The Global Jigsaw

BBC World Service
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Apr 20, 2024 • 32min

How drones have changed war

Drones have reshaped the battlefield in Ukraine - and created new challenges, raising concerns about the nature of future warfare. Drone technology has many iterations from Iran’s Shaheds and Turkey’s Bayraktars to the home-made war drone. We look into the history, the geopolitics and the worrying prospect of this tech teaming up with AI. Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
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Apr 13, 2024 • 40min

Sudan: A year of war

As it marks a year of war with no end in sight, Sudan faces the largest humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world. There are fears that if not stopped, the conflict could further destabilise an already volatile region. We try to piece together the picture from the few trusted sources that are left on the ground - journalists working in hiding and in constant danger. And a warning - there are distressing details. Producer: Kriszta Satori Technical producer: Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi TwiggAudio for this episode was updated on 13 April 2024.
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Apr 6, 2024 • 29min

Deconstructing Iran’s 'Axis of Resistance': Part one

The origins of the Iran-cultivated alliance of like-minded states and groups taking aim at Israel and the US. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Quds, or Jerusalem, force and the Basij militias regularly feature in the news; what are they, how do they operate and how have they become so influential? In this episode, we look at the branding and the ideological blueprint of the Tehran-led influence network that has been shaping events in the Middle East for decades. Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
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Mar 30, 2024 • 32min

Moscow attack: Disinfo wars

Exploring the aftermath of a tragic shooting at a Moscow concert, the podcast delves into narratives blaming Kyiv or claiming a Russian false flag operation. It dissects disinformation, denials from Ukraine, Alexander Dugan's influence, ISIS tactics, and propaganda post-attack. Uncovering contrasting narratives and systemic degradation in Russia due to leakage of graphic images.
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Mar 23, 2024 • 26min

Contested waters: Helmand

The water dispute driving the turbulent relationship between Afghanistan and Iran is in an area faced with worsening climate change. The waters of the Helmand river are a lifeline for border communities, and a live wire that has at times nearly sparked wars. We follow the twists and turns of the row between Kabul and Tehran, and the shifting role of the Taliban within it.Presenter: Krassi Twigg Producer: Kriszta Satori
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Mar 17, 2024 • 29min

Contested waters: Crimea

How water is used as a weapon of war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. An irrigation system, once created at Stalin’s order as a project of grand Soviet social engineering, is now running dry. We dig into the history of the Crimean water dispute - the surprising twists and turns and the narratives constructed by both Russia and Ukraine.Presenter: Krassi Twigg Producer: Kriszta Satori
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Mar 9, 2024 • 28min

What hope for Haiti?

Gang violence has turned the small Caribbean nation into a “living nightmare”, with rapes, kidnappings and killings a daily occurrence. More than a decade after a devastating earthquake - and billions of dollars spent on recovery - Haiti is back on its knees. Plans for a new Kenya-led, UN-approved security deployment have stalled amid a debate about how much of a help or hindrance foreign assistance is. We check-in with the reality on the ground and take stock of the arguments.
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Feb 15, 2024 • 36min

Does Russia’s election matter?

Putin’s re-election is certain, but there is still a lot at stake for the Kremlin. We look into the efforts aimed at achieving unequivocal victory in what seems to be the most oppressive election in Russia for two decades. What are the stories state media can and cannot touch, how much of a headache does dissent from the mothers and wives of soldiers pose to the authorities and does Putin really have body doubles? *This episode was recorded before the announcement of Alexey Navalny’s death.*Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg Editor: Judy King Sound engineer: Martin Appleby Original music: Pete Cunningham
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Nov 17, 2023 • 40min

Israel-Gaza war: Global perspectives

The Israel-Gaza conflict has commanded attention in every corner of the globe and has created what media present as unprecedented polarisation. Leaders seeking a bigger role on the world stage have used this as an “ideological purity test” and an opportunity to promote their own vision of a multi-polar world.Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.ukProducers: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Twigg
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Nov 10, 2023 • 40min

Israel and Gaza special

The war of narratives reflecting power tilts in the Middle East. Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October, which is said to have killed at least 1,200* people, triggered a war in Gaza that has so far claimed more than 10,000 lives. A “Ground Zero” moment for Israel, “a golden opportunity” for Jihadists, a window for those opposing normalisation with Israel. We explore the narratives, and the driving forces behind them, to understand how this war could change the region.*Correction 27 February: This article wrongly reported that about 1,300 people had been killed following the 7th October attack by Hamas. This was based on counting those who later died from their injuries in addition to the figure of more than 1,200. The article has been amended to now refer to about 1,200 deaths, a figure which includes those deaths and which Israel says is not final.

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