Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain’s MI6, sits down with Roderich Kiesewetter, a current member of the German Bundestag, to discuss what to expect during this weekend’s pivotal German polls. Immigration, foreign policy, and the economy are among the biggest concerns for voters. A rise in support recently for the far-right AfD party has alarmed some observers. Meanwhile, the center-right Christian Democratic Party is hopeful they will hold on to power. Sir Richard and Kiesewetter al...
Feb 21, 2025•31 min
In this week’s episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini wraps up her coverage of the 2025 Munich Security Conference with three separate interviews with European leaders. Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, sits down to unpack US President Donald Trump’s latest rhetoric on the war in Ukraine and why Europe should step up in defense of Ukraine. Then, Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, explains why Russian election interference has triggered a political crisis in the natio...
Feb 20, 2025•39 min
In this special episode, One Decision’s host Christina Ruffini takes us behind the scenes at the 2025 Munich Security Conference where she sits down with Canadian leaders to discuss the how the United States’ recent tariff threats are shaping the relationship between the two countries, and the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. She speaks with Canadian Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, to unpack US Vice President JD Vance’s remarks at the conference and Canada’s important relationship with the N...
Feb 18, 2025•38 min
Live from Munich—One Decision teamed up with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle for a live podcast official side event at the 2025 Munich Security Conference. Hosts Christina Ruffini and DW chief political correspondent Nina Haase lead a panel of global women leaders, including Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, former Icelandic Foreign Minister Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir, and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren. This episode is an edited version of the live pan...
Feb 14, 2025•41 min
This week on One Decision, host Christina Ruffini previews the 2025 Munich Security Conference with Deutsche Welle’s chief political correspondent Nina Haase, who is also the host of DW’s Berlin Briefing podcast. Together they share insights into what to expect from the conference, including the highly anticipated appearance of United States Vice President JD Vance and his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and how European countries are facing a second Trump administration. St...
Feb 13, 2025•21 min
In this week’s episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini and resident spymaster, Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of Britain’s MI6, discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to the White House and President Donald Trump’s latest plans for Gaza and the Middle East. Later in the episode, the hosts are joined by Nick Warner, former Director-General of Australia’s Office of National Intelligence (ONI) to discuss the emerging presence of the Australian intelligence commu...
Feb 06, 2025•37 min
In this week’s episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini and resident spymaster, Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6, are joined by Juan Carlos Pinzón, a former Defense Minister of Colombia and two-time Ambassador to the United States to unpack the recent developments in Colombia as President Trump’s tariff threats compelled the nation's president Gustavo Petro to give into deportation efforts. They also discuss the growing role of China in Latin America, the drug crisis affecting the...
Jan 30, 2025•35 min
In today’s episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini and resident spymaster Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of Britain’s MI6, are joined by former United Kingdom security minister and Conservative Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat to discuss what President Donald Trump’s second administration could mean for the future of US-UK relations. They also discuss how Trump’s foreign policy could shape the future of the war in Ukraine and what lies ahead for the Chagos Islands, a British archipe...
Jan 23, 2025•32 min
In this week’s episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini and resident spymaster Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of Britain’s MI6, sit down with former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami who was a key figure in the Camp David Summit of 2000. They discuss why a potential peace negotiation between Israel and Hamas has taken so long, what could lie ahead for Gaza, and how the landscape of Middle Eastern politics could change in the wake of a new Trump administration. Plus, Christina and...
Jan 16, 2025•34 min
In this week's episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini speaks with Democratic United States Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They spoke from his office in Washington D.C. about various foreign policy challenges, including the war in Ukraine, the future of Syria and other countries affected by the Arab Spring, and the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Van Hollen says President Biden hasn’t leveraged American influence effectively regarding...
Jan 09, 2025•38 min
In the inaugural episode of the year, former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove convenes a panel of intelligence leaders, including co-host and former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta and Andrew McCabe, former Deputy Director of the FBI. Together, they break down the current state of global affairs and discuss the challenges ahead in 2025—from ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the seismic shifts in the Middle East and what is next for Iran and Syria, and the risks to America and We...
Jan 02, 2025•35 min•Season 27Ep. 23
In the last episode of 2024, Times Radio political editor Kate McCann sits down with Prashant Rao of Semafor and Margot Haddad of France's TF1 to discuss how the year's biggest developments in foreign policy have reshaped the current global political landscape. They share what they believe are the worst and best decisions of 2024, the current state of war conflicts and how they will evolve in 2025, what to expect from a second Trump administration, and the new major players emerging on the globa...
Dec 26, 2024•36 min•Season 27Ep. 22
In this week's episode of One Decision, hosts Christina Ruffini and Leon Panetta, former United States Secretary of Defense and former CIA Director, sit down with Ambassador John Sullivan. Sullivan is a former Deputy Secretary of State and served as U.S. Ambassador to Russia during the Trump and Biden presidential administrations. They discuss the reality of navigating diplomatic relations with Russia, Sullivan's experience in Moscow at the start of the war in Ukraine, and what the fall of the S...
Dec 19, 2024•31 min•Season 27Ep. 21
The man who used to be known only as C, Sir Richard Dearlove, analyzes the stunning fall of a half century Assad family rule in Syria. He shares insights on who was behind the successful final push to remove the dictator in Damascus and what's next for the nation. Plus, the former spymaster and co-host Christina Ruffini travel to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a conversation with Ambassador Wendy Sherman, who served as the United States’ last Deputy Secretary of State. She i...
Dec 12, 2024•34 min•Season 27Ep. 20
In this week's episode, One Decision hosts Kasia Madera and resident spymaster, former Chief of Britain's MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, are joined by the New York Times Magazine staff writer Nicholas Casey to uncover the sober reality of the Sudanese civil war. Earlier this year, Casey was embedded with the Sudanese People's Movement Army, a rebel group fighting for democracy. He shares what it was like to report on the world's "forgotten war" and why peaceful intervention in the region has been la...
Dec 05, 2024•37 min•Season 27Ep. 19
In this week's episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini travels with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Rome, where foreign ministers gathered for the final Group of Seven (G7) meeting of the Biden administration. She and resident spymaster Sir Richard Dearlove, the former Chief of Britain's MI6, sit down with Qatari Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Majed al-Ansari. They discuss Qatar's role as a mediator in the Middle Eastern conflict and their stance on foreign defense for Ukraine. ...
Nov 28, 2024•40 min•Season 27Ep. 18
In this week’s episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini and former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta sit down with Ambassador and former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien. O’Brien, who served as National Security Advisor during President Donald Trump’s first administration, shares his thoughts on several topics, including the Cabinet selections of the incoming President, global concern for Ukraine, the Israeli hostage crisis, and more. O’Brien also offers insights ...
Nov 21, 2024•33 min•Season 27Ep. 17
In this week’s episode, One Decision’s Kasia Madera speaks with our resident spymaster, former Chief of Britain’s MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, to talk about what President-Elect Donald Trump’s next term could mean for relations between the United Kingdom and the United States, and what his Cabinet picks could mean for the future of global affairs. Plus, the UK’s former Secretary of State for Defence, Penny Mordaunt, joins the conversation to discuss the state of the UK’s Conservative party, the im...
Nov 14, 2024•38 min•Season 27Ep. 16
In this week's episode, One Decision's Christina Ruffini and guest co-host, Times Radio Political Editor Kate McCann, discuss the reactions in Washington and Europe following former President Donald Trump's historic election to another term in the White House. Also, resident spymaster and co-host, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta joins the conversation to discuss what we can expect during this transition period, the implications for foreign relations under President-elec...
Nov 07, 2024•38 min
Next week, American voters will decide who will become the next President of the United States: former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. In this week's episode, One Decision’s Christina Ruffini speaks to Vivian Salama, Wall Street Journal's national politics reporter, to see what she's watching ahead of the election. Later, Christina sits down with her co-host, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta, to discuss what the world can expect following the elec...
Oct 31, 2024•34 min•Season 27Ep. 14
This week, host Christina Ruffini and One Decision's resident spymaster, Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, discuss former President Donald Trump's recent complaint accusing United Kingdom's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party of election interference in support of Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. They also talk about the Israeli intelligence that led to the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Russia's potential interference in Moldova's recent e...
Oct 24, 2024•35 min•Season 27Ep. 13
In this week's episode, One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain's MI6, sit down with Sir Michael Fallon, the former United Kingdom Defence Minister. They discuss how today's global conflicts mirror those from ten years ago when Sir Fallon oversaw British defense during the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Russia's invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea. Sir Michael, who served under Prime Minister Theresa May, told One Decis...
Oct 17, 2024•36 min•Season 27Ep. 12
This week, One Decision’s Christina Ruffini sits down with former CIA director and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to discuss legendary Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, War, and the book’s revelations about the rocky relationship between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with former President Donald Trump’s ongoing calls with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin. Later in the conversation, Admiral William McRaven joins to talk abo...
Oct 10, 2024•40 min•Season 27Ep. 11
This week, One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove returns to the host seat to interview fellow spymaster and co-host, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta, on the growing crisis in the Middle East following Iran's missile attack against Israel. They discuss the implications of Israel's response, Iran's fragile state and influence in the region, and the role of America's next president in navigating these global crises. Plus, Sir Richard and Secretary Panetta talk about the poss...
Oct 03, 2024•32 min•Season 27Ep. 10
In this bonus episode, One Decision's Christina Ruffini sits down with the Czech Republic's Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavsky, and Poland's Ambassador to the United Nations, Krzysztof Szczerski, in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly. They discuss Russia's military threat in Eastern Europe, the strain of illegal migration, international support for Ukraine, and the role of multilateralism in a changing world.
Oct 01, 2024•27 min•Season 27Ep. 9
During the high-level week at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, world leaders are gathering to discuss a world in crisis. One Decision's Christina Ruffini spoke with the Philippines’ Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and Taiwan’s Representative to the United States, Alexander Yui. They discussed the escalating threats across the Pacific region and the concerns about the reliability of the United States as an ally. Stay tuned to the One Decision feed for more interviews ...
Sep 26, 2024•32 min•Season 27Ep. 8
One Decision's resident spymaster, former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove, and journalist Kasia Madera break down how Israeli intelligence orchestrated an exploding pager attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon and how Tehran may respond. They also discuss the recent second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Plus, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum joins Richard and Kasia to discuss the future of democracy in the face of growing autocracies in Iran, China, and Venezuela...
Sep 19, 2024•35 min•Season 27Ep. 7
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe joins journalist Kasia Madera and One Decision's resident spymaster, former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove, to discuss efforts by foreign actors such as Russia, China, and Iran to influence American elections, recent warnings from intelligence officials about potential terror attacks, Donald Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin and what a Trump election win—or loss could mean for the United States. Andrew and Sir Richard also talk about their connecti...
Sep 12, 2024•39 min•Season 27Ep. 6
Former CIA Director and United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates joins One Decision's Christina Ruffini and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove to discuss global security challenges facing the West and its allies. Gates describes the challenges as "more perilous than we've probably faced since World War II." They also discuss what's at stake for the Taiwanese, Russia's strategy in Ukraine, Iran's brittle regime, far-right populism in Europe, and whether America should build an Iron Dome...
Sep 05, 2024•38 min•Season 27Ep. 5
This week, One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove takes over the host seat to interview fellow spymaster and co-host, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta, to discuss the recent rise of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. They also explore what foreign policy would look like in a potential Harris administration, why a ceasefire in Gaza isn't likely, how Saudi Arabia's notorious silence could influence an outcome, and insights into the current stalemate between Russ...
Aug 29, 2024•36 min•Season 27Ep. 4