Independent Thinking

Britain's new prime minister Andy Burnham is not known for his interest in foreign affairs, but foreign affairs are eternally and often unforgivingly interested in Britain.
What should Burnham and his new foreign secretary Ed Miliband prioritise on the global front? How can they balance the urgent demands of defence, climate action, resetting relations with the EU and Britain's place in the wider world? And who is going to pay for it all?
To discuss what should be on Burnham and Miliband's to-do lists, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Olivia O'Sullivan, director of Chatham House's UK in the World Programme, and Owen Jenkins, research director for Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
Produced by Podmasters, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
Explore Chatham House's latest:
Video | Burning questions facing Burnham
Comment | Why Carney's pipeline gamble is a bad bet for Canadian taxpayers
Comment | Zambia's election: President Hichilema must preserve his country's democratic reputation
Magazine issue | The World Today summer issue
Audio | The Climate Briefing🎧
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
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The $2.6 trillion spent on artificial intelligence, data centres and advanced chipmaking dwarfs the cost of previous infrastructure megaprojects. Yet AI has become a money pit for tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta, and the tech is failing to hit its stratospheric targets.
Could an AI crash take overinvested economies down with it? In the longer term, whose approach will dominate? Will it be the US's private-led model with tech giants at the top? Or China's tactic of spreading low-cost AI throughout the Global South, with an eye on dominating the future?
Bronwen Maddox is joined by Alex Krasodomski, director of Chatham House's Digital Society Programme; James Kynge, a senior research fellow for China and the World with the Asia-Pacific Programme; and Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance Programme.
Produced by Podmasters, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
Explore Chatham House's latest:
Comment | What the UK should learn from Kimi K3, WAICO and the Hugging Face incident
Comment | What the UK government should do on AI and tech policy
Research paper | Breaking the deadlock on AI governance
Magazine issue | The World Today summer issue
Audio | The Climate Briefing🎧
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
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Ukraine's drone strikes deep into Russian territory coincided with one of Kyiv's biggest political and military convulsions of the war: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov only for his decision to spark protests across the country. Why did Zelenskyy do it? Has the power struggle damaged his authority? Is Ukraine really regaining the initiative in the war? And what will it take to force Russia to the negotiating table?
John Lough examines the potential turning point in the war with Vadym Prystaiko, former Ukrainian ambassador to the UK; Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings College London; and Jaroslava Barbieri of Chatham House's Ukraine Forum.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.
Explore Chatham House's latest:
Comment | Ukraine's allies should make an offer to Russians before September's 'elections'
Comment | Will Ukraine's Wildberries attacks force Putin to the negotiating table?
Comment | Ukraine needs help against Russian missiles now. What more can allies do?
Magazine issue | The World Today summer issue
Audio | The Climate Briefing🎧
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
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Andy Burnham took over as UK prime minister with a vow to restore hope in British politics – and an early volley of voter-friendly policy promises. But are they quite as significant as billed?
How much room to manoeuvre does Burnham really have? Will new chancellor John Healey release enough funds to the Ministry of Defence, which he quit in frustration? Does Ed Miliband have what it takes to succeed as foreign secretary? And how will Britain's place in the world change?
Olivia O'Sullivan, director of Chatham House's UK in the World Programme, is joined by The Economist's political correspondent Hugo Gye and Chatham House associate fellow Jamie Gaskarth to discuss the first days of Burnham's premiership.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Sara Seth.
Explore Chatham House's latest:
Comment | How Burnham should engage with Africa
Comment | The wishful thinking behind the war with Iran
Comment | 'Structural divergence' in China's economy exposes a growing problem
Magazine issue | The World Today summer issue
Audio | The Climate Briefing🎧
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
Follow Independent Thinking on your favourite podcast apps.

The 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey may represent the pinnacle of soft power for the USA and a moment of global prestige for President Donald Trump.
But at home, concerns are growing over his ever-expanding vision of presidential power. Is America now living with an 'imperial presidency'? Has the Supreme Court given the president powers that future generations might find hard to take back? How might Trump's autocratic style affect the November midterm elections? And why does he like to associate himself so closely with sports?
Bronwen Maddox is joined by Heather Hurlburt and Max Yoeli of Chatham House's US and North America Programme to discuss presidential overreach, football red cards and the unitary executive theory of power.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Sara Seth.
Explore Chatham House's latest:
Comment | Trump's threats – and U-turn – on Hormuz fees further undermine US credibility in the Gulf
Comment | US refusal to renew USMCA trade deal brings uncertainty for Mexico. But the treaty is far from dead
Upcoming event | US at 250: Separation vs. concentration of power
Magazine issue | The World Today summer issue
Audio | The Climate Briefing🎧
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
Follow Independent Thinking on your favourite podcast apps.