One Decision

Listen Now Media
  • 4.5 (79)
  • Politics
  • Updated 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. 8h ago

    Will OpenAI Need a Government Bailout? (w/ 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

    Will OpenAI Need a Government Bailout? (w/ Sebastian Mallaby)

  2. 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)

  3. 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

  4. 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)

  5. 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)

  6. 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)

  7. Sep 10

    Inside the CIA and MI6 on 9/11 (w/ John McLaughlin, CIA Deputy Director on September 11th)

    Part Two of our two-part series marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 reunites former leaders of the US and UK intelligence services, both of whom were in high office on September 11, 2001. Former deputy director of the CIA John McLaughlin joins former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host Kate McCann to give the insider’s perspective on the intelligence world’s response to the attacks. McLaughlin details what the CIA knew beforehand, the immediate aftermath inside CIA headquarters, and the rapid attribution to al-Qaeda. He also discusses the power of the US-UK "special relationship," the surge in CIA resources after 9/11, the Bush administration's push toward the Iraq War, the effects of the global war on terror on American civil liberties, and why the war in Ukraine is the single most important geopolitical issue today. In this episode: (00:00) Emotion is a Luxury in Intelligence (01:53) John McLaughlin Introduction (03:03) Pre-9/11 Threats (07:17) Why Was 9/11 A Surprise? (14:13) Considering the "What Ifs" (15:52) M16 Rushes to DC (22:46) CIA on 9/11 (25:12) Post-9/11 Intelligence Overhaul (34:16) Origins of the Iraq Focus (47:17) Legacy of 9/11 in America (57:42) One Decision: Importance of the Ukraine Conflict (01:03:00) Takeaways and Wrap Up Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and co-host Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Inside the CIA and MI6 on 9/11 (w/ John McLaughlin, CIA Deputy Director on September 11th)

  8. Sep 8

    The Lessons of 9/11 & the Global War on Terror (w/ Peter Bergen, who Interviewed Bin Laden)

    In 1997, Peter Bergen found himself in the mountains of Afghanistan, face-to-face with al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. During the ensuing landmark interview, bin Laden foreshadowed the terrorist attacks of September 11. In Part One of our two-part series commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11, journalist and author Peter Bergen sits down with former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and co-host John Raine to discuss the legacy of the 9/11 attacks, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bergen talks about why negotiating with Osama bin Laden would have been a nonstarter and why the attacks bin Laden orchestrated generated shock, not surprise, within government intelligence agencies. Bergen and the hosts also discuss decisions after the attacks that Dearlove witnessesed firsthand, the proper relationship between intelligence and policy, how the war on terror reshaped the US view of coalitions and allies, and how the conflict in Ukraine points to the future of warfare. In this episode: (00:00) Lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq Wars (03:23) Would Negotiating with Osama bin Laden Have Worked? (06:21) Feeling in US Immediately Post-9/11 (11:29) Origins of Iraq War (15:55) Policy and Intelligence (17:08) Imperial Power of the Presidency (21:16) Why Were There No Major Attacks After 9/11?  (25:13) Role of Coalitions and Allies (34:31) Legacy of Fighting Global War on Terror (41:10) Importance of Tribalism (46:54) Scale of Troop Presence and Outcome (50:41) Ukraine as Laboratory for Modern Warfare (54:38) One Decision: Why Trump Should Declare Victory in Iran (56:41) Takeaways and Wrap Up 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

    The Lessons of 9/11 & the Global War on Terror (w/ Peter Bergen, who Interviewed Bin Laden)
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4.5
out of 5
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About

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
    388
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 965d0840-11dd-11f1-9998-fd640392db1d
  • Show Website
    One Decision

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