David Miliband on Global Disorder, Labour’s ‘Mistakes’ and Deploying $1 Billion on Crises
The Mishal Husain ShowShow Notes
In 2007 when he was UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband delivered an address to the Labour Party conference. He described a world with “fewer countries at war” and “more democracies than ever before.”
Two decades later, with that vision further from view, Miliband is head of the New York-based International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest aid agencies. Its “Emergency Watchlist” cites 20 urgent crises, from Haiti to Sudan and the Middle East to Myanmar. The group finds itself increasingly constrained by widening conflict and shrinking government aid.
The IRC role, however, gave Miliband new purpose after his bid to lead Labour ended in dramatic and personal fashion when in 2010 he lost to his own brother. Now he sees his old friends and rivals back in power, forced to make decisions he finds painful.
In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Miliband discusses the current state of politics in the UK, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. He talks about Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” and his old boss, former Prime Minister Tony Blair. They also discuss Miliband’s family heritage.
02:30 - His refugee parents and link to work at IRC 08:09 - Growing up, democracy “seemed like the norm” 08:59 - 2007 speech at Labour Party Conference 10:54 - Mark Carney’s 2026 speech at Davos 12:49 - “America will no longer be Atlas” 13:49 - “More autocracies than democracies in the world today” 14:26 - “A revolution in America’s role in the world” 15:42 - IRC work on the US-Mexico border 17:55 - IRC’s 2026 Emergency Watchlist: Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory 18:36 - “Remediation of desperate suffering is our business” 19:06 - “If you talk to the people you have hope.” 23:31 - Jared Kushner’s plans for Gaza 26:21 - Tony Blair and the Board of Peace 32:12 - Cuts to foreign aid 34:55 - “Challenging period” for UK Labour, Starmer 36:06 - Threats from Reform and Andy Burnham 39:07 - What next for Miliband? 40:28 - Relationship with Hilary Clinton Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Illustration: Uli Knörzer for Bloomberg; Source Photo: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from The Mishal Husain Show
In this conversation recorded at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Mishal Husain talks to Rory McIlroy about his career as one of the world’s top professional golfers. McIlroy is one of a very small group of men to have achieved a career grand slam, winning all four major golf tournaments. Now he’s looking to what might be next. They also discuss the LIV Golf breakaway league, the behavior of fans and the future of the game. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Best known as a member of Monty Python, Michael Palin has been many things — sketch writer, comedian, actor, and for almost four decades, world traveler. In his latest series, “Michael Palin in the Philippines” - on UK channel 5 - Palin meets the nation’s president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., visits an overcrowded prison and witnesses firsthand rising tensions in the South China Sea. In his conversation with Mishal Husain, he speaks about what his travels have taught him, the realities of seeing the world in his 80s and Monty Python’s unlikely diplomatic power. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As US journalist Azadeh Moaveni was writing her latest book, ‘The East Wing’, a history of America's first ladies and their staff, President Donald Trump’s demolition of that very part of the White House was underway. Moaveni presents her book as a “parallel women’s history,” tracing how the wives of US presidents, who traditionally had offices in the now-vanished annex, helped shape alliances at home and abroad. Moaveni, a journalism professor at New York University, is a longtime reporter on Iran and the Middle East. She explains in her conversation with Mishal Husain how when she took on the project, Iran seemed unusually quiet. Then the US and Israel attacked. Here, she reflects on a seismic year in the US and around the world. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amid the furious debate over the pace and potential risks of AI development, top tech executives have publicly united around a call for their industry to be regulated. As Google's senior vice president of technology and society, James Manyika says his role is to help ensure artificial intelligence turns out well for the company and the rest of us. But with US President Donald Trump rejecting new guardrails and public skepticism about the motivations of AI giants calling for them, proponents of the technology face an increasingly tough room. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Manyika explains why he hopes that worries about AI – from job destruction to the more existential – won’t dampen enthusiasm about its possibilities. Read Mishal’s notes on this conversation https://www.bloomberg.com/mishal Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Our region has experienced what I can only describe as an earthquake.” That was how Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister, began remarks at a special UN General Assembly edition of the Qatar Economic Forum. Seven months of the US-Israel war with Iran have ravaged Qatar’s gas exports, which rely on passage through the Strait of Hormuz. While the country has long prided itself on conflict mediation, this time its own economy and stability are at stake. In front of an audience in New York, Sheikh Mohammed discussed with Mishal Husain recent pressures his country has experienced as a result of the conflict. He has also unveiled a new investment initiative, part of a bid to focus on the future even as Qatar grapples with the current crisis. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.