One Decision

Republican Marco Rubio is one of the United States Senate's most outspoken China hawks?criticizing Beijing's human rights practices and warning about its dominance in the semiconductor industry. He's endorsed a candidate in the 2024 presidential elections, throwing his support behind former President Donald Trump, who started a trade war and recently threatened new tariffs on Chinese imports. Guest host and BBC Correspondent Katty Kay and One Decision's resident spymaster Sir Richard Dearlove sit down with Senator Rubio to discuss the U.S. relationship with China under the Biden administration and how it could change if Donald Trump returns to the White House, and concerns that the ex-president could strike a deal to end the Ukraine war on Moscow's terms that would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions in Europe. They also discuss what U.S. support for the war in Ukraine will look like this year, the collapse of property giant Evergrande, and the implications for the Chinese economy. Katty and Richard discuss the drone attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan and what the U.S. response may be.

How's the global transition to clean energy going? The team behind the top global affairs podcast, One Decision, brings you "Power Decisions," a new energy series that explores the world's energy sources and the politics and power behind the clean transition. On this episode, guest host and journalist Liz Landers speaks with former Peruvian Environment Minister and COP 20 President Manuel Pulgar Vidal to assess the international progress towards the Paris Climate Agreement. Vidal explains what countries agreed on at this year's COP summit in Dubai. He also discusses China's monopoly of critical minerals needed for clean energy power sources and weighs in on a recent pause from the Biden administration on liquid natural gas exports.

Lithuania was the first country to declare independence from the Soviet Union before its dissolution. And when their first female leader, Dalia Grybauskait?, was among the first to raise the alarm about the new Russian President Vladimir Putin, few listened?at first. One of the most outspoken small countries in the world, Lithuania has not only been among the first to send arms to Ukraine in 2022, right before the invasion but has also publicly supported Taiwan and Tibet to the fury of Beijing. This is a country worth listening to. One Decision sits down with former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskait?, who warns that the threat of war is coming, whether the West is prepared for it or not.

International terrorism is coming back?that?s the stark warning from former Acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell. Following the January 6th insurrection in Washington, the United States government agencies said that far-right groups posed the greatest threat to national security?an assessment Morell says ought to be revisited in the light of the radicalizing nature of the war in Gaza. Morell sits down with One Decision?s resident spymaster, the former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove and discusses the famed Abbottabad raid where Osama Bin Laden had been hiding, and the rapidly evolving espionage threat from China. 

This weekend, Taiwan will hold the only free and fair elections in the Chinese-speaking world. Whoever wins will lead in a pivotal time?and their term will cover the period during which President Xi Jinping has promised China will annex what it considers a breakaway territory, even by force, if necessary. Could this be Taiwan?s last election? The incumbent Democratic Progressive Party led by Vice President Lai Ching Te is pro-independence, and is being challenged by the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang Party led by Ho Yu-Ih. There?s also a wildcard in the form of Ko Wen-Je, who says both parties are too pro or too anti-Beijing. One Decision?your Global Election Headquarters for 2024?sits down with correspondents in Taipei and Washington, DC to explore potential scenarios coming out of the Taiwanese polls and whether the United States can handle a third potential war, as it already struggles to support allies embroiled in major conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Pentagon correspondents also discuss the fallout over the secret hospitalization of America's Defense Chief Lloyd Austin and why top Defense Department officials and even the White House were kept in the dark about his condition.

In this week's episode, we talk to one of the BBC's longest-serving political presenters, James Naughtie, who has covered every United States and United Kingdom election since the 1990s. We hear his observations on the recent implosion of the Scottish National Party, the stunning downfall of Nicola Sturgeon, one of the longest-running political leaders in the UK, and the 2024 American presidential election and why he thinks Donald Trump appeals to the electorate. Naughtie is one of many journalists who have written espionage thrillers, so our resident spymaster, Sir Richard Dearlove, gives his verdict on what these novels get right and wrong. Sir Richard reacts to Israel's landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul plan. 

What decision had the most international impact in 2023? The war in Ukraine continued to loom large among Western nations? foreign policy priorities. The sudden, shocking resurgence of war in the Middle East quickly dominated the global agenda, raised questions about how long the Israeli-Hamas conflict could drag on and whether peace there can even be achieved. One Decision's annual roundtable of top world affairs reporters takes stock of 2023 and what big decisions are coming up next year. One major moment the whole world will be watching is the outcome of the United States presidential elections, which could potentially see the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Host Julia Macfarlane is joined by The Independent's Bel Trew, Semafor's Prashant Rao, and Foreign Policy's Robbie Gramer.

The team behind the top global affairs podcast, One Decision, brings you "Power Decisions," a new energy series that explores the world's energy sources and the politics and power behind the clean transition. On this episode, guest host and journalist Rhana Natour speaks with Daniel Yergin, one of the world's leading experts on energy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Vice Chairman at S&P Global. They discuss his takeaways from the COP28 climate summit?the historic deal marking the first time countries have agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, skepticism over the leadership of United Arab Emirates oil executive Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and the concerns he's hearing about financing climate goals. Yergin also discusses the impact of the Israel-Hamas war on oil prices, and the challenges posed by China's dominance over critical mineral supply chains.

As the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches, and United States support to arm Ukraine fades, One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove and guest host Jane Ferguson talk to renowned Russia expert Dr. Fiona Hill about what's inside Russian President Vladimir Putin's playbook and how the conflict might ultimately end. Dr. Hill served as a top national security advisor to three American administrations - including famously as the leading White House official on Russia for President Donald Trump. She discusses what victory would look like for Putin, the implications of a Trump return as commander-in-chief.

Alexander Kamyshin is in charge of arming Ukraine's defense industries, and gathering military hardware from allies to sustain the country's defense against a Russian invasion. This week he is in the American capital meeting with lawmakers and business leaders alongside his Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and President Volodymyr Zelensky. He was the guy who led Ukrainian railways and went viral for his success at keeping the country's train network running punctually during the early days of the war. He managed to not only deliver millions of Ukrainians safely, but also transport the leaders of the free world in and out of Kyiv. One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove met Kamyshin in Ukraine earlier this year and joins with his thoughts on the logistical leader?s efforts and the state of his supply chain.

What happens in a world where mankind has failed to implement the urgent changes needed to tackle climate change, and temperatures rise above the pre-industrial average? What will our world look like? One Decision asks Gaia Vince, author of the book "Nomad Century," in which she envisions worst-case scenarios of a world with dangerous rising temperatures. Sir Richard Dearlove discusses Henry Kissinger's foreign policy legacy and the New York Times report claiming the Israeli military obtained a document called "Jericho Wall," which detailed the blueprints of the October 7th attack and was initially dismissed as aspirational by Israeli officials.

Senator Chris Murphy, who sits on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has called for a conversation on American aid to Israel?and what kind of conditions should be a part of it. He, along with other Democratic colleagues, has spoken out against the high death toll in Gaza, which Murphy now calls ?unsustainable.? A mammoth aid package is working its way through Congress for both Israel and Ukraine?but Republicans have demanded that border security restrictions and funding be tacked on to the final bill. The race is now on for Congress to work out the details to move forward on a vote before the holidays. Senator Murphy discusses this and the latest on the war in Ukraine with One Decision?s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove. 

The team behind the top global affairs podcast, One Decision, brings you "Power Decisions," a new energy series that explores the world's energy sources and the politics and power behind the clean transition. As the COP28 climate conference kicks off this week in the United Arab Emirates, we examine the growth and development of emerging clean energy technologies with guest host Marie Harf, who served as State Department Spokesperson in the Obama Administration, and her former colleague United States Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. They discuss the latest trends and emerging clean technologies, the emerging nuclear energy innovations, and how prepared we are for a transition from fossil fuels.

Twenty-four hostages were released by Hamas following their capture during the October 7th invasion of Israel. But how do the two warring sides find common ground and arrive at an agreement in the midst of a war? Gershon Baskin, a writer and activist from Israel, has carried back-channel messages to and from Hamas for seventeen years and was deeply involved with the prisoner exchange for former Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit ten years ago. In this special episode of One Decision, Baskin tells us what it takes to secure such a complicated, multi-layered agreement, as well as how the latest hostage deal and temporary ceasefire has been received by the public in Israel.

Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu of Moldova sits down with One Decision in New York to talk about the various efforts that Russia is allegedly committing to destabilizing the tiny and young European nation, preventing it from joining the European Union. Russian soldiers and separatists already occupy a large part of the country, and it's an area that is very close to the strategic Ukrainian port city of Odesa, which Moscow has long coveted for its key position on the Black Sea. Fears that the occupied parts of Moldova could be used as a launchpad to attack Odesa may have waned but not disappeared entirely. Plus, One Decision's resident spymaster Sir Richard Dearlove gives his verdict on a leaked FSB document that purportedly revealed a plot to destabilize the country. 

President Xi and President Biden meet face-to-face for the first time since tensions frayed over a visit to Taiwan by the United States Speaker of the House of Representatives and the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon enraged Washington. America?s allies in the South China Sea are watching closely?will Biden and Xi patch things up, and what does that mean for Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, one of the world?s most dangerous flashpoints? Also, One Decision?s Sir Richard Dearlove reacts to the news that former Prime Minister David Cameron, who has been promoting projects for China?s Belt and Road Initiative has made a sudden comeback as the new Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.

This week, we sit down with Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States and former member of the Knesset, and Salam Fayyad, the former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. We hear from both perspectives on the main roadblocks to peace and what needs to happen going forward. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in a U.S. television interview, saying that Israel must be responsible for security in Gaza. One Decision's resident spymaster, Sir Richard Dearlove shares his thoughts on how the international community needs to get involved in the future of Gaza's security.

The new President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ambassador Michael Froman, joins One Decision to talk about the China challenge as President Joe Biden prepares to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in California. Froman was a key player in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations while serving as U.S. Trade Representative under President Obama?a massive trade deal which Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of in 2017? something that Froman says will go down as one of the most "significant strategic blunders in American history." One Decision's resident spymaster Sir Richard Dealove shares his thoughts on the latest news on the Israel-Hamas war.

The team behind the top global affairs podcast, One Decision, introduces "Power Decisions," a new energy series that explores the world's energy sources and the politics and power behind the clean transition. This debut episode hosted by CNBC's Mandy Drury examines the globe's next energy conference?COP28 which has been plagued by controversy surrounding the appointment of UAE oil executive Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber to lead the summit and the conference leadership's attempts to sweep undesirable narratives under the carpet including accusations of greenwashing Al Jaber's image and record through Wikipedia and hundreds of fake social media accounts. Drury is joined by journalists Damian Carrington, Environmental Editor for The Guardian, Zack Colman, Climate reporter for POLITICO and Amy Harder, Executive Editor for Cipher News, a publication supported by Breakthrough Energy to discuss what to expect, whether the summit can succeed as a forum to effectively address climate change and if an oil-rich nation should lead the climate change fight.

Robin Wright from The New Yorker has, on more than one occasion, been granted an audience with the reclusive but fiery leader of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group in the United States and most of the Western world. Having spent years observing and reporting on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and its spinoffs in Lebanon and the wider Arab world, how does she view the events of this month, following Hamas?s unprecedented attacks on October 7th, and the shockwaves that have emanated from it? Sir Richard Dearlove argues that while Iran stands to benefit from chaos in the region and a stalling of Saudi-Israel normalization talks, Tehran may be less invested in the Palestinian cause than many might have thought.

After the divisive and controversial storm surrounding an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, President Joe Biden flew on Wednesday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Cabinet, and families touched by the October 7th massacre last week. As protests and riots spread like wildfire around not just Arab and Muslim capitals and cities worldwide, but in London, Paris, New York, and Berlin?the diplomatic stakes could not be higher. A four-way summit Biden planned to attend with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and King Abdullah II of Jordan was abruptly called off. However, all was not lost?before returning to the United States, Biden announced that Israel had agreed to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and Egypt acceded to let the convoys across the Rafah crossing. Gaza has been without electricity, food, water, and medicine for nearly a week. One Decision speaks to former State Department official and CIA Middle East Analyst Marie Harf, who was in office during the intense Israel-Hamas war of 2014. 

The world is still reeling from the shocking invasion of Israel over the weekend, where Hamas militants staged the most audacious and horrific attacks in Israel resulting in the biggest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. But questions are now being asked, to how the country's high tech military and sophisticated intelligence services missed what Hamas was planning? Did Mossad drop the ball? What responsibility belongs to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove, the former Chief of MI6, examines the issues that may have impacted Israeli intelligence agencies' ability to anticipate the worst attack in the state's history. 

Europe today is being tested like never before in its recent memory?war and instability are on the edges of Europe, threatening to spill over into its borders; Russian influence and propaganda are sowing divisions across the continent, and rising inflation and unemployment are giving oxygen to divisive populist politics. One Decision sits down for a sweeping and wide-ranging conversation with Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Union Parliament to discuss the bloc?s biggest security priorities and what needs to happen now to address them, what the EU is doing about Putin weaponizing its energy needs, the migrant crisis and how populists have been exploiting divisions across the continent.

No country quite understands what it?s like to live next to a major power to the extent Mongolia does because it lives between two. For decades, the government had to balance its relations and goals against the actions and ambitions of its neighbors? except one, Russia is now a pariah, and Mongolia is almost entirely dependent on the other?China for trade. In this week's bonus episode, guest host, journalist and Senior Editor at Semafor, Prashant Rao, sits down with Mongolia's former President and Prime Minister, Elbegdorj Tsakhia, who led his country?s transition to democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. They discuss the relationship that Mongolia has built with China and Russia, what he learned from his interactions with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, how he navigated pressure from Beijing during the Dalai Lama's visits to Mongolia, and what the United States should understand about China.

Washington foreign policy hawk Ambassador John Bolton has served in every Republican administration since President Reagan, with his most recent post serving as Donald Trump's National Security Advisor. Bolton sits down with guest host and award-winning anchor and foreign correspondent Robyn Curnow and Ex-MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove to discuss his time during the Trump administration, why he is working to prevent a second Trump term, and his thoughts on the end game in Ukraine. 

Canada?s Justin Trudeau threw a petrol bomb into the opening of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York last week?announcing that there were ?credible allegations? that Delhi was behind the shooting of a Canadian Sikh activist in Vancouver in June. Prime Minister Modi is riding high after a successful G20 summit, having entertained a slew of world leaders from the West, all hoping to curry favour with the biggest population in the world. Is Canada mad to start a fight with Delhi at a time when allies are needed to square up to China and Russia? Or does human rights trump geopolitics? One Decision sits down with Canadian Ambassador to the UN Robert Rae to discuss.

China's President Xi Jinping is absent from this year?s United Nations General Assembly, but he?s certainly being talked about. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who also skipped the meeting, is moving the United Kingdom away from its previously hostile stance toward China, arguing that boycotting Beijing is not an option amidst the many global challenges requiring cooperation. He has angered many in his right-wing governing party, particularly longstanding China hawks like former leader Iain Duncan Smith. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane sits down with the UK?s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who served as their first female Ambassador to Beijing to discuss UK relations with China and Sir Richard Dearlove joins Julia to discuss his takeaways and Russia's role in the UN Security Council. 

The world?s leaders descend on New York City this week for the annual gathering of the United Nations?think of it as our global town hall. Amid the backdrop of the Ukraine war, spiralling inflation, natural disasters and heightening superpower tensions, there is a lot to be discussed. It comes also on the heels of the G20, where Indian PM Narendra Modi played a pivotal role in shaping global agreements on Ukraine and pushing for the African Union to join the bloc?an equivalent, he argues, to the EU. As the Global South continues to refuse to pick a side in the war in Europe, we are asking this week: is the West?s global dominance over? 

Christiane Amanpour, the legendary foreign correspondent, marked 40 years with CNN this week. She's covered some of the biggest stories of our times: the Gulf wars, the conflict and breakup of the former Yugoslavia, the War on Terror, the Arab Spring, interviewing and challenging world leaders from Washington to London to Paris to Tehran. Having recently returned from Ukraine, she shares with One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove what she heard in Kyiv on their counteroffensive against Russia. She also offers an assessment of the strength of American support for Ukraine, the influence of tech barons like Elon Musk on the safeguarding of democracy, and also her thoughts on the newly announced CEO at her network, former BBC Director General Mark Thompson.

As the Washington Post's White House Bureau Chief, Toluse Olorunnipa has an outsized role in how the world?especially the power players in America?s capital city?interpret President Joe Biden?s diplomacy. In this week's bonus episode, Olorunnipa sits down with guest host Brett Bruen to look at what it?s like to travel the globe on Air Force One and write the first draft of history books on major moments from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the controversial decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. They also discuss foreign anxiety over a second Donald Trump term and what role international affairs will play in the presidential election in the United States.

Croatia?s former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovi? on several occasions faced down Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table. But her experience of the Russian leader might not be what you may expect. Her country Croatia, also knows a thing or two about facing a much larger invading force - which is perhaps why she has been invited to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, so regularly. She sits down with One Decision to discuss what Putin is like close up and what historical parallels Ukraine might draw from the Croatian war of independence against the former Yugoslavia.

The New York Times' South Asia Bureau Chief Mujib Mashal talks to One Decision ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi, India. The global gathering offers a unique opportunity for the world's largest democracy to exert more international influence. Major players are vying to get the country on their side when it comes to geopolitics, the war in Ukraine, its hefty trade prospects, and its massive regional influence. But what does Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi want? Besides another term in office - he is preparing to fight another general election in 2024, and is using all his resources in office to secure what's pretty likely to be another term as the leader of the free world - in population terms, at least.

Congressman Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, chairs one of the most closely watched and surprisingly bipartisan committees in the United States House of Representatives - The Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Gallagher wants Congress to lead the way on a comprehensive American policy towards Beijing and sees areas like critical pharmaceutical ingredient production and artificial intelligence as ripe for decoupling between the two nations. This week's guest host, journalist Liz Landers and Sir Richard Dearlove speak to Gallagher about his policy vision for the two superpowers, divisions in the Republican party over aid for Ukraine, and how Washington should respond if Russian President Vladimir Putin visits China. The Congressman also weighs in on some of the controversial foreign policy comments made by his party's presidential candidates and Sir Richard shares his thoughts on what might come from Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's meetings with Chinese leaders. 

In this week's bonus episode, Julia Macfarlane leads a discussion on the apparent assassination of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin with ex-intelligence chiefs Sir Richard Dearlove, who led MI6, and Leon Panetta, the former head of the CIA. They discuss what this dramatic development tells us about Putin's position of authority in Moscow? only recently challenged by Prigozhin, who led a mutiny against the Kremlin?the impact on the war effort in Ukraine and the Wagner Mercenary Group's future in Africa.

Leading Artificial Intelligence thinker and researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky has shaped much of the development of AI technology that is radically changing our lives - but now he is sounding the alarm along with other experts and scientists who feel AI will eventually lead to humankind's demise. But while many of his colleagues and peers disagree, this debate is mainly being fought in small circles, with a lot of jargon - while the rest of us are left scratching our heads. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane spoke to Yudkowsky for clarity on the issue and to find out some of the worst-case scenarios of what could be coming our way in the future. Plus, Julia and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove discuss how seriously we should take Yudkowsky's call for action - and why our resident spymaster is so skeptical about this apocalyptic warning.

After a major national security investigation into Moscow?s espionage efforts, Great Britain unmasked an alleged Russian spy ring. Three Bulgarian nationals suspected of working for Russian security services were charged with possessing numerous forged identification documents. On this week?s bonus episode, Julia Macfarlane asks her co-host and former MI6 Chief, Sir Richard Dearlove about how the alleged spies likely got caught and speculation the trio may have been sleeper agents.

The newly formed Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party of China in the United States House of Representatives is tasked with analyzing the multifaceted strategic threats coming from Beijing and increasing the American government's efforts to safeguard the homeland from balloons, hacks, and other aggressive acts. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), who co-leads the Congressional committee sits down with One Decision to reveal the ways in which legislators in Washington have found President Xi Jinping is destabilizing the economic, political, and geo-strategic interests of the United States and its allies, and what the West is and should be doing about it.

In the waning days of the Trump administration, United States national security officials discovered that Chinese military hackers had breached the classified defense network of one of its most important security allies?Japan. In this week's bonus episode, Brett Bruen, the former Director of Global Engagement in President Obama?s White House speaks with The Washington Post's national security reporter Ellen Nakashima about her exclusive scoop documenting the hack, why it took Tokyo years to plug the network gaps, and what the Biden administration did behind-the-scenes to help Japan secure its cyber defenses. 

Afghanistan is on the verge of a collapse with the majority of the 40 million Afghans there living in poverty ruled over by the Taliban?hardline militants imposing the strictest interpretations of Sharia law. One Decision?s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove sit down with British Conservative Party politician Tobias Ellwood who serves as the Chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee to discuss his recent trip to Kabul. Ellwood details the dismal conditions he saw on the ground and that Afghanistan, despite the Taliban, needs our help and is advocating for global reengagement and the reopening of the British Embassy.

Last week?s coup in Niger is the latest in a string of recent military takeovers in Africa?seemingly the final domino to fall in a region plagued by instability and the battle between Russia and the West for influence in the Sahel. Coup leaders are now facing an ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum or face the consequences including possible military intervention. On this week?s bonus episode, Julia Macfarlane asks her co-host Sir Richard Dearlove what he?s hearing from the French intelligence community about what?s behind the rebellion and if there?s any truth to reports about the Kremlin?s involvement.

As Ukraine?s counteroffensive meets stiff Russian resistance, Europe and the United States are being ravaged by climate change this summer ahead of the COP28 climate summit being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, one of the biggest energy producers in the world. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and longtime climate champion in Congress has joined other United States and European Union lawmakers in calling for oil executive Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to step down from leading the summit after backlash from activists over the conflict of interest. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane sat down with Senator Whitehouse to discuss the war in Ukraine and the growing climate crisis. Both require that the West, led by the United States, find global solidarity and agreement at a time of great power rivalries and difficult domestic challenges. Plus, Sir Richard Dearlove, the former Chief of Britain's secret intelligence service joins Julia for an analysis of the conversation.

Filmmaker Mimi Chakarova sits down with One Decision's Julia Macfarlane to discuss what has changed in the fight against human trafficking and slavery since her groundbreaking film that shined a light on vulnerable women from Eastern Europe who were manipulated and tricked into selling their bodies, trapped in a life of slavery. From Turkey to the Middle East to Western Europe, she chronicled the lives of women who managed to escape, but also revealed the men and women who worked to uphold the criminal structures that exploited them - even police officers. As waves of refugees flood Europe from Ukraine, Mimi warns that there are similar conditions today where people fleeing war are at risk of the same dangers as the women who left the Iron Curtain to seek better lives. And Sir Richard Dearlove gives the context of Eastern Europe's political progress since the fall of the Soviet Union, and why some states are more vulnerable to corruption and organized crime.

Protests have picked up in Israel this week as the Knesset takes up the controversial legislation proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that critics say would compromise the integrity and independence of Israel?s judicial system. If passed, the measure would eliminate the so-called "reasonableness clause" and would permit the judiciary to put curbs on government decisions granting Netanyahu and his coalition unfettered powers. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane speaks to journalist Noga Tarnopolsky from Jerusalem for an update on what's happening on the ground and the state of US-Israeli relations after President Joe Biden criticized the judicial overhaul plan.

After multiple extensions, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is set to retire at the end of his term in October, but speculation continues over who will head the world's most powerful alliance. Among the contenders is Estonia?s Kersti Kaljulaid who served from 2016-2021 as the first female president of the Baltic high-tech nation that shares a border with Russia. A leader from NATO's eastern flank could send a strong message to Putin about the direction of travel for European security priorities. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane sat down with President Kaljulaid to talk about her recent trip to Kyiv and meetings with senior government officials about how Europe can continue to support the war effort. They also discussed plans for the Baltic states to decouple from the Russian power grid and reports she's being considered to become NATO?s first female chief.

After a tense start, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walked away from the NATO summit with some tangible wins?unprecedented long-term security commitments?and a clear path to join the alliance. In this week's bonus episode, Brett Bruen, the former Director of Global Engagement in President Obama?s White House speaks with the Wall Street Journal's Vivian Salama from Vilnius, Lithuania. They discuss the big takeaways from the meeting, Ukraine's future and how Russian President Vladimir Putin may view the developments out of Vilnius. Salama also shares an update on her colleague, reporter Evan Gershkovich who has been detained for over 100 days in a Russian prison.

One Decision?s Julia Macfarlane and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove caught up with John Kirby, the head of Strategic Communications at the National Security Council just before the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Kirby discusses the United States and NATO's long-term security commitments to Kyiv, plans to deal with Ukraine's artillery shortage to support the counter-offensive, and concerns over Vladimir Putin moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Brett Bruen, who was President Barack Obama?s Director of Global Engagement, co-hosts this week's episode on the NATO Summit with Former Chief of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove. They speak with Leon Panetta, who led the CIA and was United States Defense Secretary, along with having served as White House Chief of Staff and a senior member of the US House of Representatives. They discuss what has to be accomplished at this week's meeting with NATO leaders in Vilinus, Lithuania and how they will deal with the most pressing security issues, support for Ukraine, along with its potential entry into the alliance. Panetta details NATO?s role in a post-war Ukraine?from rebuilding the country to the challenges of how the world handles Moscow after the conflict. 

Former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson sits down with One Decision?s Julia Macfarlane and former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove for his first ever podcast interview. Johnson discusses the state of the Ukraine war? his thoughts on Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed mutiny and details from his recent conversation with former President Donald Trump about supporting Ukraine in defeating Russia. He also talks about his post-Brexit frustrations, if he would change how he handled the pandemic, and what's the one decision he regrets during his time in office.

Former Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House, Brett Bruen hosts our weekly special One More Decision with Sir Richard Dearlove for analysis on Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's short-lived coup against Russia and exile to Belarus. Sir Richard shares his views on the aftermath, and what this means for Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and the war in Ukraine. 

Former President Donald Trump?s Defense Secretary Mark Esper has come out against his old boss who fired him by tweet in November 2020, just days after the election. Esper has revealed in his memoir that he stayed in the administration in order to ?hold the line? against suggestions that the United States might bomb Mexico, Venezuela, or send a quarter million troops to the southern border. One Decision's Sir Richard Dearlove and Julia Macfarlane sit down with Dr. Mark Esper to discuss the current threats to Western interests originating overseas, his assessment of the Ukraine counter-offensive, and if Europe is sleepwalking into a security crisis, arming Ukraine but not refreshing their stocks fast enough. They also discuss the threat China poses to Taiwan and what he would change about AUKUS, the pact between the United Kingdom and the United States, to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.