Rory Stewart caused a buzz when he challenged Boris Johnson for leadership of the Conservative Party. He did not win the leadership, but he won widespread support for his ‘Rory Walks’ campaign across the United Kingdom, from Brits of all political stripes. He is also known for his walks across Afghanistan, where he was hunted by the Taliban in the mountains between Herat and Kabul at the height of the United States occupation in 2001. Stewart has been a diplomat, a politician, a soldier and - so...
Jan 05, 2023•42 min•Season 13Ep. 1
As part of our end-of-year review looking into the biggest decisions of 2022, we look at how Putin's invasion of Ukraine plunged Europe into its biggest security crisis since the Second World War. Just a few days after Putin ordered troops to cross the border into Ukraine, German Chancellor Scholz declared a historic reversal of decades-old policy and a 100 billion euro fund to bolster Germany's armed forces. After leading the UK out of the EU, Boris Johnson suddenly became one of the continent'...
Dec 26, 2022•13 min
For our end-of-year review, we analyzed the big events and decisions made in 2022 - the headline blockbusters that dominated the headlines: Putin’s war in Ukraine, Xi’s third term, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the surprising United States midterm elections. But what about the choices made that flew under the radar? Or the choices that needed to be made in 2022, but were ignored? One Decision is joined by a panel of leading journalists to discuss a momentous year and the stories that you m...
Dec 22, 2022•14 min
2022 started with the White House warning that Putin planned to invade Ukraine. Many were skeptical. But in this year's most significant decision survey of more than 100 journalists, the consensus is in: Putin's decision to invade Ukraine was the biggest decision of 2022. Some of the other decisions will surprise you and might end up having more impact in 2023. In this roundup of the biggest stories of the year, we examine them all as we end one year and move on to the next. One Decision is join...
Dec 15, 2022•48 min•Season 12Ep. 6
Jeremy Bowen, International Editor at the BBC sits down with One Decision shortly after returning from the Ukrainian frontline, having been embedded with troops as government forces retook control of the occupied city of Kherson last month. A huge victory for Kyiv and a humiliating setback for Putin, who has this week admitted on television that his 'special operation' is likely to take a long time to complete, and tried to downplay rumors swirling of a second mobilization for more soldiers to j...
Dec 08, 2022•49 min•Season 12Ep. 5
The United States' last legislative elections surprised many political onlookers in the country. Unlike long-standing precedent, where the president's party usually suffers severe losses during these midterm elections, the Democrats actually held control of the Senate and narrowly lost the House of Representatives. We bring together President Donald Trump's former Communications Director Alyssa Farrah Griffin together with Johanna Maska, a veteran of President Obama's Director of Press Advance. ...
Dec 05, 2022•38 min
The global supply chain has taken a battering since COVID. But it’s not just about how long you have to wait for your Playstation - the disruption to global trade has illuminated how dependent we all are on other countries for necessary goods. It’s a reality that could also have national security implications, as many countries in Europe who rely on imported gas from certain hostile counties in their neighbourhood, are swiftly finding out. Brian Wenck, the CEO of Flat World Global Solutions, a g...
Dec 01, 2022•40 min•Season 12Ep. 4
Hundreds of people in Iran have been killed after the death of a 22-year-old woman sparked the biggest uprising in the country for years. More than 15,000 have been arrested in women-led protests demanding human rights, freedoms - and an end to Iran’s oppressive laws concerning women. The regime has accused the protests of being “foreign-backed riots”, meanwhile, the niece of the Supreme Leader has spoken out against what she described as the “murderous, child-killing regime” in Tehran. One Deci...
Nov 28, 2022•24 min
For our third installment on China at a crossroads, we look at where President Xi Jinping is positioning China in the world order and what his politics means for Chinese expansionism, influence, and aggression in the wider region. Is he likely to make a move on Taiwan? Will the contested areas in the seas around China be a new arena for hostilities? Will the US and China eventually be forced to go head-to-head, or is there too much financial incentive to cooperate? Brig. Gen. David Stilwell was ...
Nov 23, 2022•46 min•Season 12Ep. 3
This year's COP27 in Egypt gave hope to some, finally a summit on climate change on the African continent, home to dozens of countries that face the dangers of rising sea levels, as well as desertification and droughts due to the destabilizing effects of global warming. But delegates had little to cheer about after the global meeting concluded - the creation of a fund for loss and damage for poorer nations was one small win, but nothing was agreed on for the phasing out of fossil fuels or emissi...
Nov 22, 2022•18 min
China’s imports and exports jolted to a halt earlier this month - marking the first contraction since the pandemic struck in 2020. At a time of worldwide surging inflation and central banks everywhere raising interest rates to painful levels, the “miracle of growth” that powered much of the world’s prosperity these last two decades is causing growing concern. For the second installment of our three-part series looking in depth at China at a crossroads, One Decision considers the economic crises ...
Nov 17, 2022•50 min•Season 12Ep. 2
As the G20 was underway this week, global attention sharply focused on a tiny Polish village near the Ukrainian border. News came that a missile had killed two local residents. Russia insists it played no part in the incident, but as investigations progress, U.S. President Joe Biden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Polish President Duda all said preliminary findings indicate the explosion came from a Ukrainian air defense missile. What does this mean for Ukrainians, their supporters...
Nov 17, 2022•23 min
China's leader has solidified his grip on the ruling Chinese Communist Party, embarking on an unprecedented third term in power. With now nearly limitless power, the world's biggest country totalling a fifth of humanity is now largely under the control of a single man. Who is Xi Jinping? What is his backstory - and how is he likely to respond to the growing domestic pressures in China stemming from his unpopular lockdown policies and the ticking timebomb of financial pressures? Former British di...
Nov 10, 2022•48 min•Season 12Ep. 1
When the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union just one English-speaking member was left. Irish Minister of European Affairs Thomas Byrne says his small nation is increasingly playing a larger, more strategic role in international affairs. It currently sits on the United Nations Security Council and enjoys a closer relationship with Washington than many of their neighbors. Yet, it’s traditional neutrality has limited the support it provides to Ukraine and questions remain on how it’...
Nov 07, 2022•35 min
As the United States prepares to hold national elections for the first time since the January 6th Capitol riots, tensions are running extremely high. The Department of Homeland Security has warned that misinformation and conspiracy theories continue to fan the flames of domestic extremism. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was recently beaten with a hammer by an intruder, who told police he was on a “suicide mission” and had plans to attack other politicians. One Decision sits down with the B...
Nov 03, 2022•43 min•Season 11Ep. 6
The former head of MI6 does not often take questions from the public. To mark One Decision’s first year, Sir Richard Dearlove agreed to take a few submitted by our listeners via social media and the web site. He provides analysis, intrigue and his behind-the-scenes insights on the issues that are on the top of your minds. We look back at pivotal points in recent history like the Iraq War and the role that intelligence played in the West’s decision to go to war. We look ahead to what China is lik...
Oct 27, 2022•44 min•Season 11Ep. 5
The democratically-elected government he served was ousted in a military coup. Yet, he still refuses to give up or go home. Instead, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun remains in New York, pleading his people's plight on the world's most powerful stage at the United Nations. We first interviewed him just over a year ago, shortly after he gave an impassioned speech before his fellow diplomats, denouncing the overthrow of his country's legitimate leaders. How has he managed to keep going? What more needs to ...
Oct 25, 2022•33 min
What does Liz Truss’ stunningly short term mean for the United Kingdom’s standing in the world? It comes at a time of tectonic transformations at home & unprecedented threats abroad. Queen Elizabeth’s passing and the rapid succession of three occupants at 10 Downing Street in as many months has shaken the country’s sense of stability. The former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove discusses the international implications of these chaotic days in British politics. He delves into what went wrong ...
Oct 20, 2022•44 min•Season 11Ep. 4
As the world faces so much turmoil, we reflect on a moment just more than 30 years ago when Australia took a leading role brokering peace in Cambodia, helping to bring about the end of the infamous Khmer Rouge regime, behind the genocide now known as the Killing Fields. The man at the centre of that historic agreement is Australian former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans. What lessons for today can we draw from the past, and a conflict that saw China, Russia and the US on different and competing si...
Oct 13, 2022•41 min•Season 11Ep. 3
The United Nations General Assembly puts the most powerful leaders on the planet in one room. But, what do they really end up accomplishing during their time together? Critics say it is little more than a lot of grandstanding wrapped around a thin layer of grandiose ambitions that seldom produce much impact. We took the question to ambassadors and other senior officials. Is this expensive event effective for the people they represent and if so how? You will not want to miss their take on what is...
Oct 11, 2022•29 min
We sit down with Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani, elected as a reformer for a young and vulnerable country in a tough neighborhood. She talks on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meeting about her concerns not just for Kosovo, but for Europe more broadly. As more weapons flow into Serbia from China, she sounds the alarm on the ominous threat it represents to regional security. Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and host Julia Macfarlane also delve into Serbia's increasingly i...
Oct 06, 2022•47 min•Season 11Ep. 2
The British pound sterling plummeted this week after Prime Minister Liz Truss unveiled her budget containing a divisive 45-billion tax cut, spooking markets and leading to warnings from the IMF to the White House. The Bank of England took emergency measures to keep the economy afloat, promising to buy bonds at "whatever scale is necessary." Can the UK economy avoid catastrophe as it faces threats from inflation and fuel shortages? Leading British economist Alpesh Paleja explains what exactly hap...
Oct 01, 2022•40 min
As the world's attention turns to Iran, grave human rights abuses, and those protesting against this regime, One Decision looks at the negotiations regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - or the hotly contested Iran deal. Morgan Ortagus who spent years in the Trump administration after serving as an intelligence analyst explains the administration's reasoning behind President Trump's abrupt cancellation of a deal that placed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange f...
Sep 29, 2022•59 min•Season 11Ep. 1
Thousands of desperate young men are trying to escape Russia after Vladamir Putin announced a plan to mobilize 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine. His forces have recently suffered a string of embarrassing military defeats. Some Russians are already seeking to escape by crossing the long border into neighboring Finland. On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, we sat down with Finnish Ambassador Elina Kalkku to discuss the recent influx of Russians frantically tryin...
Sep 26, 2022•23 min
Russia's President Putin is losing his war against Ukraine, he was roundly humiliated at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit last week and this week called up 300,000 reservists and threatened the west with nuclear retaliation. As the world convenes at the United Nations in New York, military expert Shashank Joshi joins hosts Julia Macfarlane and former Chief of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove to walk us through the decisions Putin has made and how they will play out, Russia's nuclear threat a...
Sep 22, 2022•43 min•Season 10Ep. 6
As the world gathers to mourn Queen Elizabeth II, co-hosts Julia Macfarlane and Former Chief of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove, a longtime Crown servant, reflect on the life and times of Britain's longest-reigning Monarch.
Sep 19, 2022•15 min
Will the Biden Administration dial back sanctions against Venezuela, a country with the largest oil reserves in the world, in an effort to address the global energy crisis? That's the question we ask two leading experts on the country's energy industry. They discuss how crumbling infrastructure to export crude may slow or stymie any immediate impact. Nicolas Maduro and the Chavistas have ignored the results of past elections and have one of the worst human rights records in the hemisphere, which...
Sep 15, 2022•44 min•Season 10Ep. 5
The Wagner Group is used extensively by the Russian government in conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and across the African continent. The private military company serves as a shadow military consisting of thousands of highly-trained and well-equipped mercenaries. From war crimes to trafficking in illicit goods, they have earned a reputation as one of the most significant sources of instability in countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The United Nations Human Rights Council's J...
Sep 08, 2022•43 min•Season 10Ep. 4
Russia and China are undertaking an unprecedented assault on the international order. Meanwhile, serious questions linger about America's willingness to exert leadership across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Spain's former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Manuel Muñiz discusses why the war in Ukraine is likely to drag out for years and how it will accelerate a process of deglobalization. In his view, the world will divide across two main blocs, democracies and authoritarian states. T...
Sep 03, 2022•21 min
Will the metaverse jeopardize security and stability around the world? Venture capitalist and author of “The Metaverse and how it will revolutionise everything,” Matthew Ball sits down with One Decision to delve into the implications of the new virtual world on the real world. One Decision hosts Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of MI6, and journalist Julia Macfarlane explore opportunities and concerns about the new risks that will be found in the metaverse.
Sep 01, 2022•43 min•Season 10Ep. 3
