For more than 30 years, Sam Kiley has covered conflict — from Somalia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and has made more than 30 documentaries for news organisations across the UK and US. A two-time Emmy and two-time DuPont Award winner (for his coverage of the Khashoggi disappearance and the war in Ukraine), Sam has reported for CNN, Sky News and The Times. He is currently World Affairs Editor of The Independent.

I spoke with Sam on March 29th, two days after the Houthis entered the war and the day after President Zelenskyy signed 10-year defence agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We cover the origins of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the Mosaic defence strategy the Trump administration failed to account for, what Houthi involvement could mean for global trade, Gaza's quiet endgame, and — unexpectedly — how war in the Middle East may be doing more for Ukraine's long-term survival than three years of Western military aid. Sam also talks about how the ingredients for a coup are on full display — though where he sees those most clearly assembled right now may surprise you.

Photo: Bjoern Wylezich

Credits:

Host: Meredith Ogilvie-Thompson

Sound Editing: Dax Krishna and the team at SpeechDocs

Music: Ilya Kuznetsov

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