Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell

In the chaotic world we inhabit, the smartphone has become a key element of warfare, even in societies where we might imagine that connectivity is limited by reduced technological sophistication. I was privileged to be able to discuss this rapidly evolving landscape with three brilliant scholars:Professor Mirjam de Bruijn (https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/mirjam-de-bruijn#tab-1)Dr Jethro Norman (https://www.diis.dk/en/experts/jethro-norman)Professor Matthew Ford (https://www.fhs.se/sc/profile-page.html?identity=400.78d9ed61181920a3a625796c Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special episode in support of the Vladimir Putin Do F*ck Off - #VPDFO - festival. This event, held in Kyiv earlier in October brought together soldiers, journalists, activists and politicians with the primary purpose of raising funds for a group of charities doing essential work on the ground in Ukraine. Go to VDPFO.org to find more details of the charities involved and please donate using the link below:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ukraine-can-win-vpdfo-2024This is a straightforward way to get funds to some incredibly valuable organisations. Everything you donate goes direct to the charities.The festival ran for two days and there were several sessions. This episode contains highlights of the first day and you'll get to hear from day two in a subsequent episode.During the recording you'll hear from Mariia Chepa, Vlad Demchenko, Paul Conroy, Caolan Robertson, Paul Niland, Liudmyla Buimister and Dima Kovalchuk . The event was of course moderated by John Sweeney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Veteran China correspondent Michael Sheridan has published a biography of Xi Jinping, China's leader, entitled The Red Emperor, published by Headline. You can find details of his book here:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/michael-sheridan-2/the-red-emperor/9781035413478/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Gammell, an Iran expert and former British diplomat, shares his insights on the evolving landscape of Iranian politics and the Middle East. He discusses the significant implications of Ayatollah Khamenei's speeches in uniting the Muslim world and Iran's complex foreign policy shaped by historical grievances. Gammell analyzes the call for internal challenges to the government amid fears of foreign interference. Additionally, he delves into the Israeli-Lebanese conflict and the migrant crisis, connecting regional instability to rising right-wing populism in the West.

In July this year, the well entrenched autocratic regime that ruled Bangladesh, a country of nearly 200 million people, was toppled entirely unexpectedly by a student-led democracy movement, ushering in an interim government led by a Nobel prize-winning peace and development activist. How the Bangladesh Spring happened and whether it is likely to succeed is the subject of this episode. I spoke to Dhaka-based expert David Bergman about the extraordinary events and their political background. Bergman also covers the surprising role played by supporters of Bangladesh's ruling party in British politics.https://www.channel4.com/news/tulip-siddiq-uk-wing-of-bangladeshs-ruling-party-appear-to-be-campaigning-for-labour-candidateYou can find David's work here: thedavidbergman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the UN General Assembly taking place in New York I spoke to the International Crisis Group's UN Director Richard Gowan about the the organisation, its current challenges and where it might be headed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I spoke to Charlie Gammell, author, former diplomat and Iran expert on the unfolding crisis in Lebanon after the explosions of Hizbullah communications equipment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I spoke to Professor James Crossland about the extraordinary life of diplomat, secret agent and journalist Robert Bruce Lockhart.You can find James's book on the subject here: https://eandtbooks.com/books/rogue-agent/James is on Twitter @drjcrossland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Veteran foreign correspondent Jonathan Rugman is the author of The Killing in the Consulate about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. More recently he has produced a fascinating two-part documentary about MBS and his rise to power. You can find it on BBC Iplayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001zprq/the-kingdom-the-worlds-most-powerful-prince-series-1-1-game-of-thrones and you can find Jonathan's enlightening article about MBS here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gz8934wrroJonathan is on Twitter at https://x.com/jrug Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have we entered a post-Western world? What does that mean and how does it look from the other side of the world? Singapore based academic and former British diplomat has published a new book, Westlessness about this idea and I spoke to him for a wide-ranging discussion on the decline of the west, the rise of Asia and the potential implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.