Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell

Professor Klaus Dodds has been studying Arctic security for decades, long before it had addled the mind of Donald Trump. He is the author of Unfrozen - the Fight for the Future of the Arctic and he spoke to me about the real situation there, the impacts of climate change, the potential for future conflict and the role of great powers, including Russia, China and the United States. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to buy any of the books talked about in this show, please support independent bookshops by using Bookshop.org with this link: ⁠https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/behindthelines⁠ Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I spoke to Dan about many things. Better to have a listen. If you are looking for the chart about AI financing that he mentioned, it's here. You can find Dan on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/dankaszeta.bsky.social If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to buy any of the books talked about in this show, please support independent bookshops by using Bookshop.org with this link: ⁠https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/behindthelines⁠ Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine Royle was Britain's Ambassador to Venezuela, making one of very few people to have met and worked with all of Nicolas Maduro, his predecessor Hugo Chavez and Maduro's (perhaps temporary) successor Delcy Rodriguez. She shared her unique experiences and insights for this emergency episode recorded on 4 January 2026. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to buy any of the books talked about in this show, please support independent bookshops by using Bookshop.org with this link: ⁠https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/behindthelines⁠ Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the revolutionary use of drones to staged coups, child abduction and psychological warfare, the war in Ukraine is like no other. It is a new form of total war, combining traditional military force with all the non-military tools of the Russian state. The 2022 invasion was just the next stage of a conflict that Russia has been fighting since 2005, using all the tactics at its disposal to control Ukraine’s politics and wreak havoc. Combining over a decade of research, astute analysis and powerful stories from the front line, and including striking photographs of the people and scenes he encountered along the way, Bob Seely has written the authoritative guide to this new form of conflict. Travelling extensively throughout Ukraine, Seely meets figures such as Panoushka, the sniper who continues to fight despite the loss of her fiancé, and Ksenia, the seventeen-year-old who journeyed through Russia searching for her abducted younger brother. Above all, Seely argues that understanding Moscow’s new total war is critical because Russia considers itself at war with the West as well as Ukraine, directing some of the tactics used there against us. Find Bob's book here: https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/the-new-total-war If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mali, a vast country larger than most of Western Europe added together is a country whose central authority has largely collapsed and whose capital city Bamako is surrounded by radical Islamist militants. There seems to be a pattern here, with Syria and Afghanistan having fallen as Western countries lose interest. As with Syria, the corrupt Malian government had allied itself with Russia, apparently to little effect. I spoke to Tessa Devereaux of SOAS about Mali and the wider Sahel, and what it means for all of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I spoke to Orwa Ajjoub about the remarkable rise of Syria's new ruler, Ahmad Al-Shara'a, from wanted terrorist to White House visitor. His ruthless pragmatism is his signature and we discussed this in some detail, including his relations with the Kurdish SDF, with Turkey, Israel and the regional states, as well as with the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Behind the Lines formally announces joining the Cooler Heads podcast family, making us now the little brother to the massive success that is Quiet Riot - the brilliant politics podcast with Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell, I was delighted to have as my guest none other than Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices