Hold Your Fire!

International Crisis Group
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Join Crisis Group's Executive Vice President Richard Atwood as he dives deep into the conflicts that rage around the globe with Crisis Group analysts and special guests. These experts bring a unique, on-the-ground perspective to understanding both why those conflicts persist — and what could bring them to an end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Phase Two in Gaza?

    In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Amjad Iraqi, Mairav Zonszein and Max Rodenbeck about President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and its implications for Gaza. They unpack the structure of the board’s different layers, how Palestinians are reacting to the new Palestinian technocratic Gaza committee and what that committee will do. They look at conditions on the ground in Gaza amid frequent ceasefire violations and Hamas’s continued hold of parts of the strip. They also assess the obstacles to moving the peace plan forward, including working out agreement on the sequencing of Hamas decommissioning weapons, on one hand, and Israeli withdrawing troops and letting in reconstruction aid on the other, as well as the still-uncertain prospects for an international stabilisation force in the strip. For more, check out our recent episodes “Norway’s FM Espen Barth Eide on Greenland, Iran, Trump’s Board of Peace and other crises”, “The Greenland Showdown and Board of Peace at Davos” and our Israel/Palestine page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  2. 31 JAN

    Norway’s FM Espen Barth Eide on Greenland, Iran, Trump’s Board of Peace and other crises

    In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Norway’s Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide. They discuss the latest U.S.-Europe tensions over Greenland, Arctic security and Europe’s approach to Washington. They then turn to prospects for a peace deal in Ukraine and what security guarantees might look like. They examine President Trump’s newly announced “Board of Peace” and its implications for Gaza, the danger of another round of U.S. strikes on Iran, the U.S. raid that seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and the outlook for political change in Venezuela. Finally, they reflect on the role of middle powers in a fragmenting world.  Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more, check out our last episode, The Greenland Showdown and Board of Peace at Davos and our Multilateral Diplomacy page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  3. 24 JAN

    The Greenland Showdown and Board of Peace at Davos

    This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Richard Gowan, Olga Oliker and Steve Pomper about U.S. President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace and whether the transatlantic crisis over Greenland is over. In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts, Richard Gowan, Olga Oliker and Steve Pomper and Richard Gowan to discuss the transatlantic strains over President Donald Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland and his push to expand the mandate of his Board of Peace. He first speaks with Richard to discuss the Board of Peace–originally approved by the UN to oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction, but now accompanied by a charter suggesting a wider global mandate and a potential challenge to the UN system. They discuss how the board is viewed at the UN and beyond, who is signing up, what it could deliver in Gaza and whether it may accelerate the erosion of traditional multilateral institutions. Richard then speaks with Olga and Steve about what a rupture in the transatlantic alliance would mean for Ukraine and European security more broadly, and how European leaders can manage their volatile relationship with Washington.  Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more, check out our Q&A “Waiting at Davos: U.S. Allies Wrestle with Trump’s Threats to Greenland”, our Analyst’s Notebook “Trump Proposes a Bypass to the UN Security Council”, and our “Multilateral Diplomacy” page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min

  4. 16 JAN

    What Next for Iran?

    In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood is joined by Crisis Group’s Iran Director Ali Vaez to discuss the wave of nationwide protests in Iran and what the unrest could mean for the Islamic Republic’s future. They look at what’s behind the protests, what is known about the situation on the ground amid an information blackout and the regime’s brutal crackdown, with a death toll that authorities themselves put in the thousands. They unpack the public anger at the regime, debates over who could rally an opposition, and calls for a referendum and a new constitutional order. They also assess President Donald Trump’s options, including the possibility of U.S. strikes, the risks of escalation or state collapse in Iran, and whether any viable path exists toward political change. Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more, check out our latest statement “Iran in Crisis: Time for a Change from Within” and our Iran page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min

  5. 10 JAN

    From Venezuela to Greenland? Trump’s Gunboat Diplomacy

    This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Renata Segura and Stephen Pomper about the fallout from the U.S. operation capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Washington’s push for oil concessions, and the future U.S. Western hemisphere policy. In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard talks with Renata Segura, Crisis Group’s Latin America & Caribbean director, and chief of policy Stephen Pomper, about the fallout from the U.S. operation last weekend seizing Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. They unpack how the Chavista government is holding together under pressure from the Trump administration to give up control of Venezuelan oil. They examine what’s driving the Trump administration's action in Venezuela and whether a democratic transition is realistically on the horizon. They also explore what precedent the operation sets for Cuba and countries across Latin America, the administration’s sharpening rhetoric around Greenland, and what all this signals about a more openly revisionist U.S. approach to the post–World War II order. Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more, check out our statement “Venezuela after Maduro: Transaction or Transition?”, this week’s special episode “What Next for Venezuela?” and our Venezuela page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min

  6. 5 JAN

    Special Episode: What Next for Venezuela?

    This week, in a special episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Crisis Group’s Caracas-based senior Andes region analyst Phil Gunson to unpack the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and to assess what may come next. They examine how the operation unfolded, how it was experienced inside Venezuela, and the government’s initial response. They discuss Vice President Delcy Rodríguez’s assumption of power and whether Washington may be willing to work with a Maduro-less but still Chavista government to secure oil concessions rather than pursue full regime change. They talk about what Trump meant when he said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela. They also explore the weakened state of the opposition, the role of the military and armed groups, regional reactions, and the prospects for resolving Venezuela’s political crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  7. 19/12/2025

    Trump Brokers Rwanda-DR Congo Deal, Rwandan-backed Rebels Advance

    In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood speaks with Richard Moncrieff about the Rwanda-backed M23’s advance into Uvira in eastern DR Congo and where the war and the diplomacy to end it might be headed. They discuss what’s driving the group’s latest offensive, what governance looks like in M23-held areas, its reliance on Rwanda, and its ambitions through its political arm, the Congo River Alliance (or AFC). They then examine President Félix Tshisekedi’s resilience despite battlefield setbacks, Burundi’s deepening involvement, and rising tensions with Rwanda. Finally, they unpack the mediation tracks led by Qatar and the U.S., President Donald Trump’s dealmaking, the value of its business elements and prospects for reaching at least a durable ceasefire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min

  8. 13/12/2025

    Fighting on the Cambodia-Thailand Border

    In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Matthew Wheeler, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for Southeast Asia, about the renewed clashes along the Thailand-Cambodia border. They explore the origins of the long-running dispute and the triggers for the latest round of fighting, which has shattered a ceasefire reached in Malaysia in late July and displaced more than half a million people. They examine calculations in Bangkok and Phnom Penh, the rising nationalist sentiment in Thailand, and the fallout from a leaked phone call between then-Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia’s de facto leader Hun Sen in June. They also assess diplomacy to end the fighting, Malaysia’s mediation, and President Donald Trump’s role in brokering the July truce. As fighting continues despite Trump’s claim to have forged another ceasefire, they discuss why a quick de-escalation looks less likely this time around. For more, check out Matthew’s analyst’s notebook, “Ceasefire Collapses as Heavy Fighting Erupts along Cambodia-Thailand Border”, as well as our Cambodia and Thailand pages.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
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About

Join Crisis Group's Executive Vice President Richard Atwood as he dives deep into the conflicts that rage around the globe with Crisis Group analysts and special guests. These experts bring a unique, on-the-ground perspective to understanding both why those conflicts persist — and what could bring them to an end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    International Crisis Group
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    215
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © International Crisis Group
  • Show Website
    Hold Your Fire!

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