Independent Thinking

American voters' aversion to data centres and suspicion of AI's potential to destroy jobs played a major role in the Republican Party's losses in the US midterms.

Then the tech-heavy US stock market tumbled as investors became concerned that a Democrat-controlled congress might be less accommodating of hyperscalers. Recovery has been shaky, and the resignation of NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang following his affair with an alleged Chinese spy is likely to make things worse.

Bronwen Maddox is joined by David Lubin from our Global Economy and Finance Programme, and Alex Krasodomski, director of our Digital Society Programme.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
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American voters inflicted a crushing defeat on the Republican Party in the US midterm elections, signalling clear dissatisfaction with President Trump's agenda. Now many issues in US politics are up in the air – from the use of tariffs to policy on Iran, Ukraine and beyond.
How will the Democrats use their new powers? What will the result mean for Trump's war on Iran and the stability of global energy supplies? And how will the repudiation of Trump's second term echo around the world?
Bronwen Maddox is joined by Laurel Rapp, Lindsay Newman and Andrew Payne of Chatham House's US and North America Programme to make sense of a seismic week.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
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Comment | After Trump's midterm defeat, Russia and China will encounter a cooler US 
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Event recording | Arseniy Yatsenyuk, former prime minister of Ukraine
Magazine issue |  The World Today autumn issue
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Audio | Africa Aware🎧
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Israel faces weeks of political horse-trading after the most pivotal election in the country's history delivered no clear result. Neither victorious nor vanquished, Benjamin Netanyahu is still prime minister and lives to attempt another coalition negotiation – and perhaps launch further strikes on Iran to shore up his interim power. Arab parties have secured a record number of seats, but the question remains whether opposition Jewish parties will enter a coalition with them.
Will anyone do a deal with Netanyahu? What does it all mean in a deeply polarized society riven by settler violence, personality-centred politics and with a seemingly permanent security emergency?
To examine the election results and what they mean for Israel's future, Bronwen Maddox is joined by The Economist's Israel editor Anshel Pfeffer, plus Zizette Darkazally and Yossi Mekelberg from Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
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Video | Israel election: What happens next?
Magazine article | Israel's global isolation is growing – so why is it off the election agenda?
Policy paper | The UK can and should show leadership to ensure the viability of a Palestinian state. Here's how to start
Magazine issue |  The World Today autumn issue
Academic Journal | International Affairs
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
Audio |  The Climate Briefing🎧
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As the world becomes more unstable and the demands for critical minerals from China and big tech increases, can greater international attention on Africa translate into greater power and prosperity for African nations?
Can African states leverage their huge deposits of natural resources and the youngest population in the world into more infrastructure, better engagement with international partners and greater representation for Africa on international bodies, including the UN Security Council?
Our experts explore the new global opportunities for African nations, the increasingly transactional approach of the US, trade deals with the EU, the Accra Reset, creating regional value chains, Russia's involvement in conflicts in Africa and why international organizations need to open up their decision-making bodies.
In a special edition for Black History Month, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Tighisti Amare, director of our Africa Programme, and Lisa Musumba, host of our sister podcast, 'Africa Aware'.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
Explore Chatham House's latest work:
Video | Baroness Amos, President of Chatham House, speaking at a Black History Month event in mid-October about 'Reparative justice'
Research paper | The response to debt distress in Africa and the role of China
Research paper | Gold and the war in Sudan
Event | Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama on navigating a changing global order 
Event recording | Reckoning or rhetoric: Is now the time for reparative justice on the global stage?
Magazine issue |  The World Today autumn issue
Academic Journal | International Affairs
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
Audio |  The Climate Briefing🎧
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President Trump and President Putin's back-door deal to release hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Russian diesel into international markets has revitalized the Kremlin's war effort and left President Zelenskyy incandescent. Is the US president sacrificing Ukraine in the hope that it will help him in the midterms? Can Europe bridge the gap in support? And can Ukraine survive another winter under Russian attack?
Bronwen Maddox is joined by Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme and head of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House; General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of the Joint Forces Command in the UK Armed Forces and a senior consulting fellow with our International Security Programme; and Sharon Hudson-Dean, associate fellow with Chatham House's US and North America Programme.
Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
Comment | After Trump's Russian diesel deal, will Europe give Ukraine the support it needs?
Comment | Why the US midterms are a rare foreign policy election
Research paper | Why a 'whole-of-society' model is essential for Ukraine's recovery
Magazine issue | The World Today autumn issue
Academic Journal | International Affairs
Audio | Africa Aware🎧
Audio |  The Climate Briefing🎧
Follow Independent Thinking on your favourite podcast apps.