Hold Your Fire!

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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.