One Decision

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.