Battleground

In this episode of The Big Picture, Patrick speaks with leading religious and political journalist Catherine Pepinster to examine the soft power, geopolitics, and spiritual influence of Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost).

Episode Highlights

The Rise of Pope Leo XIV: How the Augustinian friar and former missionary in Peru became leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, positioning him as a unique "American outsider" on the global stage.
Clashes with the White House: An analysis of the high-profile disputes between Pope Leo, Donald Trump, and Vice-President J.D. Vance regarding foreign intervention, rhetoric on Iran, and controversial religious imagery.
Reinterpreting "Just War" & AI: Discussion of the Pope's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which tackles the ethics of artificial intelligence (developed with input from tech figures like Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah) and argues that traditional just war theory is outdated.
The Global Shift in Faith: Examining religious trends across the globe, from youth curiosity in the UK to rapid church growth across the Global South and Pentecostal shifts in South America.
UK Politics & Vatican Diplomacy: How new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Catholic upbringing influences his social values, and an insider look at Vatican diplomacy—including Archbishop Sir Paul Gallagher's mission to Moscow.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are currently on a very short summer break, so instead of our regular news update, hosts Roger Moorhouse and Patrick Bishop are diving into listener questions for a special long-form Q&A episode.

Don't worry—we will be back next week with all the latest news and updates from the ground.

In this episode:

Zelenskyy’s Post-War Legacy: Drawing parallels to Winston Churchill’s defeat in the summer 1945 general election, the hosts explore whether President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should announce he won't stand for re-election post-war—and discuss Ukrainian adaptability in missile production.
The Falklands Conflict War-Gamed: Inspired by recent Argentine football celebrations and an analysis by military historian Mark Felton, Patrick reflects on his own time in Port Stanley in 1982. They examine Argentina's military rearmament plans and evaluate how modern drone and missile technology could alter a present-day conflict.
Iran, Russia, and the 'Axis of Evil': Is Iran seeking nuclear weapons as a security guarantee amidst attacks from Israel and the US? Roger and Patrick evaluate the likelihood of Russia or North Korea supplying nuclear tech and discuss the broader implications of this growing alliance.
Crimean Strategy & The Kerch Bridge: A listener asks why the Kerch Bridge remains open. The team discusses whether leaving an escape route for Russian civilians and troops might be a deliberate, ingenious strategy to help liberate the peninsula.
Old Kit vs New Tech: Are the 49 Abrams tanks donated by Australia actually useful, or are they obsolete in the age of drone warfare?
Morality in the Caspian Sea: The hosts tackle the ethical grey areas surrounding Ukraine's recent strike on an Iranian ship carrying arms in the Caspian Sea and discuss the rapid expansion of Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities.
Is Russia Still a Threat to NATO? As Western nations ramp up defence spending, Roger and Patrick examine whether Russia remains a credible military threat to NATO or if Western rearmament is strictly about deterrence.

We'll be back next week with all the latest!

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Big Picture, host Roger Moorhouse is joined by Polish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Radek Sikorski for an in-depth discussion on European security, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the evolving threat posed by Moscow.

Minister Sikorski assesses how the conflict has reshaped NATO’s eastern flank and forced Europe to confront years of strategic complacency, he addresses the realities of Russia’s military capabilities and hybrid warfare tactics, the challenges facing Ukrainian refugees, and the delicate path towards EU integration.

Sikorski also offers a frank perspective on historical memory between Poland and Ukraine, the credibility of NATO’s Article 5 under a changing political landscape in Washington, and why Europe must urgently build its own core defence capacity.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse take a look at the latest shifting political dynamics surrounding US-Ukraine relations. They unpack the recent White House meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the potential transactional nature of future US support, and the growing role of Ukraine’s defence industry.

Then, Belgian journalist Arnaud De Decker joins the show for an extended interview to share his eyewitness perspective on the war. Returning from an embed with an FPV drone unit in the Donbas, Arnaud offers a vivid account of the reality inside the "kill zone", the rapid integration of ground drones and fibre-optic tech, and a harrowing close encounter with a Russian drone. He also breaks down the domestic fallout from high-level Ukrainian military shake-ups, the stark realities facing soldiers on the front lines, and briefly discusses his recent reporting on the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Key Topics Covered:
US-Ukraine Political Thaw: Analysing Trump and Zelenskyy’s recent meeting, potential visits by US envoys, and the transactional framework of prospective peace and reconstruction deals.
Kyiv Military Shake-Up: The public backlash and protests following the dismissal of Defence Minister Fedorov, the replacement of Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi with General Drapaty, and how leadership rivalries impact frontline operations.
Inside the Kill Zone: Arnaud De Decker's firsthand experience embedded with the "Signum" drone unit in the Donbas, dodging fibre-optic Russian FPV drones, and relying on ground drones for logistical supplies.
The "Uber" for Drone Pilots: A look inside the operations of the "Birds of Magyar" unit and how long-range, low-cost B2 strike drones are targeting multi-million-dollar Russian air defence systems.
Frontline Reality vs Strategy: The widening gap between high-level strategic/mid-range strike successes and the deteriorating, high-pressure situation for ground troops and civilians near Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Spotlight on Sudan: Arnaud shares insights from his reporting in Khartoum and Darfur, detailing the immense destruction, geopolitical influence, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this installment of Battleground: The Big Picture, host Saul David sits down with Al Carns—Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, former Royal Marines colonel, SBS veteran awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order, and former Minister for the Armed Forces.

Carns opens up about his transition from a stellar 24-year military career into politics, driven by the realization that modern technology—specifically AI, low-cost drones, and data integration—has fundamentally transformed the character of warfare.
Drawing direct lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine, the former Defence Minister makes a compelling case for why Western defence forces must pivot away from slow, expensive, traditional hardware procurement and towards scalable, tech-enabled mass.

The discussion also dives deep into:
The Defence Funding Gap: Why Carns resigned from his post as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces over budget shortfalls and the urgent need for military transformation.
Reforming Veterans' Policy: His perspective on the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill and why a single, empowered truth-and-reconciliation body is required.
National Resilience: Why true national defence relies on industrial capacity, supply chain security, and societal unity rather than just frontline troop numbers.
Hybrid Threats & Propaganda: How foreign adversaries use social media and asymmetric tactics to sow division within Western democracies.
The Trajectory of the Ukraine Conflict: Insights into recent leadership reshuffles in Kyiv, the tactical reality of drone saturation on the front lines, and the strategic dilemmas facing Putin’s war-driven economy.

Tune in for an unvarnished, highly knowledgeable perspective on modern warfare and the hard choices facing defence policy today.

Coming up next: Look out for Friday's extended interview with Belgian war correspondent Arnaud De Decker on modern drone units in Ukraine, followed by Roger Moorhouse interviewing Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski next week!

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
Follow us on:
X - @PodBattleground
Instagram - podbattleground
Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.