GeoStrategy360°

In the forty-sixth episode of Geostrategy360°, Viktorija speaks to the authors of our latest Policy Paper about the geopolitics of the Himalayas. Gray Sergeant outlines how the Himalayas are experiencing geopolitical flux as the People’s Republic of China’s challenges the national borders of Bhutan and India, while exploiting water systems to threaten India and Nepal.

In the forty-fifth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to the authors of our latest Policy Paper about the state of the relationship between the UK and Ukraine. Dr Alexander Lanoszka, James Rogers and Dr Hanna Shelest outline how British-Ukrainian ties have developed since 1993 and discuss how they might be improved further still in the future.

In the forty-fourth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman in the wake of the NATO Madrid Summit. They discuss Professor Freedman's opinion of NATO's response to Russia's reinvasion of Ukraine, the chances of NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia, preparing the public for the possibility of a long war and much more.

In the forty-third episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with Rihards Kols, Latvian Member of Parliament and Chair of their Foreign Affairs Committee. They discuss the defence and security of Eastern Europe, the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid and Latia's expectations, and the war in Ukraine.

In the forty-second episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to the authors of our recent Report on European energy security, Dr Alexander Lanoszka, James Rogers and Patrick Triglavcanin. They discuss Europe’s reliance on Russia for oil, gas and coal and outline how, with the proper support, Ukraine could - after the war - become a primary energy exporter to EU countries.

In the forty-first episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Vadym Prystaiko. They discuss how Ukraine is faring more than 100 days after Russia's reinvasion, what Ukrainians think about French and German attitudes towards the war, the possibility of EU membership and much more.

In the fortieth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Sam Hall, the Director of the Conservative Environment Network. They discuss the recently announced British energy security strategy, what it involves, how effective it is likely to be and areas that could have received more attention.

In the thirty-ninth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with Jonathan Djanogly MP - chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Georgia. She asks him about his recent visit to the country, discusses the 2008 war with Russia, Georgia’s European Union aspirations and what more Britain can do to support the country and grow our bilateral relationship.

In the thirty-eighth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Dr Philip Shetler-Jones about Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to the UK. They discuss how Japan has responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine; Japan's strategic interests abroad and closer to home; deepening British-Japanese relations; and how the security partnership between the two countries might develop in the future.

In the thirty-seventh episode of Geostrategy360 Viktorija speaks to our Herbert Richmond Associate Fellow, Professor Alessio Patalano. They discuss the Carrier Strike Group’s deployment in Operation Fortis, the leading role played by HMS Prince of Wales in NATO’s Cold Response exercises and the importance of the Royal Navy to the UK’s Global Britain ambitions.

In episode thirty-six, Viktorija speaks to Andriy Zagorodnyuk – Ukrainian Defence Minister 2019-2020 and now advisor to the Ukrainian government – about how the war looks on the ground, how much Britain’s support means, how he thinks Ukraine’s EU membership application will progress, the role of NATO and more.

In episode thirty-five of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to our Associate Fellow in Euro-Atlantic Geopolitics Dr Alexander Lanoszka. They discuss the themes of his new book on military alliances, how NATO has responded to the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of Sweden and Finland applying to join the Alliance, and the disunity within Russia's alternative to NATO, the CSTO.

In the thirty-fourth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to the Earl of Oxford and Asquith – who served as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow from 1983-1985, and Counsellor at the British Embassy in Kyiv from 1992-1997 – about our most recent Policy Paper on the Black Sea region. They discuss the war in Ukraine and evaluate the United Kingdom's response to the resulting refugee flows. The Earl also explains which of the possible four outcomes of the war outlined in the Policy Paper he views as most likely.

In the thirty-third episode of Geostrategy360°, Viktorija speaks to Baroness Helic, former special advisor to William Hague whilst he was Foreign Secretary. They discuss the Balkans, the upcoming elections in Serbia and the chances of instability growing whilst attention is focused on Ukraine.

In the thirty-second episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Iulian Chifu, State Counselor for Foreign Policy, Security and Strategic Affairs to the Prime Minister of Romania. They discuss the war in Ukraine and how Russia's unprovoked aggression is prompting major shifts in defence policy across Europe.

In the thirty-first episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to John Baron MP, chair of the APPG for the British Council and Conservative Backbench Defence Committee. They discuss the need for greater defence spending in a more competitive era, where this money might come from and how it should be spent.

In the thirtieth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to The Right Honourable Tobias Ellwood MP about the unprovoked war of aggression Russia is waging against Ukraine. They discuss what Britain could do to support Ukraine in the peace talks, how the West has failed to properly confront the growing challenge posed by Putin's regime and how the war is likely to progress. 

In the twenty-ninth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to EU Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevicius. They discuss the state of Europe's oceans and how Britain and the European Union can collaborate to enhance the environmental security and biodiversity of our oceans.

In the twenty-eighth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to our new Advisory Council member The Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon KCB. They discuss the state of Britain's relationship with Ukraine and delve into the current Russian-created crisis on Ukraine's border.

In the twenty-seventh episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with our Associate Fellow Charles Parton about his recent Explainer on how to properly watch and analyse the CCP. They also discuss the Beijing Winter Olympics and the forthcoming announcements on security cooperation between China and Russia.

In the twenty-sixth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with Giedrimas Jeglinskas, the Assistant Secretary General for Executive Management at NATO. They discuss the challenges NATO will face in the next decade, what the year ahead might bring for the alliance and what NATO's strategic priorities are.

In the twenty-fifth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with The Right Honourable John Whittingdale MP, previously Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, about the importance of soft power for Britain's foreign policy and how it could be enhanced further.

In the twenty-fourth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to the Chair of our Advisory Council and Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Algeria and Lebanon, Lord Risby. They discuss the year ahead and potential geopolitical flashpoints, covering what might become of Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s border and whether or when China might invade Taiwan.

In the twenty-third episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija talks to our Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific Geopolitics, Matthew Henderson. They discuss the reasons several countries have decided to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, the case of Peng Shuai, and how China has reacted so far.

In the twenty-second episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with Lieutenant General (retired) Ben Hodges, formerly of the US army, about the growing tensions in Ukraine and the Black Sea region. They discuss why Russia is interested in Ukraine and what the West can do to deter further Russian military aggression.

In the twenty-first episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to our Ernest Bevin Associate Fellow in Euro-Atlantic Geopolitics, Dr. Alexander Lanoszka, and James Rogers, our Director of Research. The co-authors of our recent Policy Paper on the Black Sea region discuss the recent NATO Foreign Ministers meeting and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's comments.

In the twentieth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Alexander Stafford MP and William Young about the Council's most recent Environmental Security policy paper. They discuss the importance of critical minerals to Britain's net zero targets and what can be done to reduce our reliance on Chinese processing.

In the nineteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with Alicia Kearns MP about the ongoing tensions and political instability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Balkans region more generally, and what Britain and its allies could be doing to restore stability.

In the eighteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with His Excellency Renatas Norkus, Lithuanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. They discuss the current border crisis between Belarus and Poland - and how it might impact Lithuania - as well as the likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the seventeenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija talks to Dr Bill Hayton and Dr John Hemmings about their new report, ‘Enhancing British-Vietnamese relations in a more competitive era’. John and Bill discuss the contents of the report, the burgeoning relationship between Britain and Vietnam and the security context in South East Asia that prompted the Indo-Pacific tilt.

In the sixteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija talks to Julia Heckscher, the Deputy High Commissioner for Australia in London. They discuss the recently announced AUKUS pact, Five Eyes, the evolution of strategic cooperation between the United Kingdom and Australia and more.

In the fifteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Dr Alexander Lanoszka about the ZAPAD 21 military exercises between Russia and Belarus that begin on the 10th of September.

In the fourteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Gareth Stansfield, Professor of Middle East Politics and the Al-Qasimi Chair of Arab Gulf Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. They discuss Afghanistan, the consequences of the withdrawal and where blame lies for its failures.

In the thirteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Georgian Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality. The Minister speaks about the Russian invasion of Georgia, how the international community can support the Georgian push to free their territories and how the pandemic has damaged access to healthcare as Russia pursues a policy of 'borderisation'.

In the twelfth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to our Associate Fellow Dr. Mark Galeotti - an expert on modern Russia and its security and politics - and James Rogers, our Director of Research and expert in Britain's geostrategic power. They discuss the incident involving HMS Defender in the Black Sea and how Russia views the region.

In the eleventh episode of Geostrategy360 Viktorija speaks to Professor Andrew Lambert - Laughton Professor of Naval History at King's College London. They discuss Britain's naval history, how being an island nation shaped the United Kingdom's foreign policy and where we might find ourselves in 20 years.

In episode 10 of Geostrategy360, Viktorija Starych-Samuoliene speaks to His Excellency Mansoor Abulhoul to discuss the green agenda in the UAE, bilateral agreements on the environment and COP26 - along with the UK's support for the UAE bid for COP28.

In the ninth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Ryan Henson, Chief Executive Officer at the Coalition for Global Prosperity, and James Rogers, Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy. They discuss the ongoing debate surrounding the UK's aid commitments, what aid actually does and whether or not the government is spending its aid money wisely.

In episode 8, Viktorija speaks to William Young, an associate fellow in environmental security at the Council on Geostrategy, about his new paper on carbon borders and what actions the UK should take to tackle the problem of carbon leakage. In addition, the UK's approach to tackling the climate crisis is explored as well as what to expect out of the upcoming G7, G20 and COP26 summits.

In the seventh episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks to Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom. During this episode, they discuss Russian land-grabbing in Eastern Ukraine, the importance of values and Ukraine's desire to join NATO.

This week on Geostrategy360, host Viktorija Starych-Samuoliene speaks to James Gray MP, chair of the All-Party-Parliamentary-Group on the Polar regions about security in the Arctic and Antarctica and why it is so important that the UK pays attention to these critical areas.

On Geostrategy360 this week, Viktorija Starych-Samuoliene interviews Stefanie Beck, the acting Canadian High Commissioner to Britain, about bilateral and multilateral cooperation, upcoming global summits, China, and what countries like Canada and the UK are prioritising as they recover from the covid-19 pandemic.

This week on Geostrategy360, host Viktorija speaks to The Rt. Hon Tobias Ellwood MP, Chairman of the Defence Select Committee and member of parliament for Bournemouth East, about the recently released Defence Command Paper, the Integrated Review and what all this means for Britain and the British military.

In the third episode of the Geostrategy360 podcast, host Viktorija questions China expert Charles Parton on what the Integrated Review has to say about China, the UK's Indo-Pacific 'tilt', the issue of Taiwan and what China wants to get out of Britain.

This week, Geostrategy360 welcomes Tom Tugendhat MP, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling. Interviewed by the Council on Geostrategy's Viktorija Starych-Samuoliene, Tom talks about the Integrated Review, the future of British foreign policy and the challenges of environmental diplomacy.

In our first episode, Co-founders Viktorija Starych Samuoliene and James Rogers introduce the organisation, explain The Council's interest in environmental security and discuss our first policy paper, 'A Crowe Memorandum for the 21st Century'