
Two weeks ago a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Americans and the Iranians aiming at ending a bomb, missile-and-drone conflict that has lasted four months. Victory has been claimed by everyone and on behalf of everyone. So is the US/Israeli/Iranian war effectively over bar the seemingly inevitable bombast? If so did anyone win? On what terms? And where does it leave the rest of us? Guests:Shashank Joshi, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief
Ali Vaez, Project Director, Iran at the Crisis Group in Washington DC
Suzanne Maloney, VP and director of the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings InstitutionPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Production co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed
Jul 2
28 min

The war between Russia and Ukraine has shifted closer to Moscow. In the past week Ukraine has sent drones, made by Ukraine, to Moscow. While many were intercepted, 3 people died when an apartment block was hit. For many Russians the war - or special military operation as President Putin calls it - has been far away. But not any longer. At the same time though, Russia continues to hit cities across Ukraine and civilians continue to die. David Aaronovitch and his guests discuss whether Putin is under greater pressure now and whether the trajectory of this conflict has changed with the use of drone-warfare?Guests:
Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russia Editor
Christopher Miller, Ukraine Correspondent, The Financial Times
Angela Stent, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former US National Intelligence Officer for Russia and EurasiaPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
May 21
27 min

It's ten years since the Briefing Room was first transmitted in May 2016. And what a decade it's been. To mark the tenth anniversary the programme looks at the biggest changes at home and abroad since that momentous day in British broadcasting. We’ve had Brexit, a pandemic, the Gaza war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump - twice. It is hard to remember such a time. So David Aaronovitch's three expert guests will help him answer the question: are we even the same people as we were back then? Guests:
Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King’s College London
Bronwen Maddox, Director and CEO, Chatham House
Meg Russell, Professor of British and Comparative Politics in the Department of Political Science at University College London. Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineers: James Beard and Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
May 14
28 min

A month ago the Artemis II crew landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, completing their historic space mission to the far side of the moon. It’s been several decades since the last human mission to the moon - although this time there was no landing. However, the 4 astronauts travelled further from earth than any human ever has so far. David Aaronovitch asks his guests whether space exploration is back in fashion and if so what’s next? And are we any closer to a human mission to Mars and what would we hope to achieve there?Guests:
Dr Julia Balm, Research Associate, Freeman Air and Space Institute in the School of Security Studies, King’s College London
Professor Andrew Coates, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London
Libby Jackson, Head of Space, Science Museum, London Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-Ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
May 7
28 min

Ask Claude a question, Google a query, order from Amazon, chat with mates on WhatsApp, tune in to Youtube. And where ever you do it from, you’ll never be somehow not in America. Because Britain, like Europe is dependent on US tech and as the AI revolution unfolds, governments are increasingly worried about it. The new buzz phrase is digital sovereignty. But what does that mean? Is it even feasible? And can the UK and the Europe take back control? David Aaronovitch talks to:Stanley Pignal, Europe editor at The Economist
Cecilia Rikap, Associate Professor in Economics and Head of Research at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Seb Johnson, founder of Scaling Europe, a media company focused on European TechPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
Apr 30
28 min

It’s almost two months since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran. And in spite of a ceasefire the vital Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes on tankers, is still effectively closed. The oil price remains high, affecting economies around the world. The most recent assessment from the International Monetary Fund warned that the war could throw the world economy “off course” and a prolongued conflict risked causing a global recession. David Aaronovitch asks what this means for us now and whether an end to the conflict could re-set the world’s economies or have conditions changed for good?Guests:
Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and Professor at Columbia University
Duncan Weldon, author and economist
Diana Choyleva, economist and founder of Enodo Economics. Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
Apr 23
28 min

This month retired people saw their state pensions rise by 4.8 per cent. That’s comfortably above the current inflation rate and means that some pensioners have increases this year of as much as £575. That’s because of the Triple Lock guarantee which is a formula set 15 years ago and which some economists say is costing the government too much and should be scrapped. But it’s meant that the state pension has risen over recent years, pensioner poverty is far less of a problem and not surprisingly it’s popular with voters. David Aaronovitch asks what exactly is the triple lock, can we still afford it and is there an alternative?GuestsCarl Emmerson, Partner at London Economics
Sophie Hale, Research Director, Resolution Foundation
Steve Webb, Partner at LCP and former Pensions Minister in Coalition GovernmentPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Sally Abrahams
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar and Dave O'Neill
Editor: Richard Vadon
Apr 16
28 min

If you sail 90 miles from Key West in Florida you’ll make landfall on the island of Cuba, run by a regime that America has never liked. And since this is the year of bombs, drones and talk of regime change, the island has not escaped close attention. Donald Trump has talked about taking Cuba but could he? Would he? And And what would that even mean for Cubans and Americans? Step into the Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill
Apr 9
28 min

The world’s attention is currently fixed on the US-Israel war with Iran and the effect it’s having on the Gulf region and global energy prices. But it was only six months ago that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was agreed and President Trump launched his 20-point peace plan. Since then we’ve heard little about progress beyond the return of Israeli hostages - the first phase of the plan. David Aaronovitch and his guests discuss what's happening to the citizens of Gaza and what has to happen next if the peace plan is to be followed through. Guests:Rushdi Abu Alouf, BBC Gaza Correspondent
Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent, The Economist
Tahani Mustafa, Lecturer in International Relations, Deptartment of War Studies, King's College, London
Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International PeacePresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineers: James Beard and Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon
Apr 2
28 min

It's a tough time for any young person looking for a job at the moment. While overall unemployment is running at just over 5 percent, there’s particular concern about a large group of 16 to 24 year olds - almost a million of them (12.8%) who are not in employment, education or training. And that includes recent graduates in that age bracket. They’re known as NEETS. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss why they're in this situation - is it down to the state of the economy, their own ability to work or that ever present fear - AI?Guests: Jack Kennedy, Senior Economist, Indeed Hiring Lab
Lindsay Judge, Research Director, The Resolution Foundation
Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
John Burn-Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter, The Financial TimesPresenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
Mar 26
28 min
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