Episodes

  • Ukraine Crisis: Will Trump Force Moscow's Deal on Zelenskyy?

    Ukraine Crisis: Will Trump Force Moscow's Deal on Zelenskyy?
    Nov 25 2025
    I spoke to Quiet Riot regular Alex Andreou as well as Iuliia Osmolowska, former senior Ukrainian diplomat now running the GLOBSEC think tank office in Kyiv about the so-called 28-Point Peace Plan as well as Ukraine and Europe's response. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • From Abu Ghraib to the White House - How Ahmad Al-Shara'a is Ruling Syria

    From Abu Ghraib to the White House - How Ahmad Al-Shara'a is Ruling Syria
    Nov 18 2025
    I spoke to Orwa Ajjoub about the remarkable rise of Syria's new ruler, Ahmad Al-Shara'a, from wanted terrorist to White House visitor. His ruthless pragmatism is his signature and we discussed this in some detail, including his relations with the Kurdish SDF, with Turkey, Israel and the regional states, as well as with the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • Are we living in an age of competitive authoritarianism

    Are we living in an age of competitive authoritarianism
    Nov 11 2025
    Sara Dorman of Edinburgh University spoke to me about the rising tide of authoritarianism around the world, and particularly the form of competitive authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Emily Thornberry on British Foreign Policy

    Emily Thornberry on British Foreign Policy
    Nov 5 2025
    As Behind the Lines formally announces joining the Cooler Heads podcast family, making us now the little brother to the massive success that is Quiet Riot - the brilliant politics podcast with Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell, I was delighted to have as my guest none other than Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • Classic Behind the Lines: Disinformation in the Trump Era with Nina Jankowicz

    Classic Behind the Lines: Disinformation in the Trump Era with Nina Jankowicz
    Oct 28 2025
    Back in January I spoke to Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation expert, about what the Trump era would portend. Her views proved remarkably prescient and I thought it would be of further interest now. Check out our Bookshop.org affiliate site behindthelines and please sign up for my substack at arthursnell.substack.com and/or follow me on Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Gaza - where are we now? with Michael Stephens

    Gaza - where are we now? with Michael Stephens
    Oct 23 2025
    The Trump deal for Gaza, announced with great pomp and ceremony appeared to lead very quickly to a resumption of hostilities. Has Trump or even his administration got a plan for seeing this through, or was this just a quick deal to get the hostages out? I discussed this with regular guest, Middle East expert Michael Stephens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Emma Briant on the Age of Disinformation

    Emma Briant on the Age of Disinformation
    Oct 14 2025
    Professor Emma Briant is a prolific and important researcher on disinformation and information warfare, some of the most things in our age. She has frequent been asked to give evidence to parliaments about the issue including recent evidence to the UK parliament here https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/138542/pdf/ and to the New Zealand parliament here She can be found online at https://bsky.app/profile/emmalbriant.bsky.social as well as in all the other relevant places. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • Crossing the Line: an Israeli - Palestinian love story

    Crossing the Line: an Israeli - Palestinian love story
    Oct 7 2025
    Two years on from the devastating events of October 7, 2023, Gaza lies in ruins and numerous hostages are still held by Hamas. The destruction and losses, both in human terms and to the idea of peace as a possibility has been devastating. Whilst there are glimmers of hope in the latest ceasefire negotiations, it still feels too early to try to answer huge questions about the future of Israel and Palestine. So, on this difficult anniversary I have chosen to showcase the work of Mya Guarnieri, an American-Israeli writer and academic who married a Palestinian and wrote an account of her life across the lines in a moving book. Thank you for listening to this episode of Behind the Lines. Please subscribe to avoid missing any episodes and please subscribe to my substack here: https://arthursnell.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins