Independent Thinking: Can the UK take on the EU, US and China?

Although Friedrich Merz has big ambitions for Germany’s international role, significant domestic pressures remain and will constrain his government’s room for manoeuvre.

Janka Oertel and Sir Martin Donnelly join the podcast ahead of the UK-EU summit to discuss how the UK can manage its ties with the European Union, United States and China.

Failing to align with the EU on a key climate policy tool will be costly for UK industry and stifle investment in the energy sector.

Growing differences with the US president over the war in Gaza and the new government in Syria are compounding domestic pressure on the Israeli prime minister.

The US prioritizing bilateral talks with Iran over nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) negotiations could lead to contradictions in implementation and put the treaty at risk.

The risk of renewed hostilities will remain in the absence of meaningful political dialogue.

Presented with a binary choice between US and Chinese technology, middle powers must balance realism and ambition in maintaining sovereignty over their technology.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE will seek to deepen ties with Washington – but tariffs and oil prices worry Gulf states, as does continuing violence in Gaza.

Marion Messmer, Chietigj Bajpaee and Stephen Farrell join the podcast to discuss the cross-border strikes between India and Pakistan.

The Pahalgam terror attack has returned Kashmir to the international agenda. But a history of flawed policy means neither country can claim moral authority on the region.

But New Delhi’s policy of strategic autonomy – and its brewing conflict with Pakistan – may hamper cooperation in some areas.

Albanese has convincingly won a second term but faces a difficult balancing act to boost ties in Europe and Asia while managing complicated relations with Beijing and Washington.

In this episode, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security HE Ambassador Bankole Adeoye shares his vision for a more peaceful and secure Africa.

Washington needs to back projects that support local livelihoods and offer security. It must also clarify US regulation to overcome mining operators’ wariness of investing in the Great Lakes region.

The precarious situation shows the continuing danger of territorial disputes in Kashmir – and of the two countries’ nationalist foreign policies.

Tensions over water have contributed to the outbreak of hostilities, but potential mediation by the World Bank could provide an important chance for engagement.

For some, helping Ukraine is not worth the possibility of war. But if Russia is allowed to continue unopposed, almost everything is at risk.

The move to undermine the organization’s growing appeal has precedent but is risky amid heightened tensions over Gaza and uncertain US policy.

Orysia Lutsevych and Matthew Savill discuss the Ukraine–US mineral deal and the challenges facing Ukraine in the peace negotiations with Russia.

The implications will depend on how effectively the opposition can channel the energy unleashed by the arrest into political processes and narratives.

As Friedrich Merz becomes German chancellor, Emmanuel Macron may finally have found the partner he needs for France and Germany to reshape European leadership.

The British government needs a more comprehensive and forward-looking defence-industrial strategy to ensure its national security.

But the scale and shock of the president’s policymaking threatens to undermine his primary foreign policy objective: maintaining an advantage over China.

Isabelle Mateos y Lago and David Lubin join Bronwen Maddox from the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC to discuss the instability in the US dollar.

The International Monetary Fund needs finances and governance that reflect the underlying balance in the world economy if it is to remain universal and effective.

Following the worst terror attack in Kashmir since 2019, military escalation is likely.

Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, the executive director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, discusses what progress has been made and what lies ahead for the fund.

Relations between China and India hold great long-term significance for the future of both Asia and the emerging global order. This paper details their relationship and why their competition for influence and status matters to the rest of the world.

The argument that the erosion of the dollar’s global status could benefit the US is gaining traction in Washington. That move would be a needless act of self-harm.

Leena Koni Hoffmann joins Bronwen Maddox to discuss Chatham House’s decade long research into how Nigerians can fight corruption in Nigeria.