min

  Ivanka Trump has revealed extensive plans to redevelop Albanian island Sazan into a luxury resort. But after thousands gathered in protest, will it go ahead?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Lessons from Odesa: the changing landscape of war  06.06.2026 44min

  Live from the Black Sea Security Forum, we hear stories from both the front line and surrounding regions in the war against Russia, including senator Ruben Gallego and Salomé Zourabichvili, fifth president of Georgia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 520: Is it the end of the road for Ferrari’s new electric vehicle?  03.06.2026 7min

  Italians are up in arms about the newly unveiled Ferrari Luce, the luxury carmaker’s first electric vehicle. But why the controversy? Andrew Mueller explains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Upping the ante: How prediction markets are shaking geopolitics 30.05.2026 30min

  The rapid rise of prediction markets is prompting questions about their influence on politics, military operations and the way we consume news. We discuss with guests including PredictIt founder John Aristotle Phillips. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 519: Why Morocco and Senegal’s football rivalry is the one to watch this World Cup 27.05.2026 7min

  Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has pardoned 15 Senegalese football fans ahead of the World Cup. But what happened at the Africa Cup of Nations final to trigger their arrest? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• The Cuban man-made crisis: will the US’s maximum-pressure campaign topple Havana’s government? 23.05.2026 37min

  Cubans are facing a nightmarish humanitarian crisis – and Washington is piling on the pressure. US secretary of state Marco Rubio has long dreamed of regime change on the island. But will it happen? We head to Havana for the picture on the ground.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 518: Duterte vs Marcos in the latest episode of Filipino Family Feud 20.05.2026 7min

  The feud between the Philippines’ most powerful political dynasties continues. This week, vice-president Sara Duterte was impeached. Andrew Mueller unpacks the latest turn in the country’s ongoing political saga.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• The rise of the middle powers 16.05.2026 37min

  As great powers become increasingly unstable and unpredictable, smaller nations are building alliances and trade deals. Guests including Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, consider whether we have entered the age of the middle power.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 517: How the revival of gerrymandering is hurting democracy 13.05.2026 7min

  What is gerrymandering and why is its recent revival bad for US democracy? Andrew Mueller explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Live from Delphi: Can Europe remake itself into a superpower? 09.05.2026 39min

  As Europe contends with the multiplying conflicts on its doorstep and the withdrawal of US protection, can the continent make itself into a modern superpower? Paolo Gentiloni, Mikhail Kasyanov and more weigh in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 516: Are Albertans about to leave Canada?  06.05.2026 7min

  Who are the separatists campaigning for a vote of independence in Alberta, Canada? And how real is the threat? Andrew Mueller explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Live from Delphi: Can the US and Europe find a way back? 02.05.2026 39min

  This year’s Delphi Economic Forum was the stage for much contemplation over Europe’s relationship with the US. Does anyone, even his own supporters, understand President Trump? We hear from Peter Baker and others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 515: Has King Charles saved the special relationship? 29.04.2026 7min

  Given Donald Trump’s fondness for royalty, who better than King Charles III to smooth US-UK tensions? Andrew Mueller considers whether the current state visit has delivered a diplomatic win for palace soft power.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Live from Delphi: Europe breaks with the US over the war in Iran 25.04.2026 39min

  Live from the Delphi Economic Forum: The war in Iran’s impact as seen from Iraqi Kurdistan, the US and Estonia. Is there a strategy to resolve the conflict? Then: has the war turned cracks in the Transatlantic relationship into serious fault lines?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 514: Why is Teddy Afro’s music roiling Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed? 22.04.2026 7min

  Ethiopian superstar Teddy Afro has taken aim at the country’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, in new song “Das Tal”. What’s being protested and should Ahmed be concerned ahead of general elections?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• From Maga to Orbán: The cracks emerging in the global right 18.04.2026 30min

  In recent years, the rise of the right has seemed unstoppable. But are rifts among US Republicans over Iran and the fall of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán a sign that the tide is turning?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Explainer 513: Why does Viktor Orbán’s defeat matter?  15.04.2026 7min

  Despite a relatively small population and limited economic power, Hungary’s general election result, turning out far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán in favour of conservative Péter Magyar, has outsized international significance. But why?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.