Podcast
The Briefing Room
Hosted by BBC Radio 4 · EN
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news
19episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Are we still going to Mars?
1w ago00:28:03Tap to summarizeA month ago the Artemis II crew landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, completing their historic space mission to the far side of the moon. It’s been several decades since the last human mission to the moon - although this time there was no landing. However, the 4 astronauts travelled further from earth than any human ever has so far. David Aaronovitch asks his guests whether space exploration is back in fashion and if so what’s next? And are we any closer to a human mission to Mars and what would we hope to achieve there?Guests: Dr Julia Balm, Research Associate, Freeman Air and Space Institute in the School of Security Studies, King’s College London Professor Andrew Coates, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London Libby Jackson, Head of Space, Science Museum, London Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-Ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →Can Europe build digital sovereignty?
2w ago00:28:22Tap to summarizeAsk Claude a question, Google a query, order from Amazon, chat with mates on WhatsApp, tune in to Youtube. And where ever you do it from, you’ll never be somehow not in America. Because Britain, like Europe is dependent on US tech and as the AI revolution unfolds, governments are increasingly worried about it. The new buzz phrase is digital sovereignty. But what does that mean? Is it even feasible? And can the UK and the Europe take back control? David Aaronovitch talks to:Stanley Pignal, Europe editor at The Economist Cecilia Rikap, Associate Professor in Economics and Head of Research at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose Seb Johnson, founder of Scaling Europe, a media company focused on European TechPresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →What's the conflict in Iran doing to the world economy?
3w ago00:28:50Tap to summarizeIt’s almost two months since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran. And in spite of a ceasefire the vital Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes on tankers, is still effectively closed. The oil price remains high, affecting economies around the world. The most recent assessment from the International Monetary Fund warned that the war could throw the world economy “off course” and a prolongued conflict risked causing a global recession. David Aaronovitch asks what this means for us now and whether an end to the conflict could re-set the world’s economies or have conditions changed for good?Guests: Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and Professor at Columbia University Duncan Weldon, author and economist Diana Choyleva, economist and founder of Enodo Economics. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →Is the triple lock pension guarantee sustainable?
Apr 1600:28:31Tap to summarizeThis month retired people saw their state pensions rise by 4.8 per cent. That’s comfortably above the current inflation rate and means that some pensioners have increases this year of as much as £575. That’s because of the Triple Lock guarantee which is a formula set 15 years ago and which some economists say is costing the government too much and should be scrapped. But it’s meant that the state pension has risen over recent years, pensioner poverty is far less of a problem and not surprisingly it’s popular with voters. David Aaronovitch asks what exactly is the triple lock, can we still afford it and is there an alternative?GuestsCarl Emmerson, Partner at London Economics Sophie Hale, Research Director, Resolution Foundation Steve Webb, Partner at LCP and former Pensions Minister in Coalition GovernmentPresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Sally Abrahams Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar and Dave O'Neill Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →Will Trump take Cuba?
Apr 900:28:24Tap to summarizeIf you sail 90 miles from Key West in Florida you’ll make landfall on the island of Cuba, run by a regime that America has never liked. And since this is the year of bombs, drones and talk of regime change, the island has not escaped close attention. Donald Trump has talked about taking Cuba but could he? Would he? And And what would that even mean for Cubans and Americans? Step into the Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill
Transcribe →What's happened to the Gaza peace plan?
Apr 200:28:08Tap to summarizeThe world’s attention is currently fixed on the US-Israel war with Iran and the effect it’s having on the Gulf region and global energy prices. But it was only six months ago that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was agreed and President Trump launched his 20-point peace plan. Since then we’ve heard little about progress beyond the return of Israeli hostages - the first phase of the plan. David Aaronovitch and his guests discuss what's happening to the citizens of Gaza and what has to happen next if the peace plan is to be followed through. Guests:Rushdi Abu Alouf, BBC Gaza Correspondent Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent, The Economist Tahani Mustafa, Lecturer in International Relations, Deptartment of War Studies, King's College, London Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International PeacePresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineers: James Beard and Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →Why is youth unemployment in the UK so high?
Mar 2600:28:44Tap to summarizeIt's a tough time for any young person looking for a job at the moment. While overall unemployment is running at just over 5 percent, there’s particular concern about a large group of 16 to 24 year olds - almost a million of them (12.8%) who are not in employment, education or training. And that includes recent graduates in that age bracket. They’re known as NEETS. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss why they're in this situation - is it down to the state of the economy, their own ability to work or that ever present fear - AI?Guests: Jack Kennedy, Senior Economist, Indeed Hiring Lab Lindsay Judge, Research Director, The Resolution Foundation Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies. John Burn-Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter, The Financial TimesPresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →What's the current state of the UK's armed forces?
Mar 1900:28:35Tap to summarizeAs contemporary hi-tech wars rage - Russia and Ukraine and the US-Israel war with Iran - The Briefing Room takes a hard look at the UK's armed forces. After telling his allies - including the UK - that he didn’t need them, President Trump called for them to help him open up the Strait of Hormuz, which has raised not just the question of should we, but could the UK do this? David Aaronovitch asks when it comes to big military operations what have we got? In this dangerous 21st century what do we need? Can we get it? And what about closer co-operation with other European countries? Guests: General Sir Richard Barrons, Senior Consulting fellow with the International Security Programme, Chatham House. Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, The Economist Ruth Harris, Executive Director for National Security and Data Science, RAND EuropePresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill and James Beard Editor Richard Vadon
Transcribe →Why does the war with Iran threaten the global economy?
Mar 1200:28:50Tap to summarizeIt could be that the US-Israel war with Iran ends soon. That was the message from Donald Trump this week. But it may not. The longer the war continues the more collateral damage to the world economy. Mostly because of the impact of energy prices. But why are we all so vulnerable still to events in one small part of the world and one tiny channel, the infamous Strait of Hormuz? David Aaronovitch asks what it tells us about the problems of global energy and oil dependency and what could be done to alleviate them.Guests: Ben Chu, Policy and Analysis Correspondent, BBC Verify Duncan Weldon, Economist and author Bill Farren-Price, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Gas Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Rosemary Kelanic, Director of the Middle East Program at Defense PrioritiesPresenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower and Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcribe →Why did the US and Israel launch a war with Iran, and what comes next?
Mar 500:28:44Tap to summarizeIt's less than a week since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran. And it's already spread across the Gulf region as Iran retaliates. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for 36 years, was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. The question now is who is in control in Iran and whether the regime in its current form will remain or if this will trigger major change. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss how the US-Israel war with Iran started and what comes next.Guests: Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent, The Economist Professor Ali Ansari, founding director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at St Andrews University Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security at the Royal United Services Institute Laurel Rapp, Director of the US and North America Programme at Chatham House.Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Nathan Gower Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon
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