Thatcher to Trump: Lawrence Freedman on UK foreign policy in wars and crises

Lawrence Freedman, author and international relations authority, reflects on the 'utter chaos' of the Trump administration, America's 'catastrophic' foreign policy, the likelihood of an international shock to Britain's politics, the impact of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in his time working at Chatham House, his meetings with KGB agents, and much more, in a wide-ranging conversation with Olivia O'Sullivan, director of the UK in the World Programme, Chatham House.   For an edited version of this conversation, read the summer issue of The World Today, including:    Article | Can the deal between the US and Iran become a lasting settlement?    Article | 'Happy vassal' or 'strategic hedging'? Europe's hard choices as NATO crumbles   Article | The Open Centre: Reimagining Europe's offer to a fractured world    Lawrence Freedman's latest book is 'On Strategists and Strategy: Collected Essays 2014-2024' (Oxford University Press) and he contributed a chapter to the recently published 'Chatham House: The First Hundred Years' (Oxford University Press). He also co-authors 'Comment is Freed', a Substack newsletter.

With the publication of the recent Chatham House research paper 'A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti', Christopher Sabatini and Laurel Rapp discuss how the international community can help Haiti.

The last episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs, looks at women's contributions to international thought, and how they have been erased from the discipline of International Relations. Isabel and Krisztina speak to Dr Katharina Rietzler about women's contributions to the journal and international relations, especially in the UK. Then, Krisztina speaks to Professor Barbara Savage about Black women's contributions to international relations in the US. To wrap up this episode, Leah de Haan sheds light on Chatham House's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiative and Jo Hills shares their thoughts about putting together the archive collections.    Reflections at 100 is a mini-series accompanying the journal's centenary Archive Collections. The collections bring together articles from our archive which speak to the past, present and future of current affairs issues. In each podcast episode, we speak to contributors from a specific collection and explore what the research tells us about policy-making today.  Explore the Archive Collection freely until the end of December 2022, including Katharina's introduction: 100 years of women in International Affairs. International Affairs was started at Chatham House in 1922 to communicate research to members who could not attend in person. Over the last 100 years it has transformed into a journal that publishes academically rigorous and policy relevant research. It is published for Chatham House by Oxford University Press. Read the latest issue here.  Credits:  Speakers: Barbara D. Savage, Katharina Rietzler, Leah de Haan and Jo Hills Hosts: Isabel Muttreja and Krisztina Csortea Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services  Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, looks at how empire and decolonization have been discussed in the journal. Isabel and Krisztina speak to Meera Sabaratnam about how thinkers and policy-makers from the 1920s to 1970s understood both empire and then decolonization. Meera highlights four tensions present within the discussions, and how these may impact the international order today. Inderjeet Parmar delves deeper into the influence of Chatham House at the time and situates these discussions in the broader thinktank and global context. Reflections at 100 is a mini-series accompanying the journal's centenary Archive Collections. The collections bring together articles from our archive which speak to the past, present and future of current affairs issues. In each podcast episode we speak to editors and contributors to the collection and explore what the research tells us about policy-making today.  Explore the Archive Collection, free to access until mid-November 2022, including Meera's introduction: 100 years of empire and decolonization. International Affairs was started at Chatham House in 1922 to communicate research to members who could not attend in person. Over the last 100 years it has transformed into a journal that publishes academically rigorous and policy relevant research. It is published for Chatham House by Oxford University Press. Read the latest issue here.  Credits:  Speakers: Meera Sabaratnam and Inderjeet Parmar Hosts: Isabel Muttreja and Krisztina Csortea Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services  Recorded and produced by Chatham House.

What drives refugee movements and how should policies manage them? This episode of Reflections at 100, marking the centenary of International Affairs, the journal of Chatham House, looks at refugees and migration. Isabel speaks to Emily Venturi about the movement of refugees, the development of global humanitarian systems and the change in thinking on refugees over time. Then she interviews Ali Bilgic on how populism has impacted refugee policy in Britain, and women's experiences of the detention system. Reflections at 100 is a mini-series accompanying the journal's centenary Archive Collections. The collections bring together articles from our archive which speak to the past, present and future of current affairs issues. In each podcast episode we speak to contributors from the issue and explore what the research tells us about policy-making today.  International Affairs was started at Chatham House in 1922 to communicate research to members who could not attend in person. Over the last 100 years it has transformed into a journal that publishes academically rigorous and policy relevant research. It is published for Chatham House by Oxford University Press. Read the latest issue here.  Explore the Archive Collection freely until the end of August 2022, including Emily's introduction:  100 years of refugees and migration Read Ali Bilgic and Athina Gkouti's article: Who is entitled to feel in the age of populism? Women's resistance to migrant detention in Britain  Credits:  Speakers: Emily Venturi and Ali Bilgic Hosts: Isabel Muttreja Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services  Recorded and produced by Chatham House. 

In this final episode of our special series, we speak to Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and Professor Georgiy Kassianov. How can Ukraine rebuild while coexisting with Russia? What is needed to rebuild a stronger country efficiently and effectively? Host: Ned Sedgwick Guests : Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko (Ukrainian diplomat currently serving as Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK), Professor Georgiy Kassianov (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland) This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies on behalf of Chatham House.

How have western financial institutions created loopholes for the Russian elite? Are sanctions truly enforceable on oligarchs with a strong foothold in cities like London? What is Putin's role in all of this? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests: Thomas Mayne (Chatham House Visiting Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme), Oliver Bullough (author of Butler to the World and Moneyland) This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies on behalf of Chatham House.

In this episode we follow up on the food shortage crisis we looked at in the beginning weeks of the war on episode two. What long-term problems can we expect because of the disruption to agriculture in Ukraine? Is there any hope for a solution? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests :Marianne Schneider-Petsinger (Chatham House Senior Research Fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme; Project Director, Global Trade Policy Forum), Laura Wellesley (Chatham House Senior Research Fellow, Environment and Society Programme) This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies on behalf of Chatham House.

What can the UN do on the ground to help the people of Ukraine? Does the war bring the EU a greater sense of purpose or does it mask underlying issues? Host: Ned Sedgwick  Guests :Saviano Abreu (Head of Communications at The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Pepijn Bergsen (Research Fellow, Europe Progamme) This episode was produced by David Dargahi of Earshot Strategies on behalf of Chatham House.

Why are some peace talks more fruitful than others? Why do negotiations break down? What role can mediators play in sensitive discussions? To answer these questions, Mariana is joined by Isabel Bramsen, who discusses her recent article in the International Affairs journal. In it, Isabel draws on her research and first-hand experiences as a neutral observer during the Philippines peace talks in 2017. They explore key learnings for policymakers and diplomats, including the transformative role of in-person interactions. Then, Isabel assesses the prospect of peace talks in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Read the International Affairs article: Transformative diplomacy? Micro-sociological observations from the Philippine peace talks Credits: Speaker: Isabel Bramsen Host: Mariana Vieira Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House.