One Decision

When Richard Haass became the head of the influential policy think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, twenty years ago, the world was very different from where we are now. Dominated by a post-9/11 reality, the American-led international order was in little doubt. In 2003, China had only just joined the World Trade Organization and had yet to become the rising power and economic behemoth it is today. The new Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the European Union was Russia’s "natural, most important partner". War fatigue was far on the distant horizon, even if opposition to what was to become the ‘forever wars’ was there from the start. Richard Haass sits down with One Decision to reflect on the past 20 years of observing global events and why the next decade may be even more dangerous.

The day before Putin's State of the Union address, President Joe Biden emerged in dramatic fashion beneath Ukraine's glimmering golden domes. A secret operation got him on the ground to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital. Air raid sirens blared out as Biden strolled the streets of Kyiv with Zelensky - the first time in modern US history a serving president visited a warzone without the aegis of an American military presence. The former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove talks about the significance of such a visit and what it portends for enduring American support. Plus, the NATO Secretary General is publicly floating the idea of Finland being fast-tracked to membership in the alliance without their neighbor Sweden, with whom they presented a joint bid. Sweden’s Foreign Minister joins us to discuss how worried his country is about Turkey’s intransigence on the issue.

Mike Pompeo is the only American to have served as both CIA Director and Secretary of State. A bullish defender of the legacy of the Trump era, in a new autobiography on his time during office, he argues that ‘peace through strength’ is the only way to ensure that America’s foes like Putin and Xi will not actualize the threat they currently pose to Western interests. As speculation mounts over whether he will become the latest Republican to announce a bid for the Presidency in 2024, Pompeo makes it clear that - even if he doesn’t decide to run - he has some pretty strong opinions on what the United State’s foreign policy objectives must be and will continue to play a prominent role in shaping his party's foreign policy. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove join him for a robust chat about his time in office and his thoughts on the current global security outlook.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is particularly observant when it comes to anniversaries. This month he marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis in the battle of Stalingrad. Given he is an enthusiastic student of history - albeit, his own versions of history - watchers of the war in Ukraine have raised the question: what will Putin do when his invasion reaches the ‘one-year’ mark? Max Seddon is the Bureau Chief in Moscow for the Financial Times. He will share the view from Moscow, and as the war enters a new phase. It's one that is likely to increasingly hinge on political will from Washington, where we are joined by Fox News’ White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. She discusses what support remains among Republicans for arming Ukraine, one year from the invasion. 

Twenty years after the invasion of Iraq, the decision to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power continues to shape the Middle East and the world. In this episode, guest host Helena Humphrey speaks to former Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, about his decision to support the war despite widespread opposition in his own country. He joined American President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to launch the war from the Azores islands in 2003. We explore his central role in one of the most important events of the 21st century and what lessons can be learned as Europe once again grapples with how far it should dive into a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Seldom do you get this level of access. The former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency General Michael Hayden sits down with One Decision. In one of his rare recent interviews, he shares an unvarnished view of the risks posed by Xi Jinping's ambitions and the lessons we should have learned from the War on Terror. In a remarkable exchange, he speaks with co-host and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove about how intelligence gathering has changed and how it should work to better address emerging threats. They cover decisions made and ongoing in Europe, the Middle East, India, and Russia. Hayden, who also led the National Security Agency, lets us in on his conversations with the current Director of the CIA William J. Burns, and where he thinks the world is headed.

Christo Grozev once humorously described himself as an ‘internet nerd’ who hunted Russian trolls in his spare time. Well, his hobby has now made him an internationally celebrated journalist - and earned him a place on Russia’s most wanted list. As Lead Russia Investigator for the open-source investigative website Bellingcat, Grozev is one of the best people to talk to if you want to learn more about the war of information being fought by Moscow, and how data trails from some of the GRU’s more clumsy spies are giving canny investigators and journalists the chance to expose some of Russia’s activities it would rather you not know about. Sir Richard Dearlove and Julia Macfarlane sit down with him to find out more.

2022 was a crazy year. And our Sir Richard Dearlove says 2023 won't be any less eventful. The former head of MI6 sits down with host Julia Macfarlane to discuss what the future might hold for the war in Ukraine, the burgeoning protest movement in China, and the United States presidential race.

Rory Stewart caused a buzz when he challenged Boris Johnson for leadership of the Conservative Party. He did not win the leadership, but he won widespread support for his ‘Rory Walks’ campaign across the United Kingdom, from Brits of all political stripes. He is also known for his walks across Afghanistan, where he was hunted by the Taliban in the mountains between Herat and Kabul at the height of the United States occupation in 2001. Stewart has been a diplomat, a politician, a soldier and - some say - a spy. But you’ll find him today championing one of his biggest passions - international aid, as the head of GiveDirectly, one of the biggest international charities in the world. One Decision’s Julia Macfarlane and Sir Richard Dearlove talk with Stewart and discuss whether the United Kingdom’s handling of its aid and soft power has seen better days, and what it means for Britain’s place in the world.

As part of our end-of-year review looking into the biggest decisions of 2022, we look at how Putin's invasion of Ukraine plunged Europe into its biggest security crisis since the Second World War. Just a few days after Putin ordered troops to cross the border into Ukraine, German Chancellor Scholz declared a historic reversal of decades-old policy and a 100 billion euro fund to bolster Germany's armed forces. After leading the UK out of the EU, Boris Johnson suddenly became one of the continent's biggest advocates for defense, spearheading much of the response to Ukraine. And old attitudes to Russia and the West were suddenly reevaluated around the world. The Economist's Anne McElvoy, Prashant Rao of Semafor, and BloombergTV's Maria Tadeo joined One Decision for a look at how the Ukraine war has changed the political map for Europe.