Saudi Arabia wants to take the fight to the Houthis, so why is Washington so reluctant to help? Christiane and Jamie unpack what's holding the US back, and what it means for the relationship if America is no longer willing to act as Saudi Arabia's security guarantor. Could Riyadh start looking to Europe, or even China, for better protection from Iran and its proxies?

They also tackle a challenge from a listener who asks why Jamie is so focused on the threat from China and Russia - when the US and Israel stand accused of devastating actions of their own.

Then, to Afghanistan, where the question is whether the international community has any real leverage left. Could diplomatic, trade and economic engagement, or the easing of targeted sanctions, be made conditional on genuine improvements in women's rights and their place in Afghan society? And is there any prospect the Taliban would accept that bargain?

Plus, after another dreadful set of election results, is Chancellor Merz's position in Germany now untenable? And did the far-right AfD do better or worse in the state elections than Christiane and Jamie expected?

Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

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How do you negotiate with a government you can't predict? That's the question preoccupying presidents and prime ministers this week, as leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly with every major global crisis in the same building at the same time. Christiane and Jamie ask whether wars are solvable and alliances can be strengthened while the world's superpower keeps moving the goalposts.

Christiane brings the view from the very top. Fresh from interviewing Brazil's President Lula, and with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney building a political reputation for standing up to Trump, she and Jamie examine how major nations are quietly engineering workarounds for dealing with the Trump administration. Is this a sustainable new model of diplomacy? They also look ahead to two meetings that will test this fragile system: Trump and Xi, with AI now a national security question rather than a tech issue, and Trump and Zelensky, with Kyiv increasingly frustrated by reduced American support.

Later, Christiane responds to Trump's latest attempted crackdown on press freedom: his ban on journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico from entering the White House. Christiane explains why this is such a concerning move and why authoritarian regimes all over the world will be the ones who benefit.

Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

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Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei has called the US–China AI race his "toughest dilemma", Christiane and Jamie ask – how worried should we be that artificial intelligence is becoming the next arms race?

Plus, they look at Russia's reported strike on a train near Ukraine's border with Poland, shortly after European security officials had travelled through. Is it a warning to Europe, and could it mark a new escalation in the war?

And, 25 years after 9/11, Christiane reflects on Gander’s heartfelt welcome to stranded passengers and the bond it created between the US and Canada. Can that relationship be repaired despite the ongoing trade war?

Finally, given America’s role in the Good Friday Agreement, how significant are Trump’s recent comments about a united Ireland?

Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

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