One Decision

It’s been two years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the virus has quickly been replaced by two increasingly concerning crises that are redrawing the political and diplomatic map. The Washington Post’s Shane Harris and New Lines’ Hassan Hassan join Sir Richard Dearlove to consider how Putin’s gamble in Ukraine, coinciding with a global energy crisis that is battering households worldwide, is putting pressure on governments.

The Russian war on Ukraine has western leaders looking once again to the Middle East to ramp up oil supplies to bring relief at the gas pump as they try to squeeze Russia’s economy. But energy giant Saudi Arabia and its crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have so far been cool to western efforts to get him to pump more oil to get gas prices down. And the Arab Gulf states as well as Israel have been cautious to date about declaring allegiance in the struggle between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the West. Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Justin Scheck, co-author of a book on the Saudi crown prince: Blood & Oil: Mohammed bin Salman’s Ruthless Quest for Global Power, joins former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove, and guest host Laura Rozen, to discuss how MBS and the Middle East are trying to navigate a world reshaped by the war in Ukraine.

Hollywood used to rule. But now, American blockbusters often cannot break even without breaking into the Chinese box office. Not only that, sharp Chinese film executives who have studied decades of American success on the silver screen, are beating them at their own game. Erich Schwartzel has taken a deep dive on the growing links between Hollywood and China, the impact on freedom of expression, and how Beijing is weaponizing the arts to support its global strategic priorities.

Former Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas speaks exclusively to One Decision on what it’s like being a small FSU state on the border with an increasingly aggressive Russia. As PM, he lobbied for Nato to step up its presence in the Alliance’s east - and secured Nato troop deployments in the Baltics for the first time in 2016 after the annexation of Crimea.

When Donald Trump quit the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showered him with praise. But now, a series of former Israeli security chiefs says the decision was a catastrophe. “The worst mistake of the last decade,” former Israeli Defense Minister Yaalon said. Former Israeli military intelligence Iran analyst Danny Citrinowicz says Israel didn’t really have any plan B for what to do after the US pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and Iran responded by growing its nuclear program with few constraints. He talks about how Israel and the United States cheered each other on to make a terrible mistake.

Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine - sending shockwaves around the world. As Russian forces have shelled schools, administrative buildings and residential blocks, civilians on both sides have expressed horror at the sudden turn of events. As detention centers in Moscow and St Petersburg fill up with detained anti-war protesters, the casualties in Ukraine - and among the Russian Armed Forces - is beginning to grow. The EU, which until recently was accused of being divided and unable to respond cohesively to the threat, has sprung into action, imposing sanctions on oligarchs and cutting off Russia and its banking institutions from global finance. Even neutral Switzerland is freezing Russian assets, and Germany suddenly transformed its defence policy overnight - with Chancellor Olaf Scholz announcing a more than $100 billion fund to modernize Germany's defense forces. For now, Ukraine is holding off advancing forces - but things may change. Former Chief of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove considers Putin's options, and how the West ought to respond. 

Last July, the President of Haiti was gunned down in his bedroom. The assassination plunged the already fragile country further into turmoil. Ambassador Daniel Foote, America's Special Envoy to Haiti quit his post just a few months later in protest at how the Biden Administration was handling the crisis. In an explosive interview, the former career diplomat opens up about the many mistakes and missed opportunities he witnessed while in office.

Montenegro is a young country where the stakes are especially high as the United States along with its NATO allies look to prevent a further Russian invasion of Ukraine. Former Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Luksic shares the challenges and critical lessons learned from their independence to integration into NATO with our guest host from the Wall Street Journal, Vivian Salama. They take a close look at the current crisis in Ukraine and how the experience of freeing itself from Russia's nexus may provide valuable recommendations and even a roadmap for other nations.

China’s growing power is a big concern for the West, but perhaps nowhere more so than Australia - US strategic partner and Five Eyes member. Julie Bishop, Foreign Minister between 2013-2018 talks to One Decision about Australia’s priorities in a western alliance post-Trump, and how the West needs to approach and counter, Beijing.

As we approach the 2022 Winter Olympics, it’s clear that the Chinese President wants the world to focus on China and sports - and not its record on human rights. In 2020 the US State Department accused Beijing of cultural genocide against its Uygher population. Former MI6 Chief Richard Dearlove explores how China is fighting to control the narrative, and the tactics Beijing uses to influence the West.