The Explanation
Episodes
Introducing The Explanation
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On a mission to make sense of the world. A new podcast, with hosts John Simpson and Claire Graham. Episodes released weekly from 20 May 2023.
How the Good Friday Agreement helped bring peace to Northern Ireland
04 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement, signed by politicians from Northern Ireland and the British and Irish governments in an atte...
Ethiopia, Eritrea and border wars
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia have historically been difficult. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war. A bitter ...
Sudan’s journey from independence to revolution
18 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A military coup in 1989 brought Omar al-Bashir to power, until being overthrown by the military in the face of mass protests in 2019. During this time...
How Yemen has been engulfed by civil war
11 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After almost a decade of fighting, civil war in Yemen has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Nawal Al-Maghafi is a Special Correspon...
Who are the Uyghurs and why are they being persecuted?
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
China has been accused of the mistreatment of the Uyghur people in the north-western region of Xinjiang for a number of years. This Muslim ethnic grou...
Cuba–United States relations
28 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cuba and the United States share a long, complex history. From the Spanish-American War of 1898 to Fidel Castro's Cuba, these neighbours have often ha...
Roe v Wade and abortion in America
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years ago, Jane Roe found herself at the centre of a ruling that would fuel US politics for the following decades. The Roe V Wade case gave wome...
How Syria's peaceful uprising became a civil war
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by the Arab Spring, peaceful protests began in Syria in early 2011. However, a complex civil war followed which has lasted over a decade and ...
Understanding the long history between Russia and Ukraine
16 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Graham talks to former BBC foreign correspondent Kevin Connolly about what has historically bound Russia and Ukraine together, and what has pul...
Understanding South Africa’s continuing quest for equality
09 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Graham talks to the former BBC News Africa Bureaux Chief, Milton Nkosi, to get a better understanding of why the post-apartheid dream of a ‘R...
Understanding the power that Saudi Arabia wields
02 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Graham and guests explain the important, long-running stories that are in the newsClaire Graham talks to the BBC’s Middle East correspondent,...
Understanding relations between Taiwan and China
26 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s Taiwan correspondent, Cindy Sui, to get a better understanding of China’s reluctance to accept Taiwan’s strengt...
Understanding the rise of Boko Haram
19 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s West Africa correspondent, Mayeni Jones, to get a better understanding of how Boko Haram, the militant Islamic grou...
Understanding North Korea and the Kim dynasty
12 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Graham talks to the BBC’s Correspondent in Seoul, Laura Bicker, to get a better understanding of North Korea, one of the world’s most secre...
Understanding the Islamic State group
25 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anu Anand talks to Quentin Sommerville about the rise, fall and potential re-emergence of the Islamic State group.
Understanding how Russia has changed under Putin
18 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anu Anand talks to Sarah Rainsford about how everyday life in Russia has changed under Vladimir Putin.
Afghanistan: Women, girls and their rights
11 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anu Anand talks to Yogita Limaye about the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. They reveal how a turbulent history dictates the ever-shifting at...
Understanding Iran: Reconciling religion and democracy
04 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anu Anand talks to Rana Rahimpour about how decades of turbulence have shaped Iran, and why religion, democracy and ideals all combine to explain Iran...
Israeli-Palestinian relations
27 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians reach its current point? Jeremy Bowen talked to Anu Anand in 2021 about the backstory behin...
Understanding democracy in Hong Kong
20 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why are there democracy protests in Hong Kong? Anu Anand talks to Stephen McDonell.The Explanation is a snackable audio guide giving you the backstory...