Independent Thinking: Will Syria’s new leader rescue or destroy the country?

Haid Haid, Rim Turkmani and Lina Khatib join the podcast to discuss Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa and the fighting in Syria’s Alawite region.

Beijing still intends to oppose Washington by presenting itself as a source of stability and a champion of the Global South. But it remains unclear how it will transform words into action.

The low-cost chatbot could herald an era of affordable public-sector AI – but governments may need to weigh the potential political costs, writes Chris Stokel-Walker.

A secret CIA operation spent decades flooding the Eastern Bloc with banned literature – nowhere more successfully than Poland in the 1980s, writes Charlie English.

Interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that bringing together former rebels, ex-regime soldiers and Kurdish forces into a national military is crucial. But worsening domestic security, opaque decision-making and regional politics may trip him up, writes Rahaf Aldoughli.

Among the many stories in the spring issue of ‘The World Today’, we explore how the Middle East is being redrawn and take stock of Trump’s whirlwind first 50 days in power.

Impeachment proceedings against Yoon Suk Yeol mean a pause on the South Korean president’s effective foreign policy and further opportunity for North Korea’s leader to increase his regime’s nuclear capabilities, warns Edward Howell.

Victory for Civic Coalition-backed candidate in May would end the government’s legislative deadlock with hardline president, writes Iona Allan.

In a whirlwind start, the new US president has shaken America’s executive branch, European security, the liberal international order and global economics. Chatham House experts analyse the impact – and what comes next.

The millions who fled Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 are now facing pressure to return. Olga Tokariuk speaks to some caught in a difficult dilemma.

The Argentinian president’s radical programme has support from Elon Musk among others – but its success has come at a high cost and ignores a festering currency problem, writes Monica de Bolle.

A diminished Iran and its weakened proxies offer Riyadh and Washington a long-awaited opportunity to alter the regional balance of power – but Trump’s team must be careful about the deal it is pursuing with Tehran, writes Lina Khatib.

Most of the 56,000 people who live on the island don’t want to be under the control of Denmark or President Trump – but we must seek consensus and plan carefully before any referendum, writes Aka Hansen.

The former Netherlands defence minister says that Donald Trump’s actions are raising doubts about the US commitment to NATO – in response, Europe must turn its plans to release an extra €800 billion for defence spending into swift action.

Leena Koni Hoffmann tells Sara Seth why ‘integrity role models’ are key to ending a cycle that hurts the poorest most.

Sharing British climate policy know-how could help the world’s largest emitter decarbonize faster. But the UK government must find the political courage to collaborate, writes Chris Aylett.

A potted selection of reviews from our sister journal ‘International Affairs’, by its book reviews editor Mariana Vieira.

The leader of Israel’s left-wing opposition Democrats party tells Yossi Mekelberg why Trump’s plan for Gaza won’t work, the importance of working with Arab nations and why Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to prolong the 17-month war.

The director of Chatham House’s new Centre for Global Governance and Security on the shift to more ‘transactional’ global relations, civilian suffering in the Donbas and why the era of western dominance is over.

Christopher Bobyn meets the Japanese who spend their spare time reimagining a complicated Second World War legacy and asks how the country’s imperial memories touch on its future.

Disagreements between high- and lower-income countries have left the pandemic preparedness treaty in intensive care. The prescription? Developing nations can look to each other for health equity, writes Ebere Okereke.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have made big changes to their social media platforms. Carl Miller and Alex Krasodomski consider the geopolitical implications of a fragmenting online ‘public square’.

Finland, Sweden and their neighbours have much to teach the UK about ‘total defence’ and building societal resilience to Russian ‘grey zone’ warfare, writes Robin Potter.

US involvement is essential to a credible peace. Israel-Saudi normalization may be key to unlocking President Trump’s support for the Arab plan.

Sir John Sawers, James Heappey, Samir Puri and Olivia O’Sullivan join the podcast to discuss whether the UK military is prepared for war in Europe.

Without third party mediation between Turkey and Kurdish groups, it may be difficult to overcome the many barriers that have stymied past attempts to bring about peace.

Trump’s approach to Ukraine is a test for Europe’s ability to adapt to a world of great power politics. To pass it, Europe should reach out to China.

President Trump’s suspension of US military aid to Ukraine underscores the urgent need for Europe to absorb the lessons from Ukraine’s war.

Following the extraordinary events of 28 February, Europe needs unity and resolve to defend Ukraine and help repair Kyiv’s relations with Washington.

To secure long-term growth, the government must resist the temptation to fight inflation by letting the naira strengthen against the dollar.