All Things Policy At the Table with World Leaders
Aug 22, 2025
Join veteran foreign correspondent Shyam Bhatia, who has rubbed elbows with world leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Muammar Gaddafi. He shares captivating stories of personal connections that shaped political landscapes. Bhatia discusses the human side of leadership, revealing how private lives twist into public personas. He also dives into the evolution of leadership in the digital age and the importance of field experience for political analysis, providing an insightful look at how charisma and vulnerability play a role in governance.
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Honey, Trust, And Arafat
- Shyam Bhatia won Yasser Arafat's trust with a jar of honey and a series of meetings that turned into a decade-long rapport.
- Arafat confided detailed negotiating positions, including that the Palestinian insistence on the right of return was the main sticking point in talks with Israel.
From Oxford Row To Secret Exchanges
- Shyam Bhatia recounts a thirty-year friendship with Benazir Bhutto that began at Oxford after a heated protest and a reconciliatory note.
- Bhutto later told him she traded uranium enrichment details for a Nodong missile and described transporting the missile on her official aircraft.
Imran Khan: Cricketer, Charismatic, Student
- Bhatia recalls Imran Khan at Oxford as an outstanding cricketer, good-looking and popular with women, but academically weak.
- He met Khan later in Lahore during a personal family bereavement and saw him fundraising for a memorial hospital.
