The UN’s High Level Week, Secretary-General Selection and “Middle Power” Problem

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood speaks with Richard Gowan, Crisis Group’s Director for Global Issues and Institutions, and Daniel Forti, Head of UN affairs, ahead of next week’s UN General Assembly high-level week. They explore the mood at the UN, its shifting relations with Washington and its shrinking role in peacemaking worldwide, particularly in the Middle East. They assess current Secretary-General António Guterres’s legacy, the contenders to succeed him and whether new leadership can reinvigorate the organisation’s peacemaking while defending the UN Charter’s principles and rebuilding relationships with powerful states. They also discuss how UN peacekeeping missions can adapt to fragile ceasefires and how much Western and non-Western mid-sized powers, which appear increasingly drawn to other forums, will invest in the UN’s future.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more check out our special briefing “Ten Challenges for the UN in 2026-2027” and our multilateral diplomacy page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Crisis Group’s senior Yemen analyst Ahmed Nagi to unpack the rapid Houthi advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and its implications for regional security and global shipping. They discuss how the 2022 truce between the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government unravelled, the domestic and regional factors behind the latest offensive, and what enabled the Houthis to gain ground so quickly. They assess how these gains have strengthened the Houthis’ bargaining position and expanded their demands, and whether the group can consolidate its control and advance further. They also examine Saudi Arabia’s difficult choice between costly concessions and further military escalation, and what could prompt broader Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and beyond.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our Yemen page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of a new season of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group’s European Security Director Olga Oliker about the role of nuclear weapons in Europe. They examine how Russia’s nuclear threats have constrained but failed to halt Western support for Ukraine, why Trump’s questioning of NATO commitments has weakened European confidence in U.S. nuclear protection, and why Russian military planners still assume Washington could intervene in a war with another NATO member state. They assess efforts to reinforce the U.S. nuclear umbrella and expand the role of French and British arsenals. They also talk briefly about the latest round of U.S. diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. They discuss U.S. special envoy’s Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s visits to Moscow  and Kyiv, why hopes for diplomatic breakthrough remain dim and the latest developments on battlefield. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our Europe page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group’s Middle East director Rob Malley about the state of U.S.-Iran negotiations and how the aftermath of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran could change the region. They discuss why talks remain fraught, how control over the Strait of Hormuz has become central to Iran’s demands, how negotiators might tackle Iran’s nuclear program and how Gulf states are recalibrating relations with Washington and Iran. They then turn to Lebanon, where continued Israeli operations and the future of Hezbollah could test U.S. diplomacy. They also discuss Gaza’s stalled ceasefire framework and the unresolved question of Hamas’s disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal. They end by looking at the growing strains in U.S.-Israel relations and whether Washington has a vision for Iran’s role in a volatile new regional order.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our Iran page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Renata Segura and Elizabeth Dickinson about Colombia’s presidential election, in which right-wing outsider Abelardo “El Tigre” de la Espriella won by a razor-thin margin. They unpack a bitter campaign and what the result reveals about a country still deeply divided. They assess outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s legacy and the failure of his “total peace” policy, which sought to reduce violence through dialogue with Colombia’s many armed and criminal groups. They explain how those groups increasingly exert power by controlling civilians and local economies, rather than primarily by fighting the state. They also discuss De la Espriella’s promised security crackdown, the dangers it could bring, Latin America’s rightward shift and what to watch as he takes office.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our Colombia page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Ibraheem Bahiss, Crisis Group’s Afghanistan expert based in Kabul, to assess where the country stands nearly five years after the Taliban’s return to power. They discuss the improved security across much of Afghanistan, even as many remain uncertain about the durability of Taliban rule. They examine the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, particularly education, work and public life, and how these have undercut efforts to normalise relations abroad. They also look at the poppy ban and how it has affected rural livelihoods and the drug trade and how the Taliban now generate revenue. They then turn to the sharply deteriorating relations with Pakistan over Islamabad’s accusations that the Taliban are sheltering militants conducting cross-border attacks, and the uncertain prospects for talks between Kabul and Islamabad. Finally, they discuss the Taliban’s engagement with regional powers and their recent outreach to Europe and where the country is headed under their rule.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our Afghanistan page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Ali Vaez, Crisis Group’s Iran director, to unpack the memorandum of understanding reached between the U.S. and Iran on Sunday to shore up a fragile ceasefire and open the way for further talks. They discuss what is known about the agreement and its provisions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending hostilities, including in Lebanon. They look at the diplomacy behind the deal, the role of regional mediators and what the agreement reveals about decision-making in Tehran. They also discuss the stumbling blocks ahead during the 60-day timeframe the MOU sets for negotiating a more durable arrangement, including on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief. Finally, they look at the prospects for a broader regional security dialogue involving states that helped broker the understanding.For more, check out our Iran page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Naysan Rafati, Yasmine Farouk, Mairav Zonszein and Michael Hanna about the shaky U.S.-Iran ceasefire and the state of negotiations between the two countries. Richard first speaks with Naysan about continued U.S.-Iran tit-for-tat exchanges, talks over a possible deal, what an initial agreement might entail and whether the confrontation has strengthened Tehran’s hand. Richard then speaks with Yasmine about how Gulf Arab states’ views of the conflict have shifted and U.S.-Gulf Arab relations. Next, Richard speaks with Mairav about Israel’s perspective, calls within the country’s military and security establishment to return to war, Israel’s campaign in Lebanon and why a change in leadership would not necessarily mean a less hawkish Israeli approach. Lastly, Richard speaks with Michael about U.S. domestic politics around an Iran deal, whether Trump can sell the off-ramp currently on offer and how continued ceasefire violations could still trigger another escalation.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our Middle East & North Africa page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group’s India expert Praveen Donthi about escalating ethnic violence in Manipur and militancy in India-administered Kashmir. They first discuss Manipur, where fighting between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities has recently drawn in Naga groups, tracing the roots of the conflict, links to older insurgencies and why New Delhi’s neglect has allowed the crisis to fester. They then turn to Kashmir one year after a militant attack killed 26 people and led to a military confrontation between India and Pakistan. They discuss New Delhi’s repressive measures, Kashmiri political alienation and the threat posed by militants in the region. Lastly, they assess how tensions with Pakistan, uncertainty in U.S.-India ties and global turmoil are reshaping India’s strategic outlook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Ali Wyne, Crisis Group’s Senior Research and Advocacy Adviser for U.S.-China and Senior Northeast Asia Analyst William Yang, to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. They assess the summit’s broader significance, including what it reveals about Trump’s second-term China policy and the shifting balance of power between Washington and Beijing. They unpack the main points of discussion, from trade and technology to the geopolitical flashpoints in the Gulf and Taiwan. They also examine how Taiwan and other regional capitals are viewing the summit, what China and Taiwan may be learning from recent wars, and where U.S.-China relations could be headed.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more, check out our U.S. and China pages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.