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BBC World Service

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

The Inquiry

When the war in Ukraine began back in February 2022, the remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle or drone as its commonly known, was peripheral to the conflict. But three years on, the drone in all its shapes and sizes has taken on a central role in this battle, in the air, on land and at sea, for surveillance, reconnaissance, combat and other purposes. Now drone technology is evolving even further into the area of autonomous weapons.
But whilst the drone can offer greater strategic and operational flexibility and a possible reduction in the number of military casualties, there are concerns that the drone, particularly in Ukraine’s case, has prolonged the war. 
Only last year the United Nations reported that 118 countries now had military drones, along with at least 65 non-state actors. And as an increasing number of countries have begun to manufacture and export their own array of military drones, many are concerned about how drone technology is presenting a big challenge in terms of defensive measures. 
So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare? 
Contributors: 
James Patton Rogers, Author and Executive Director, Brooks Tech Policy Institute, Cornell University, New York State, USA. 
Dr Oleksandra Molloy, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australia 
Stacie Pettyjohn, Director of the Defence Programme, Centre for A New American Security, Washington DC. USA. 
Dr. Elke Schwarz, Professor of Political Theory, Queen Mary University, London, UK

Presenter: Gary O’Donoghue 
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer 
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Toby James 
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey

Image credit SOPA via Getty Images

How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?

In July, a brutal highway hijacking in southern Syria sparked tit-for-tat clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters. 

During the week-long violence, over a thousand people were killed and more than 125,000 displaced. Syrian government forces and Israel also entered the conflict.

The latest hostilities come less than a year after Syrians celebrated the end of dictatorship and the promise of renewal. The resurgence of sectarian violence raises urgent questions about interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s leadership and whether his government can truly unify a fractured nation.

What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?

Contributors: Dr Rim Turkmani, Research Fellow at Director of Syria Conflict Research Programme (CRP); Makram Rabah, Assistant professor of history at the American University of Beirut; Dr Rahaf Aldoughli, Middle East and North African Studies at Lancaster University; Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security at the Royal United Services Institute. 

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Tara McDermott

Image credit Reuters via BBC Images

What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?

What lies behind the clashes on the Thai Cambodian border is a fractured friendship between the two nations. 

In July both countries strike each other with civilians killed and injured in the crossfire. More than a hundred thousand are evacuated. 

Thailand warns the clashes could escalate to war. In May a brief gunfire exchange killed a Cambodian soldier. Just over two weeks later surprising details from a recorded private phone conversation went public. 

On that 17-minute call to Cambodia was Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. It was supposed to defuse the situation - instead it has erupted.

Away from the border, there’s been public outrage in Thailand, a major prime ministerial setback, fractured friendships, diplomatic ties downgraded and even more political pressure on a far from robust government.

Contributors: · 
Dr Petra Alderman, Centre manager at the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science 
Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor and senior fellow of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University 
Dr Vu Lam, Lecturer at the University of New South Wales 
Dr Pavida Pananond, Professor of International Business and Strategy at Thammasat University’s Business School based in Bangkok 

Presented by Charmaine Cozier 
Produced by Daniel Rosney 
Researched by Evie Yabsley 
Technical producer Criag Boardman 
Production Management Assistant Liam Morrey 
Editor Tara McDermott

Image credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha via Getty Images

How has one leaked phone call shaken Thai politics?

In Chile, a powerful new telescope has just given a taster of what we can expect from it later this year, when it will be used to survey the cosmos over a ten-year period. In one image it revealed vast colourful gas and dust clouds swirling in a star-forming region 9,000 light years from the Earth. 

Housed in the Vera C Rubin Observatory, which sits on a mountain in the Chilean Andes, the telescope is designed to get giant images of the sky about one hundred times larger and quicker than any other existing telescope can achieve. It contains the world’s most largest digital camera, the size of a large car. 

When the Legacy Survey of Space and Time begins towards the end of 2025, the camera will film the entire Southern hemisphere night sky for the next decade, every three days, repeating the process over and over. And it will focus on four areas: mapping changes in the skies or transient objects, the formation of the Milky Way, mapping the Solar System and understanding dark matter or how the universe formed. 

So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking, ‘What will Chile’s latest telescope tell us about the Universe?’

Contributors: 
Catherine Heymans, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Edinburgh, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, UK 
Željko Ivezić, Director of Rubin Construction, Professor of Astronomy, University of Washington, USA
Dr. Megan Schwamb, Planetary Astronomer, Reader, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Dr. Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Observational Astronomer, Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier 
Producers: Louise Clarke and Jill Collins 
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey 

Image Credit: Anadolu via Getty Images

What will Chile’s latest telescope tell us about the universe?

More and more of the tasks we perform in our daily lives are been guided by artificial intelligence, from searching the internet for answers to relying on satellite navigation in our cars. But studies recently released suggest that our use of AI is having a negative impact on our ability to make informed judgements and decisions. In one recent study from MiT’s Media Lab, a group of people were asked to write several essays. Some of them used AI, others didn’t. Those who used generative AI reportedly became lazier with each subsequent essay. 

This cognitive offloading, allowing AI to take over from our brains might be less taxing, but there are concerns that if we come to rely on AI, we are in danger of replacing our own critical thinking for a technology that might not always come up with the right answer. 

However, there are those who argue that AI can be beneficial in helping our cognitive function, that it can be employed to take on the more mundane, repetitive tasks, freeing up headspace to allow us to become more productive. Software education platforms are just one example where AI is been employed to assist teachers in things like knowledge checks and grading, with the claim that it allows them time for more valuable interaction with their students. 

So is it possible to find a balance where we can we can rely on AI but not to the extent were we lose our mental agility.
On this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking "Is AI eroding our critical thinking?’

Contributors:
Dr. Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia, USA 
Dr. Michael Gerlich, Professor of Management, SBS Swiss Business School, Zurich, Switzerland
Yvonne Soh, Co-founder and CEO, Noodle Factory, Singapore 
Sana Khareghani, Professor of Practice in AI, AI Policy Lead for Responsible AI UK Programme, King’s College, London 

Presenter: Tanya Beckett 
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer 
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Co-ordinator: Tammy Snow
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey

Image credit: Surasak Suwanmake via Getty Images

Is AI eroding our critical thinking?

Brazil’s Zebu cattle, or “supercows” are bred for size, strength, and meat quality. Every year the animals are showcased at ExpoZebu, Brazil’s premier cattle fair. These animals are preened, pampered, and prized, before being sold for millions for their genetic material. 

Zebu cattle were not always part of Brazil’s landscape. After being imported from India in the late 19th century, farmers found their resilience to heat, pests, and poor pasture made them ideal for Brazil’s expanding cattle frontier. 

Thanks to decades of selective breeding and low-cost pasture-based farming, Brazil is now the world’s largest beef exporter, and demand is only rising. 

Despite its economic success and domestic popularity, Brazil’s beef has a significant environmental cost due to its emissions and links to deforestation. However, their genetic material has the potential to be used around the world to make cattle more resilient to climate change. 

Photo Credit: Carolina Arantes

Contributors:
Carolina Arantes, Photojournalist, France
Dr. Oscar Broughton, Teaching Fellow and historian at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK 
Dr Cassio Brauner, Associate Professor in Beef Cattle Production Systems, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
Dr Marcos Barozzo, Assistant Professor of Economics, DePaul University, Chicago, US

Presenter: David Baker 
Producer: Louise Clarke
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer 
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman 
Production co-ordinator: Tammy Snow

Can Brazil’s supercows feed the world?

Ahead of last year’s US Presidential elections, Donald Trump was asked if he would defend China against Taiwan, he responded that Taiwan should pay the US for protection from China. Taiwan is a self-governing island, claimed by Beijing and whilst Taiwan is not formally recognised by the US, they do remain the island’s most important security partner. Taiwan manufactures over ninety percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips, which makes some American industries heavily dependent on trade links with the island. 
But official US policy towards Taiwan is one of ‘strategic ambiguity’. So when the US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth recently warned of China posing an ‘imminent’ threat to Taiwan, whilst at the same time urging Asian countries to boost defence spending and work with the US to deter war, it raised the issue of how far America would be prepared to go to defend Taiwan. China in response accused the US of being the ‘biggest troublemaker’ for regional peace. 
The US has only just agreed a truce on trade tariffs with China and President Trump’s immediate attention has shifted onto issues in the Middle East, so if Pete Hegseth’s warning is valid, how far up the list is Taiwan in terms of Trump’s foreign policy priorities. This week on the Inquiry we’re asking ‘Does Trump care about Taiwan?’
Contributors: 
Dr Chun-yi Lee, Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Director of Taiwan Research Hub, University of Nottingham, UK 
Christopher S. Chivvis, Senior Fellow and Director, American Statecraft Program, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC, USA 
Patricia Kim, Scholar on China, The Brookings Institution, Washington DC, USA 
Raymond Kuo, Inaugural Director, Taiwan Policy Initiative, The Rand Corporation, California, USA 

Presenter: Tanya Beckett 
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer 
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards 
Production Co-ordinator: Tammy Snow 
Image Credit: Taiwanese flags wave at the park decorated by Chang Lao-wang, ahead of Taiwan National Day in Taoyuan, Taiwan, October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Does Trump care about Taiwan?

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most important energy corridors in the world. It is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, it serves as the primary maritime route for oil exports from the Gulf. Any disruption to traffic through the strait would have implications for oil markets and regional stability.

While some Gulf states have developed pipelines to bypass the strait, the volume of oil transported by sea is far greater, and for many countries, including key Gulf exporters, the waterway is essential to maintaining trade. China is the largest buyer of oil that travels through the strait, making it particularly exposed to any disruption.

Iran itself relies on the Strait of Hormuz to sell its oil and any blockage of the route would likely damage Iran’s own economy and could strain relationships with regional neighbours.

Despite past threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway has remained open, including during the tanker wars of the 1980s, but any disruption could have a big impact on global oil supplies.

Picture Credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Contributors: 
Camille Lons, Deputy Head of the Paris office of the Council on Foreign relations
Elisabeth Braw, Senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Jacob P. Larsen, BIMCO’s Chief Safety & Security Officer

Petter Haugen, Partner, Equity Research Shipping, ABG Sundal Collier, Nordic Investment Bank

Presenter Charmaine Cozier
Producer Louise Clarke
Researcher Maeve Schaffer
Editor Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Gareth Jones
Production Coordinator - Tammy Snow

How crucial is the Strait of Hormuz to global oil supplies?

During a speech to the Spanish parliament earlier this year, the country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez claimed there’s one thing that would guarantee lasting peace in Europe.

His idea is the creation of a new army drawn from the 27 countries whose governments already work together as members of the European Union.

The concept isn't a new one - and NATO already exists, the military alliance which includes EU member states and other European countries.

But talk of a new military force is reappearing as the continent becomes more vulnerable to threats. Its ally the US is increasingly unreliable and unpredictable too.

Other European leaders are also backing the idea

This week we’re asking - “Are we closer to a European army?”

Contributors:

Dick Zandee, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Security and Defence Programme at the Clingendael Institute

Dr Ulrike Franke, Senior Policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

Oana Lungescu, Distinguished fellow with the Royal United Services Institute and former NATO spokesperson

Prof. Dr. Sven Biscop, Director of the Europe in the World Programme at Egmont.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

Producer: Daniel Rosney

Researcher: Maeve Schaffer

Editor: Tara McDermott

Technical Producer: Toby James

Production Coordinator - Tammy Snow

(Image Credit: FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Are we closer to a European army?

The creation of a landmark gene editing drug used to treat a baby with a rare genetic mutation which could help transform personalized medicine. 
Blood tests showed baby KJ had sky-high levels of ammonia, a toxic substance the body usually expels. The root cause was his genes - or more particularly a specific gene mutation.
The race was on to try and treat him before his condition took a firm hold. His doctors came up with a radical solution - for the first time ever, they designed and applied a gene-editing drug in record time, specifically for him. Have we seen breakthrough in preventing genetic diseases? With Fyodor Urnov, a professor in the Molecular and Cell Biology Department at the University of California, Virginijus Šikšnys professor at the Life Science Center of Vilnius University, Waseem Qasim from the UCL Institute of Child Health in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and Jennifer Doudna, Professor, University of California, Berkeley and founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute. 

Presented by Tanya Beckett. Produced by Bob Howard. Researched by Mauve Schaffer Edited by Tara McDermott.

Have we seen a breakthrough in preventing genetic diseases?

Somalia is in a state of drought following four failed rainy seasons, and a fifth predicted, with aid agencies declaring the country is in a state of famine. Despite this, the government has yet to declare a famine, insisting that certain thresholds have yet to be met. Instead, Somalia’s government believes that they would be more than able to deal with the current crisis, as well as prevent future episodes, had they been properly compensated by industrious nations for the damage caused by climate change.

All this whilst the country continues to fight a near fifteen-year war with the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab, a militant faction who wish to instil strict sharia law and impose heavy taxes on those who fall under their control. Only six months ago the hard-line Muslim faction were knocking on the door of the capital, Mogadishu. Since then, the different clans and Somalia's military, who all have their own demands and grievances, have put aside their differences and banded together to fight back, driving the terrorist group back. With support for the government currently high, some are fearful that announcing a famine could cause that support to drop away. How long the government can hold for, however, is up for debate as we ask is it too late to avoid a famine in Somalia?

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Ravi Naik & Christopher Blake
Editor: Tara McDermott

(Image: Somali woman affected by the worsening drought due to failed rain seasons, holds her child as her grandmother looks on: Feisal Omar/Reuters)

Is it too late to avoid famine in Somalia?

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