Tough decisions rattle us all to the core. But for our guests on One Decision— the choices they are up against can also shape history. No pressure! They take us through all of their doubts, emotions and—sometimes unexpected--consequences.
A fresh take on foreign policy.
Hear the former head of Mi6, Sir Richard Dearlove alongside international journalists as they analyse, interview, and discuss.
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The Iran conflict contains dueling narratives. Iran says it repelled the attack. Israel says it decimated the nuclear program. The US says it brokered peace. So, how do you find out what actually happened? That’s where Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) can provide valuable information to the public. Eliot Higgins built Bellingcat from a Leicester living room blog into the world's most influential open source intelligence organization. Sir Richard Dearlove and Rosanna Lockwood sit down with him to...
With Ayatollah Khamenei’s demise occurring hours into the war, the West anticipated a collapse of the Iranian regime and a popular uprising that never came to be. Is a ‘memorandum of understanding’ the only thing preventing total escalation in the region? In this episode of One Decision, former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host journalist Kate McCann sit down with John Raine, Senior Adviser for Geopolitical Due Diligence for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), to a...
95 percent of global internet traffic travels through underwater fiber optic cables. They've never been more vulnerable. In this episode of One Decision, former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood are joined by journalist and author Samanth Subramanian. His latest book, The Web Beneath the Waves, is an investigation into the hidden infrastructure holding the world's economy together, and the growing threats to it. Subramanian’s book, The Web Beneath the Waves, is an...
All eyes are on Beijing as President Trump meets with President Xi Jinping for the first US presidential visit to China in nine years. This week, Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood sit down with Rush Doshi — former Deputy Senior Director for China and Taiwan at Biden's National Security Council and author of The Long Game — to break down what's really at stake. What does China want from this summit? How far will Trump go on Taiwan? And why is artificial intelligence now the ...
Venezuela's leader Delcy Rodríguez has no constitutional legitimacy, by any standard, including Chavismo's own rules, according to lawyer-turned-journalist Raul Stolk. So who is actually running Venezuela right now? And what does the United States really want? Raul Stolk, Managing Director of Caracas Chronicles, joins Sir Richard Dearlove and Kate McCann for a deep dive into the power structures propping up the Rodríguez government, the US military's direct line to the Venezuelan armed forces, a...
Has the divisive rhetoric of President Trump’s administration irrevocably changed America’s reputation in the eyes of its allies and adversaries? Former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika sit down with Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire to discuss how US foreign policy has shifted during Trump’s second term. Beginning with In Brief, Sir Richard and Ayesha examine the history of UK royalty visits to the US from Queen Elizabeth II to King...
As Pakistan steps into its role as peace broker, is India being left in the cold? Former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood are joined by lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale, Sushant Singh, to unpack this dramatic shift in South Asian and Middle Eastern geopolitics. Starting with In Brief, Sir Richard and Rosanna look at how the Iran and US blockades of the Strait of Hormuz are putting the global energy economy in peril. They also discuss the Israe...
The US has moved critical missile defenses and troops from East Asia to the Middle East. With America’s resources stretched thin, is this the ultimate strategic opportunity for China? Former UK Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace and Times Radio political editor Kate McCann sit down with former advisor to President Obama and Georgetown University Director of Asia Studies Evan Medeiros to explore what he calls China’s strategy of “calculated neutrality” – protecting Beijing’s economic interests whi...
Russia may be issuing verbal condemnations from the sidelines of the conflict in Iran, but behind the scenes, it’s leveraging its relationship with Iran to give the US a “taste of its own medicine.” Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and Times Radio political editor Kate McCann sit down with Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, to discuss Russia’s calculated role in the escalating war in Iran. Gabuev explains why the US being preoccupied in fighting another Middle...
After Iran shot down two US warplanes, President Trump shot back with a scathing ultimatum. But are Trump’s words pushing the world towards a point of no return? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood examine a weekend of high-stakes escalation in the Middle East. They discuss the thinking and implications behind President Trump’s explosive online rhetoric, as well as the global fallout of the war on energy markets in Asia and Oceania. Plus, they prev...
This isn’t just another Middle Eastern conflict—it’s a fundamental restructuring of global power. Sir Richard Dearlove and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika with Fareed Zakaria, veteran journalist, author, and host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. Together, they examine Israel’s war strategy, and whether or not the war aims of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are misaligned. They also discuss the entry of the Houthis into the conflict on Iran’s behalf, as well as why...
Everyone is calling it another Iraq. Sir Richard Dearlove disagrees. In this episode of One Decision In Brief, the former MI6 chief makes the case that what's unfolding in Iran may be something different: the final chapter of a decades-long conflict, with a window for the United States to actually close it. Sir Richard and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika break down the military logic — why Kharg Island is the likely first target, what securing the Strait of Hormuz would actually take, and...
Cuba is running out of fuel, its economy is in ruins, and 2 million of its citizens have already fled. Is the communist regime finally at its breaking point? Sir Richard Dearlove and Kate McCann sit down with Brian Latell, PhD, a 35-year CIA veteran and the agency's top Cuba and Latin America analyst. They assess whether the government can survive Trump's fuel embargo, what a transition would actually look like, and why Marco Rubio's approach may be more measured than his rhetoric suggests. In t...
From an ultimatum to a “pause” in attacks, did President Donald Trump just blink, or is he playing a much larger game with Iran? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and journalist Kate McCann analyze whether President Trump’s sudden shift on Iran is a genuine diplomatic opening, a calculated move to cool soaring global oil prices, or an attempt to buy time for US Marine reinforcements to arrive. They also explore the potential strategic friction between the US and Israel, Trump’s broader forei...
The Strait of Hormuz is in a chokehold. The scale of this oil supply disruption has already exceeded the shocks of the 1970s. Sir Richard Dearlove and Rosanna Lockwood sit down with Helima Croft, Managing Director and Head of Global Commodity Strategy at RBC Capital Markets and former senior CIA analyst, to break down what market players are getting wrong, why reopening the Strait is far harder than it looks, and what a Houthi entry into the conflict could mean for the Red Sea. In this episode: ...
President Trump’s call for naval assistance in the Strait of Hormuz has not been answered by European allies. Does this signal a growing crisis of confidence in the West? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood examine the latest developments in the war with Iran, as well as rising political polarization in France and the UK, fears of domestic terrorist attacks in the West, and the critical importance of Kharg Island to the global energy market. In thi...
What exactly drove President Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel in joint strikes against Iran? Ronen Bergman joins from Tel Aviv where he is a Senior Correspondent for Military and Intelligence Affairs for Yedioth Ahronoth and staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. He shares his reporting of how Netanyahu moved Trump toward a joint strike, and why he's staying quiet about it for now. Then, retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, former Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson and senior fellow...
One of the few Americans briefed before US hit Iran sits down with Sir Richard Dearlove and Rosanna Lockwood to share his analysis: the legal justification is false, the strategic endgame doesn't exist, and we may have just handed Iran every reason to build a nuclear weapon. US Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, breaks down Trump's grip on Capitol Hill, and whether the only exit is a face-saving declaration of victory. Recorded March 9th, 2025. H...
Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed to succeed his father as Supreme Leader of Iran. What now? Former UK Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace, who spent eight years as Chairman of the British–Iran Parliamentary Group, views this as a doubling down on defiance. Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood break down the rationale behind why the IRGC is vested in maintaining the status quo, the growing rift between the United States’s strategy and Gulf States Al...
Iran's strategy isn't to defeat the US militarily. Trita Parsi argues that it's to make the cost high enough, fast enough, to collapse domestic support before Iran loses. With MAGA turning against the war, oil markets destabilizing, and both parties alarmed by talk of ground troops, Trump urgently needs a face-saving exit. Plus, Parsi believes that Iran's revolutionary system was built to withstand exactly this kind of pressure. Trita Parsi is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Q...
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton assesses the initial Iran strikes, advocating for regime change as the only way to eliminate threats and critiquing Trump's transactional approach to alliances. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling then offers a ground-level perspective, drawing parallels to Iraq and highlighting the dangerous disconnect between military action and political objectives, emphasizing the lack of a clear post-conflict strategy. Both discuss the far-reaching geopolitical implications and risks.
After weeks of buildup, the United States and Israel have attacked Iran, killing long-time leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. How will the downfall of his regime reverberate throughout the Middle East and beyond? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and journalist Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio) dive into the questions around the decision to strike Iran, what the death of Khamenei means for Iran’s future, and whether Iranian proxies in the region like Hezbollah have the strength to ai...
When a former CIA officer and the ex-Chief of MI6 agree something is coming — pay attention. This week, Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of MI6, and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika are joined by Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer with nearly two decades running intelligence operations in the world's most hostile environments. Together, they give an unvarnished assessment of the three crises dominating global affairs right now: whether US military action against Iran is i...
The U.S. Supreme Court just struck down President Trump's reciprocal tariffs — so what happens next? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and Baroness Ayesha Hazarika break down Trump's options to reimpose his tariff regime, what it means for trade negotiators worldwide, and why international leaders who flew to Washington may have wasted their time. Plus: Will US intel lead the front of the war against Mexican drug cartels? What role will the Board of Peace play on the global stage beyond Gaza...
Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public life, and not for his alleged behavior toward women. He is the first member of the British royal family to be detained since King Charles I was taken prisoner in 1647. Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove details the level of classified information Andrew may have allegedly shared for personal gain. In this special bonus episode: Why Prince Andrew was arrested for misconduct in public office The state of ...
Is 2026 China's window to “reunite” Taiwan? With Trump’s muted position on Taiwan and focus on the Western Hemisphere, China experts see a "perfect storm" of opportunity. Yun Sun, Ph.D., Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, explains why Beijing believes this may be a now-or-never moment. Dr. Sun unpacks her arguments and warnings from her recent Foreign Affairs essay. In this episode: The People's Liberation Army’s military readiness If the United States won’t intervene, would Ja...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's speech at the Munich Security Conference marks a seismic shift in European defense. Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove breaks down why Germany's massive military spending increase changes everything, and why the UK might be left behind. Plus: Is the US heading toward military conflict with Iran? What is the significance of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s controversial support for Orban in Hungary? In this episode: Germany's constitutional change for unpr...
s the United States about to launch military strikes against Iran? Former National Security Council official Michael Allen joins One Decision to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, revealing why he believes President Trump will soon authorize joint US-Israeli military action against Iran. In this episode, Michael Allen analyzes: Why Iran negotiations may be doomed to fail Putin's negotiating strategy and the Donbas sticking point Europe's slow response to Trump's defense spending dem...
The fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files has reached the highest levels of the United Kingdom Parliament. Tensions continue to rise as Iran attempts to run out the clock on American forces. Russia–Ukraine peace talks appear to be stalling yet again. Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove and Sabrina Singh dive into the ongoing turmoil facing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Sir Richard details calls for the PM’s resignation, as documents in the Epstein files reveal that Starmer’s former U.S. amb...
Denmark's Defence Committee Chair Rasmus Jarlov exposes the truth behind Trump's “framework of a future deal.” In this interview, Jarlov explains why Denmark has drawn a hard line against Trump's territorial claims. Jarlov admits that he's no longer sure if America would defend a NATO ally under attack. In this episode of One Decision, we explore: What's Trump really after in Greenland How Trump’s Greenland threats are fracturing NATO Why the "Chinese threat" in Greenland is "exaggerated to the ...
