Not so great expectations from Trump and Netanyahu

Summits create expectations. But a meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu – the third since Trump’s return to the White House – yielded very little.

The UK cannot avoid deepening bilateral links with China, but policymakers must go much further to mitigate the risks of closer engagement while also insulating the relationship from Sino-US tensions.

Not all BRICS members are interested in the bloc being used by Russia and China to reshape the global order.

A lunch at the White House with an unexpected group of African leaders shows Trump’s policy on Africa is active, opportunistic and shaped by personal relationships.

The government should invest R&D funding strategically in discovery science, connect regional R&D hubs into a national innovation ecosystem and collaborate with partners abroad.

India’s balancing act between the West and the Global South demonstrates the agility of its foreign policy. But this act is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain in a fragmented global order.

Olivia Sullivan, Stephen Millard and Joe Twyman join the podcast to discuss the state of the UK one year on from Keir Starmer’s election win.

The event discussed online harms faced by LGBTIQ+ communities and what they mean for democracies worldwide.

Brazil wants to pursue an important multilateral agenda. But an expanded membership’s reaction to the war may tilt the group away from Rio’s long-standing goals.

Britain needs a better plan to prepare for a world of Chinese dominance. And it must be subjected to public scrutiny.

The US will hit three self-imposed deadlines this summer: on tariffs, international organizations and the debt ceiling. Administration choices will make it clearer how President Trump sees the global order – and harder to argue that the fundamentals of US strength are undamaged.

Trump intervened to help Israel’s military in Iran. Will he continue to let it operate freely in Gaza?

China will be forced to continue hedging its bets as it adjusts to a fundamentally changed Middle Eastern security outlook.

After an unambitious summit, NATO allies must return with laser focus to the key issues that were left off the agenda.

The aircraft will add redundancy to NATO’s DCA mission but will not improve UK deterrence – and come at the cost of other urgently needed systems.

Bronwen Maddox is in Jordan this week, speaking to regional experts about the US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme. Joining her on the podcast to assess the consequences are Lina Khatib and Marion Messmer in London.

‘Solidarity Levies’ are unlikely to generate substantial climate finance imminently but have potential in the long term. The political context is difficult, but there is scope for progress on the agenda in the run-up to COP30. 

The region’s balance of power is being violently upended. It will be difficult for Iraq to avoid being drawn into the upheaval. 

As NATO allies meet in The Hague, US military action in Iran and Trump’s attempts to secure a ceasefire risk taking the focus away from European NATO members’ key priorities.

As the alliance moves to boost its defence spending and capabilities, its European members should champion a NATO-wide approach to data sharing that serves their strategic interests.

The president discussed Ukraine’s military position, his hopes for the NATO summit, and more.

Tehran has few good options, but the US should not overplay its hand, says Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox in Amman.

Former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson discusses issues including the Israel–Iran war and the UK’s Strategic Defence Review.

Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN assistant secretary-general and UNDP assistant administrator and regional director for Africa, outlines the challenges facing a world that is investing in defence while development funding plateaus.

Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers discusses the Iran–Israel war with Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox at the London Conference.

Fading trust in international rules-based order was a common point of discussion at annual conference with the theme ‘Rewriting the rules of the world’.

As the US considers whether or not to join Israeli strikes on Iran, a new balance of power is emerging in the Middle East – and it is tilting heavily in favour of Israel.

China and other BRICS nations have a golden opportunity to take control where the US retreats. But a more fragmented and uncertain world looks more likely.

Sanam Vakil, Renad Mansour, Mohammed Baharoon and Ksenia Svetlova join Galip Dalay to discuss the meaning of the war, prospects for de-escalation and the impact on the wider Middle East.

Washington is at risk of letting Israel drive the agenda in the Middle East, with potentially disastrous consequences.