The Crisis Room

• British troops in Ukraine: security guarantee or escalation?

  Europe's leaders averted a disaster in their White House summit with President Trump this week. But what comes next in the West's efforts to end the war in Ukraine? Can the UK's hollowed-out armed forces really provide a meaningful security guarantee in the event of a peace deal? How will Vladimir Putin react if we do send peace-keeping troops to Ukraine? And is Keir Starmer ready for a possible public backlash if he does put boots on the ground? These are just some of the questions that Amber, Mark, and Marc discuss in this week's episode, as they lay bare just how stretched the British military is, and why the West can't rely on Trump and the US to deter future Russian aggression.Later, Amber gives her verdict on the issue of asylum hotels, as the government faces a crisis at home over where to house immigrants who have arrived in the UK illegally. Is Nigel Farage becoming the next Prime Minister inevitable if Labour can't get a grip on this problem?Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• Who is playing who? Trump, Putin, and the Alaska ‘Peace Summit’

  The world is holding its breath as Presidents Trump and Putin prepare to meet in Alaska - but will the leaders take a step towards a landmark peace deal, or will this go down as a diplomatic disaster? Just how worried should Ukraine and President Zelensky be about what might unfold? Amber, Mark, and Marc reveal what will be happening behind the scenes in a desperate attempt to make the event go to plan - and share their memories of the trickiest summits they've ever been involved in.Plus the team are joined by Fiona Hill - Trump's former Russia adviser and part of the US delegation the last time the two Presidents met one-to-one back in 2018 - who explains how Putin will be trying to play Trump against Zelensky, and why the press conference is where her old boss is most vulnerable to slipping up.Later: is Washington DC really more violent than Baghdad? That's what Donald Trump claimed this week as he deployed the National Guard to America's capital. As someone who worked in Iraq and now lives in DC, Marc provides a unique insight into whether there's any justification for his President's decision.Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• The future of espionage: is AI making spies redundant?

  In a time of AI, facial recognition and rapid technological advances - is the era of human intelligence-gathering over? Could AI soon put James Bond out of a job? This week, in a special episode, The Crisis Room looks at how espionage is grappling with the challenges posed by modern technology. After all, in a world of UTS - Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance - can anyone really be expected to successfully go undercover? Marc explains how he and his colleagues used to recruit agents to act as human intelligence sources during his time in the CIA - and why it's almost impossible for his successors to use the same methods now. Amber, Mark, and Marc are also joined by Ed Bogan - a decorated former CIA station chief - to find out how intelligence agencies all around the world are changing how they work.Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• What will Trump make of Starmer's decision to recognise Palestine?

  This week, Keir Starmer followed in the footsteps of President Macron and declared that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September, unless Israel holds to a ceasefire. Did he make the right call? Or will he regret breaking from the Americans on this major foreign policy issue? And, is Britain really ready for war with China? We'll take a look at recent comments by the British Defence Secretary John Healey, who declared the UK is ‘ready to fight’ if Taiwan is invaded by China. Later, Mark Urban reveals why he was once considered a threat to UK National Security!

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• Should the UK follow France in recognising Palestine?

  As famine spreads in Gaza, the team discuss whether the international community - and particularly the US and the UK - should be taking stronger action against Israel. And they ask: would officially recognising the State of Palestine make any difference to the lives of ordinary Gazans? Amber, Mark, and Marc are joined by the former British Ambassador to the US, Lord Darroch to discuss this, and whether there is still any hope for a two-state solution.Mark also recalls watching the Jewish settlements being cleared from Gaza in 2005, and wonders how far the peace process has been set back in the time since October 7th 2023. Amber explains why it's politically so difficult for the UK to change its Middle East policy without American support, plus Marc gives his view on Israel's recent airstrikes on Syria.And the team discuss how badly impacted President Trump will be by the crisis he's facing over The Epstein Files. Will this damage his relationship with the MAGA base for good?

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