Intelligence Squared

In an age of grinding wars, nuclear brinkmanship, and political volatility, what does strategy really mean - and how do leaders make decisions when the world feels chaotic?

In this episode, Lawrence Freedman draws on decades of scholarship and his experience as official historian of the Falklands War and adviser to the UK’s Iraq inquiry to explore how strategy evolves under pressure.

Together with Adam McCauley, Freedman discusses the long arc of the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the opportunities seized and missed along the way. They examine the uneasy balance between rational calculation and irrational impulse in global conflict, whether Putin could be serious about nuclear escalation, and whether Donald Trump’s unpredictable actions on the world stage represent the absence of strategy - or a strategy in itself.

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What Do Wolves, Caribou, and Global Superpowers Have in Common?

In this episode, Professor Helen Czerski speaks to journalist and author Neil Shea about the Arctic’s changing face and the struggles that its indigenous wildlife must now endure. 

In this expansive yet intimate revelation, Shea explores the Arctic during a time of crisis. With Czerski, he recounts his experiences tracking caribou in Alaska, communing with the wolves on Canada’s Ellesmere Island, and his travels among the Indigenous Netsilingmiut and Tlicho peoples of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. But he also explores how the Arctic has become the centre of a new Cold War between Russia, China, Europe, and the United States. A new conflict is underway, with everyone fighting to control the pole, in order to reap its riches as the ice melts.

Neil Shea has written for the National Geographic for 20 years, reporting around the world at the intersection of conflict, climate science, and cultural change. His first book, Frostlines gathers his storytelling into a narrative journey around the top of the world.

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On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the question: How do objects achieve iconic status? Taking inspiration from the book Icons: 100 Extraordinary Objects from Sotheby’s History, published by Phaidon, the discussion explores how a work of art can transform beyond its material form to become a universal cultural image – instantly recognisable, endlessly reproduced, and symbolically charged.

Joining the discussion are artist Sir Grayson Perry; Xa Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean Museum; and Helena Newman, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and Chairman of Impressionist & Modern Art Worldwide.

This podcast was recorded at Sotheby’s London in February 2026. 

And, to step further into the world of Sotheby’s, you can visit any of our galleries around the world; they’re open to the public. For more information, visit Sothebys.com. 

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Fiona Hill is one of the most authoritative voices on the forces reshaping global politics today. Born in County Durham, from 2017 to 2019 she was a senior adviser on European and Russian Affairs at the White House and in October 2019 she was a key witness in President Trump’s first impeachment inquiry. In 2024 and 2025 she co-led the British Government’s Strategic Defence Review, which sets out how the UK should scale up its response to risks from an emboldened Russia and a less predictable United States. 

Hill cautions that we are not in a second Cold War, but in a more volatile era of asymmetric threats. She warns that Trump’s engagement with autocratic leaders such as Putin and Xi is strengthening authoritarian regimes and eroding long‑standing alliances, and highlights sabotage and disinformation – the kind of threats seen in recent incidents such as the Russian spy‑ship Yantar encroaching on UK waters and the rail explosion in Poland. 

Hill came to the Intelligence Squared stage in February 2026 where, in conversation with journalist Jon Sopel, she set out the practical steps she believes the West must take to bolster its resilience and safeguard security and stability.

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Fiona Hill is one of the most authoritative voices on the forces reshaping global politics today. Born in County Durham, from 2017 to 2019 she was a senior adviser on European and Russian Affairs at the White House and in October 2019 she was a key witness in President Trump’s first impeachment inquiry. In 2024 and 2025 she co-led the British Government’s Strategic Defence Review, which sets out how the UK should scale up its response to risks from an emboldened Russia and a less predictable United States. 

Hill cautions that we are not in a second Cold War, but in a more volatile era of asymmetric threats. She warns that Trump’s engagement with autocratic leaders such as Putin and Xi is strengthening authoritarian regimes and eroding long‑standing alliances, and highlights sabotage and disinformation – the kind of threats seen in recent incidents such as the Russian spy‑ship Yantar encroaching on UK waters and the rail explosion in Poland. 

Hill came to the Intelligence Squared stage in February 2026 where, in conversation with journalist Jon Sopel, she set out the practical steps she believes the West must take to bolster its resilience and safeguard security and stability.

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This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts

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... 

Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99:

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- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

…

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