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BBC World Service


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.


The Global Jigsaw

The narratives and the doctrines built on ever-growing suspicions and fears that are once again stirring the Middle East. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hasn’t just threatened to redraw the map of Europe - it has transformed the global security landscape. The ripple effects have been felt way beyond the continent, reigniting fears not felt since the Cold War - of a new nuclear arms race. In this episode we go back to the beginnings of nuclear ambitions in the Middle East to weigh up the consequences for the world today.

Contributors: Barry Sadid, Shaina Oppenheimer, Florence Dixon, Nihan Kale
Producer: Kriszta Satori, Barry Sadid
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
Music: Pete Cunningham

Nuclear tensions in the Middle East

How the Chinese Communist Party gets lost in translation and whether it’s accidental or intentional. “The Belt and Road Initiative”, “community with a shared future for humankind”, “socialism with Chinese characteristics in a new era” - the slogans and proclamations coming out of Beijing can sound abstract and bewildering. We examine the complex character of the language and how it’s put to use by the CCP to understand why its message can get lost on the outside world.

Contributor: Tom Lam
Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
Music: Pete Cunningham

Decoding China’s doublespeak

The al-Qaeda offshoot JNIM is one of the deadliest Jihadist groups in the world. It exploits a security vacuum in Africa’s Sahel region to impose its Salafist version of Islam. In part one of this miniseries we explored the structure and ideology of JNIM. In this episode we’ll try to understand its impact on local life and on the region’s complex geopolitics which increasingly looks like a proxy war - on both the information and physical battlefields. 

Contributors: Collins Nabiswa, Jacob Boswall, Barry Marston
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg

Life under JNIM

The JNIM branch of al-Qaeda is one of the world's deadliest jihadist groups. It has firmly planted its flag in the Sahel. Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as a key battlefront for jihadists: around 50 percent of deaths from terrorism in 2024 were registered in the Sahel region alone, according to the Global Terrorism Index. JNIM is an eclectic yet united coalition, rooted in the tribal desert regions of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. We look into its leaders, its narrative, and its modus operandi, and analyse the complexity of a region beleaguered by military coups, ethnic violence, and climate change.

Contributors: Barry Marston, Jacob Boswall
Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg

The JNIM branch of al-Qaeda

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?

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 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

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 Twigg

Audio for this episode was updated on 13 April 2024.

Sudan: A year of war

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