31 episodes
The Global Jigsaw BBC World Service
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- News
Looking at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers and analyses news media in 100 languages.
We reach across multiple time zones, from China and India, to Iran, Africa and Latin America.
We watch Russian state TV around the clock, giving unrivalled insight into the evolution of Kremlin propaganda.
But propaganda is just part of the information space we inhabit. In its more extreme form, we focus on disinformation that aims to defame enemies, sway elections, and undermine democracy.
We have been monitoring jihadist media for nearly two decades, following the chatter from al-Qaeda and Islamic State group, gaining extraordinary knowledge about their aims, their ideological differences and allegiances.
We watch the behaviour of Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, Turkey’s Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping, Hungary’s Orban and anyone else who might be challenging the established order, seeking to expand their global footprint or export their brand of ideology.
At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth.
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How China sees itself in Africa
“China is not buying Africa, it is building Africa” is the view from Beijing. How is this landing with local audiences? There have been hints of a cooling down of Sino-African friendship. For this episode, the team travels to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to get a sense of Chinese influence on the ground, and understand why Beijing has chosen it as a hub for its media operation in Africa.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg -
Turkey's foothold in Africa
A dive into the narratives surrounding Turkey’s ambitions in Africa, where Ankara is touting itself as a “non-colonising” alternative to Western powers. Turkey has been expanding its influence operations in Africa in recent years: from military muscle and drone diplomacy to education, humanitarian projects, soft power and spiritual bonding. We ask what sets Turkey apart from other foreign powers vying for influence on the continent, and what its distinctive approach has achieved.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg -
Deconstructing Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’: Part two
Iran's loose coalition of allies and proxies, sworn against Israeli and US influence, that has been shaping events in the Middle East for decades. Its ability to disrupt has been highlighted in the context of the current Gaza war. In this episode, we take you to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Gaza to untangle the web of Tehran’s influence operations and explore its potential to thrive in times of crisis.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg -
How drones have changed war
Drones have reshaped the battlefield in Ukraine - and created new challenges, raising concerns about the nature of future warfare. Drone technology has many iterations from Iran’s Shaheds and Turkey’s Bayraktars to the home-made war drone. We look into the history, the geopolitics and the worrying prospect of this tech teaming up with AI.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg -
Sudan: A year of war
As it marks a year of war with no end in sight, Sudan faces the largest humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world. There are fears that if not stopped, the conflict could further destabilise an already volatile region. We try to piece together the picture from the few trusted sources that are left on the ground - journalists working in hiding and in constant danger. And a warning - there are distressing details.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Technical producer: Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Twigg
Audio for this episode was updated on 13 April 2024. -
Deconstructing Iran’s 'Axis of Resistance': Part one
The origins of the Iran-cultivated alliance of like-minded states and groups taking aim at Israel and the US. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Quds, or Jerusalem, force and the Basij militias regularly feature in the news; what are they, how do they operate and how have they become so influential? In this episode, we look at the branding and the ideological blueprint of the Tehran-led influence network that has been shaping events in the Middle East for decades.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg