The Explanation Episodes Episode guide

Unspun World: How is the Iran war impacting the global economy?

John Simpson analyses the economic effects of the war in the Middle East
Unspun World: How has the Russia-China relationship changed?

Plus, what an assassination attempt tells us about Europe's politics
Unspun World: Has Russia turned the tide in its war in Ukraine?

Plus, gang violence in Haiti, and the possibility of unmanned ships on the oceans
Unspun World: Has Iran weathered the storm?

John Simpson analyses where Iran stands now a ceasefire seems to be in place
Unspun World: Donald Trump’s whirlwind start to his second term

John Simpson examines Donald Trump’s first few weeks in office
Unspun World: Donald Trump’s China strategy

John Simpson analyses President Trump’s approach to dealing with China
Unspun World: Donald Trump's foreign policy

John Simpson analyses Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy in his second term
Unspun World: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin negotiate over a ceasefire in Ukraine

John Simpson analyses the negotiations over a ceasefire in Ukraine
Unspun World: Could Russia's war with Ukraine escalate?

John Simpson examines the risk of nuclear escalation in Russia’s war with Ukraine
Unspun World: Could AI outsmart humanity?

Reporting from Ukraine's battlefields. Plus, how worried should we be about AI?
Unspun World: Can Ukraine continue to rely on US support?

John Simpson examines whether a European army could provide a bulwark against Russia
Unspun World: Can the US transform the world's economy?

President Biden puts America first. So will he succeed in reshaping the global economy?
Unspun World: Can the US and China get along?

Biden and Xi's meeting builds bridges with deals on the military and fentanyl trafficking
Unspun World: Can Israel win its war in Gaza?

John Simpson analyses Israel offensive in Gaza, China's economy and Indonesia's election
Unspun World: Can Iran hold out against US-Israeli strikes?

John Simpson analyses whether the Iranian regime will survive
Unspun World: Can anything break the stalemate in the Ukraine war?

Stories from the frontline as tensions rise from Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse
Unspun World: Can anyone in Russia challenge Putin now?

Now Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead, can anyone in Russia challenge the president’s power?
Unspun World: Are US-China relations at a turning point?

John Simpson analyses whether there has been a shift in the US-China relationship
Unspun World: Are Russian forces on the brink of seizing Pokrovsk?

Why is Russia so keen to capture the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk?
Unspun World: Are democracies hindering the fight against climate change?

Short-term politics gets in the way of dealing with an ever-warming planet
Unspun World: A pause in fighting in Gaza

A pause in fighting in Gaza but what’s it like for those living there?
Trump’s Texas showdown

Which Republican will Trump endorse and can the Democrats flip the the Texas primaries?
Trump's tariffs explained

Ben Brown and Sumi Somaskanda examine the key questions about US tariffs
The Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway that carries 20% of the world’s oil.
The President’s Path: Year in review

A look back at the first year of President Trump’s second term in office.
The President’s Path: US-Venezuela boat strikes

Why the US is striking Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean and Pacific
The President’s Path: US-Europe breakup

Is Trump driving a breakup between the US and Europe?
The President’s Path: Trump’s world domination

Trump warns Iran and pushes US control of Greenland
The President’s Path: Trump’s power

Trump is testing the limits of his power over executives and the military.
The President’s Path: Trump’s law and order

Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard draws equal parts praise and concern