Staying up-to-date on IR: 10 Podcasts, Newsletters and Books to Consider

In today’s age, international affairs seem to occur at a hypersonic pace. It can be difficult to keep track of the latest developments, let alone take the time to consider longer-term issues. There are millions of different sources of information vying for our attention. Which should we trust? Where should we turn? 

In this article, we explore reputable and noteworthy sources of information on international affairs across three media: podcasts, newsletters, and books. We suggest several sources you may want to consider listening to or reading, to stay up-to-date on the latest and longer-term developments in the field.

Podcasts

The podcasts below each provide insightful analysis of different aspects of international affairs. You can easily listen, for example, while you’re at the gym, on a walk or run, or on your way to work or university.

	The Rest is Politics (Apple | Spotify | Youtube) Alastair Campbell (Former Downing Street Director of Communications and Strategy) and Rory Stuart (Former UK Minister) discuss UK politics and international developments.
	The China in Africa Podcast (Apple | Spotify) Analyses China's engagement across Africa and the Global South, hosted by journalist Eric Olander and Asia-Africa scholar Cobus van Staden.
	Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes (Apple | Spotify) This podcast, from a director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, offers insight into big issues in foreign policy from a European lens.
	Trade Policy Decoded (Apple | Spotify) Trade policy updates and analysis in Australia and the world, hosted by the University of Adelaide's Institute for International Trade and the Australian Centre for International Trade and Investment.
	The National Security Podcast (Apple | Spotify) This podcast focuses on Australia and the Indo-Pacific, providing expert analysis, insights and opinion on national security challenges.
	War on the Rocks (Apple | Spotify) Ryan Evans discusses matters including strategy, defence, and foreign affairs with soldiers, spies, officials, and scholars.
	The Spillover (Apple | Spotify) The Council on Foreign Relations podcast examines the spillover effects of global events across policy, geopolitics, economics, finance and technology.
	Global Dispatches (Apple | Spotify) In-depth interviews with policymakers, journalists and experts who discuss global news, international relations, global development and key trends driving world affairs.
	Australia in the World (Apple | Spotify) Darren Lim (Senior Lecturer, the Australian National University) discusses the most important news and issues in international affairs through a uniquely Australian lens.
	The Asia Chess Board (Apple |Spotify)  Conversations with the most prominent strategic thinkers on Asia, hosted by Michael Green (Henry A. Kissinger Chair at CSIS and CEO of the United States (US)  Studies Centre).

Newsletters

Newsletters delivered directly to your inbox are another way to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in world affairs. You may wish to consider signing up for the following newsletters, which each bring snappy analysis and unique insights from across the globe.

1.  International Intrigue (Website)

Breaks down global news apolitically, with clarity, and with a touch of humour, designed by former diplomats. Delivered weekdays.

2. Foreign Policy World Brief (Website) 

A short-form daily newsletter focusing on critical world stories in the last 24 hours of news. Delivered weekdays.

3. Just Security (Website)

Expert analysis and informational resources on the global issues that matter most - such as international law, armed conflict, AI and emerging technology, terrorism, human rights and intelligence. Delivered weekdays.

4. Foreign Affairs Today (Website)

Analysis of breaking news, highlights from the Foreign Affairs magazine, and more. Delivered weekdays.

5. Axios Daily Essentials (Website)

Concise, high-impact news updates sourced from high-level decision-makers. Delivered mornings, afternoons and evenings. 

6. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Global Insights Brief (Website)

In-depth analysis and insights from Council experts, and perspectives from leading voices on global affairs. Delivered weekly. 

7. The Economist Today (Website)

The Economist’s daily newsletter with a curated selection of the articles, links to the Economist’s latest films, podcasts and events. Delivered daily. 

8. The South African Institute of International Affairs (Website)

Access SAIIA's research, analysis and announcements offering a Global South perspective on international affairs. Delivered fortnightly. 

9. Asia Society (Website)

Global updates, local updates (tailored to the location nearest to you across Asia, Europe and the US), or various China-related policy updates. Delivered monthly.

10. The Peace Research Institute Oslo (Website)

Latest news, press releases, publications, and podcast episodes from the Institute’s cutting-edge research on the conditions for peaceful relations between states, groups and people. Delivered monthly.

Books

The books below, released over the past 18 months, provide a compelling examination of some noteworthy current and emerging issues in international affairs.

1. The Triangle of Power: Rebalancing the New World Order (Alexander Stubb, Columbia Global Reports, 2026)

Finnish President Alexander Stubb argues that a new international system is taking shape, featuring escalating competition between the US and China, and the Global South will ultimately determine whether the future tilts toward cooperation or fragmentation.

2. If Russia Wins (Carlo Masala, Atlantic, 2025)

A #1 international bestseller from a NATO expert, this deeply researched and chillingly plausible scenario imagines what might happen should Putin defeat Ukraine and not stop there.

3. Fallout: The Inside Story of America's Failure to Disarm North Korea (Joel S. Wit, Yale University Press, 2025)

Joel S. Wit explains why US efforts to contain North Korea have not worked and gives readers a front-row seat to the policy debates, diplomatic deals, and secret talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

4. Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future (Dan Wang, Penguin, 2025)

Dan Wang argues that China’s rapid rise as an “engineering state” has driven extraordinary economic and technological growth - alongside high social costs - while contrasting it with a more stagnant, “lawyerly” US to explore what each system reveals about the future of global power.

5. The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict and Warnings from History (Odd Arne Westad, Penguin, 2026)

Historian Odd Arne Westad contends that as rising great-power competition makes the modern world increasingly unstable, we must learn from the political tensions and miscalculations before World War I to avoid a catastrophic global conflict today.

6. A Historian in Gaza (Jean-Pierre Filiu, Hurst, 2026)

A historian’s firsthand account of a month inside war-torn Gaza depicts the territory’s devastation and daily struggle for survival, blending eyewitness reportage with historical insight into human suffering and resilience.

7. The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump: What the Trade War Means for the World (Philip Coggan, Profile Trade, 2025)

This concise critique argues that President Trump’s erratic tariff policies and misunderstanding of global trade risk undermining the postwar system of economic cooperation, harming both the US and the wider world economy.

8. Abundance (Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein, Avid Reader Press, 2025)

Journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson unpick the barriers to progress and show how we can, and must, shift the political agenda to one that builds -  from healthcare to housing, infrastructure to innovation - a future defined not by fear, but by abundance.

9. India and the Rebalancing of Asia (C. Raja Mohan, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025)

An analysis of India’s shift from the sidelines to the centre of Asian geopolitics, which argues that China's rise has forced India to abandon its post-independence, non-aligned strategic restraint and instead strengthen its national power and partnerships (particularly with the US) to rebalance Asia. 

10. Turbulence: Australian Foreign Policy in the Trump Era 

(Clinton Fernandes, Melbourne University Publishing, 2025)

An examination of how the Trump Administration’s foreign policy strategy - particularly its push for technological and geopolitical dominance over China and potential economic decoupling - reshapes global power dynamics and forces Australia to navigate a volatile US–China rivalry. 

Bonus: New Books in Diplomatic History (Apple | Spotify)

While not a book, this podcast features expert interviews with authors of recent books in diplomatic history, exploring how past diplomatic activities shape today’s and providing you with a list of new books to consider reading.