Show Notes
The UK has signalled a major change in its approach to Israel, after its Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced what he called a “reset” of relations, as well banning exports from illegal Israeli settlements. And while the move has been praised by many, it has attracted condemnation from Washington and Israel, who in response announced they would close the British consulate in Jerusalem. So is the move mainly a symbolic gesture from the British government? Or could it signify a major policy shift when it comes to its once close ally? On this episode of the Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, the Labour Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Dame Emily Thornberry MP, as well as former Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
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Argentine President Javier Milei, has declared that the Falklands “illegal foreign occupation” and that his country needs to take them back from the UK. But 44 years after Britain defeated Argentina in the Falklands War, could another invasion be on the cards? And with Britain’s military much more depleted today than in the 80s, could they even retake the islands? On this episode of the Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban speak to Chris Sabatini, the Director of the Latin America Programme at Chatham House. He says that the presence of oil near the islands, as well as his tanking popularity at home, has pushed President Milei into putting the archipelago back into the spotlight.
Is the AI bubble about to burst? And could the trillion-dollar investment boom trigger the next global financial crisis? Gary Gensler, the former head of America's financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), warns that a major downturn in AI investment could be just 18 to 30 months away, potentially putting banks, pensions and the wider global economy at risk. In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to Gensler about why he believes the AI boom is unsustainable, whether the world could face another financial crisis like 2008, and what happens when the enormous debts funding AI data centres come due. They also discuss Donald Trump's approach to financial regulation, his family's involvement in cryptocurrency and prediction markets, and whether America's financial watchdogs are still capable of holding the powerful to account. Gensler, now a professor at MIT and host of the podcast Power and Consequences, also explains why he believes the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems are real, despite Trump's dismissal of AI safety concerns.
What is it like for ordinary Russians living in Vladimir Putin’s Russia at war? What do they really think? Award-winning war correspondent Åsne Seierstad has travelled deep inside Russia to find out. Her new book, Never Say War, takes us behind the propaganda to reveal a society shaped by fear, repression and the human cost of war.
Ukraine relies on the good will of two volatile American billionaires to hit Russian targets and defend their own skies - but this week that relationship with Elon Musk and Donald Trump has reached breaking point as Kyiv's access to Starlink was cut after Trump’s surprise diesel deal with Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s defence minister says operations have been partially restored, and Musk says it’s the US government that controls the military side of Starlink, called Starshield. So what happens now? Can Ukraine survive without Musk’s technology? And, as Zelenskyy says he feels betrayed by Trump, is this a final, fatal blow in their relationship? On this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council to discuss.
A dramatic escalation in Yemen has plunged the Middle East into a fresh geopolitical crisis, after a series of deadly Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia’s airports and oil and gas infrastructure. The long running civil war is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. But why are the Houthis at war with Saudi Arabia? And how does it fit into the wider Middle East conflicts? In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Middle East Eye Editor-in-Chief David Hearst and investigative journalist Iona Craig, who examine the catastrophic humanitarian emergency facing over 22 million Yemenis, the formation of rival regional alliances, and whether Saudi Arabia can ever achieve a decisive victory in Yemen.