The Crisis Room

• Robot wolves & underwater drones: should we fear China's military might?

  World leaders - including Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un - flocked to Beijing this week to hold hands with President Xi and watch a massive military parade. China showed off an arsenal including nuclear weapons, 'robot wolves' and underwater drones - so is the West taking the threat posed by China seriously enough? Amber, Mark, and Marc unpick what we learned from this week's summit, why Trump is playing into China's hands at every turn, and how close we are to a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. They also analyse the controversial - and lethal - strike by US forces on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean. Is Trump trying to start a war with the Latin American drug cartels that he calls 'narco-terrorists'? And has the President thought through the consequences of a potential conflict? Marc gives his verdict on whether these groups are terrorists like Al-Qaeda or ISIS, and whether this strike was done by fair means or foul. Later, Amber recalls her own high-profile resignations from ministerial roles, and reveals whether she thinks Angela Rayner's position is untenable given the ongoing inquiry into her tax affairs. Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• The end of the rules-based order: is Trump leading the charge?

  Does the idea of a rules-based world order still cary any weight? Or, in the age of Donald Trump, is it just a comforting but outdated concept? This week, Amber, Mark, and Marc debate whether Trump's unique style is convincing more and more politicians to break the rules - and if the world's post-1945 system is close to collapse. And in a week when the US President once again hinted that he likes the idea of becoming a dictator, the team look at what the consequences of a global rise in authoritarianism will be.Later, General Sir Nick Carter, the most recent former Chief of the Defence Staff, joins The Crisis Room. He discusses whether Trump's America is a reliable ally, if the UK government understands the level of threat posed by Putin's Russia, and the idea of bringing back national service to fix the armed forces' recruitment woes. Follow us on social media: @crisisroompod

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• Does Labour have a solution to the asylum hotel crisis?

  Europe's leaders averted a disaster in their White House summit with President Trump. 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 if there's 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 of 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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