

The Explanation
BBC World Service
Where the world is explained. Making sense of the big stories - looking behind the spin. Exploring the important questions about long-running stories and the latest global news. An honest, unvarnished, explanation of the world. Featuring new episodes of The President's Path, Unspun World with John Simpson, and The Media Show.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 23, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: What's next for President Putin after winning re-election?
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines what’s next for Vladimir Putin after winning re-election, analyses the possibility of civic unrest in the United States as Joe Biden and Donald Trump compete for the Presidency, and looks at the battle between miners and environmentalists over extracting rare metals from the bottom of our deepest oceans.

Mar 17, 2024 • 29min
The Global Jigsaw - Contested waters: Crimea
How water is used as a weapon of war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. An irrigation system, once created at Stalin’s order as a project of grand Soviet social engineering, is now running dry. We dig into the history of the Crimean water dispute - the surprising twists and turns and the narratives constructed by both Russia and Ukraine. Presenter: Krassi Twigg
Producer: Kriszta Satori

Mar 16, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: Has Russia turned the tide in its war in Ukraine?
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses whether Russia has turned the tide in its war in Ukraine, looks at the situation in Haiti in the wake of the gang violence sweeping the country, and examines whether in the future oceans will be navigated by unmanned ships.

Mar 10, 2024 • 28min
The Global Jigsaw: What hope for Haiti?
Gang violence has turned the small Caribbean nation into a “living nightmare”, with rapes, kidnappings and killings a daily occurrence. More than a decade after a devastating earthquake - and billions of dollars spent on recovery - Haiti is back on its knees. Plans for a new Kenya-led, UN-approved security deployment have stalled amid a debate about how much of a help or hindrance foreign assistance is. We check-in with the reality on the ground and take stock of the arguments.

Mar 9, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: What's life like on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank?
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, looks at the humanitarian situation in Gaza, analyses what it would take to bring peace to the conflicts there and in Ukraine, and explores the significance of the meeting of the National People’s Congress in China.

Mar 2, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: Is a ceasefire in Gaza within reach?
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza, examines Donald Trump’s legal problems, and looks at the issues behind the widespread protests by European farmers.Produced by Max Horberry and Benedick Watt

Feb 24, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: What Alexei Navalny's death means for Vladimir Putin's grip on Russia
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, looks at Vladimir Putin’s position after the death of Alexei Navalny, examines the situation in Ukraine two years after the Russian invasion, and analyses the possibility of a new war in Europe.

Feb 17, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: Can Israel win its war in Gaza?
John Simpson, talks to Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's international editor, who analyses whether Israel can win its war in Gaza. He examines what is really happening to the Chinese economy with BBC Asia Pacific editor Celia Hatton and looks at what the outcome of Indonesia’s elections might mean for the world’s third largest democracy with Jonathan Head, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent.

Feb 10, 2024 • 27min
Unspun World: How Russia's economy has survived despite sanctions
John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses how the Russian economy has thrived despite Western sanctions, examines the American military’s role in the Middle East, and looks at the developing food crisis in Ethiopia. Produced by Max Horberry and Benedick Watt

Feb 3, 2024 • 28min
Unspun World: Is Ukraine losing Western support?
This week John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses whether Ukraine can win its war with Russia without the wholehearted support of the West, examines what effect the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Israel might have on the war in Gaza, and looks at the challenges ahead following an expected general election in Britain this year.Produced by Max Horberry and Benedick Watt


