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JOIN OUR SUBSTACK TO COME TO THE DISORDER LIVE SHOW MAY 14, 17:30 AT RUSI. INFO IN THE LINKS BELOW NOW TO THIS EPISODE: Alex and Jason take listener questions that explore the chaotic political landscape shaped by Trump. Our brilliant Mega Orderers have asked about: What are Trump's true goals and how aligned are they with Russia; where is this going to end; and how should functioning democracies respond? Bouncing off listeners' ideas, Alex and Jason discuss: new forms of ‘spheres of influence' imperialism; how Trumpian advisors, like the influencer Rasputin Laura Loomer, recycle Russian talking points; could Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia work together to forge an alternative order? Is crypto just a vehicle for corruption? And how do you deal with switching from driving on one side of the road to the other? Producer: George McDonagh Executive Producer: Neil Fearn Subscribe to our Substack and become a paid member to support our work - https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Show Notes Links: Disorder Podcast Live: Ordering the Global Financial Disorder 17:30 – 20:00 BST; 14 May 2025 Join us for a live recording of the Disorder Podcast with Tom Keatinge, Director of the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI IN LOND AT 61 Whitehall To attend become a paid for member of the Ordering the Disorder Substack here and then follow the RUSI prompts to attend: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/p/disorder-podcast-live-1730-may-14?triedRedirect=true Listen to Arthur Snell's podcast, Behind The Lines, with Jonathan Terra: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-crisis-in-the-atlantic-alliance-ep-2/id1704344656?i=1000702371956 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this special episode of Disorder, you can hear some of the highlights from our first ever live show event at RUSI. To start things off, Jason Pack was joined on stage by his fellow co-hosts, Alex Hall Hall, Jane Kinninmont and Arthur Snell. The panel discussed how they experience Disorder in their own lives, as well as what they perceive makes this historic period novel. Then, Jane and Alex departed the stage, while Arthur and Jason were joined by Neil Melvin, RUSI's Director of International Security. The trio investigated if Trump actually has a grand strategy and is deliberately accelerating the long durée US pivot to Asia or if he is merely a strategic-less deliberate Disorderer. Then the trio looked at the role Europe plays in global security, while Neil and Jason had an agreeable -- and not even staged -- disagreement about the ideal position the UK can play in global security – should the UK continue cozying up to the US? Or seek to counterbalance it by forging new relationships and convening a coalition of orderers? Lastly, the recording ends with a Lord of the Rings-themed question from a Mega-Ordering audience member. If you would like to hear the rest of the audience questions and have access to the full recording, please join the pay for substack. Producer: George McDonagh Executive Producer: Neil Fearn Subscribe to our Substack (paid members can listen to the whole unedited event including listener q and a): https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Show Notes Links: More on the RUSI Disorder partnership - https://www.rusi.org/news-and-comment/rusi-news/rusi-announces-partnership-disorder-podcast Become RUSI members for more of their brilliant content: https://my.rusi.org/membership.html And From Neil Melvin Read: Europe's attitude to Trump is dangerously naive. He demands action, not words: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/21/europes-attitude-trump-dangerously-naive-he-demands-action/ And for more on Neil's bio: https://www.rusi.org/people/melvin Read Jane's piece about OSCE's potential role - https://europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/its-time-to-use-the-osce/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alex Andreou and special guest, former diplomat and security analyst, Arthur Snell talk about the end of NATO as we know it, today's German federal election, and Apple's tussle with UK gov't over encryption. A packed episode! ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** “NATO may have died - in the sense that, if the Article 5 commitment is not longer believable, if it is not something you can bank on, we may already be at a point when we need to start looking at something else, which looks a bit like NATO but doesn't involve the US.” “Of all the weapons Ukraine uses, 55% are produced in Ukraine, 25% come from Europe and 20% from the US. The difficulty arises because a lot of that 20% from the US is made up of high-end air defence that is hard to replace. But it's not impossible.” "The German election is proof of concept for what Musk's interference can achieve. European leaders need to get their s**t together and decide what they're going to do about his influence, because otherwise he's just going to pick them off one by one." "Any other records held by any other company would be accessible given the right court order. Even for confidential or privileged stuff, there are exceptions in cases of national security. So why should electronic data get a free pass where no other held records would?" LINKS: Arthur Snell's Behind The Lines episode with Mike Martin. Our bookshop including many of the books we have featured can be found at uk.bookshop.org/shop/quietriot ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Email us at quietriotpod@gmail.com. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith (fresh from Brussels) welcome special guest Rachel Shabi to discuss her new book on antisemitism, Trump's proposed cash + ethnic cleansing deal, Starmer trying to make himself invisible, while negotiating with Europe, and the general fever dream we seem to be living through. Plus a stunning audio letter from Arthur Snell in Israel. And of course 'Wokey Dokey' and 'Grin And Share It'. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** “The only way to stand up to Trump is collectively and the UK finds itself outside that large European collective bloc. It is particularly unfortunate and how the Labour gov't can square that, I don't know, but they have to find a way.” “Trump is looking for people to punish, but also for a country to reward, to show the others what happens. And his rhetoric about Starmer is different than any other European leader. So, maybe the UK is weirdly manoeuvring itself into a sweet Goldilocks deal.” “When you're talking to Europe, while showing this much ankle to the US in general and in particular Trump, I think your ability to progress negotiations with the EU will be highly constrained.” “I don't think there's any point in second-guessing a chaos-merchant, who likes to throw chaotic statements into the public space, precisely for the purpose of sowing chaos. And I don't think there's any point in treating [Trump's Gaza comments] as some strategic move.” “The realities of antisemitism are messy. The conversations we need to have are messy. It takes time and the building of trust that means not automatically assuming bad faith. The problem is we are trying to have those conversations in the midst of a political and media environment that is obnoxious and divisive.” CALLS TO ACTION LINKS: You can buy Rachel Shabi's 'Off White' here. You can buy Chris McGreal's 'American Overdose' here. Our bookshop featuring many of the books we have featured can be found at uk.bookshop.org/shop/quietriot You can see the full results of the BfB polling on prioritising Europe here. You can find the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity here. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Email us at quietriotpod@gmail.com. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alex welcomes special guest, former diplomat Arthur Snell to discuss the future of NATO, Ukraine, Gaza, Syria - and whether The West, capitalised as one entity, may be coming to the end of the unity of purpose which has sustained it since the 40s. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** Arthur's Behind the Lines is here. Conclusive video evidence that Trump is definitely the same height and weight as Gavin Newsom can be found here. ______________________ “Trump picks these crazy appointments, partly to rile sensible mainstream people, but it's partly because then they're totally loyal to him, since they have no standing of their own, to be at these jobs.” “NATO and European security are in a fundamental crisis now. Because the whole idea was that North America took a view that European security is integral to their own. That idea is collapsing at the moment.” “Putin is in a rather advantageous position. He can carry on fighting - let's say for another thirty days - grab a few more towns and strategic ground, then announce that he is ready to come to the negotiating table. What Trump is doing, is to say: you carry on as long as you need to and when you're done, there's a deal here for you.” “I've noticed people in the West, generally, and here in the UK starting to blame Ukraine and suggest that really the problem is they didn't mobilise enough troops. If we look at the casualties they've suffered, I think that is a cynical and, frankly, cowardly position.” “The ceasefire [in Gaza] needed two things to happen in America. It needed the tireless work of the Biden administration to negotiate, but it also needed the threat of someone like Trump willing to do crazy things.” _______________________ Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Email us at quietriotpod@gmail.com. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. _______________________ This is a paid advertisement by BetterHelp: Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/QUIETRIOT and get on your way to being your best self. _______________________ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 2022, Nina Jankowicz was appointed to a brand new role within the US Government – Executive Director of the DHS's Disinformation Governance Board, tasked with tackling disinformation. Within weeks, she was the target of a mass disinformation campaign – driven primarily by Fox News – that put her life, family and career at risk. In today's episode, Nina joins Arthur Snell to tell that story – and look at the role of dis- and mis-information around the globe. If the US under Trump turns into a deliberate disorderer in the information space, who will be left to order? There is an argument that medium powers like the UK, Brazil and the EU will hold the key to stemming the tide. Nina is an expert on Russia, Eastern Europe and Ukraine, but in the early 2020s, she became better known as an expert on disinformation. In 2022, she was appointed by the Biden administration to the Disinformation Governance Board, part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. But after Fox attacked her personally, the role was pulled. Since then, she has worked in various NGOs and in other foundations, and her current work is with American Sunlight, which tries to counteract disinformation by providing clear information and research to Americans. In her conversation with Arthur, she shares insights into the challenges of combating misinformation in the current political landscape, the role of media and big tech in amplifying disinformation, and the implications for democracy. Plus: the duo discuss shifting dynamics within the Republican Party regarding Russia, Elon Musk's influence, the rise of deepfake technology, and the gendered dimension to the violence that permeates online spaces. And then as they try to Order the Disorder, they look at Brazil as a place where disinformation regulation is starting to work, the importance of information literacy, and what's been done educationally in Ukraine, plus – could smaller, stronger online communities be the answer? Producer: George McDonagh Executive Producer: Neil Fearn Subscribe to our Substack: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Show Notes Links For more on Nina visit https://www.ninajankowicz.com/ For a CBS explainer on what happened to Nina and the role played by Fox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=z6havT5C9_M&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2F Follow Arthur's pod Behind The Lines https://open.spotify.com/show/4bpdB1iEN3irFueS5CMuq5 Read recent report from the American Sunlight Project on Deepfake Pornography Targeting Members of Congress https://www.americansunlight.org/updates/deepfake-pornography-targeting-members-of-congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alex and Naomi talk to a pantheon of special guests to dissect the week's news. Arthur Snell on the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas Market and a new breed of self-radicalised individual who fits no profile. Ian Dunt on the latest peers elevated to the Lords. Zoe Williams on the backlash over gov't denying compensation to WASPI women. Peter Geoghegan on the first cracks appearing in the Trump/Musk bromance and dark money. A special episode to end the year. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** Arthur: “A classic example of self-radicalisation. People in a very isolated way online can be drawn into a very personal version of a dangerous ideology. You can end up with people with very bizarre uniquely generated private views.” Arthur: “Whilst it's a slightly bewildering case, it's a fairly neat illustration of the way that radicalisation has become a profound danger and that you don't have to have pale skin and ‘Aryan' looks to be radicalised into far-right ideology.” Peter: “Labour's failure [to proactively regulate money in politics] has put them in this position and they still don't have a strategy. When the Musk story broke, they briefed that they might cap donations, now that they may do something by 2026, or that they may limit the amount a company can give. This is very piecemeal, very reactive and not being led from the front.” Peter: “We have seen time and again how unlimited donations, dirty money and dark money in British politics, has warped the political agenda. Musk unintentionally is illuminating this, shining a great big light onto it. And the public care about this. That's the most compelling reason to act, rather than party political ramifications.” Zoe: “A lot of these plans, like the winter fuel payment withdrawal, are not well formulated. I'm not sure that a blanket ‘no' to the WASPI women is the right thing to do. At the same time, this government is being treated atrociously by the commentariat. Conservative gov'ts, and the coalition before them, introduced waves of extreme hardship and barely a peep was made about it.” Zoe: “I don't think anything [Labour] do would be enough to restore trust in democracy… We went from austerity, which was often just performative cruelty, into the fecklessness of Brexit, and then into a pandemic that was defined by corruption. I worry that that did taint the reputation of politics so profoundly, I don't see how you turn it around.” Ian: “We cannot have PM after PM just come in and just cram the place with their cronies… and see the numbers just expand and expand. Even for those of us who are defenders of the Lords, it makes our job impossible, because you cannot support this stuff, you cannot defend the way they are behaving.” Ian: “Starmer is the most consistently underestimated politician in my lifetime. People cannot stop looking at him and going ‘he's so boring', ‘he's got no ideas', ‘he's bad at politics', ‘he's got no connection to the public'. There's loads to criticise him on, but some of the stuff he's doing is huge. When you look at planning, labour practices, local gov't, net zero, criminal justice - in 15 years, we will look back on this period as engine room policy change.” Ian: “Having a surging Farage - which will be the story of next year, because that is what the press wants the story to be - is poison for the national conversation and will pull us further to the right. But electorally, the basic boring answer is still the correct one: a surging Reform just divides the right.” CALLS TO ACTION LINKS: Peter's substack Democracy for Sale. It's free and you should subscribe. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod. On Bluesky click here for our Starter Pack. Email us at quietriotpod@gmail.com. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alex Andreou talks to former diplomat and host of the Behind The Lines podcast, Arthur Snell, to try and construct some order out of the recent chaos in Syria. Who are the good guys? What does this mean for Israel? How exposed is Iran? Is it an opportunity for the Kurds to carve out a state? What is Türkiye's agenda? How does this impact Russia and Putin in both practical and reputational terms? What is next for Assad? ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** “Who can rebuild a country, after a devastating civil war, while also rebuilding its society? That expertise might not exist. But it seems that, if people feel that they have ownership and that they're not being manipulated by outside forces, there's a higher chance of this thing going better.” “If you look at how HTS ruled in Idlib - which became a considerable mini-state, because a lot of Syrians were displaced there, so it ended up with 4.5m people living there - it was a dictatorship, but not in the business of chemical weapons or cleansing, and more recently they have allowed other minorities to practice their faith and have a measure of rights.” “I think we have to accept that the different bits of Syria that are under different groups' control, are very unlikely to want now suddenly to be under the control of Damascus again - particularly the Kurds who have a pretty organised setup in the Northeast. So, one would hope that the pragmatism we've seen so far from HTS and Julani, that has seen him go on this journey from full-blooded islamist to something a bit more open-minded, might extend to saying: Syria doesn't work very well as a centralised state and actually you need a measure of federalism and particularism.” “What happens when people go back home and someone else is living in their house? What happens to teenagers of fourteen and fifteen years of age who have never been to Syria? They were born in refugee camps and that is all they know. How do all those returning integrate back ‘home'?” "It is a reminder that Russia doesn't always win. It's an important psychological point for all those who, rightly, fear Russian encroachment, that Russia doesn't always get its way and can be overextended, like everyone else." BEHIND THE LINES PODCAST The latest episode of Arthur's podcast is here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Email us at quietriotpod@gmail.com. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Naomi and Alex, wth special guest Arthur Snell, assess what Trump's picks reveal about his intentions for the next four years and how they might affect global security challenges, including in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Taiwan. Oh, and it seems it's okay for the media to talk about the Brexit damage now. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** Find Arthur's "Behind The Lines" here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Email us at quietriotpod@gmail.com. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. ***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Over the weekend, Israel confirmed that they had killed Hezbollah's charismatic leader – and terrorist master mind -- Hassan Nasrallah. He was frequently described as the leader of the globe's most powerful non-state armed group. So, what does Nasrallah's exit from the stage and the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, mean for the region? Amidst the humanitarian crisis and vast escalatory pressures, how can we Order the Disorder? To find out, Arthur Snell and Jane Kinninmont recorded a special bonus episode of the podcast. The duo discuss: the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah/Iran – examining the motivations of both parties. They analyse Netanyahu's political manoeuvring, the complexities of Lebanon's political/sectarian landscape, and the potential for diplomatic solutions amidst the chaos. Plus, they dissect the challenges faced by the international community in addressing the crisis and the implications for US influence in the region, as they try and Order the Disorder. For more on the fast moving situation across Lebanon and the wider region, subscribe to our Substack: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links Listen to Arthur Snell's podcast Behind The Lines: https://shows.acast.com/65196b0b1488340011cf14a1 Read Tom Fletcher's (a former guest from Episode Ep10. How international actors can stabilize the ongoing Israel-Hamas War and prevent a regional escalation - https://pod.link/1706818264/episode/cd7401e8093b8bb8f10c639a30db226c) piece on what's next for the region: https://www.ft.com/content/f78a4277-8f94-40c4-a4d4-6c0bde361ecb Read Michael Young's Twitter Thread on the latest: https://x.com/beirutcalling/status/1840008152336527715?s=46 More on the moving situation in Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/apartment-building-beirut-hit-israel-widens-air-campaign-2024-09-29/ Read this really insightful bio of Hassan Nasrallah by Hassan Hassan (from Syria) and Karim Shaheen in New Lines magazine - https://newlinesmag.com/argument/end-of-an-era-what-hassan-nasrallahs-assassination-spells-for-the-middle-east/ Read this article by Michael Young (@beirutcalling) which covers both the regional risks and the domestic political implications - https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2024/09/israel-has-assassinated-the-secretary-general-of-hezbollah-hassan-nasrallah?lang=en¢er=middle-east Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom, there is a dense fog over the Iranian-Azeri border, what time does that make it? Russo-Ukrainian Summer Offensive Time! This episode starts with a short emergency-cast about the crash of the Iranian President's helicopter due to fog. Jason briefly investigates if the death of this ‘disorderer-in-chief' is likely to bring any more order to the Middle East region, before rejoining our regularly scheduled programming about Ukraine. Over the last two weeks, Russia has been gaining territory in Ukraine's northeast, while the shelling of Kharkiv has progressively increased. This does not come as a surprise. The Ukrainians have been on the back foot militarily since their 2023 Summer offensive stalled. What is the strategic logic of Russia's recent advance? Jason is joined by acclaimed military historian Saul David. He co-hosts our sister podcast within the Goalhanger network, Battleground. Saul and Jason debate the strategic logic behind Russia's recent moves – proposing three alternative theses for Russia's actions: 1) Putin is trying to create a buffer zone in northeastern Ukraine; 2) the current offensive is a faint to draw Ukrainian troops to the north prior to a Russian attack in Donbass; 3) Russia is trying to turn Kharkiv into Mariupol, Grozny, or Aleppo, that is to say to aerially decimate the city and inflict tremendous humanitarian suffering on its populace without any hope of actually conquering it. After sketching a broad-brush stroke picture of the tactical and strategic situation on the ground, Saul and Jason discuss how new shipments of Western armaments will affect the current fighting; recent Russian attempts to assassinate President Zelensky; if the murder of Navalny has changed battlefield dynamics at all; the role of China and the ongoing Gaza war upon the fighting in Ukraine; and what are the relevant historical parallels to the current fighting and what lessons they hold for orderers. Twitter: @DisorderShow Subscribe to our Substack: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/ Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links For a quick overview of Iranian President Raisi's death and what happens next: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/20/world/europe/raisi-iran-instability.html Listen to Goalhanger's excellent Battleground Pod here: https://www.goalhangerpodcasts.com/battleground Get Saul's Sunday Times bestselling book, Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sky-Warriors-British-Airborne-Forces/dp/0008522162 Learn more about what is going on: Is the Russian offensive a faint? Read more here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/05/16/russias-victory-day-campaign-just-ran-into-a-wall-of-ukrainian-mechanized-troops/ More on Tactics and Armaments affecting development in Kharkiv: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/15/russia-kharkiv-offensive-ukraine-vovchansk-weapons-biden/ For more on Blinken's visit to Kyiv: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/14/ukraine-zelenskiy-calls-for-more-air-defences-as-blinken-arrives-in-kyiv And on the Russian plot to assassinate Zelensky: https://www.newsweek.com/zelensky-assassination-plot-foiled-1897852 Find out more on Ukraine's will to survive and defend Kharkiv from Jade McGlynn: Her recent Pod with Arthur Snell: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/behind-the-lines-with-arthur-snell/id1704344656?i=1000653710733 And her Dispatch from Kharkiv commemorating the 2 year anniversary of the war: https://engelsbergideas.com/notebook/despatch-from-kharkiv/ Finally, Jason and Bill Browder's ideas on the need for a seizure of Frozen Russian asset via Navalny acts: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/what-makes-a-martyr-alexei-navalny-shines-a-light-on-vladimir-putin-s-evil-tyranny/ar-BB1ja4If Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the early morning hours of 19 April, American officials told major news outlets that an Israeli missile had struck central Iran near its nuclear sites. No one was harmed. Officially, the Israelis are not claiming to have attacked; and Iran is not claiming to have been attacked. It is distinctly possible that this pinprick strike combined with denials on all sides will satisfy both parties and avert further retaliation. Conversely, it is also distinctly possible that it will lead to further cycles of revenge and escalation. To Order this Disorder, Jason is joined by our returning champion Arthur Snell and our great Scottish hopeful, Jane Kinninmont -- Policy & Impact Director at the European Leadership Network (an institution specializing in preventing nuclear war). The trio discuss: 1) why did Israel choose to retaliate, even though Biden counselled them to ‘Bank the Win'; 2) if this event even counts as retribution for the Iranian strikes of 14 April or could be classified as a non-strike as it is below the threshold of certain previous Israeli actions inside Iran; and 3) how Iran's and Israel's Sunni Arab neighbors are responding. Mulling over this unique historical moment, the trio use the Ordering the Disorder segment to propose opportunities for sage diplomacy to prevail and de-escalate tensions. Of course, the mere existence of these win-win, mutually beneficial, off-ramps from further conflict, does not mean that the Iranians or Israelis will seizes these opportunities. Twitter: @DisorderShow Subscribe to our Substack: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/ Producer: James Hodgson Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links For a quick overview of April 19th's events: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/04/israel-carries-out-strikes-isfahan-iran-reports?mc_cid=a8bfe16bdf&mc_eid=b844138f36 For Iranian narratives of the confrontation with Israel: https://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/out-of-the-shadow-war-iranian-narratives-of-the-confrontation-with-israel/ For Arthur Snell's Substack, ‘Not All Doom': https://arthursnell.substack.com/ And for his podcast ‘Behind the Lines': https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/behind-the-lines-with-arthur-snell/id1704344656 Join ELN's roundup of the Persian language news: https://europeanleadershipnetwork.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f9c4fc8e446f80bb4d50ed06f&id=ca7882ea45 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Beneath the Caribbean's idyllic seafronts and sandy beaches lies a darker truth. Illicit money flows, corruption, and organised crime leave these small states hollowed out and open to state capture. In fact, the failure of Caribbean states to provide services to their populations and to generate income has led some of them to sell their sovereignty to their highest bidder. In this episode, Jason Pack is joined by Arthur Snell, host of the Behind the Lines podcast and former British High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago to discuss the multiplicity of interconnected roles Caribbean nations play within the Global Enduring Disorder. The pair discuss: Haiti's recent gang uprising, the high homicide rates throughout the Caribbean, the historical role of the Caribbean as the first truly globalized region in human history, why former British colonies like the British Virgin Islands are increasingly turning to money laundering and drug trafficking, and how the legacy of the sugar trade has left societal scars in the region that are still felt to this day. Twitter: @DisorderShow Subscribe to our Substack here Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/ Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links Read the report, ‘Homicide and Organised Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean here Read more about Haiti here Discover more about Andrew Fahie's drug case here Read ‘The Crime Conundrum in the Caribbean' here Buy Arthur's, How Britain Broke the World here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“We've been quite good at breaking things and we haven't been very good at finding our new space in this world” In this episode, Manas Chawla interviews Arthur Snell as the two conduct an incisive exploration of British foreign policy. Discussing his book, “How Britain Broke the World”, Snell offers a critical perspective on the UK's historical role in international affairs, as a nation struggling to find its identity on the contemporary global stage. He challenges us to examine the impact of past interventions and consider their consequences for the world today. The two also consider the UK's international orientations under a potential Starmer-led government, the root causes of overlooked foreign policies, and Britain's intricate relationship with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Snell concludes on a note of optimism for Britain, as a country which is rediscovering its European identity post-Brexit. Arthur Snell is an author, political commentator, and former senior British diplomat with extensive experience navigating the complexities of international affairs. His career on the global stage, encompassing hotspots like Afghanistan and Iraq, informs his critical perspective on British foreign policy.
Today, we look at renewed US/UK airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen and the reaction to this year's Oscar nominations.To give a clearer picture of why the US and the UK have conducted a fresh wave of strikes Adam is joined by International Correspondent for Newsnight Nawal al-Maghafi and former UK diplomat in Yemen, Arthur Snell.Plus, this year's Oscar nominations are OUT! We return to the phenomenon of Barbenheimer to ask who will win more awards? Our culture and media editor, Katie Razzall brings us all the shocks and surprises from this year's nominations. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Sam McLaren and Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The senior news editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Sam Bonham.
As the Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea, Arthur Snell and Jason explore: 1) How this horrible crisis is actually an opportunity to create a coalition of orderers; 2) how Iran is not really able to use the Houthis as a proxy; 3) how one interpretation of the Houthi actions is as ‘global disordering' rather than specifically supporting the Palestinians or a given outcome in Gaza; and 4) how there is an opportunity for a uniquely constructive role for Britain, drawing on its credibility and experience in protecting global shipping especially in a context where China refuses to engage. Twitter: @DisorderShow Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/subscribe Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links A good intro to Yemeni history from Time's ‘Made by History' can be found here. What the US is doing here What the UK is doing by Elisabeth Braw here And what some think the US and UK should be doing here Context around Anti-Semitism in Yemen here Role of Saudi here Listen to Arthur Snell's podcast, Behind the Lines here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Jason Pack is joined by Arthur Snell, and they speak to Professor Naho Mirumachi. Naho is a specialist on the politics of the environment. She is particularly interested in ‘the wars that were not fought' over water usage. The trio discuss: what lessons can be learnt from international governance of water usage and other related collective action challenges, will there actually be ‘Water Wars' in the future, and the challenges of international coordination over the usage of water. Expanding outwards from historical and contemporary examples of water conflict and water sharing in the Nile Basin and Mekong Delta, the hosts ask Naho: given climate change and aridification, will there be enough fresh water to sustain a world population of 10 billion humans for the long term future? In the Ordering the Disorder segment, the trio conclude that major states just tend not to fight over water. Or at least they haven't as of yet. In fact, water diplomacy has been surprisingly successful over the past few decades and may point to certain lessons concerning how to incentivize optimal compromises in other fields like tax, security, or borders. Twitter: @DisorderShow Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/subscribe Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links Get Naho's book Water: A Critical Introduction (Wiley) here Read NAHO's writing at Valuing water: a difficult but crucial step towards greater water justice here Listen to Arthur Snell's podcast, Behind the Lines, here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Climate change is the perfect example of what happens on a pressing global challenge when no one leads, or even takes responsibility, for a collective action problem – nothing happens, the crisis builds until it becomes seemingly unmanageable/unfixable. Without strong collective action and tough compromises, climate change will get more and more geopolitically intractable making life saving compromises even harder. In this episode, Fiona Harvey explores the importance coordination mechanisms such as COP summits, while Arthur Snell explores the vulnerability of developing island states, the potential next climate great battleground -- the Arctic -- and the role medium powers such as the UK could play in coordinating climate policy. Twitter: @DisorderShow Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/nato-and-adversaries Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links For more from Fiona Harvey, visit here Listen to Arthur Snell's podcast, Behind The Lines, here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode I wanted to go back to something that Paul Mason said in an earlier episode which struck a chord. He identified that the weakest link in International democratic politics is the world's greatest democracy, the United States.Here's Paul's line “the key to the international situation is America. we could wake up in November 2024 with Trump as president that is a legitimation of insurrectionary politics.” (Have a listen to that episode - number 7 - if you've not yet had the chance)That challenge led me to this week's interview. Greg Olear, whose name sounds Irish but is in fact Slovakian in origin is an American novelist, podcaster and commentator on political affairs. He has a substack and his podcast, Prevail, can be found in all the usual places.Greg has focused heavily on the current crisis in American politics, as well as the complicated history of President Trump's links to Russia and the degree to which that still matters. I hope you get as much from the discussion as I did.Arthur Snell (@snellarthur.bsky.social)bsky.appArthur Snell (@SnellArthur) / Xtwitter.comNot all doom | Arthur Snell | Substackarthursnell.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday October the 7th the world awoke to the most horrific, chaotic, and game changing Arab-Israeli war in 50 years. But despite how tragic the news was, it wasn't at all surprising. Internal divisions and partisan dysfunction inside previously functioning democracies (like Israel) have left previously secure and united societies, divided and open to their enemies. This has been an open invitation to those who wish to actively disorder global affairs. In this bonus episode, Jason Pack and David Patrikarakos discuss how, in our era of disorder, conflicts in one part of the world create immediate disordering reactions elsewhere. They'll also talk about David's time in Gaza, Jason's conversations with anti-Semitic cab drivers in Lebanon and the West Bank, and how the internet radicalizes reporting on this conflict. Jason and David disagree agreeably about whether Hamas has already won this war. Finally, they'll try to suggest ways out of this conflict, as they try to Order the Disorder. Twitter: @DisorderShow Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/ Producer: George McDonagh Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Show Notes Links Subscribe to the Disorder Show Monthly Newsletter here For depth on the historical context of the War: listen to Jason on Arthur Snell's Behind the Lines here Brett Stevens NYT Op-ed on potential solutions here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Behind the Lines with Arthur Snell is a new geopolitics podcast. Every week we give the listener access to the best informed people to help you understand this turbulent world and get a feel for the things that will matter in the future.This week, for our first episode, we have an emergency podcast in the light of the apparent assassination of Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose private jet fell out of the sky on a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg on 23 August 2023. I was delighted to be joined by Owen Matthews, former Moscow bureau chief for Newsweek and author of "Overreach the inside story of Putin's war on Ukraine", just out in paperback. Owen is a native Russian speaker and knows more about the country than almost any other British journalist. Owen now sees Russia as a "failed state”, but this does not mean, in his view, that Putin is at risk of being toppled.You can follow Owen on Twitter here @owenmatth and see his article on the Prigozhin killing here https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/yevgeny-prigozhin-dead-man-walking/I am on Twitter @snellarthur and you can read some of my thoughts on world affairs here https://arthursnell.substack.com/If you enjoyed this podcast please spread the word and give us a positive review - as a brand new title it makes all the difference!"Vyner Street Productions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Government's plans to house migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge continues to cause controversy. Why are they going ahead with it? Does Labour have any better ideas? Plus, we have an update on Ukraine, the latest from Donald Trump's legal scandals, and details on Niger's military coup. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Doomsday Watch host Arthur Snell to give you the big stories for the week ahead. “The barges are a nakedly political agenda.” – Arthur Snell “It always feels like Donald Trump is playing political chicken.” – Jacob Jarvis www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Arthur Snell. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap Starmer's biggest mistake? We look at Labour's trade-off between maintaining deadly seriousness on the economy and the party's core beliefs. Plus, in a new irregular series we look ahead at the huge challenges facing the next government. This time: defence. Are Britain's armed forces fit for purpose and how will Labour deal with troop levels, cyber war and costly nukes in a world where “there is no money left”? Politics professor Richard Whitman of the University of Kent joins us to explain. https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn and Arthur Snell. Audio producer: Alex Rees. Producer: Chris Jones. Art: James Parrett. Theme music by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, for the second time since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, world leaders met to discuss the challenges facing the NATO security alliance. With two previously isolationist nations, Finland and Sweden, newly joined or about to join - this week's Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania spoke of a newly energised organisation. But perhaps predictably in an age of war in Europe - there remain tensions and very big questions. The biggest of all - what to do about Ukraine? To discuss what it means for the war in Ukraine; the nature of global security, and the still-dominant role the USA plays in this post-WW2 organisation, Arthur Snell is joined by: - Dr Ulrike Franke: senior fellow at the European Council on foreign relations - John Lough: Chatham House associate fellow of the Russia & Eurasia Programme and the former NATO man in Moscow - Steven Pifer: former US ambassador to Ukraine and senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Assitant Producer Liam Tait. Art by Jim Parrett. Original music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The BBC is in turmoil again, over allegations a presenter paid a teenager for sexual photos. How will the broadcaster navigate this scandal? Plus, Sunak is getting a visit from Biden, what will they discuss? Plus we discuss the latest from Ukraine and the continuing Johnson-adjacent political fallout. Arthur Snell joins Jacob Jarvis to map out the week ahead. “The BBC is subject to an intense level of political hostility, so this is inevitably politicised.” – Arthur Snell “Britain just doesn't have the power it once had, so America is inevitably building ties elsewhere.” – Arthur Snell “America is now blocking Ukraine's membership to NATO.” – Arthur Snell Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Arthur Snell and Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sunak has a brand new immigration policy which looks just like the old one. Does anyone support it? With train strikes looming and an NHS staffing crisis, looks like we're in for another summer of discontent. In international news, following a weekend of riots across France, we ask if President Macron has lost control. Plus updates on attacks on the Westbank and the latest on Ukraine. Arthur Snell joins Alex Andreou to map out the week ahead. “Sunak's immigration policy is headline grabbing but won't reduce numbers.” – Arthur Snell “The Tories immigration plan is a very simple solution to a very complex problem." – Alex Andreou “Macron's problem is he is from the elite, so he lacks a deep understanding of social problems." – Arthur Snell www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou and Arthur Snell. Producers: Kasia Tomasiewicz and Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Washington, DC is home to the American political elite. Hordes of staff looking to make their names. Lobbyists and think tanks, all chasing a shot at success. The Trump years only intensified the culture - but has that changed the city for good or for worse? Ben Terris is a journalist for the Washington Post and the author of The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind. He joins Arthur Snell in The Bunker to discuss why DC is unlike any other American city. Find Ben Terris' book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ben-terris/the-big-break/9781538708057/?lens=twelve “The Trump years in DC were very disorientating for everyone in DC.” – Ben Terris. “Even with Trump gone, Trumpism is here to stay.” – Ben Terris. “There are a lot of people who treat Washington DC like the new frontier, to find fame, influence, and riches.” – Ben Terris. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Matt Hancock appears before the COVID inquiry – can he ever be forgiven? And Prigozhin has been exiled to Belarus – but how has his Wagner mutiny left Putin's position in the Moscow. And what does this mean for Ukraine? Then in the extra bit for subscribers, yet another pointless news ‘story' does the rounds. Why do we put up with churnalism? “It's hard to imagine that Prigozhin will get a long retirement on the golf course.” – Arthur Snell “Prigozhin was acting out of desperation.” – Arthur Snell www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Group Editor: Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell, Marie Le Conte, and guest Rachel Wearmouth. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Alex Rees & Chris Jones. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After an astonishing seven days in Russia, Doomsday Watch is back to answer some of the biggest questions following the aborted Wagner rebellion. How will Yevgeny Prigozhin's short-lived insurrection affect Russia and its war of aggression on Ukraine? Few understand the machinations and manoeuvres of Russian politics like Christopher Steele - former head of the Russia desk at MI6 and the man behind the famous Trump dossier in 2016, which investigated Russia's links to US politics. The director of consultancy Orbis Business Intelligence joins Arthur Snell to discuss the corruption which rots Russian elite society and drove Prigozhin's challenge. And speaking from Kyiv - Doomsday Watch regular Dr Jade McGlynn - author of recent books Russia's War and Memory Makers and researcher at King's College London. Arthur and Jade discuss developments in Ukraine and how Russian society is responding to Vladimir Putin's attempts to shore up control following the rebellion. “A lot of this revolves around corrupt wealth, and vast amounts of it.” – Christopher Steele “I suspect that there was a falling out between Prigozhin, Shoigu and others over the spoils of war in Ukraine.” – Christopher Steele “I think a lot of Ukranians are, at the very least, enjoying watching the spiders fight in a jar, as they call it.” – Jade McGlynn Get bonus material from this series plus early access to future releases when you support Doomsday Watch on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Assistant Producer: Liam Tait. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Interest rates have reached the highest level for 15 years but don't worry because Rishi Sunak says he's: “totally, 100% on it”. Is he? Or is that totally, 100% rubbish? Is Cronyism getting worse? And if it is, how do we stop ministers from appointing their mates into positions of power? Did you see the all-leave BBC Brexit special last week? We did. The panel gives us their thoughts. And we get the latest mutiny news from Doomsday Watch's Arthur Snell as tempers flare in Russia. Listen to our new paper review podcast PAPER CUTS here. https://listen.podmasters.uk/PCogwn “We have some of the worst inflation in Europe, by quite some way.” – Seth Thevoz. “There is a portion of the population, no matter how tiny, that would quite like a recession.” – Seth Thevoz. “For those this affects, this will be a painful period.” – Hannah Fearn. “The honors system was designed to be corrupt. It's doing what it's supposed to do.” – Seth Thevoz www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Alex Andreou with Hannah Fearn, Seth Thevoz, and Yasmeen Serhan. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The slow-motion breakdown of relations between Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Russia's military has now accelerated into a fast-forward coup. Wagner mercenaries have taken control of Rostov - a Russian city which houses the headquarters of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. And now they are marching on Moscow. A worried Putin has made a national TV address and may even be onboard his special plane fleeing the country. Host Arthur Snell spoke to Doomsday Watch favourite Dr Mike Martin, military expert, academic and former soldier, for an emergency podcast on the latest developments. "These events effectively are the beginning of the end of the war in Ukraine" “Putin will not be the president of Russia in six months' time” “This is basic 101 on how to run a country - you don't lose the monopoly of force” Get bonus material from this series plus early access to future releases when you support Doomsday Watch on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Design by James Parrett. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From earthquakes to terrorism – we live in a world of constant crisis. But are we prepared for it? Drawing on a wealth of experience as a former public servant and Director of GCHQ, Sir David Omand's new book How to Survive a Crisis: Lessons in Resilience and Avoiding Disaster addresses responses to some of the greatest crises in recent memory. He joins Doomsday Watch podcast host Arthur Snell In The Bunker. “We must be future-proof to crisis, but we are more vulnerable than ever.” “The world of politics is hand-to-hand combat.” “What would you do when your world is turned upside down?” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Book link: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/448107/how-to-survive-a-crisis-by-omand-david/9780241561331 Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Assistant Producer: Matilda Snell. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Covid inquiry is well underway but we won't get the findings well-after 2026 and THEN some. Too long? Suella Braverman's wish to increase powers to stop street protests has come true with little to no resistance from Labour. Our panel discuss why? Plus, private school officials hurled the most private school insults at Labour's shadow education secretary. It called her “chippy” and said she knew “diddly” for planning to add VAT to school fees, A-class snobbery or justified comment? “You don't do your mingling when there's a plague!” – Andrew Harrison “I was recently disheartened seeing those headlines saying the inquiry had been politicised.” – Rachel Cunliffe “It's only just started and already we've started to lose sight of what the point of this inquiry is meant to be.” – Rachel Cunliffe. “If they want this inquiry to be useful, it needs to be done quicker.” – Tom Peck “I think privately these ‘chippy' comments will make Labour quite happy.” – Tom Peck www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with Tom Peck, Rachel Cunliffe and Arthur Snell. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The finale of our history of the Ukraine war – for now. As Ukraine's 2023 counter-offensive begins and Putin responds with mere nihilistic destruction, the stakes couldn't be higher. Now Arthur Snell takes stock of the war so far. Ukraine's fight for freedom could preserves the security of Europe's hinterlands, and Russia's failures have shown how NOT to fight a war. But history tells us that the fall of great powers puts global peace in grave peril. How can we prevent chaos in Russia spilling out across Europe and perhaps beyond? Arthur speaks to: • Serhii Plokhy, Prof of Ukrainian History at Harvard and the Author of ‘The Russo-Ukrainian War' • Luke Harding, journalist and author of Orwell-prize shortlisted ‘Invasion' • Iuliia Osmalenko, former Ukrainian diplomat and Head of Globsec Kyiv Office • Dr Mike Martin, military analyst and author of ‘How to Fight A War' • Oleskii Plotnikov, serving Ukrainian soldier and human rights lawyer Get bonus material from this series plus early access to future releases when you support Doomsday Watch on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk Photograph: Getty Featuring poetry by Yuliya Musakovska, read by the author, and by Anastasia Afanasiva, read by translator Olga Livshin Incidental music in order of appearance: • Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony • Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra • ‘O Lord Hear My Prayer' by Dmitry Bortnyansky performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir • ‘A Quiet Night (Tyhoyi Nochi)' by Natalia Tsupryk, performed by SANSARA Choir Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Design by James Parrett. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Johnson quits! Trump indicted! Berlusconi dies! Telegraph for sale! Sturgeon nicked! Dorries does… whatever it was she did! This one's got it all. After a weekend that felt like the ‘Layla' bit of Goodfellas, the OGWN team convene to look at the aftershocks of Boris Johnson's flounce, what Trump's worsening legal woes mean for America's stability, and who we'd like to take over at the Torygraph. With special guest Eleni Courea, deputy editor of Politico's London Playbook. Listen to our new paper review podcast PAPER CUTS here. • “There are so many layers to Johnson's dishonesty that the idea he was forced out is just fanciful.” – Arthur Snell • “This idea that Johnson could come back is now completely fading.” – Eleni Courea • “I feel we're definitely in Phase IV of the Tory Cinematic Universe…” – Alex Andreou • “Johnson WAS brought down by a conspiracy… A conspiracy of his own laziness and dishonesty.” – Matt Green https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Alex Andreou with Matt Green and Arthur Snell. Audio producer: Alex Rees. Producer: Chris Jones. Art: James Parrett. Theme music by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Putin's war has reshaped the world. In Ep.7: Russia's invasion of Ukraine shattered the rules-based international order. Now the strongmen are scrambling to take advantage. Arthur Snell looks at vast powerplays of Russian information warfare and Chinese influence across Africa and the developing world. Will China see financing Putin's faltering Forever War as a good bet? And what is in store for Putin now that there are Russian resistance units active inside Russia itself? Hear the finale of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War right now when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk • “Putin no longer believes he can win on the battlefield to the necessary level. He has to outlast the west. It's all he's got.“ – Mark Galeotti • “By targeting fissures in the UK and US and increasing grievances, Russia can keep us polarised and keep us distracted.” – Nina Jankowicz. • “There are centuries of slavery baked inside the Russian psyche. But it doesn't give Putin an eternal lease on the Russian soul.” – John Sweeney • “Every global problem that we've got can be traced back to authoritarians.” – Brian Klaas • “More than ever before the Kremlin needs to divert attention away from the mess that's unfolding in its own country.” – Arthur Snell • “If the Ukrainians humiliate his killing machine… then Vladimir Putin will leave the Kremlin in a box.” – John Sweeney Photograph: Getty Incidental music in order of appearance: Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony ‘The Blessed I have Already Chosen' by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir ‘Thy Resurrection' performed by the Music of Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra ‘O Lord Hear My Prayer' by Dmitry Bortnyansky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
So, we're in the future I guess – and apparently A.I. threatens bringing an end to humanity. With top scientists sounding the alarm – should we be worried or panicked? Plus, vaping is in the Government's firing line. Why is it on the agenda and how does Sunak balance crackdowns with his apparent Thatcher adoration? And in the extra bit for backers our panel discusses why so many of us get it wrong on recycling… Our guest this week is Zoë Grünewald of New Statesman. “It's not the worry that A.I. is used by an evil genius, it's the worry the A.I. becomes a threat itself.” – Arthur Snell “We have no concept of what super intelligent computers look like. It makes it difficult for policymakers and the public.” – Zoë Grünewald “So much of how Westminster works is personality focused. I can't imagine a future where MPs are entrusting robots with their secrets.” – Zoë Grünewald “In public discourse it's very difficult to imagine what a superintelligent computer looks like.” – Zoë Grünewald www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Marie Le Conte and Arthur Snell. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Telling the history of the war that's reshaping the world. In Ep.6: How Ukrainian bravery and steadfastness amazed the world. These are the human stories of how a country much smaller than Russia was able to stand together under Putin's astonishing onslaught – why a shovel is a soldier's best friend – and how Ukrainian civilians who never thought of themselves as fighters found themselves rushing towards the front line. Hear next week's edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk • “I was terrified of dying a wasteful death… but there was pride too. We've learned we're more united and braver than we thought.” – Romeo Kokriatski • “Ironically it's Russian's repeated attacks on Ukraine that propelled this country's sense of purpose and unity.” – Arthur Snell • “Before August 2022 it was hard to convince anyone that Ukraine could win this. After September I was struggling to convince people that victory wasn't inevitable.” – Jack Watling • “Hopefully this war makes people around the world understand that freedom is not free.” – Olga Tokariuk Photograph courtesy Juan Barreto Incidental music in order of appearance: • ‘A Quiet Night – Tyhohi Nochi' by Natalia Tsupryk, performed by SANSARA Choir • ‘O Lord, Hear My Prayer – Dmitry Bortniansky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir • Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra • Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony ‘A Quiet Night – Tyhohi Nochi' by Natalia Tsupryk was commissioned and recorded by SANSARA choir at the Ukrainian Cathedral in London, directed by Tom Herring. Hear the full track on SANSARA's latest album Traces here: https://platoon.lnk.to/traces Find out more about the project on their website here: https://www.sansarachoir.com/a-quiet-night Follow SANSARA @SansaraChoir and on your preferred streaming platform. Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Arthur Snell's book How Britain Broke the World: War, Greed and Blunders from Kosovo to Afghanistan (1997-2021) (Canbury Press, 2022) critically assesses UK foreign policy over the past 25 years, from Kosovo in 1998 to Afghanistan in 2021, while also scrutinising British policy towards the powerhouses of the USA, Russia, India, and China. Far from being unimportant, Snell reveals, Britain has often played a pivotal role in world affairs. For instance, London supplied the false intelligence that justified the Allied invasion of Iraq and plugged Russia's corrupt elite into Western economies. Then come the bungled humanitarian interventions in foreign states. Without the UK's marginal but key role, the author argues, it's likely that wars would not have blighted the Balkans, Iraq, and Libya, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved, and the world would be a safer place in the 2020s. Taking in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Snell charts the key political, economic and geographic factors that drive the behaviour of the most powerful and populous countries. Like a diplomatic version of Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, How Britain Broke the World reveals the ignominious reality of UK foreign policy and the true state of world affairs. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Britain's role in international affairs. Philip Blood is a British historian residing in Germany. His specialist research covers military culture, war, security, genocide and the Holocaust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Arthur Snell's book How Britain Broke the World: War, Greed and Blunders from Kosovo to Afghanistan (1997-2021) (Canbury Press, 2022) critically assesses UK foreign policy over the past 25 years, from Kosovo in 1998 to Afghanistan in 2021, while also scrutinising British policy towards the powerhouses of the USA, Russia, India, and China. Far from being unimportant, Snell reveals, Britain has often played a pivotal role in world affairs. For instance, London supplied the false intelligence that justified the Allied invasion of Iraq and plugged Russia's corrupt elite into Western economies. Then come the bungled humanitarian interventions in foreign states. Without the UK's marginal but key role, the author argues, it's likely that wars would not have blighted the Balkans, Iraq, and Libya, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved, and the world would be a safer place in the 2020s. Taking in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Snell charts the key political, economic and geographic factors that drive the behaviour of the most powerful and populous countries. Like a diplomatic version of Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, How Britain Broke the World reveals the ignominious reality of UK foreign policy and the true state of world affairs. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Britain's role in international affairs. Philip Blood is a British historian residing in Germany. His specialist research covers military culture, war, security, genocide and the Holocaust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
Greg Olear welcomes Arthur Snell back to the program. After graduating from Oxford with a first class degree in history, Snell joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. A fluent Arabic speaker, he served in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Yemen, and Iraq, and then headed the international strand of the UK Government's Prevent counterterrorism program. He is currently a geopolitical consultant, author of “How Britain Broke the World,” and host of the hit podcast “Doomsday Watch” which has produced a new season that chronicles the history of the war in Ukraine. The far-ranging discussion goes from Eurovision to Rishi Sunak to the coronation to Mariupol. Plus: Seid hustles.Follow Arthur:https://twitter.com/SnellArthurSubscribe to “Doomsday Watch:”https://kite.link/doomsdayBuy his book:https://www.amazon.com/How-Britain-Broke-World-Afghanistan/dp/1912454602Sign up for his Substack:https://arthursnell.substack.com/Also…Epic Sax Guy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iFbuIpe68k&t=9sSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/aboutWould you like to tell me more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short.
In Part Two of our latest live outing: Who will be the Conservative Corbyn for their impending wilderness years/psychological meltdown? Our panel ponders whether it'll be Badenoch, Mordaunt, Braverman… or David Frost? And (for your nerves) we wind up with some reasons to be cheerful for the year ahead. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Alex Andreou, Marie le Conte and Arthur Snell. Audio producer: Alex Rees. Producer: Chris Jones. Art: James Parrett. Theme music by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In part one of our latest live outing: When we look back upon this Government… it's always with a sense of blame. Join us live in London as we go over the Seven Deadly Sins of 13 years of Toryism. Plus, as cheese sandwiches and Heinz beans are reclassified as luxuries, our panel come up with some modest proposals for economic living that might meet Anne Widdecombe's approval. Your panel at the Leicester Square Theatre is Ros Taylor, Andreou, Marie le Conte and Arthur Snell. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Alex Andreou, Marie le Conte and Arthur Snell. Audio producer: Alex Rees. Producer: Chris Jones. Art: James Parrett. Theme music by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Telling the history of the war that's reshaping the world. In Ep.5: As Putin's assault falters and his army degenerates into retreat and atrocity, Russia's self-image as a bulwark against fascism falls into tatters. Arthur Snell looks at the incompetence, factionalism, corruption and failure to plan which created this debacle – how Russia remains obsessed with the Great Patriotic War – how Chechnya and Georgia provided dry runs for Ukraine — and the cocktail of self-destructive impulses, self-pity and authority-worship that still drive ordinary Russians to support the war. Hear next week's edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk • “At Hostomel, the Russian obsession with information security meant that they didn't brief their own troops until it was too late.” – Jack Watling • “The Russian Army is a top-down organisation where initiative is frowned upon. It specialises in plodding assaults.” – Mike Martin • “You see Russia's self-destructive tradition in its drinking and suicide rates, in the way power is distributed. We need to worry about that urge and who gets pulled into its vortex.” – Peter Pomerantsev • “The Russian attitude is, we saved the West from fascism. Now look at these ingrates.” – Jade McGlynn • “Putin was a pretty mediocre director of the FSB. He was always ‘talk big, fight small' and Ukraine is his first truly big war, thrown together not by generals but by him and a few spooks.” – Mark Galeotti Photograph courtesy Anatolii Stepanov Incidental music in order of appearance: • Thy Resurrection' performed by the Music of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery • Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony • Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Telling the history of the war that's reshaping the world. In Ep.4: Putin planned to break Europe's resolve under the twin effects of his assault on Ukraine and his energy war. Instead he bound NATO and the EU together more tightly than ever. This is the story of how Putin's recklessness created the ‘Zeitenwende', the turning point in European history where German illusions about Russian cooperation faded away… and Ukraine became a new bulwark of freedom. Hear next week's edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk • “Putin was sending a message to the West. You guys aren't serious. You failed in Iraq. You were kicked out of Afghanistan. Are you really going ot do anything to stop me?” – Arthur Snell • “Europe is now trying to focus its geopolitical muscle against Russia… Ukraine will be a shield against Russia into the future.” – Liana Fix • “Zelenskyy may be the perfect figurehead… Stoic, committed, brave, taciturn at times, but inspirational.” – Arthur Snell • “I worry that, if the Russians win, what does Putin do next? What if he looks at other ‘historic Russian lands'?” – Steven Pifer Photograph courtesy Alexey Furman Incidental music in order of appearance: ‘The Blessed I Have Already Chosen' by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Government's Illegal Migration Bill is “morally unacceptable” according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. But since when did that stop the Conservatives? We look at the chaos, the confusion and the growing asylum seeker backlog. Plus, Labour did OK in the locals but were the real winners the Greens and the Lib Dems? And what does it mean for the General Election? And in the Extra Bit, for subscribers only, our panel discusses their favourite on-air mistakes. “The UNHCR says the legislation would amount to an asylum ban and undermine international legislation… it's a horrible, horrible plan.” - Naomi Smith “I can't see how it's anything other than a floating prison.” - Naomi Smith “Cast your mind back, Labour had a 20 to 30 point lead and now it has a 12 point lead, which is quite a big drop.” - Naomi Smith “Things like rivers full of shit are very high on people's agendas and people are very clear that the Tories have done that to them.” - Arthur Snell www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor, Marie Le Conte, Arthur Snell and Naomi Smith. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Alex Rees with voice acting by Will Bond. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Warning: The episode contains distressing material. In Ep.3 of our history of Putin's war: As the Russian assault stalls, the Ukrainian city of Mariupol becomes a source of humiliation for Putin. He resolves to obliterate it and its people. War crimes on the scale of WWII ensue. Arthur Snell talks to journalists, eyewitnesses and campaigners to reveal the enormity of Russian atrocities across Ukraine – the targeting of hospitals and children – and the forced disappearances and murders of Ukrainian resisters. This is the story of how the self-declared “anti-Nazi” Russian army brought mobile crematoria and mass killing into the heart of Ukraine… and what is being done to bring those responsible to justice. Hear next week's edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk “When Putin's blitzkrieg failed, the Russians reverted to type, destroying Mariupol and other cities and killing thousands of civilians.” – Arthur Snell “We watched doctors operating on a dying child with tears in their eyes. They were screaming, Show this to Putin. He is killing our children.” – Evgeniy Maloletka “Ukraine used attritional defence to bleed – literally bleed – the Russians of men and material.” – Mike Martin “This felt like the V1 and V2 attacks on British civilians during the Second World War. The human suffering is off the scale.” – John Sweeney Photograph courtesy Alexander Nemenov Incidental music in order of appearance: O Lord, Hear My Prayer - Dmitry Bortniansky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony The Blessed I have Already Chosen by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Whitehall bust up is underway with Sue Gray and Simon Case clashing over the former's appointment as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. Is this a witch hunt – or are there just questions? Plus, conflict in Sudan means the UK has organised a second rapid evacuation in two years. Has this one gone smoother than the last? And with the high profile departures of cable anchors Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon across the pond – we discuss our favourite TV hosts. “Opinion of Sue Gray is totally moveable. The thing about the modern Tory party is it is incapable of understanding people can be independent.” – Arthur Snell “I would maybe start looking at LinkedIn quietly if I were Simon Case.” – Marie Le Conte “The narrative that recasts history is that Sue Gray made Johnson resign. Sue Gray helped him to hold on to his job!” – Alex Andreou www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with Alex Andreou, Marie Le Conte and Arthur Snell. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Robin Leeburn . OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Telling the history of a war that's reshaping the world. In Ep.2: Russia thought they'd take Kyiv in three days. Instead Putin's invasion has gone down as one of the most infamous fiascos in military history – while Ukraine's courage and fighting skill has stunned the world. How did Putin get it so wrong? And how did Zelenskyy's defiance transform the conflict? Arthur Snell talks to military analysts and historians to unearth the truth about the pivotal first weeks of the war: catastrophe for Russia, glory for Ukraine. Behind the cruelty and monstrous waste a strange question emerges: Did a dysfunctional, shambolic Russia really intend to invade Ukraine at all? Hear next week's edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk “How did one of the world's great military powers manage to make such a mess of things?” – Arthur Snell “The Russians didn't bring much military equipment. What they did bring was parade uniforms to march through Kyiv when it was all over.” – Peter Caddick-Addams “The Russian FSB spent vast sums of money preparing for the collapse of the Ukrainian Government, which they confidently expected…” – Arthur Snell “ Putin is a very 19th-century figure. He believes that Russia has a birthright to be a great power.“ – Mark Galeotti “The experience of any Russian who lived through the 1990s is that reality can disappear around you at any time. People learned to negotiate chaos.“– Peter Pomerantsev “The central Russian experience is the Great Patriotic War… They think their moral right to dictate to others comes from 1945.” – Jade McGlynn Photograph courtesy Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto Incidental music in order of appearance: Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 5 performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra ‘Thy Resurrection' performed by the Music of Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery ‘The Blessed I Have Already Chosen' by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Ukraine War is reshaping the world. Arthur Snell writes the first draft of its history. In this excerpt from Ep.1 of our new series: How Russia's febrile history, Putin's paranoid resentment and Western complacency led to an historic crime against a peaceful nation, the largest European land action since the Second World War… and a conflict of unprecedented brutality. Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War is out now. Hear it wherever you listen to podcasts. Get every edition a week early and ad-free when you support the show on Patreon. Photo by Paul Conroy. Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices