One Decision

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. 

President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a series of strategic deals aimed at strengthening military, economic and technological ties between the two countries. The strategic partnership is crucial as the United States moves to reign in Russia’s influence and counter China’s growing military presence. One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove discuss the details of the joint pact including increased defense capabilities, building semiconductor facilities and jet engines in India, more collaboration on advanced technology and what this new partnership means for China.

One Decision's Julia Macfarlane and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove sit down with Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the powerful United States Senate Intelligence Committee. In his role, the Virginia Democrat oversees the vast intelligence community and investigations related to national security. The discussion features the committee's work on investigations into the mishandling of classified documents, the challenge from China, and the emerging threat of artificial intelligence and advanced technology.

Two major decisions by European entities this week will likely transform how the world interacts with technology. First, the European Parliament passed legislation that could introduce some of the first major regulations around the use of artificial intelligence, including how the police deploy facial recognition systems. POLITICO's Chief Brussels Correspondent Suzanne Lynch just returned from Strasbourg, where the bill was being debated. She provides an inside look at how the proposed law is shaping up and the ways other governments are likely to use it as a model for their own rules. Additionally, the European Commission took steps to crack down on Google's dominance of online ads. This move may end up leading to the breakup of the company, which has dominated the tech sector for decades.

One Decision sits down with Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas to talk about America’s foreign policy priorities and what should be done about China. Hutchinson is an outsider in the race, but insists he is there to widen the parameters of the debate, as Trump and DeSantis continue to offer a populist, nativist vision of America to voters. And, Sir Richard Dearlove reacts to the unsealing of the criminal indictment against former President Trump, as the world learns what exactly was sitting in the rooms at Mar-a-Lago before the FBI carried out raids to retrieve the highly classified intelligence Trump was hoarding nearly a year ago.