Europe after the Dutch elections. Goodbye far right? Not so fast.

Europe after the Dutch elections. Goodbye far right? Not so fast.

Author: Chatham House October 31, 2025 Duration: 28:03

Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders suffered a setback on Wednesday's elections, with centrists poised to take back power.  

Rob Jetten, 38, leader of the centre-progressive Democrats 66 party, is set to become the Netherlands' youngest leader in modern history after running on the upbeat slogan 'Yes we can'. But the hard right remains influential.  

To discuss the outcome, and what it tells us about Europe beyond the Netherlands, guest host Grégoire Roos, Director of Chatham House's Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes, is joined by Sébastien Maillard, a Chatham House Associate Fellow and special advisor to the Jacques Delors Institute. And, joining down the line, is Karien van Gennip, a former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands. 

Read our latest:

China's leaders' meeting confirms Xi's authority and shows technological self-reliance is now the priority

Trump and Xi won't reset the China–US rivalry, so other nations must prepare 

China's economic model will continue to alarm its trading partners

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell.

Read the Autumn issue of The World Today 

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧 

Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧

Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.


Hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, Independent Thinking brings the institute’s private deliberations into the public ear. This isn’t a rehearsed lecture series, but a direct channel into candid, high-level discussions typically held behind closed doors. Maddox guides conversations with a carefully selected mix of leading policymakers, frontline journalists, and Chatham House’s own deep bench of experts, focusing on the international political issues that are shaping headlines and rewriting global strategies. The tone is analytical yet accessible, privileging substance and nuance over soundbites. Each episode feels like a privileged seat at a crucial roundtable, where complex topics-from shifting alliances and economic sanctions to climate diplomacy and conflict-are unpacked with clarity and intellectual rigor. Listeners gain a clearer understanding of the forces driving world events, hearing diverse perspectives clash and converge in real time. For anyone looking to move beyond the superficial news cycle and engage with the substantive arguments defining our geopolitics, this podcast offers an essential and thoughtful resource. It’s where informed opinion meets the pressing questions of our moment, fostering a deeper kind of political literacy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Independent Thinking
Podcast Episodes
Trump vs Carney at Davos - One summit, two visions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:13
Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox joins the Independent Thinking podcast from the World Economic Forum in Davos. In London are guest host David Lubin, a Senior Research Fellow in Chatham House's Global Economy and Fi…
Greenland in the cross hairs of Trump's bid for hemispheric dominance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:43
Host Bronwen Maddox is joined in the studio by Laurel Rapp, Director of Chatham House's US and North America Programme; Marc Weller, Director of the International Law Programme and down the line by Juno Berthelsen, of Gr…
Does Venezuela usher in an era of might is right? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:58
Bronwen Maddox is joined by Marc Weller, Director of Chatham House's International Law Programme; Laurel Rapp, Director of the US and North America Programme; and Christopher Sabatini, Senior Fellow for Latin America. Th…
Europe scrambles to avoid being sidelined on Ukraine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:09
How are Europe and Ukraine reacting after the US and Russia sought to strike their own deal, and Putin warned that Moscow – while not planning for war with Europe – is 'ready right now'. Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by…
Britain's budget – a recipe for growth or decline? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:21
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves published her – widely leaked – budget this week. How does it leave her ruling Labour Party positioned in Britain? And what do the calculations look like from overseas,…
Sudan – the internal and external forces tearing it apart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:35
After the North Darfur capital El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces, aid agencies and survivors talk of civilians being massacred in the streets. The international affairs podcast of Chatham House examines the huma…
What does Ukraine need to get through the winter? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
Nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials and analysts look at the prospects for a ceasefire, and at the military, economic and human cost that President Vladimir Putin's campaign has infl…
Mamdani won in New York. For Trump, was it a setback or backlash? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:55
Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York's mayoral race this week – and other electoral successes – energized Democrats in the US and left-wing parties worldwide. The new standard-bearer of the American left is hailed by pro…