One Decision

Listen Now Media
  • 4.5 (80)
  • Politics
  • Weekly

Tough decisions rattle us all to the core.  But for our guests on One Decision— the choices they are up against can also shape history.  No pressure!  They take us through all of their doubts, emotions and—sometimes unexpected--consequences. A fresh take on foreign policy. Hear the former head of Mi6, Sir Richard Dearlove alongside international journalists as they analyse, interview, and discuss.

  1. 18h ago

    Trump Will Hit Iran After the Midterms. It's His Way Out | Ian Bremmer

    Will Trump strike Iran after the 2026 midterm elections, and is a wider war his way out of lame-duck weakness? Eurasia Group founder and president Ian Bremmer explains why the Iran war may escalate after the US midterms, what a Democratic “blue wave” would mean for Trump’s foreign policy, and whether Trump has passed his peak. Bremmer also covers what a Democratic Congress would prioritize abroad, the investigations likely to follow the midterms, the future of Republican populism after Trump, and where the Ukraine war stands between Trump and Putin. Thank you to Incogni for sponsoring. Get 60% off the annual plan with code "onedecision" at https://incogni.com/onedecision In this episode: (00:00) Iran War Worst Case Scenario (03:55) Have We Passed Peak Trump? (05:20) Trump Midterm Election Outlook (06:08) Thwarted Trump Foreign Policy Risks (08:20) Democrats Post-Midterm Investigation Strategy (10:40) Trump's Vendetta Against Former Insiders (11:05) Republican Party Populism After Trump (17:39) Is Trump a Temporary Phenomenon? (26:10) American Dream and Populist Pitchforks (28:38) Democratic Geopolitical Priorities After Midterms (31:16) Iran War: Best and Worst Scenarios (38:00) Trump, Putin, and the Ukraine War Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Trump Will Hit Iran After the Midterms. It's His Way Out | Ian Bremmer

  2. Oct 22

    Who Is Really Running Iran Now? (w/ Karim Sadjadpour)

    Eight months into the US-Iran war, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) have taken control of Iran, the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, and Trump faces a decision — before and after the midterms: escalate or negotiate? Carnegie Endowment senior fellow Karim Sadjadpour — a leading Western expert on Iranian politics — joins Kate McCann and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove to explain the war from inside Tehran: why the clerics have been replaced by military hardliners, what Mojtaba Khamenei's personal losses mean for any peace deal, how Netanyahu pushed Trump into the conflict, and the one domestic decision that could be Iran's Gorbachev moment. They also discuss the legacy of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's nuclear program, and whether US sanctions can force a deal. In this episode: (00:00) Iran's Gangster Regime and Revenge (00:52) US-Iran War Eight Months In (02:49) Trump's Military Decision on Iran (04:43) Who Really Runs Iran Now (07:13) Trump's Legacy and Regime Change (14:55) Four Key Contention Points With Iran (16:20) Hardliners vs Pragmatists in Iran (19:04) How Netanyahu Pushed Trump to War (22:38) Axis of Resistance and the Houthis (27:53) Strait of Hormuz Crisis Explained (32:36) Finding a Solution to Iran Conflict (40:27) Gulf States React to Iran Conflict (46:40) The One Decision: Mandatory Hijab Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host  Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Who Is Really Running Iran Now? (w/ Karim Sadjadpour)

  3. Oct 15

    OpenAI Could Go Bust by Summer, Says Financial Expert Sebastian Mallaby

    #OpenAI #AI #ArtificialIntelligence Thank you to Incogni for sponsoring. Get 60% off the annual plan with code onedecision at https://incogni.com/onedecision OpenAI says it will burn $280 billion by 2030. Sebastian Mallaby gives it a 50/50 chance of running out of money by next summer. So what happens when the world's most prominent AI lab goes bust — and does the US government step in? Sebastian Mallaby — Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Infinity Machine, a biography of DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis — joins Sir Richard Dearlove and John Raine. They discuss the financial fragility of the leading AI labs, why open-weight AI models are too dangerous to permit, how a US-China non-proliferation deal for AI might work, and what a war game about nuclear submarines revealed about where this is all heading. In this episode: (00:00) AI Race Between US and China (02:08) Sebastian Mallaby on AI Safety (02:51) Is AI a Blessing or Curse? (04:03) Who to Trust on AI Safety (05:35) Demis Hassabis and AI Regulation (08:23) Cold War Lessons for AI Safety (11:42) Trump Administration AI Policy (14:59) Private AI Safety Monitoring (20:57) Open Weight AI Models Debate (23:00) Does AI Replicate Consciousness? (33:24) Is AI Investment a Bubble? (45:39) AI War Game Nuclear Submarine Scenario (54:37) The One Decision Open Weight AI Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    OpenAI Could Go Bust by Summer, Says Financial Expert Sebastian Mallaby

  4. Oct 8

    Japan Is Rearming. Will It Build the Bomb? (w/ Ian Buruma)

    #Germany #Japan #Rearmament Thank you to Incogni for sponsoring. Get 60% off the annual plan with code onedecision at https://incogni.com/onedecision For more than half a century, the two main Axis powers of WWII lived under strict limits on their militaries. Now both are rearming fast — driven by the threat of Russia in Europe and China in the Pacific, and by growing doubts about whether the US under Trump can still be relied upon. Germany is pouring money into defense and rebuilding its arms industry. Japan has created a new intelligence service, is expanding its Self-Defense Forces, and is debating whether to revise Article 9 of its pacifist constitution. Historian and journalist Ian Buruma — author of Stay Alive: Berlin 1939–1945 — joins former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove and journalist Kate McCann to explain how wartime guilt shaped both countries' foreign and defense policy for generations, and why that influence is now fading fast. Thank you to Incogni for sponsoring. Get 60% off the annual plan with code onedecision at https://incogni.com/onedecision In this episode: (00:00) Intro (04:22) Sir Richard on ex-BND chief August Hanning (08:47) How Germany and Japan responded to WWII (13:11) Japan’s younger generation and Article 9 (22:11) Should Germany help fund Europe’s nuclear umbrella? (23:50) Could Japan go nuclear? (26:54) What is Article 9? (28:48) Japan’s new intelligence service and arms industry (32:55) The AfD, the firewall and German rearmament (36:34) A populist Europe and the end of Pax Americana (41:29) How the AfD weaponizes German history (45:06) The one decision to watch Join Sir Richard Dearlove and his co-hosts as they engage with leading figures in geopolitics, intelligence, and global affairs. They dissect the critical decisions behind the headlines, offering deep insights and expert analysis of the strategies that define international relations. From uncovering the implications of major geopolitical events to decoding the tactics of world leaders, One Decision is your gateway to understanding the complexities of global dynamics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Japan Is Rearming. Will It Build the Bomb? (w/ Ian Buruma)

  5. Oct 1

    Mohamed El-Erian: America Is Exporting Its Debt Crisis

    War with Iran, record diesel prices, and a global bond sell-off: how much more can the world economy take? Mohamed El-Erian (Wharton, Allianz, former CEO of PIMCO) joins Sir Richard Dearlove (former head of MI6) and John Raine to explain what's driving the bond market sell-off, why the US is exporting instability to the UK, France, and Japan, and why AI is "80% asset, 20% liability." Plus: how PIMCO really navigated Lehman's collapse, and the one decision he's watching. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (03:07) Why this crisis is different (04:04) Permacrisis and "minilateralism" (05:46) What's driving the global bond sell-off (07:32) The hit to US households: mortgages, car loans, the K-shaped economy (10:10) "Our yields, your problem": UK, France and Japan (13:05) France, Mélenchon and Europe's leadership vacuum (17:59) AI: 80% asset, 20% liability (20:35) US-China AI Race (31:30) Did PIMCO predict Lehman Brothers collapse? (35:58) Who wins in today’s economy? (44:51) Can finance ministers fix what politicians can't? (46:32) How important are AI companies to the economy? Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Mohamed El-Erian: America Is Exporting Its Debt Crisis

  6. Sep 24

    Iran Is Draining America’s Missile Defenses (w/ Paul Scharre, Former US Army Ranger)

    Between cheap-to-produce drones and artificial intelligence, the future of warfare may already be here. Paul Scharre, former US Army Ranger and executive vice president of the Center for a New American Strategy, joins former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host John Raine to discuss how drones and AI are reshaping military conflict and militaries themselves. Scharre explains why cheap drones are beating expensive armies, how the cost asymmetry between offense and defense is reshaping the battlefield, and why the US may be losing its technological edge faster than it realizes. He also assesses Ukraine's drone revolution, the race between the US and China to adopt military AI, and why keeping humans in the loop may matter more than any weapon system. In this episode: (00:00) Cost Equation of Modern Warfare (02:39) Defining the Present State of Warfare (04:18) How Militaries Are Dealing with AI (06:24) Technology Reshaping US Military Education (09:11) Evolution of Drone Technology (14:45) Cost of Countermeasures (18:06) Likelihood of Protracted Warfare (20:38) Redefining Victory in Modern Warfare (22:20) Adversarial Distillation (25:15) Strategic Balance Between US and China (27:32) Culture of Superior Firepower (29:55) AI and the Ukraine War (33:06) How Drones Change Ground Combat (39:28) Outlook For Expensive Tech (43:00) Keeping Humans in the Loop (44:44) Drone Swarms (46:55) AI and Naval Warfare (48:52) Drones and Non-State Actors (54:32) One Decision: Xi-Trump Summit and AI (56:36) Takeaways and Wrap Up Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Iran Is Draining America’s Missile Defenses (w/ Paul Scharre, Former US Army Ranger)

  7. Sep 17

    Is Iran Secretly Building a Bomb at Pickaxe Mountain? A Nuclear Physicist Answers (w/ Ali Vaez)

    Israel and the US may have extraordinary intelligence on Iran. But intelligence isn't the same as comprehension, according to nuclear physicist and 2015 Iran deal negotiator Ali Vaez. Vaez joins John Raine and Sir Richard Dearlove to break down what Iran's nuclear capabilities really look like after the 12-day war. Plus, how Iran's Supreme National Security Council stays united under duress, how the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps maintains primacy over the regular army, and why sanctions now at "nine out of ten" still won't force collapse. Iran doesn't need to win this standoff. It just needs not to lose. In this episode: (00:00) Ali Vaez on wartime Iran (02:39) Is Iran's leadership a monolith or divided? (03:55) Power centers: the SNSC, the Basij, and the IRGC (10:09) The mystery of Mojtaba Khamenei (12:00) Economic and military pressure on Iran (15:00) A forever war? Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis (27:47) What does the Iranian public actually think? (32:33) Iran's nuclear program: what do we really know? (42:18) Israeli intelligence, diplomacy, and the Ahmadinejad theory (52:19) The decision only Donald Trump can make Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and co-host John Raine (International Institute for Strategic Studies). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Is Iran Secretly Building a Bomb at Pickaxe Mountain? A Nuclear Physicist Answers (w/ Ali Vaez)

  8. Sep 14

    How Real Is Netflix's The Diplomat? Ex-MI6 Chief Fact-Checks It (w/ Creator Debora Cahn)

    Debora Cahn, the writer behind The Diplomat, Homeland, The West Wing, and Grey's Anatomy, joins Kate McCann and Sir Richard Dearlove to talk about writing political drama in an era when reality keeps outpacing fiction. Debora explains how "spy camp" research trips with real diplomats, spies, and generals shape her scripts, why she resists making her stories too close to current events, and what she learned about the strange double life of foreign service officers: the loneliness of constant relocation, the jockeying for a seat in the room, and the quiet patriotism that keeps them showing up. Sir Richard, a former head of MI6, adds his own view from the other side of the table, including a story about deliberately keeping a British ambassador out of the room in Washington. In this episode: 00:00 Cold Open 02:58 Russia Story Rewritten 04:11 Borgen Inspiration 06:15 Spy Camp Research 08:22 Diplomacy In The Dirt 09:35 Ambassadors Real And Fake 18:39 CIA And Embassy Dynamics 21:24 From West Wing To Diplomat 23:14 No Evil Characters 24:29 MI6 Reality Check 29:59 Demystifying Government Work 31:12 Female President Choice 33:51 Future Of Ambassadors Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    How Real Is Netflix's The Diplomat? Ex-MI6 Chief Fact-Checks It (w/ Creator Debora Cahn)
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out of 5
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Tough decisions rattle us all to the core.  But for our guests on One Decision— the choices they are up against can also shape history.  No pressure!  They take us through all of their doubts, emotions and—sometimes unexpected--consequences. A fresh take on foreign policy. Hear the former head of Mi6, Sir Richard Dearlove alongside international journalists as they analyse, interview, and discuss.

Information

  • Creator
    Listen Now Media
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    390
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 965d0840-11dd-11f1-9998-fd640392db1d
  • Show Website
    One Decision

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