The Global Jigsaw is brought to you by BBC Monitoring, a part of the BBC you may not have heard of. This team of journalists reports on media from 150 countries in up to 100 languages and provides information and analyses to BBC newsrooms and the UK government, as well as commercial clients including universities and thinktanks. It also has an intriguing and, at times, dramatic history dating back to the eve of World War Two. This bonus episode is all about us.Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

The story of BBC Monitoring

Looking at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers and analyses news media in 100 languages.We reach across multiple time zones, from China and India, to Iran, Africa and Latin America. We watch Russian state TV around the clock, giving unrivalled insight into the evolution of Kremlin propaganda. But propaganda is just part of the information space we inhabit. In its more extreme form, we focus on disinformation that aims to defame enemies, sway elections, and undermine democracy.We have been monitoring jihadist media for nearly two decades, following the chatter from al-Qaeda and Islamic State group, gaining extraordinary knowledge about their aims, their ideological differences and allegiances. We watch the behaviour of Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, Turkey’s Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping, Hungary’s Orban and anyone else who might be challenging the established order, seeking to expand their global footprint or export their brand of ideology. At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth.

Why are Poland's young voters turning to the right? With his veto powers, Poland’s president-elect Karol Nawrocki could halt the pro-EU government of Donald Tusk. Poland is a NATO member and backs Ukraine in the war with Russia. Scaling up security is an issue almost all Poles agree on, yet there are some signs of shifting attitudes - on foreign policy and immigration. We examine the gender gap among voters and the recent election discourse to understand how conflicting priorities and enduring conservative values are shaping the eastern flank of the West. Contributors: Margaryta Maliukova
Producers: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg

What next for Poland?

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds force and the Basij militias are back in the news due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. What are they, how do they operate and how have they become so influential? In this episode, we look at the origins, the branding and the ideological blueprint of the Tehran-led influence network that has been shaping events in the Middle East for decades.

What’s Iran’s IRGC?

The Israeli government’s push to transform the media landscape has been described by critics as a “hostile takeover” that poses a threat to press freedom. In this episode we take a look at what people in Israel see about the war in Gaza on their TV screens. We examine the methods and the motives behind the prime minister’s media squeeze, and ask what this means for the country priding itself on being ‘the only democracy’ in the Middle East. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
Contributor: Shaina Oppenheimer

Netanyahu’s media squeeze

We assess the damage to independent journalism globally by cuts to USAGM and USAID, described as “the chainsaw approach” of the Trump administration. The defunding of Voice of America, RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) and its multiple language services has been decried as “a gift to dictators”. Although these cuts are being disputed in court, they could have long-lasting implications for audiences around the world. Can the harm be undone?Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg
Contributors: Pascal Fletcher, Samia Hosny, Margaryta Maliukova, Andrey Vladov, Tom Lam, Sarbas Nazari, Moses Rono

The Trump effect on global media

Will the call for the PKK to disarm end in a new era of peace for the Kurds, or is this just another turn in a tortured history? In February, Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, released a jaw-dropping written message to his followers from his jail cell, calling for the group to lay down arms and disband. In this series we explore the Kurdish issue - the persecution, the resistance and their attempts to form a state. We ask what does the future hold for one of the largest stateless ethnic groups in the world scattered across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The Kurdish issue: Part three

The Kurdish issue: Part two

Will the call for the PKK to disarm end in a new era of peace for the Kurds, or is this just another turn in a tortured history? In February, Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, released a jaw-dropping written message to his followers from his jail cell, calling for the group to lay down arms and disband. In this series we explore the Kurdish issue - the persecution, the resistance and their attempts to form a state. We ask what the future holds for one of the largest stateless ethnic groups in the world scattered across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The Kurdish issue: Part one

Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and Russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. Part 1 looks at “ripe for Russification” Crimea, which was annexed 11 years ago. Part 2 focuses on Moscow’s subsequent efforts to assert itself in the separatist East. And in Part 3 we explore the Kremlin’s challenges in subjugating occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. As time passes, the uncertainty over the future of what Ukraine calls “temporarily occupied territories” grows bigger. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Life in occupied Ukraine: Kherson and Zaporizhzhia

Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. Part two focuses on Moscow’s efforts to assert itself in the separatist east. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Life in occupied Ukraine: Donbas

Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and Russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. Part one looks at “ripe for Russification” Crimea, which was annexed 11 years ago. Part two focuses on Moscow’s subsequent efforts to assert itself in the separatist East. And in part three we explore the Kremlin’s challenges in subjugating parts of the newly occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. As time passes, the uncertainty over the future of what Ukraine calls “temporarily occupied territories” grows bigger. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Life in occupied Ukraine: Crimea

Kyiv’s answer to the Kremlin’s warspeak. In part one of this miniseries, we focused on Russia’s case, trying to see through Moscow’s war propaganda: its purpose and building blocks. In this episode, we turn to the Ukrainian side of this linguistic tug or war. Here we find that language itself is at the heart of this conflict, fuelling Ukraine’s “linguistic decolonisation”. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The language of war: Ukraine

Decoding the Kremlin’s warspeak to understand the power of propaganda as a weapon of war. “Let’s cut dill”, “a pop of cotton”, “meat assault”: expressions the average foreigner might struggle to understand. We analyse Moscow’s military jargon; in part two of this mini-series, we’ll explore Kyiv’s answer to it. Producer: Kriszta Satori, Vitaly Shevchenko
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The language of war: Russia

What would the potential loss of Syria naval and air bases mean for Russia? The fall of the Assad regime triggered the start of possibly the greatest reshaping of the Middle East in decades, throwing into uncertainty the fate of Russia’s military bases in the country, among many other things. Tartus and Hmeimim served as a springboard for Moscow’s foreign missions elsewhere. We assess their significance for the Kremlin’s strategic footprint in Africa, and explore the alternatives. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Russia’s gateway to Africa in jeopardy

A shock offensive on Aleppo turned Syria’s forgotten conflict into hot war. The group spearheading it, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), has been at pains to present itself as a credible governing body, having renounced its jihadist past. With a bounty on his head, its leader, Abu Mohammed al Jawlani, has been spinning his propaganda machine in the northern province of Idlib, wearing western suits and taking selfies with the locals. We track his journey of transformation in this episode, first published in 2023. Producer: Kriszta Satori, Anne Dixey
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The rebels who retook Aleppo

Why is the Kremlin worried about population decline? President Putin has made the increase of human capital a national priority. Decision-makers have been competing to offer a solution, from fiscal incentives to encourage women to have more children, to restricting access to abortion, to banning "propaganda" of “childless lifestyle”. Will their plan work?Producer: Francis Scarr, Veronika Malinboym, Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Russia’s “special demographic operation”

What’s behind the evolution of President Erdogan’s narrative on LGBT issues, and how did Turkey’s Islamic conservatives find common ground with American Evangelicals? President Erdogan skipped the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris in August after his granddaughter warned him about the “LGBT show”. He berated the French organisers for “debasing humanity to a level below animals”. His anti-LGBT push is relatively recent. We take a look at one battlefield of the global culture war. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Culture wars: Turkey’s anti-LGBT drive

Ten years on, where do the warring parties stand? And is there a way out of the stalemate? This is not just a civil war - it’s a battle between rival camps in the Middle East, led by Iran on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia on the other. The Houthis are said to be Iran’s proxy, but they sometimes act against Tehran’s interest. We go granular on the complexities in the alliances and the rivalries that shape the conflict.Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Yemen: A frozen conflict

Ten years after the start of the civil war in Yemen, Sanaa, Aden and Taiz are stuck in a “no war, no peace” limbo. The three ancient cities are ruled by different warring parties, all vying to expand their reach. We look at life under the Houthis, the “government of hotels”, the separatists and the snipers.Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov, Sumaya Bakhsh
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Yemen: A tale of three cities

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has led to the erasure of women from public life. There’s a UN-led campaign to recognise it as “gender apartheid”, but the international community is divided and lacking leverage. Three years after the group took the capital Kabul, our experts explain what life is like for half of the population and why women have become a proxy for the nation’s image of itself. Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The Taliban’s war on women

The geopolitical tectonic shifts in Africa that could be felt in Europe too. A year after the coup in Niger, which was seen as a key ally of the West, Africa’s ‘coup belt’ faces growing uncertainty about its future security. As US and international forces withdraw, legacy Wagner groups seek to conquer new zones of influence for Russia in the face of a growing jihadist threat. What hope is there for the region?Producers: Kriszta Satori, Linnete Bahati, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The Sahel’s coup contagion

After a lull in activities, in 2024 the Islamic State Group claimed to be behind several major attacks, showing the world they haven’t gone away. Among them was the storming by gunmen of a Moscow concert hall. Ten years after the Islamist extremists declared the establishment of a caliphate, our Jihadist Media Monitoring Team considers the current capabilities and ambitions of the group that once ruled over a large territory in Iraq and Syria. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

The evolution of the Islamic State Group

What does it take to track media in Africa where radio is king? Originally set up as the East Africa Unit after the Suez crisis, BBC Monitoring’s Nairobi operation has seen history unfold on the continent over six decades. The Global Jigsaw team travels to Nairobi to meet the monitors. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Monitoring Africa

“China is not buying Africa, it is building Africa” is the view from Beijing. How is this landing with local audiences? There have been hints of a cooling down of Sino-African friendship. For this episode, the team travels to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to get a sense of Chinese influence on the ground, and understand why Beijing has chosen it as a hub for its media operation in Africa. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

How China sees itself in Africa

A dive into the narratives surrounding Turkey’s ambitions in Africa, where Ankara is touting itself as a “non-colonising” alternative to Western powers. Turkey has been expanding its influence operations in Africa in recent years: from military muscle and drone diplomacy to education, humanitarian projects, soft power and spiritual bonding. We ask what sets Turkey apart from other foreign powers vying for influence on the continent, and what its distinctive approach has achieved. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Turkey's foothold in Africa

Iran's loose coalition of allies and proxies, sworn against Israeli and US influence, that has been shaping events in the Middle East for decades. Its ability to disrupt has been highlighted in the context of the current Gaza war. In this episode, we take you to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Gaza to untangle the web of Tehran’s influence operations and explore its potential to thrive in times of crisis. Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Deconstructing Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’: Part two

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

How drones have changed 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.

Sudan: A year of war

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

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

Who is behind the Crocus City Hall attack? Within an hour of last week’s deadly attack on a concert hall outside Moscow, a campaign was gathering momentum to blame Kyiv for the atrocity while a parallel storyline claimed it was a Russian false flag operation. We track the blame game: the narratives and the counter-narratives underpinned by generous doses of disinformation.
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Moscow attack: Disinfo wars

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

Contested waters: Helmand

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

Contested waters: Crimea

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.

What hope for Haiti?

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

Does Russia’s election matter?

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

Israel-Gaza war: Global perspectives

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.

Israel and Gaza special

After a shock primary win, far-right libertarian economist Javier Milei is leading polls ahead of Argentina's presidential election. He's vowing to upend the status quo. With poverty rising, inflation into triple digits and recession looming, Argentinians are divided over who to trust to lead them out of the crisis. The intensifying virulence of the debate in the already polarised political landscape makes that choice even harder. Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.ukProducer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Who’ll be Argentina’s next president?

What next for the notorious Wagner group after the plane crash that wiped out its leadership? The Russian private military group that’s left boot prints in Europe, the Middle East and Africa is facing an uncertain future. We look at official movements and narratives - in Russia and abroad - to lift the deliberate veil of murkiness and find the clues. Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.ukProducer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg

Wagner after Prigozhin

Russia and Turkey failed to reach an agreement to bring Ukrainian grain to countries that desperately need it, at a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. What are the obstacles - and the implications for global food security? Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Grain deal special

Soldiers say they have taken control of the West African country. We unpick how events unfolded with BBC Monitoring’s Africa expert Beverly Ochieng. What can we learn from our media watch about what really happened and what could be the impications for the Sahel? This is a special episode of The Global Jigsaw. All of Season 1 is available to listen. Follow or subscribe so that you don’t miss future episodes.

Niger coup special

Israel’s government is pressing ahead with an overhaul of the judicial system which would curtail the power of the Supreme Court, and give the government more. The proposals are seen by critics as an attack on democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and have been met by unprecedented popular protests. In this week’s Global Jigsaw, we look at the crisis in Israel through our media lens, for a glimpse of the ideas and forces dividing Israelis so deeply today. 
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.ukProducer: Lucy Bailey 
Presenter: Krassi Twigg 
Editor: Judy King 
Original music: Pete Cunningham
Sound engineer: Nigel Dix

Israel at a defining moment

Russia's once shadowy private military company Wagner hit the headlines around the world when the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ordered his men to march on Moscow. Although the insurrection was short lived, the impact is felt far and wide. In a special edition, The Global Jigsaw examines the Wagner mutiny from the perspective of countries who have a reason to pay close attention. Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Wagner’s revolt: The world takes stock

The gradual dismantling of independent media in Russia, from the colour and vibrancy under Boris Yeltsin in the 90s, to the extreme crackdown under Vladimir Putin a quarter of a century later. The Global Jigsaw tracks the key milestones in the process that turned the media into a “barren landscape”. And we look into a new propaganda push targeting the youngest. 
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Putin’s media marathon

The fault line in Bulgarian politics helping Moscow’s interests in Europe. Kremlin narratives have been dividing politics in this arms-producing EU country. Some see it as Russia’s Trojan horse. The former Soviet ally is torn between old and new allegiances, resulting in polarised attitudes towards Ukraine. How is Russia driving its agenda in Bulgaria, and is it working? 
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Bulgaria’s Russia conundrum

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensified the Kremlin’s propaganda push. While independent media was defanged, TV talk shows multiplied to beam the state-sanctioned version of reality into living rooms. Alternative viewpoints are hard to find. Many Russians call their TV set the zombiebox - has it won the battle of narratives?

Russia’s propaganda firehose

Journalism under military censorship and state PR. The Russian invasion has dramatically transformed Ukraine’s media landscape. Speaking truth to power has become more of a challenge in an environment that has lost much of its vibrancy and pluralism. Some of the changes have been written into law. What happens when peace returns?
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Ukraine’s media at war

Latin American evangelical preachers have been taking their conservative politics to TikTok. The mix can be dynamite. Left-wing parties have dominated in recent elections, but the phenomenon is growing, in an exceptionally lax social media environment. What does this tell us about religion and politics - and the media - in the region today?Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

TikTokking for God (and power)

The African influencers amplifying Kremlin propaganda and disinformation. Russian influence operations have expanded from the CAR to Mali and other countries in the Sahel region. What drives local people to take to the streets with Russian flags, and what’s Moscow’s endgame in Africa? Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

Russian flag operations in Mali

Russia looking for new friends in Africa spells new trouble for a turbulent region. The Central African Republic has in recent years become one of Moscow’s main hubs of influence operations on the continent. What drew the Kremlin-linked mercenary group Wagner to this resource rich country that was never part of the Soviet sphere of influence? 
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

CAR’s Wagner trouble

The Communist Party weighs in on sexual politics, making noises about what it means to be a man. It says it needs to push back against foreign influences including K-pop and what it calls “sissy culture”. Where does that leave Chinese women - and feminism? And is there a connection with so-called Wolf Warrior diplomacy?
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.ukProducers: Lucy Bailey, Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Twigg
Editor: Judy King
Main contributors: Tom Lam, Kerry Allen
Original music: Pete Cunningham
Sound engineer: John Boland

Masculinity with Chinese characteristics

The heated vox pop debates going viral in Turkey. As the cost of living crisis bites, heated arguments play out in cities and online. The street-corner videos, watched by millions, debate everything from the price of cucumbers to sky-high rents. And they have become a powerful alternative to state-controlled media.

Talking politics on Turkey’s streets

The Syrian militant leader wanted by the West, but who wants to be its friend. With a bounty on his head, Abu Mohammed al Jawlani spins his propaganda machine in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, wearing western suits and taking selfies with the locals. What’s behind his transformation?
Get in touch: theglobaljigsaw@bbc.co.uk

A jihadi on a charm offensive

What’s the story you are being told and why? We live in times of information wars, weaponised narratives, captured media, information spaces turned into halls of mirrors. How can we understand the world better and the agendas driving those narratives? We track and analyse media in up to 100 languages to show you the world through the eyes of its media - where powerful interests battle to influence your views. Think of us as your media detectives, lifting the language barrier so you get the bigger picture.