This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler cover art

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

By: Podmasters
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About this listen

 Exploring threats to global stability from Ukraine to China to the Middle East with host Gavin Esler – former BBC News presenter, Washington correspondent and host of Newsnight – plus Ukraine-based war reporter Oz Katerji and independent conflict analyst Emma Beals. This Is Not A Drill dives deep into the dangers, corruption, conflicts, disinformation, rivalries and ruthless realpolitik that are making our world ever more dangerous. Support This Is Not A Drill on Patreon from just £3 per month to get each episode early plus bonus material and exclusive merchandise. From Podmasters, the team behind Oh God, What Now?, Paper Cuts and The Bunker.2023 - Podmasters Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Gaza Peace Plan – What you need to know

    The Gaza Peace Plan – What you need to know
    Oct 8 2025
    A US-led peace plan has brought renewed hopes that an end to the conflict in Gaza may be in sight. But as talks in Cairo continue over the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and disarmament of Hamas, what are the prospects for a lasting peace settlement? Gavin Esler discusses the latest with Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for The Economist. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There’s a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • Xi's power play – What happens if China wins over Russia and India?

    Xi's power play – What happens if China wins over Russia and India?
    Oct 2 2025
    Trump’s foreign policy means the United States is leaving a vacuum in world affairs – and China looks increasingly willing to fill it. Following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin last month, what is the real nature of Xi Jinping and China’s expanding but complex international relationships, including those with Narendra Modi in India and Vladimir Putin in Russia? In the latest episode of This Is Not A Drill, Gavin Esler talks to Elizabeth Wishnick, expert on Chinese-Russian relations and senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute, and Tanvi Madan, senior fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, host of the Global India podcast and author of the book Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations during the Cold War.” • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There’s a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • Trump backs Ukraine – What does this mean for Zelenskyy and Putin?

    Trump backs Ukraine – What does this mean for Zelenskyy and Putin?
    Sep 25 2025
    In a dramatic shift over the war in Ukraine, Trump took to Truth Social this week to declare his belief that Ukraine can win back its territories. Will Trump’s change in stance last, and will the shift in rhetoric lead to a change in policy from the White House? To discuss a dramatic week at the UN General Assembly meeting and the latest from the front lines in Eastern Ukraine, Oz Katerji is joined in Kyiv by security analyst Jimmy Rushton. Read Jimmy Rushton’s report on Ukraine’s defence of its front lines in New Lines Magazine here. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There’s a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Oz Katerji. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    34 mins
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