World Review from the New Statesman

Losing Gaza

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:17:59 GMT

“We cannot know what sort of human beings will emerge from this.”

Following Hamas’s deadly attack on 7 October 2023, Israel’s military response has been described as “inevitable”. Eleven months on, the scope and ferocity of that military response has stunned the world.

In this episode of the podcast we speak to four of the writers who contributed to the New Statesman essay collection Losing Gaza.

Raja Shehadeh: “Palestinians are not treated as human beings deserving of human rights”

Ghada Karmi: “The physical damage of Israel’s assault is real enough. The mental trauma will be far worse”

Raja Khalidi: “After the war, world leaders will need a new Marshall Plan for Palestine”

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Susan Neiman: "It's not about being pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, but pro-human rights"

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 06:00:37 GMT

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has now passed the 100 day mark. On the 14 January Alona Ferber attended the Jewish Labour Movement conference, which happened to take place on the 100th day of the war. In this podcast she speaks with Susan Neiman, the American moral philosopher, about the splits this war has caused on the left and tensions she sees between tribalist currents on the left and universalist principles, which Neiman believes are the values of a true left.

Read Susan Neiman's essay: The universalist tradition has been forgotten, the Enlightenment betrayed

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How will elections shape the world in 2024?

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 06:00:47 GMT

In 2024 countries with more than 4 billion people will be sending their citizens to the polls. The US, Russia, and India to name a few; this is set to be the biggest election year in history.

In this episode of the podcast Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Stateman's foreign correspondent Bruno Maçães and senior data journalist Ben Walker to review some of the major political forces at play around the globe in 2024.

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What does it mean to be Jewish and on the left today?

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 06:00:53 GMT

Earlier this month we published a magazine with the cover ‘Being Jewish Now’. At this time of crisis in the Middle East, with divisions over the Gaza war and rising anti-Semitism, we asked a group of writers, thinkers, and activists to reflect on the question of what it means to be Jewish and on the left today.

In this episode of the podcast senior editor Alona Ferber speaks to five of the writers who contributed to this essay collection, delving deeper into the themes explored in the magazine.

Fania Oz-Salzberger: This generation will never see Gazans and Israelis become fellow citizens

Sam Adler-Bell: Jews in the diaspora must resist the inhumanity being done by Israel in our name

Omer Bartov: Both Netanyahu’s cabinet and Hamas see this crisis as an opportunity

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: Lessons of growing up black and Jewish

Howard Jacobson: The founding of Israel wasn’t a colonial act – a refugee isn’t a colonist

Being Jewish Now: https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2023/11/what-it-means-to-be-jewish-now

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Iran's interest in Israel, with former ambassador John Jenkins

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 06:00:09 GMT

Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah – all of whom operate out of Beirut’s southern suburbs – have coordinated their positions in various ways for years in pursuit of what they see as the greater good.

John Jenkins, former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Burma, speaks to senior editor Katie Stallard about Iran's interest in the Israel-Hamas conflict and how this will play out across the region.

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NEW: Will the Israel Gaza war spread to the wider Middle East?

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 10:15:25 GMT

**NEW EPISODE**

As Israel prepares a ground attack on Gaza, Katie Stallard is joined by Alona Ferber and Professor Lina Khatib to explore the wider geo-political situation in the Middle East - including mounting violence on Israel's west bank and the looming shadow of Hezbollah in Iran.

This episode was originally published in the New Statesman podcast feed. We now regularly publish Ideas and Global Affairs content on Mondays on the New Statesman podcast. Follow or subscribe here: https://podfollow.com/new-statesman

Follow the New Statesman's reporting and analysis of the crisis in Israel and Gaza at www.NewStatesman.com.

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A message to World Review listeners

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 05:00:50 GMT

Listen to Katie Stallard and Megan Gibson's discussion on Russia's war on the future here: https://shows.acast.com/newstatesman/episodes/russias-war-on-the-future-conversation

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World Review is on hiatus

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:38:47 GMT

We won't be releasing regular World Review episodes any more. Interviews about the biggest foreign affairs stories will now be included as part of a rotation of interviews on the New Statesman podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Are China and the EU headed for a trade war? With Bruno Maçães

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 05:00:41 GMT

As the European Union weighs new sanctions on Chinese companies, which could be announced later this week, Katie Stallard speaks to Bruno Maçães, a former Portuguese Europe minister andthe New Statesman's foreign affairs correspondent,about his recent interview with Fu Cong, China's ambassador to the EU.

They also discuss Beijing's likely response to the new measures, what the fall-out would be for EU-China relations, and about the difficult balancing act Chinese diplomats have sought to strike since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine. Plus, how the prospect of another Donald Trump presidency in the US is provoking unease in the corridors of Brussels.

Ambassador Fu Cong: “Europe will not become a vassal to China”

The world according to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin

China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine

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Is the war coming home to Russia?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 13:14:15 GMT

On Tuesday (30 May), several drones damaged buildings in Moscow in by far the largest attack on the Russian capital since the war in Ukraine began. Kyiv denies carrying out the strikes – at least one of which affected Rublyovka, a wealthy suburb home to many of Russia's elite, and close to where Putin has an official residence.

Megan Gibson and Katie Stallard discuss the strategy behind the attacks, how they might be viewed by Ukraine’s allies, and whether further strikes on Russian territory are likely. The discussion then moves to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s re-election as Turkish president and what it could mean for Sweden’s bid to join Nato.

Read more:

Katie examines the domestic pressure on Putin.

Jeremy Cliffe on the limits of Erdoğanism

Katie on Ukraine's coming counter-offensive.

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How the Russia’s war on Ukraine will change the world, with Serhii Plokhy

Mon, 29 May 2023 05:00:45 GMT

This week our guest is the historian Serhii Plokhy, a professor and the director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard and the author of a number of books, including his latest, The Russo-Ukrainian War.

He speaks to Megan Gibson about Putin’s war on Ukraine, the end of the Russian empire and what the new world order could look like.

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Is the National Conservatism conference a glimpse into Britain’s future?

Thu, 25 May 2023 11:53:31 GMT

Last week British adherents – including several prominent ministers – of a traditionalist political movement with origins in post-Trump US politics attended the National Conservatism conference in London. It is a major influence in America but remains on the fringes of British political thought.

Will Lloyd joins Megan Gibson in London, and Ido Vock in Berlin, to discuss whether National Conservatism could ever catch on in the UK. Then, they discuss attacks by anti-Kremlin militias in the Belgorod region of western Russia, which neighbours Ukraine. They ask: what effect might this raid have on the next phase of the war?

Read more:

Will Lloyd on “dark new factions” in the Conservative Party:

Katie Stallard asks: who was behind the drone attack on the Kremlin?

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How can Putin be put on trial? With Philippe Sands

Mon, 22 May 2023 05:00:51 GMT

With international arrest warrants now active against Vladimir Putin, Ido Vock speaks to Philippe Sands, professor at UCL, about his attempts to force a prosecution of the Russian president. They discuss the crime of aggression, whether international tribunals could hear the case against him, and what efforts are being made to encourage more countries to help bring Putin to justice.

Putin on trial

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What is at stake in Ukraine’s counter-offensive?

Thu, 18 May 2023 11:22:56 GMT

The Ukrainian army this week announced gains around Bakhmut, its first substantive advances in about six months. That progress has prompted analysts to ask: has Ukraine’s much-vaunted counter-offensive already begun? Not yet, perhaps. But it is coming.

Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss what the next phase of the war could look like. Will Ukraine’s army make rapid progress – as it did in the Kharkiv region last September – or get bogged down in attritional battles, as has been the case at Bakhmut? Katie and Ido also discuss Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin’s increasingly voluble complaints about the Russian ministry of defence, and whether the cracks in Vladimir Putin’s system are starting to show.

Read more:

Katie Stallard on what to expect from Ukraine’s coming counter-offensive

Ido Vock asks: has Prigozhin turned on Putin?

Ido again, on the Wagner Group’s brutal tactics

Lawrence Freedman on Russia and Ukraine's attempts to control the narrative of the war

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The shifting geopolitics of Central Asia – with Raffaello Pantucci

Mon, 15 May 2023 15:54:05 GMT

Fourteen months into Russia’s war against Ukraine, Katie Stallard speaks to Raffaello Pantucci, senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and the co-author of Sinostan: China’s Inadvertent Empire, about how the geopolitical landscape of Central Asia has changed. They discuss China’s growing influence, Vladimir Putin’s efforts to court regional leaders, and how the West could play a more significant role.

Read more:

The world according to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin

What would it take to make Vladimir Putin feel secure?

Xinjiang: a region of suspicion and subjugation

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The power politics of Victory Day

Thu, 11 May 2023 13:42:06 GMT

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, oversaw a muted parade in Moscow for Victory Day on 9 May, which celebrates the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany. Where in previous years there have been grand shows of military might, this year there was a single, Second World War-era, tank. Rather than a show of force, the parade showed how a year of war in Ukraine has degraded Russia’s military. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, meanwhile, reinforced his country’s turn towards the West.

Katie Stallard in Washington DC, and Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin, analyse what the pared-back celebrations in Moscow say about the Kremlin’s relationship with its citizens. Next, they turn to Turkey, where Recep Tayyip Erdoğan faces the sternest electoral challenge of his presidency.

Read more:

Katie Stallard on Putin under pressure

Jeremy Cliffe asks: has authoritarianism peaked?

Ido Vock on Yevgeny Prigozhin’s relationship with Vladimir Putin

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The new space race – with Tim Marshall

Mon, 08 May 2023 05:00:09 GMT

With a new era of great-power competition taking shape on Earth, Katie Stallard speaks to the journalist and author Tim Marshall about his new book The Future of Geography and the next geopolitical battleground: space. They discuss how the Cold War propelled the space race between the US and the Soviet Union in the last century, and why the US, China and Russia are now engaged in a new contest to reach the moon and exploit its natural resources. Plus: why the existing laws concerning space are inadequate, and whether the satellites of the future will be armed.

China’s plan for an anti-satellite cyber-weapon found in leaked CIA documents.

Russia and the new language of war.

The world according to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

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The US is running out of money: what happens next?

Thu, 04 May 2023 10:10:52 GMT

Republicans in the US House of Representatives passed legislation last week that would increase the US debt ceiling only in exchange for significant spending cuts, and the repeal of some of Joe Biden’s key legislative achievements. The president has said he will not negotiate on raising the US’s borrowing limit, but there could be severe consequences if the two parties fail to reach a deal.

Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the global impact a prolonged stalemate could have, and the motivations of both sides.

Next, they talk about video footage released by Russia that purports to show a drone attack on the Kremlin, analysing who might be behind such an attack and what their motivations might be.

Ido Vock on Putin’s “forever War”

Lawrence Freedman asks what leaked Pentagon documents reveal about where the war in Ukraine is headed

Adam Tooze on where Biden has gone wrong

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Noam Chomsky: Don't underestimate the risk of nuclear war

Mon, 01 May 2023 05:00:01 GMT

Ido Vock speaks to the American linguist Noam Chomsky, one of the world’s most prominent commentators on international politics since the Vietnam War. A trenchant critic of American foreign policy, Chomsky explains what he thinks the US is getting wrong in Ukraine, the prospects of a conflict over Taiwan, and why Finland and Sweden sought to join Nato.

Ukraine is not a proxy war

After Iraq: the great unravelling

The dual atrocity of rape in the war on Ukraine

Letter from Kinmen: Taiwan is already under attack

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The roots of the conflict in Sudan

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 08:14:01 GMT

A three-day ceasefire has allowed some countries to evacuate their citizens from Sudan, where rival military factions have been fighting since 15 April. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader, has long been in a bitter power struggle with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, his former deputy. Now, that struggle has become an open conflict.

Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss Sudan’s recent history, the evacuation effort and where local and regional powers stand.

Next they turn to the US, where Ron DeSantis’s presumed bid for the presidency in 2024 appears to be falling apart. The team discuss DeSantis’s fading hopes of beating Donald Trump to the Republican presidential nomination, his stance on abortion rights and why Trump still looms large in American politics.

Read more:

Megan Gibson asks whether the UK should have seen the Sudan crisis coming

Katie Stallard on why Ron DeSantis’s campaign is already in trouble

Katie on the coming Republican civil war

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Should we call Giorgia Meloni a fascist? With David Broder

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 05:00:43 GMT

Six months after Giorgia Meloni, leader of the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia party, became prime minister, Megan Gibson speaks to the historian and author David Broder about how Meloni has governed. They discuss whether she has confounded expectations, her relationship with other conservative movements around the world, and Silvio Berlusconi's legacy.

Read more

The making and meaning of Giorgia Meloni

The struggle for Italy

Europe’s far-right parties are learning from one another

Letter from Italy: attending a gathering of ultra-conservatives in Rome

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Xi and Putin: are there limits to the “no limits” friendship?

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 10:42:28 GMT

Since the start of the war in Ukraine last year, there has been a strong focus on the China-Russia relationship – and on whether Xi Jinping might be preparing to distance himself from Russia, or, as Emmanuel Macron hopes, to pressure Putin to end the war. That debate intensified after Xi’s visit to Moscow in March.

Ido Vock and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin, along with Katie Stallard in Washington DC, discuss the history of the two countries’ relations, what message the recent visit was intended to send, and where the areas of tension lie.

Next, we turn to Turkey whose citizens will head to the polls on 14 May for what are expected to be the closest elections for decades. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled Turkey in one form or another for 20 years, could lose to a united opposition. The team discuss the opposition parties’ chances – and what might happen if they win.

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Read more:

Europe lost Turkey once, writes Jeremy. It cannot afford to make the same mistake again.

Katie on the world according to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

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Why Russia arrested Evan Gershkovich, with Pjotr Sauer

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 05:00:29 GMT

Nearly three weeks ago Russia arrested the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, accusing him of spying. Ido Vock speaks to Pjotr Sauer, a reporter on Russia for the Guardian who worked with Gershkovich at the Moscow Times, about the arrest, what this means for media freedom in Russia, and what might happen to him now.

Read More:

Vladimir Putin knows that hostage taking works

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What should Europe’s position on Taiwan be?

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 09:59:01 GMT

Returning from a trip to Beijing, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, attracted international criticism when he told reporters that when it comes to Taiwan, Europe should resist becoming “America’s followers”.

Megan Gibson in London and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss Macron’s attempt to distance Europe from the US on Taiwan, why his comments have been so inflammatory, and the potential risk to European security.

Then they turn Northern Ireland, where Joe Biden touched down this week for a four-day visit to the island of Ireland. The US president was there to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The team discuss Biden’s strategy of mixing the personal – he has often talked about his Irish roots – and political, as well as US relations with Ireland and the UK.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Read more:

Rachel Wearmouth asks will Joe Biden’s Northern Ireland visit achieve anything?

Ido on why Emmanual Macron’s vision for Europe still doesn’t match reality.

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What we get wrong about Taiwan, with Paul Huang

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 05:00:51 GMT

Last week Tsai Ing-wen, president of Taiwan, and Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, met in California. Katie Stallard speaks to Paul Huang, a research fellow at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation and a journalist, based in Taipei, about the politics of the encounter. They discuss the calculations behind the response of China, which claims Taiwan as its own; how that could play into Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election; and the pace of Taiwan’s military reforms and how the self-ruling democracy is preparing to defend itself.

Read more:

Letter from Kinmen: Taiwan is already under attack

The diplomatic battle for Taiwan

Asia’s dangerous new arms race

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The people of the state of New York vs Donald Trump

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 11:17:10 GMT

On Tuesday, the former US president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, amid allegations that he orchestrated hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 election.

Katie Stallard in Washington DC, Megan Gibson in London and Ido Vock in Paris discuss what Trump’s arrest and trial could mean for the 2024 presidential race.

Next, the team turn to Finland where Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat on Sunday. The right-wing National Coalition Party claimed victory in a tightly fought contest. They discuss what the loss tells us about Finnish politics – and the way the rest of the world see some national leaders.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks why China is so angry about the meeting of Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen with the US House speaker Kevin McCarthy.

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Read more:

Megan on the meaning of Sanna Marin’s defeat.

Katie on the diplomatic battle for Taiwan.

Katie writes on how Taiwan is already under attack.

Katie asks whether Donald Trump’s indictment will help him win the Republican nomination?

Charlotte Kilpatrick on the unexpected folly of prosecuting Trump.

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Why the Russian Orthodox Church supports the war in Ukraine, with Katherine Kelaidis

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 05:00:05 GMT

As the Ukraine war continues, one of the strongest supporters of Vladimir Putin has been Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Katherine Kelaidis, author of a new book on the Church, joins Ido Vock to discuss its history, the Church's split with Ukraine, and the influence it holds over Russian politics.

Read more:

The invasion of Ukraine forces a reckoning for the Orthodox world

Putin believes he is defending Orthodox Christianity from the godless West

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Israel chaos: has Benjamin Netanyahu lost control?

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:13:13 GMT

On Monday, after protests swept the country and trade unions threatened major strikes, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he was delaying his controversial judicial reforms package. Netanyahu said he was doing this “to avoid civil war”.

Ido Vock in Berlin and Megan Gibson and Alona Ferber in London discuss the response to Netanyahu’s announcement in Israel and abroad, as well as how far the crisis could go.

Next, the team turn to Russia, where Vladimir Putin has announced that tactical nuclear weapons will be stationed in Belarus as early as this summer. They discuss why Putin wants these weapons in Belarus, how likely this is to happen and the possible consequences.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, will lose the next election.

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Read more:

Alona on why this could be the end of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Alona on how we are watching Israel build an authoritarian government in real time.

Ido on Belarus and Vladimir Putin’s continued use of nuclear blackmail.

Lawrence Freedman on why a “strategic nuclear exchange” would offer Putin zero gains.

Megan on Magdalena Andersson and Sanna Marin’s fight against far-right misogyny.

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Are the Israeli protests the end of Benjamin Netanyahu?

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:51:11 GMT

Protests continue in Israel and many trade unions have called immediate strikes over Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed reforms to the judiciary, which critics say will turn the country into a dictatorship. Over the weekend the defence minister was sacked for calling for the plans to be withdrawn but there’s growing expectation that the prime minister will have to back down.

Ido Vock speaks to Alona Ferber, Spotlight editor, about what’s behind the protests, why Netanyahu is so desperate to pass the reforms and how Palestinians are still missing from the discussion.

Read more:

This could be the end of Benjamin Netanyahu

We are watching Israel build an authoritarian government in real time

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Best friends forever? What we learned from Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Moscow

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:13:07 GMT

On Wednesday Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement in Moscow promising to deepen their strategic partnership and stressing the importance of “settling the Ukraine crisis through dialogue”. Megan Gibson in London and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss how Xi has attempted to frame his visit as a “journey for peace” and what really sustains his relationship with the Russian president.

Next they turn to the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq and the lessons that have – and have not – been learned from the catastrophe, as well as enduring political legacy of the conflict.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks: “If Donald Trump is arrested, how will it affect his 2024 presidential campaign?”

Xi Jinping’s desperate gamble on Vladimir Putin

China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine

The poisoned peacemaker: why China can’t abandon Putin

After Iraq: the great unravelling

The US is readying itself for another moral crusade, this time against China

The long shadow of the Iraq War

Donald Trump’s indictment would be a gift to Ron DeSantis

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Macron’s pensions gamble, with Georgina Wright

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 06:00:52 GMT

The French president Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a confidence vote after it invoked a contentious article of the constitution to override parliament and pass an unpopular reform to the pensions system. The move enraged the opposition and unions, which have vowed to escalate direct action in protest. For a special episode, Ido Vock in Berlin is joined by Georgina Wright, director of the Institut Montaigne’s Europe Programme, in Paris, to discuss why the government thought it needed to force through the bill to raise the retirement age to 64, why the decision caused outrage and what options the protest movement has left.

Read more:

Emmanuel Macron has shown his contempt for democracy

Chaos erupts over Emmanuel Macron’s retirement reforms

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Will the Iranian protesters succeed? With Dina Nayeri

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 06:00:56 GMT

As protests against the Iranian regime continue, Megan Gibson speaks to the award-winning writer Dina Nayeri, whose latest book is Who Gets Believed When the Truth Isn’t Enough?

They discuss the uprising in Iran since Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by the oppressive morality police, where the protests are going, Nayeri’s own experiences with the morality police, and why refugees and asylum seekers are demonised by public discourse and political policies.

Read more:

Iran’s regime won’t be easily toppled

How Mahsa Amini’s death set Iran on fire

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Why did Silicon Valley Bank collapse?

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 06:00:13 GMT

Over the weekend, Silicon Valley Bank, a lender to some of the biggest names in the technology world, became the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. Regulators scrambled to contain the fallout from the collapse as share prices plummeted, with HSBC stepping in to buy the bank for £1 in a rescue deal.

Ido Vock is joined by the New Statesman’s associate business editor Emma Haslett and Spotlight editor Alona Ferber to discuss the roots of the crisis, the hypocrisy of libertarian tech bros, and the wider risks.

Next, the team turn to Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposals to reform the judiciary have been met in Tel Aviv with some of the biggest protests in the city’s history. They discuss whether Israel is moving towards dictatorship, the prospect of rebellion in the army, and rising violence in the West Bank.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Will Dunn asks: who killed Silicon Valley Bank?

Emma Haslett writes that the failure of Silicon Valley Bank unmasks the hypocrisy of libertarian tech bros.

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How Russian propaganda works, with Jade McGlynn

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 06:00:28 GMT

One year into Russia's war against Ukraine, Katie Stallard speaks to Jade McGlynn, an expert on Russian propaganda and memory politics, about how the Kremlin has framed the conflict at home. McGlynn is an academic researcher at King's College London and the author of two forthcoming books, Russia's War and Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia.

They discuss the spectrum of public attitudes towards the war in Russia, whether European visa bans on Russian citizens could be counterproductive, and how Russia's wartime past became so dominant in the country's contemporary politics.

Read more:

Katie on the truth about Putin’s “denazification” fantasy.

Katie on how the world’s dictators are rewriting the past in order to control the future.

The former US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan: “Vladimir Putin does not want an off-ramp”

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French strikes: will pension reform undo Emmanuel Macron?

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 10:16:22 GMT

On Tuesday (7 March), hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to raise the retirement age. Workers in a variety of sectors – including education, transport, energy and waste – downed tools on the largest day of strikes since Macron's presidency began.

Megan Gibson in London, Ido Vock in Berlin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss Macron’s proposals and his refusal to back down, raising the prospect of an escalating struggle. Plus, what are the stakes for the country more broadly?

Next they turn to China, where the country’s leadership has gathered for its annual parliamentary session, known as the National People’s Congress. The team discuss Xi Jinping’s uncharacteristically direct attack on the US, how these statements were received in Washington, and what the parliamentary session tells us about how China sees its path ahead.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener wonders: will the toxic chemical attacks against Iranian schoolgirls quell the unrest in the country?

Read more:

Katie writes Xi Jinping lashes out at the US

Megan asks who is poisoning school girls in Iran?

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How China lost Europe – with Andrew Small

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Following a flurry of Chinese diplomatic efforts in Europe, culminating in a visit to the Munich Security Conference on 18 February by Wang Yi, the country's top diplomat,, Katie Stallard speaks to Andrew Small, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund's Asia programme, about the future of European relations with Beijing.

His latest book, No Limits: The Inside Story of China's War with the West, charts the revolution in Europe's China policy over the past five years, and how Beijing's assertive diplomacy and increasingly overt support for Russia's war against Ukraine has forced a political reckoning in European capitals.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Katie on China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine

Kate on how Xi Jinping views the world

John Sullivan: “Vladimir Putin does not want an off-ramp”

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Axis of Autocrats: Putin, Xi and Lukashenko

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 11:18:27 GMT

The president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing this week. A staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko would have been eager to demonstrate his close relationship with another major world leader. For Beijing, however, the visit is a little more complicated.

Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the significance of the visit's timing, which follows China’s attempted charm offensive in Europe, and whether Belarus could send troops to Ukraine.

The team then turn to a flurry of drone strikes on Russia in recent days, with TV channels and radio stations also being hacked. They discuss whether Ukraine is behind these attacks and the potential political consequences.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks what French president Emmanuel Macron is trying to achieve in Africa.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Ido writes there are cracks between how Ukraine and the West see the war ending

Katie on why Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to China matters

Katie on China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine

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The big consultancy con, with Mariana Mazzucato

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 06:00:50 GMT

Megan Gibson speaks to the economist and author Mariana Mazzucato, professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. The Big Con is her latest book, co-written with Rosie Collington, which exposes the consequences of governments’ dependency on consultancies such as McKinsey and Deloitte. “The more governments and businesses outsource,” they write, “the less they know how to do.”

They discuss the rise of the consultancy industry and how these companies have, over the course of decades, enfeebled governments while making billions. They cover scandal after scandal, from McKinsey’s role in the US opioid crisis to Deloitte and Boston Consulting Group’s mega-profits from Britain’s test and trace system. Ultimately, Mazzucato makes the case for reimagining how we approach capitalism.

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Megan Gibson interviews Mariana Mazzucato: “Consultancies depend on weak governments”

Will Lloyd on how consultancy bleeds Britain dry.

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Kyiv stands, Putin doubles down, China talks peace

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 09:32:37 GMT

Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday (20 February) to demonstrate what he called America’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s war effort. It was the first time a US president had visited the country since Russia first attacked Ukraine, in 2014.

Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Wasington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the significance of this visit and Vladimir Putin’s latest warning to the West in his state of the nation speech. They also cover support for Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference this week and in the Global South.

Then the team turns to China, where Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a “peace speech” on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. This follows the visit of China’s leading diplomat to Moscow this week, prompting warnings from the US that China was considering supplying weapons to Russia. The team discuss China’s position on the war and try to unwrap its “strategic swaddle” approach to Russia.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks: what did the team get wrong about the conflict over the last year?

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Ido on why the West’s narrative on Ukraine hasn’t convinced the rest of the world

Megan writes that Biden’s trip to Kyiv reiterates Western support – but not everywhere feels the same

Katie writes that Biden and Putin agree on one thing – the future of the global order is at stake in Ukraine

John Sullivan: “Vladimir Putin does not want an off-ramp”

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War in Ukraine – one year on. A World Review roundtable

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 06:00:18 GMT

As Ukraine marks one year since Russia’s invasion, Ido Vock is joined by Ukrainian journalist and broadcaster Maria Romanenko, military expert Mark Galeotti and the New Statesman’s writer at large Jeremy Cliffe. They discuss how Ukrainians felt at the outbreak of war, whether Western support to Kyiv will hold and how the war could eventually end.

Read more:

Oleksiy Danilov: “Weak people always come up with excuses not to act”

No, Russia isn’t about to break apart

Is Ukraine prepared for the coming offensive?

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Aliens or espionage? The mysterious objects unravelling US-China relations

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 10:18:32 GMT

Over the past two weeks, a number of mysterious objects have been shot down from the skies over the US and Canada. It all began with a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which was brought down off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February. US officials have struggled to explain the three subsequent aerial encounters, leading to conspiracy theories and White House denials that aliens are involved. Meanwhile, the diplomatic rift between China and the US is widening.

Megan Gibson in London, Ido Vock in Berlin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss the spy-balloon fiasco, aliens, and where US-China relations go from here.

Next, they turn to the ongoing crisis in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake that struck the region on 6 February. As the death toll passes 40,000, the team discuss growing anger towards the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and his government for delays in aid and alleged corruption.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether Russia could break apart.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Ido on why Russia isn’t about to break apart.

Ece Temelkuran writes that after the earthquake the rage in Turkey is greater than the pain.

Katie on how UFOs are pushing the US and China further apart.

Lyse Doucet on the anger and hope the earthquake left behind

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How to adapt for an ageing world, with Vegard Skirbekk

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 06:00:32 GMT

Following the Japanese prime minister Kishida Fumio's recent warning that his country's demographic crisis was approaching a tipping point, Katie Stallard speaks to Vegard Skirbekk, a population economist at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and author of Decline and Prosper: Changing Global Birth Rates and the Advantages of Fewer Children. They discuss why birth rates in many countries are falling, how the global population is ageing, and why this doesn't have to end in disaster. Plus, they examine the parallels between tackling the global climate crisis and preparing for an ageing world.

The global ageing crisis is becoming unignorable

The question is not why the birth rate is falling – it’s why anyone has kids at all

Seventy per cent of British voters say the cost of childcare keeps mothers at home

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Will Volodymyr Zelensky secure British jets for Ukraine?

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:31:35 GMT

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky visited London this week, meeting with the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. It is only his second trip abroad since the war with Russia began, after heading to America in December.

Megan Gibson in London and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by the New Statesman’s Britain editor and podcast host Anoosh Chakelian to discuss Zelensky’s speech to UK parliament, and his crackdown on alleged corruption in his government.

Then the team talk about the renewed Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, where a blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh could lead to humanitarian catastrophe. They discuss what this means for Russian influence in the region, and the role of the West in the conflict.

In You Ask Us, a listener asks what the UK’s struggling economic situation means for its future foreign policy.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Sohrab Ahmari explains how the West is betraying Armenia.

Joe Twyman says Britons still aren’t sure what the point of Brexit was.

Freddie Hayward on how enraptured MPs put aside their squabbles for Volodymyr Zelensky.

Katie Stallard on why Ukraine deserves better than Boris Johnson.

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How to reform the US police – with Neil Gross

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 06:00:58 GMT

As the United States grapples with the killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man who died after being beaten by five police officers in Memphis in January, Katie Stallard speaks to Neil Gross, a former police officer and professor of sociology at Colby College. They discuss what can be done to reform police forces in the US, what he learned from researching his forthcoming book Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture, and why there might be cause for hope.

Everything we think about police reform is wrong

George Floyd’s murder one year on: has the US changed?

Patrick Hutchinson: “The death of George Floyd is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen”

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As Israeli-Palestinian clashes intensify, is a third intifada coming?

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 10:45:16 GMT

Last week a deadly raid by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Jenin and a shooting in East Jerusalem capped one of the bloodiest months in Israel and the occupied territories, outside of open war, in years.Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, flew to Israel this week to call for calm.

Megan Gibson and Alona Ferber in London are joined by Katie Stallard in Washington to discuss whether Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government – the furthest to the right and the most religious Israel has had – is fanning the flames of this cycle of violence and if this could disrupt ties with allies abroad.

Meanwhile Kishida Fumio, the Japanese prime minister, has warned that the country’s falling birth rates are reaching a crisis point that could soon mean it struggles to maintain its societal functions. Japan is not alone; the team discuss how nations across the world are dealing with rapidly ageing societies.

Then in You Ask Us: Boris Johnson has said that Putin threatened him with a missile a strike before the war in Ukraine. Is he for real?

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Alona writes that we are watching Israel build an authoritarian government in real time

Katie writes that the global ageing crisis is becoming unignorable

Katie writes that Boris Johnson has the ultimate case of main character syndrome

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Inside China’s global propaganda machine – with Joshua Kurlantzick

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 06:00:12 GMT

With China’s military and economic power continuing to grow, Katie Stallard speaks to Joshua Kurlantzick, a journalist and fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, about Beijing’s ambition to become an information superpower. They discuss his new book, Beijing’s Global Media Offensive: China’s Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World, and the reach – and limits – of that campaign, as well as why he predicts TikTok’s days in the US are numbered.

China’s new foreign minister and the taming of “wolf warrior” diplomacy.

How Xi Jinping views the world.

Nixon in China: the complicated legacy of a week that changed the world.

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Tanke schön: a breakthrough for Ukraine

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 09:48:32 GMT

This week Olaf Scholz confirmed that Germany will send 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and gave partner countries permission to send their tanks too. The decision, which could have a significant effect on the war, came after months of stalling.

Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin discuss what led to Germany’s shift, what toll the delay has taken and how Russia will respond.

Next, they turn to the alarming rise in mass shootings in the US this year – including a series of shootings in California in which 19 people were killed in less than 48 hours. The team discuss the experience of gun violence, public support for gun control legislation, and why this is also a foreign policy issue.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks what led to the resignation of Jacinda Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Jeremy writes that Germany took too long to reach the right decision on tanks, and he calls the country the “roadblock at the heart of Europe”.

Katie says that Jacinda Ardern’s resignation is both a shock and entirely unsurprising.

Sarah Churchwell on the myth of America’s love affair with guns.

Bruno Maçães interviews Ukraine’s national security adviser on German betrayal, the oncoming Russian onslaught and why the West is scared.

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Why Putin must lose to save Russia, with Andrius Kubilius

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 06:00:53 GMT

Why Putin must lose to save Russia, with Andrius Kubilius

As Western leaders debate what further military support they can offer Ukraine, Ido Vock speaks to the former Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius.

They discuss his experience growing up in the Soviet Union, how to plan for a Russia after Vladimir Putin, and how the war in Ukraine could weaken the Russian regime.

Read more:

The Putin backlash

Letter from Ukraine: new year, same war

Jens Stoltenberg: “We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes”

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Terror and tragedy in Ukraine

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 09:56:29 GMT

A helicopter carrying senior Ukrainian officials crashed on Wednesday (18 January) near a nursery in a suburb of Kyiv. According to reports, children were among those killed, as well as three government officials including the interior minister Denys Monastyrsky – the highest-ranking official to die since the start of the Russian invasion.

Ido Vock in Berlin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss what we know about the tragedy so far and why so many officials were travelling on a single aircraft. They also discuss the latest developments in the war, including the Russian missile strike on a block of flats in Dnipro over the weekend that killed at least 45 people, and changes to the Russian military leadership.

Next, they turn to China, where Qin Gang, the former US ambassador, has been appointed foreign minister ahead of the US secretary of state Antony Blinken's expected visit to Beijing in early February. They discuss Gang's reputation for combative “wolf warrior” diplomacy, and whether China is moving away from this approach.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Read more:

Katie on China’s new foreign minister and the taming of “wolf warrior” diplomacy

Ido on what we know about the helicopter crash that killed three Ukrainian officials

Ido writes that new commander Valery Gerasimov may not be able to stem Russia’s losses

Jeremy Cliffe writes that divisions over Ukraine are exposing the incoherence of German foreign policy

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Can the opposition unite to win in Poland? With Radek Sikorski

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 06:00:51 GMT

Ido Vock speaks to the former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski about the opposition’s plans to oust the hard-right Law and Justice party in this year’s parliamentary elections. They also discuss Warsaw’s support for Ukraine and its refugees, why eastern members of the EU distrust Germany, and the damage the Law and Justice party is doing to democratic institutions in Poland.

Read more:

Dispatch: How long can Poland bear the Ukrainian refugee burden?

How November’s missile explosion in Poland highlighted the risks of escalation in Ukraine.

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The future of democracy for Israel and Brazil

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:05:14 GMT

On Sunday (8 January), hundreds of Jair Bolsonaro supporters stormed Oscar Niemeyer’s modernist government buildings in the Brazilian capital Brasilia in an apparent attempt to overthrow the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Ido Vock and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin are joined by Alona Ferber in London to discuss who was behind the failed coup and what it means for the country, as well as the disturbing parallels between this insurrection and the one at the US Capitol two years ago.

Next, the team turn to Israel, where the new governing coalition, led once more by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who is still on trial for criminal charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud), has been busy pushing judicial reforms that his opponents say will erode the country's democracy.

They discuss his attempted reforms, whether the shift to the right is a continuation or a break for the country, and what this means for Israel’s foreign policy relations, particularly in the Middle East.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener question asks why Ukrainian hero Stepan Bandera is considered to be so controversial by the country's allies.

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Read more:

Alona on the biggest winner in Israel's election - the far right.

Ido on Ukraine’s problematic nationalist heroes

Sarah Manavis writes the Brazil riots were openly planned on social media. So why was nothing done?

Oliver Basciano write the attack on Brazil's Congress had the aesthetics of a coup, without the danger

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European diplomacy in the 21st century, with Catherine Ashton

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Ahead of the publication of her new book, And Then What?, the first-ever EU high representative for foreign affairs and security, Catherine Ashton, talks to Jeremy Cliffe about the role the EU can play in international crisis, drawing on her experience in overseeing the union’s relations with Ukraine, Iran and the western Balkans. She also discusses the future of its ties to Britain and the US.

The Ukraine war has made predictions futile

Iran’s regime won’t be easily toppled

Ten crucial questions about the world in 2023

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Inside China’s Covid crisis

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 10:26:32 GMT

Coronavirus cases have been rising rapidly in China since its government ended its restrictive “zero-Covid” policy last month. Hospitals are expected to be inundated with newly-infected patients.

Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss why the country was so ill-prepared to lift its lockdowns and restrictions, where the responsibility lies, and the economic imperatives behind this decision, made in the depths of winter and before the Lunar New Year.

Next they turn to a rare admission by Russia’s defence ministry on Monday (2 January) that 89 Russian soldiers were killed on New Year’s Day after Ukraine hit a “temporary deployment facility” with US-supplied Himars missiles. The team discuss the consequences of the attack, as well as Vladimir Putin’s and Volodymyr Zelenksy’s respective New Year speeches.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks for reading recommendations to better understand Ukrainian culture.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Read more:

Katie on what China's devastating Covid outbreak means for the rest of the world

The Orphanage by Serhiy Zhadan

In Isolation by Stanislav Aseyev

Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy

Red Famine by Anne Applebaum

Bloodlines by Timothy Snyder

East West Street by Philippe Sands

A Loss. The story of a dead solider told by his sister by Olesya Khromeychuk

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Why the world misunderstands Ukraine, with Olesya Khromeychuk

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 06:00:38 GMT

Nearly a year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the historian Olesya Khromeychuk speaks to Megan Gibson about how Ukraine has been perceived by the outside world, and why the country’s courageous resistance should not have come as a surprise.

They discuss the history of civil society movements in Ukraine, why Volodymyr Zelensky is a successful leader, and what support Ukraine needs now.

Read more:

Why the West underestimated Ukraine

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Predictions for the world in 2023

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 06:00:05 GMT

In her final episode on the World Review podcast, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC is joined by Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin to look ahead to the stories that might dominate 2023 – from chaos in the US Republican Party to Russia's war in Ukraine, to a potential moral panic over the role of artifical intelligence – and the global impact they could have.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Read more:

You can keep reading Emily’s work on her substack.

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Looking back at 2022

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 06:00:59 GMT

The New Statesman international team examine some of the most significant moments of 2022, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to elections, including Viktor Orbán’s victory in Hungary, Jair Bolsonaro’s defeat in Brazil and the US midterms.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, and Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin review their predictions for the past year – with Katie Stallard and Megan Gibson dialling in – and look at what they got wrong and right.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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Emily’s seven predictions for the world in 2022

Jeremy’s ten crucial questions about the world in 2022

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How the CIA tried to overthrow Mao Zedong - with John Delury

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 06:00:26 GMT

As the contemporary rivalry between the US and China heats up, Katie Stallard speaks to the Cold War historian John Delury about the history of subversion and mutual suspicion between the two powers. They discuss Delury’s new book Agents of Subversion: The Fate of John T Downey and the CIA’s Covert War in China, the extent of US intelligence operations in China during the early Cold War, and the lessons for the future of US-China relations.

If you have a question for You Ask Us go to newstatesman.com/Youaskus

What Kim Jong Un really wants

Nixon in China: the complicated legacy of a week that changed the world

How Xi Jinping views the world

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Allegations of corruption, from Qatar to FTX

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 12:07:38 GMT

Belgian prosecutors who were investigating allegations that Qatar tried to influence EU policy by bribing European parliament officials, have charged four people with money laundering, corruption and participating in a criminal organisation.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by the New Statesman's business editor Will Dunn to discuss the investigation which comes as the Gulf country hosts the World Cup, and how "sportswashing" benefits Qatar and the West.

Next, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been arrested in the Bahamas after prosecutors in the United States filed criminal charges. The team discuss why the company initially folded and the founder’s dramatic fall from grace, as well as wider the consequences for the crypto industry.

Then, in You Ask Us a question from, not a listener, but ChatGPT: How does racism manifest in AI, and what are the potential consequences for society if left unaddressed.

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Will Dunn on the amateur sleuths who helped to bring down Sam Bankman-Fried

Will Dunn writes Sam Bankman-Fried exposes the moral conceit of effective altruism

Jonathan Liew writes the Qatar World Cup is a moral disaster – is it braver to step away, or step inside.

Ido Vock on why ChatGPT proves that AI still has a racism problem.

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BONUS: Could the West do more to prevent humanitarian disasters? With David Miliband

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 16:35:54 GMT

As the International Rescue Committee releases its annual report of the countries most at risk from humanitarian crises next year, the NGO’s president, David Miliband, discusses the ways in which the international community is failing on international aid.

Miliband, the former foreign secretary, discusses the British government’s lack of a coherent foreign policy; why the world misses having the UK take its place on the world stage; the impact the invasion of Ukraine is having on other crises across the world; and how climate change is exacerbating disasters.

Is Volodymyr Zelensky losing the support of the West?

Death and destruction: the humanitarian crisis of climate change

The UK was the only G7 member to cut foreign aid last year

Is David Miliband planning a political comeback?

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The future of media freedom in India, with Raksha Kumar

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 06:00:36 GMT

As NDTV is taken over by Gautam Adani, billionaire and ally of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Emily Tamkin speaks to Raksha Kumar, a journalist who covers media freedom in India. They discuss the importance of NDTV and how it came to be under Adani's control. They also examine the role of television journalism in Indian politics, the vestiges of independent media in India, and why economic viability and journalistic integrity two are parts of the same conversation. They also consider how the media landscape has changed since Modi came to power in 2014.

“I wish there was competition”: the executive editor of the Caravan on India’s troubled media

If you have a question for the international team, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

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TV Rain: the turbulent history of Russia’s last independent media channel

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 09:19:46 GMT

Latvia has cancelled the licence of Russia's last independent media channel TV Rain only five months after it began broadcasting in exile, accusing the channel of showing support for Russia's war in Ukraine. In response, TV Rain, or Dozhd, has called the decision "unfair and absurd".

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss TV Rain’s turbulent history and why Latvia has branded it a threat to national security, the importance of independent Russian media, and the struggle for Russian political exiles to understand their place in the conflict.

Elsewhere, the Democrat Raphael Warnock has beaten the Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia's run-off election to retain his place in the Senate. This is the first time since 1934 that the president's party has defended every incumbent Senate seat. The team discuss the key takeaways from Warnock's victory, the series of scandals that have plagued Walker’s career, and if Warnock, a star on the rise, has presidential ambitions.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether this really is the end of China’s zero-Covid policy and, if so, what it will mean for China's economy and the world's.

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Ido on why Dozhd could never have survived in Latvia.

Emily on why even an abortion scandal might not stop “pro-life” candidate Herschel Walker

Katie asks if this is the beginning of the end for China’s zero-Covid policy?

Katie on what China’s lockdown protests mean for Xi Jinping

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How Chinese protesters get around censorship, with Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 06:00:01 GMT

Following the extraordinary wave of protests across China against the government's pandemic controls, Katie Stallard speaks to Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a historian of modern China at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of multiple books including Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink. They discuss the tactics protesters have drawn from past demonstrations in Hong Kong and mainland China, the limits of the country’s censorship apparatus, and the significance of the blank sheets of paper that have become a symbol of these demonstrations. Plus, what the death of the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin means for the future of these protests.

China’s Jiang Zemin has died. That could be a problem for Xi Jinping

What do China’s lockdown protests mean for Xi Jinping?

How Xi Jinping views the world

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Where do China’s lockdown protests go from here?

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:16:01 GMT

An extraordinary wave of protests has swept across cities and university campuses in China demanding an end to draconian zero-Covid measures that have been in place for almost three years. In one of the most significant outbursts of public discontent since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations more than 30 years ago, over the weekend protesters could be heard shouting “Xi Jinping, step down” and censorship has been stretched to the limit.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin to discuss the frustration and anger that has driven these protests, why the Chinese government is in a trap of its own making, and whether the death of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin could trigger further unrest.

Next, they turn to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, who has been hosted by Joe Biden, the US president, in the first White House state visit since the Democrats took power in early 2021. The team discuss why the old alliance is resurfacing now, Macron’s hyperactive foreign policy and the “Macron Doctrine” that underpins it, as outlined in Jeremy’s cover piece for this week’s New Statesman magazine.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener question on a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs on 19 November and the role of right-wing politicians and media outlets in fuelling hatred and moral panics around queer and trans people.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more

Read more:

Katie on why the death of Jiang Zemin could be a problem for Xi Jinping

Katie on what China’s lockdown protests mean for Xi.

Jeremy on Emmanuel Macron: the man who would be king.

Ido on the underlying tension of Macron’s US state visit.

Emily on why the US gun lobby has a fatal grip on American politics.

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Why Elon Musk’s Twitter could clash with the EU – with Margrethe Vestager

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 06:00:30 GMT

After Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, could the social media platform find itself in conflict with the European Union over employment and privacy rules? Margrethe Vestager, an executive vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner for competition, speaks to the New Statesman’s Europe correspondent, Ido Vock, about Twitter. They also discuss concerns over a recent EU court ruling – that Luxembourg did not break state-aid rules in its support for the car manufacturer Fiat.

The chaos at Elon Musk’s Twitter is a parable of US power in the age of Big Tech

Inside the Twittering machine

The power of the platform

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What’s the cost of Qatar’s World Cup?

Thu, 24 Nov 2022 11:36:04 GMT

The Qatar World Cup, which began on Sunday 20 November, has been marred in controversy, from the country’s oppression of LGBT+ people and women to a last-minute decision to ban sales of beer inside stadiums. Thousands of migrant workers are believed to have died during construction of the stadiums, and others employed as security guards appear to be paid as little as 35p an hour. Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, who is paid about £2.6m this year, defended the tournament in a rant in which he said he feels “like a migrant worker”.

Ido Vock in Berlin, Megan Gibson in London and Katie Stallard in Washignton DC discuss Fifa’s defence and the attempt by some politicians to “keep politics out of sport”, how individual teams have and have not shown real moral courage, and the power of sport to affect political change.

Next, Megan reports on her trip to Brussels, where she interviewed Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-general. The team discuss his unwavering support for Ukraine, the prospect for negotiations and the state of the Western alliance.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks what role the Wagner Group plays in Russia’s war effort.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more

Read more:

Katie on what the World Cup tells us about power.

Megan on why Iran’s brave act of defiance puts England to shame.

Megan interviews Jens Stoltenberg.

Katie asks if Volodymyr Zelenksy is losing the support of the West in Ukraine.

Ido on the brutal methods of Russia’s Wagner group.

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What Israel’s new right-wing government could mean, with Amir Tibon

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 06:00:47 GMT

In Israel’s recent general election Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition won a majority of seats in the Knesset, and coalition negotiations could result in figures from the far right taking a number of key ministries.

Haaretz reporter Amir Tibon joins Emily Tamkin to talk about what this might mean for Israel’s domestic policy, and its relationship with the US and the rest of the world.

The biggest winner in Israel’s election? The far right

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Russia in retreat

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 09:44:33 GMT

On Tuesday a missile hit a Polish town near the Ukrainian border, killing two people. It was initially suspected to have been fired by Russia, causing speculation about whether Poland, a Nato member, would invoke the alliance’s collective defence agreement. Poland and Nato now believe, however, that the cause was Ukrainian defences firing in an attempt to intercept a Russian bombardment.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in London, discuss what we know about what happened, how the incident highlights the risk of the war in Ukraine escalating, and the recent liberation of Kherson.

Then they turn to Bali, in Indonesia, where the G20 summit was held this week. The team consider the US president Joe Biden’s strikingly cordial meeting with Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, and the G20 leaders’ statement denouncing “Russian aggression” in Ukraine (Russia is itself a member of the G20).

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks: will Donald Trump be the Republican presidential candidate in 2024?

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more

Read more:

Ido writes that Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson proves Western support is working

Katie on why the Poland missile explosion highlights risk of escalation in the war in Ukraine.

Katie reports on Joe Biden and Xi Jinping try to avoid a “new Cold War”

Emily asks what wDonald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid will mean for American democracy.

Emily asks whether Donald Trump’s domination of the Republicans is under threat.

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The unlikely success of a Ukrainian football team, with Adam Crafton

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 06:00:55 GMT

The football team Shakhtar Donetsk, exiled from their home ground in eastern Ukraine for eight years, found themselves unable even to play in their home country when Russia began its full invasion in February. A new podcast, Away From Home, tells the story of how the team managed to beat expectations throughout the group stages of the Champions’ League. Presenter Adam Crafton speaks to Ido Vock about following the team to its temporary European home in Lviv, Poland, how its young players were coping away from their families and whether the team believes it could ever return home to Donetsk – one of the regions that has been claimed by Russia-backed separatists since 2014.

Listen to Away From Home

Can the Ukraine war now end only with Russia’s defeat?

Russia has forgotten history’s lessons about waging war in winter

What the US midterm results mean for the war in Ukraine

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US midterms: what red wave?

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:46:27 GMT

Despite predictions of a blowout victory for Republicans, Democrats exceeded expectations in the US midterm elections. At time of recording, we still don't know who won the Senate or the House – but the very fact that the House wasn't decided on the night suggests this wasn't a victory for Republicans, running as the party out of power and with high inflation in the US.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Ido Vock in Berlin for a discussion of what helped the Democrats and hurt the Republicans.

They also reflect on what this could mean for the wider world – in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The team also takes a listener question on Marine Le Pen and the future of the French far right.

Read more:

Emily writes the Republican "red wave" has turned into a ripple.

Emily on Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and the coming Republican civil war.

Katie on what the US midterm results mean for the war in Ukraine.

Ido writes France's far-right and far-left are uniting against Emmanuel Macron.

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The US: whose country, ’tis of thee? | Nationalism Reimagined

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 06:00:51 GMT

Politicians around the world use nationalism. They use it to win elections, and to stoke fear, and to gain and hold on to power. This kind of nationalism is exclusive, often based on ethnicity, race or religion.

But is there another way? This series will look at nationalism in its different forms around the world, and alternative approaches to creating a sense of nationhood. Can these divisive politics be countered by building a civic, liberal nationalism?

In this fourth and final episode, Emily Tamkin looks at nationalism in the United States. First, Ishaan Tharoor, columnist on the foreign desk at the Washington Post, talks about how he understands American nationalism, and where it sits on the worldwide spectrum of nationalist politics. Then, Nell Irvin Painter, American historian, explains why she’s thinking about the local and the global, not the national.

Read more:

Emily asks is this America's last real election?

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How Putin fights wars, with Mark Galeotti

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 06:00:17 GMT

Ahead of the publication of his new book, Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, the political scientist Mark Galeotti speaks to Ido Vock about how Vladimir Putin views his right to wage war, Russia's military tactics, and why Ukraine is proving a much tougher battle for the regime.

Read more:

Rachel Clarke on a night in a Kyiv bunker, palliative care in a war zone, and another chance for Jeremy Hunt

Lawrence Freedman on why Putin is counting on “dirty bombs” and dipping temperatures in Ukraine

Mark Galeotti asks if Putin is really willing to go nuclear?

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Lula and Netanyahu: the comeback kings

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 17:41:58 GMT

The left is back in power in Brazil with the election of Lula de Silva — and decidedly out of power in Israel.

Emily Tamkin in Washington is joined by Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Alona Ferber in London. First, they talk about how Lula returned to office and how Jair Bolsonaro, the defeated right-wing incumbent president, and his supporters are responding.

Then, they turn to Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, is poised for a comeback of his own with the help of far-right extremists.

The team also takes a listener question on what role political violence is playing in the US midterm elections.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Read more:

Jeremy writes Lula's victory in Brazil shows how authoritarianism can be defeated

Alona asks who is the biggest winner in Israel's election? The far right

Emily on why political violence in the US has always been there, waiting to erupt.

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What is so dangerous about nationalism in India? | Nationalism Reimagined

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 13:01:04 GMT

Politicians around the world use nationalism. They use it to win elections, to stoke fear, and to hold on to power. Nationalism is exclusive, based on ethnicity or race or religion.

This series looks at nationalisms around the world, and whether there is another way. Can this politics be countered by building a civic, liberal nationalism?

In the third episode, Emily Tamkin examines nationalism in India. First, Ravinder Kaur, associate professor of modern South Asian studies at the University of Copenhagen and author of Brand New Nation: Capitalist Dreams and Nationalist Designs in Twenty-First Century India, talks about why nationalist politics have proven so effective in India, and how nationalism and capitalism in India are entwined. Then, Suchitra Vijayan, author of Midnight’s Borders: A People’s History of Modern India, explains what is lost in the country’s broader political narrative, and discusses where there are signs of resistance.

Read more:

Emily on the accelerating rise of a dangerous new nationalism in India.

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Will China backtrack on zero Covid? With Yanzhong Huang

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 06:00:30 GMT

Xi Jinping has reiterated his support for the country’s restrictive “zero Covid” policy, but what social, political and economic impacts have the measures had on China? And will the country stick with the policy?

Megan Gibson speaks to author and academic Yanzhong Huang, about the motivation behind the strategy, the implications it has for the country’s future, and whether there are other ways forward for China.

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Borne ultimatum, chaos in Congress

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:53:02 GMT

The French right and left united against Elisabeth Borne, the prime minister, in a vote of confidence. Her government survived, but barely. What does it mean for Emmanuel Macron, the president?

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the paradox of a strong presidency and weak president and what might come next in French politics.

Then they turn to the United States, where progressive Democrats sent, and then retracted, a letter urging Joe Biden to negotiate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. What does this mean for the future of US president’s Ukraine policy? And what are we really talking about when we urge “diplomacy”?

They also take a listener’s question on Ukraine’s request to have Russia labelled a terrorist state in this week’s You Ask Us.

If you have a question you'd like the team to answer, just go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Could China stop Russia going nuclear?

What will stop Vladimir Putin?

Everything you need to know about the US midterm elections

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Hungary and the endurance Viktor Orbán | Nationalism Reimagined

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 05:00:18 GMT

Politicians around the world use nationalism. They use it to win elections, and to stoke fear, and to gain and hold on to power. This nationalism is exclusive, based on ethnicity or race or religion.

Is there another way? This series will look at nationalisms around the world, and whether they could be countered by a civic, liberal nationalism.

In this second episode we look at nationalism in Hungary. First Zsuzsanna Szelényi, a former Fidesz member and author of Tainted Democracy: Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary, talks about Orbán's long history of using nationalism to trip up political opponents. Then Gergely Romsics, a senior research fellow at the research centre for the humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who teaches at the department of social science at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, takes a look at the precedents for civic nationalism in Hungarian history and why it is struggling now.

Hungary and the US right deepen their illiberal mutual admiration

Why it’s not surprising that Viktor Orbán spoke at CPAC

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Can protesters topple the Iranian regime? With Fatemeh Shams

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 05:00:03 GMT

As protests in Iran continue, sparked by the death of Masha Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab law, Ido Vock speaks to the Iranian academic Fatemeh Shams. They discuss how these protests have grown, the history of patriarchy in Iran and whether this could be the beginning of the end of the Iranian regime.

How Mahsa Amini’s death set Iran on fire

Iran’s silencing of Elnaz Rekabi proves the protests are working

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A new phase of war in Ukraine?

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 09:00:36 GMT

Russian forces have launched major missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities for the second week in a row, killing at least five people. The European Commission condemned the strikes as “acts of pure terror” that amounted to war crimes.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss how this escalation by Russia is changing the tenor of the war, the coming winter and morale among Ukrainians, and the backdrop of rising discontent within Russia.

Next, we move to the US midterms which are just weeks away and the polls are close. The team discuss President Joe Biden’s pledge to codify abortion rights if the Democrats win, whether rising inflation and the cost of living are more major concerns for voters, and the Republican candidates who dispute the 2020 election results.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks if power in the EU is swinging more eastward nowadays, after former eastern bloc countries have been vindicated of their wariness of Russia.

Read more:

Katie writes Vladimir Putin's land grab is an act of desperation.

Ido reports on Iran testing out its deadly weapons on Ukraine.

Emily on everything you should know about the 2022 US midterm elections.

Emily asks will the right-wing Supreme Court hurt Republicans in the US midterm elections?

Emily on why even an abortion scandal might not stop "pro-life" candidate Herschel Walker.

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Why reimagine nationalism? | Nationalism Reimagined

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 10:24:19 GMT

Politicians all over the world use nationalism. They use it to win elections, and to stoke fear, and to gain and hold on to power. This form of nationalism is exclusive, based on ethnicity or race or religion. But is there another way?

Emily Tamkin presents Nationalism Reimagined, a new series from the World Review podcast that will examine nationalism in its various guises in countries across the globe and look for an alternative approach. Can these divisive politics be countered by building a civic, liberal nationalism?

In this first episode, we’ll explore why this is a question worth asking. First, the political scientist Ivan Krastev will talk about what it means to expand nationalism. Then the Time journalist Yasmeen Serhan will look at examples of nationalism around the world and talk about why symbols matter.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

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What does it mean to be a Bad Jew? With Emily Tamkin

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 12:19:22 GMT

Katie Stallard speak to our own Emily Tamkin about her new book, Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities. They discuss how the book came about, the challenges of Jewish identity in America in the 21st century, Trump and what Emily learned from interviewing her parents.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

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BONUS: Greta Thunberg in conversation with Björk - on protest, art and why politicians fail

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 05:00:21 GMT

In this special episode of World Review Kate Mossman hosts a conversation between the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and the Icelandic musician Björk Guðmundsdóttir. They have collaborated in the past (on Björk’s 2019 Cornucopia tour) but had never met till now – albeit virtually.

In a wide-ranging conversation they discuss Thunberg’s new anthology The Climate Book, an epic guide to achievable climate action, and Björk’s latest album, Fossora (a made-up word meaning “she who digs”), a meditation on the Earth from a “matriarchal” perspective. They also talk about generational differences, the Arctic melt, fame, greenwashing, disappointing politicians, musical influences and how the UK looks from where they are.

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Putin's strikes: the view from Kyiv

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:02:51 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Helsinki are joined by Alix Kroeger, a freelance journalist in Kyiv and the former international managing editor of the New Statesman.

Central Kyiv was attacked by Russia this week. As Alix reports, this was the first time the capital has been attacked since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The team discuss the devastation wrought by the strikes, the response from the city’s residents, and what it signals about Vladimir Putin’s willingness to raise the stakes after Russia’s recent setbacks.

Next, they head to Olkiluoto Island in Finland, where amid the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion, the country has opened Europe’s largest nuclear reactor and the world’s first permanent disposal site for nuclear waste. They discuss Ido’s recent visit to the site, the process for the disposal of the spent fuel, and the controversies that surround it.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks why the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) group is reducing oil exports now, in apparent support of Russian interests.

Further reading:

Alix Kroeger reports Russia's war returns to Kyiv

Ido Vock writes Russian strikes on Ukraine's cities are an implicit nuclear threat.

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Chairman for Life? | China under Xi

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 05:00:06 GMT

Katie Stallard, the New Statesman's senior editor, China and global affairs, presents a special series of the New Statesman's World Review podcast on China's past, present and future under Xi Jinping, as the Chinese leader prepares to embark on an unprecedented third term in power.

This episode looks at what the next five years under Xi might hold for China as he reasserts the Communist Party’s role at home and adopts an increasingly assertive posture abroad, as well as whether he plans to nominate a successor and hand over power.

Katie is joined by Minxin Pei, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California and editor of the China Leadership Monitor; and Diana Fu, associate professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and the author of Mobilizing Without the Masses: Control and Contention in China. She is also joined by the former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, now president of the Asia Society and the author, most recently, of The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict Between the US and Xi Jinping’s China.

Further reading:

Are the US and China destined for war over Taiwan?

Xinjiang: a region of suspicion and subjugation.

Nixon in China: the complicated legacy of the week that changed the world

Dangerous skies over the South China Sea

China doesn’t just want to be part of the global order – it wants to shape it

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Can we trust China’s GDP figures? With Jeremy Wallace

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 05:00:24 GMT

Ahead of the National Congress that begins on 16 October in Beijing, where Xi is likely to secure a third five-year term in power in China, Katie Stallard speaks to the author and political scientist Jeremy Wallace about whether you can trust what China says about its economy.

They discuss how GDP data can be manipulated, the impact of Covid-19 on the country, and what we should be looking for to get an idea of the state of the Chinese economy.

You can also catch up with Katie Stallard’s three-part series on China Under Xi.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

The downfall of Evergrande foreshadows a difficult decade for China – and for Xi Jinping

“Control your soul’s desire for freedom”: Shanghai’s dystopian Covid regime

As China stumbles, the West must ask: what if its rise is not inevitable?

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Navigating nuclear menace

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 16:26:55 GMT

The United States and its allies are trying to gauge how, exactly, Vladimir Putin might use the nuclear weapons he’s threatened to deploy in his war in Ukraine, if he were to take that dire step. Meanwhile, North Korea has conducted six missile tests in two weeks.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, Katie Stallard in Scotland’s Black Isle, and Ido Vock in Helsinki discuss what Russia’s use of a nuclear weapon could involve, and how Ukraine, the US and their allies might respond.

Then, they turn to North Korea. What is the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, working towards? And what do his plans mean for the security of South Korea and Japan?

The team also answers a listener’s question on what all of this could mean for Iran’s nuclear deal, in this week’s You Ask Us.

If you have a question for the international team, fill out our new You Ask Us web form.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin on what could happen if Russia used nuclear weapons?

Katie Stallard asks what is the meaning of North Korea's nuclear opportunism.

Megan Gibson on how Mahsa Amini's death set Iran on fire.

Ido Vock on how the Nord Stream pipeline "sabotage" shows the weakness of Europe's critical infrastructure.

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“The party leads everything” | China Under Xi

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 05:00:53 GMT

Katie Stallard, the New Statesman’s senior editor, China and global affairs, presents a special series of the NS’s World Review podcast, explaining China’s past, present and future under Xi Jinping, as the Chinese leader prepares to embark on a third term in power.

This week’s episode looks at how Xi consolidated power during his first decade in charge: how he subdued his rivals, cracked down on Chinese civil society and began to flex China’s growing military strength.

Katie is joined by Manoj Kewalramani, chair of the Indo-Pacific research programme and China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution, a leading Indian public policy education centre, and the author of Smokeless War: China’s Quest for Geopolitical Dominance, as well as Diana Fu, associate professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and the author of Mobilizing Without the Masses: Control and Contention in China. Katie also speaks to Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California San Diego and the author of Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise.

Further reading:

The betrayal of Hong Kong.

Xinjiang: a region of suspicion and subjugation.

China doesn’t just want to be part of the global order, it wants to shape it.

Dangerous skies over the South China Sea.

How Peng Shuai exposed the limits of China’s power.

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The political legacy of Italian fascism – with David Broder

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 05:00:41 GMT

Following the Italian election victory of the post-fascist Giorgia Meloni and her Fratelli d'Italia party last weekend, many have asked what relationship it has with the country's fascist past. To discuss this, Jeremy Cliffe is joined by the historian David Broder, Europe editor at Jacobin and the author of the forthcoming book Mussolini's Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy.

Their conversation covers the emergence of the Italian Social Movement in the postwar years, Meloni's early years in politics in the 1990s, the relationship between post-fascism and Silvio Berlusconi's governments, and the Fratelli d'Italia party today.

Listeners can pre-order Mussolini's Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy and get 20 per cent off using the discount code "BRODER20".

Jeremy on the meaning and making of Giorgia Meloni.

Jeremy on the Italian election results.

David Broder on what the European right wants.

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What does Giorgia Meloni’s triumph mean for Italy?

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:30:50 GMT

Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party claimed victory in the Italian election on Sunday 25 September. Meloni is now on the verge of becoming the country’s first female prime minister.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC is joined by Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss what Meloni can be expected to usher in for Italy and for Europe more broadly. They also talk about the blurred line between the centre right and the far right, and Meloni’s plans to redesign the constitution in favour of a more presidential system.

Next, the team turns to Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin’s four illegal referendums aimed at annexing occupied regions of the country have been passed. They discuss what happens next, as well as whether Russia sabotaged its own Nord Stream pipelines.

In You Ask Us, a listener asks whether Jair Bolsonaro will concede in Brazil’s presidential election next month.

Further reading:

Jeremy writes Giorgia Meloni's post-fascist party triumphs in the Italian election.

Phil Clarke-Hill asks what is at stake in Brazil's presidential election?

Jeremy on the making and meaning of Giorgia Meloni.

Ido writes the Nord Stream pipeline "sabotage" shows the weakness of Europe's critical infrastructure.

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Great Expectations | China Under Xi

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 05:00:36 GMT

Katie Stallard, the New Statesman's Senior Editor, China and Global Affairs, presents a special series of the New Statesman's World Review podcast on China's past, present and future under Xi Jinping, as the Chinese leader prepares to embark on an unprecedented third term in power.

This episode looks back at China's recent history, from the dictatorship of Mao Zedong to the country's extraordinary economic rise, and how Xi put China back on the path to one-man rule. Katie is joined by the University of Oxford historian and author Rana Mitter, as well as Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Centre at the University of California San Diego and author of Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise.

Further reading:

Nixon in China: the complicated legacy of the week that changed the world

China doesn’t just want to be part of the global order – it wants to shape it

Are the US and China destined for war over Taiwan?

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What does India really think of Russia? With Raji Rajagopalan

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 05:00:55 GMT

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leaves it short of allies, the country’s relationship with India has come into sharp focus. Emily Tamkin speaks to Raji Rajagopalan, the director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology (CSST) at the Observer Research Foundation, about India's balancing act between Russia and the West.

They discuss India’s foreign relations priorities; its relationship with China, and where Russia fits into that triumvirate; and how much support it might be willing to offer Russia as the conflict goes on.

Further reading:

The war in Ukraine has tipped the balance of power in Russia’s relationship with India.

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BONUS EPISODE: Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity – in Partnership with Club of Rome

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 12:00:13 GMT

In this special bonus episode of World Review, we look at the results of a two year initiative on how we can achieve wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries.

50 years after the ground breaking The Limits to Growth report, a new book Earth For All details five turnarounds that are the minimum requirements for our societies to build economies that support wellbeing for all, whilst protecting the planet. The project brings together scientists and economists to show that it is possible to upgrade our economics and transform our societies with immediate, focused large-scale investment.

Philippa Nuttall is joined by some of the books authors: Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of the Club of Rome, Jayati Ghosh, an internationally recognized development economist and professor at the University of Massachusetts and Jorgen Randers, professor emeritus of climate strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School.

To find out more and to order a copy of Earth for All visit www.earth4all.life/book

This special edition of World Review is produced with support from the Club of Rome and Earth4All.

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“This is not a bluff”: would Vladimir Putin risk nuclear war?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:25:23 GMT

On Wednesday (21 September), President Vladimir Putin announced illegal referenda to claim parts of Ukraine as Russia. In the biggest escalation of the war since the invasion began, he ordered a partial mobilisation of Russian army reserves and made a thinly veiled threat to use nuclear weapons.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington, DC, are joined by the New Statesman’s Britain editor and podcast host Anoosh Chakelian to discuss the risk of nuclear war, sold-out flights as military-eligible men attempt to leave Russia, and whether Putin is in fact running out of options.

Next, the team turn to the UK and the foreign policy agenda of the new British prime minister, Liz Truss. They discuss if the UK’s staunch support for Ukrainians will continue, tensions with US President Joe Biden over the Northern Ireland Protocol and Truss’s hawkish approach to China.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what to make of Biden’s comments that the US would defend Taiwan.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Katie on the dangerous logic behind Vladimir Putin’s speech.

Emily asks will US/UK relations be damaged by Liz Truss.

Lawrence Freedman on why using nuclear weapons won’t solve any of Putin’s problems.

Katie asks where does Putin go from here?

Freddie Hayward on Liz Truss’s frosty reception at the UN.

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Italian election: the rise of Giorgia Meloni

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 05:00:45 GMT

Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, with its "post-fascist" history, is leading the polls ahead of parliamentary elections on 25 September. If the party wins, she will become the country's first ever female prime minister.

Emily Tamkin, the New Statesman’s senior editor, US, speaks to author Tim Parks on how much the vote is about Italy's ideological direction, the country's revamped election system, and whether the centre-left alliance will prevent a right-wing landslide.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Jeremy Cliffe asks whether Giorgia Meloni be the next prime minister of Italy

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Could Ukraine win the war with Russia?

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:55:49 GMT

Ukrainian forces have been making rapid and remarkable advances in the north-east of the country, regaining control of two key strategic hubs and a large swathe of territory in the Kharkiv region.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, Ido Vock in Berlin and Katie Stallard in Austin discuss how this success could impact Western support and how far Ukraine could go.

Next, the team turns to murmurings of dissent in Russia following Ukraine’s gains. They discuss what criticism broadcast on Russian state TV signals about Vladimir Putin’s position, his relationship with Xi Jinping, and what his options are now.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks why the Sweden Democrats did so well in Sweden’s election.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Ido Vock reports on Ursula von der Leyen doubling down on EU support for Ukraine.

Lawrence Freedman writes that, suddenly, Ukraine is winning.

Katie Stallard on why China won’t ditch Vladimir Putin.

Jeremy Cliffe says Sweden’s general election could result in a far-right backed government.

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Vladimir Putin’s failures and the art of command – with Lawrence Freedman

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 05:00:26 GMT

Katie Stallard speaks to Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at King's College London and a regular contributor to the New Statesman, as well as the author of numerous books, including his latest, Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine.

They discuss Vladimir Putin's failure to anticipate the scale of Ukraine's resistance and the current outlook for the conflict. Plus, the lessons that can be drawn from other military campaigns, from the Korean War to the combat in Iraq and Kosovo. Plus, what would happen if a nuclear stand-off such as the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis took place in 2022?

Further reading:

Putin's economic war on Europe is an act of desperation.

The war in Ukraine is reaching a critical moment.

Putin has failed to learn the lessons of Stalin.

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How prepared is Europe for a winter without Russian gas?

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 10:24:59 GMT

Russia has halted gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The Kremlin has said that deliveries will not resume until the West lifts the sanctions imposed in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss soaring gas prices in Europe and the scrambled response from Germany and the EU as winter looms. They also cover the latest from the war in Ukraine and consider whether pressure from Russia will weaken European support.

The team then turn to the US, where the November midterm elections are approaching. They discuss the surge in President Joe Biden's approval ratings after a slew of unexpected legislative victories and whether, combined with the backlash against the Supreme Court’s curtailing of abortion rights, this could be enough to give the Democrats the decisive victory they need.

And in You Ask Us, a listener asks why it appears Xi Jinping will successfully retain power for a third term at China’s upcoming party congress.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Emily on everything you want to know about the US midterm elections.

Emily on why Biden's right - Trump and "Maga Republicans" are a threat to democracy.

Emily on what is wrong with this year's Republican Senate candidates?

Ido on why the EU's energy crisis is emboldening the European far right.

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Could the far right win in Sweden? With Dominic Hinde

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 09:38:55 GMT

Ahead of the Swedish general election on 11 September, we take a look at why the far-right party has risen in the polls and whether a recent recovery by the ruling Social Democrats means the country’s prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, will be able to retain power.

Journalist and academic Dominic Hinde joins the New Statesman’s executive editor, Megan Gibson, to discuss the election’s main issues, what’s happened to the traditional conservative bloc and how Swedes view their place in the world.

The Nordic leaders’ fight against far-right misogyny

The biggest challenge for Sweden’s new prime minister: tackling rampant gang crime

Sweden’s decision to join Nato isn’t just about security

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The legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 10:22:45 GMT

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died at the age of 91 in Moscow. He was credited with bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end and ushering in an era of openness and reform in the Soviet Union, which ultimately led to its collapse.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC is joined by Megan Gibson and Alix Kroeger in London to consider Gorbachev’s legacy and reactions to his death in Russia and around the world, as well as his relationship with Putin. They also discuss the latest from Ukraine, where the battle for Kherson has begun.

Then, the far-right Sweden Democrats have surged ahead in the country’s polls before a general election on 11 September. The team discuss what is behind the party’s popularity and why the centre-right bloc is now ready to cooperate with them to challenge the Social Democrats, led by the prime minister, Magdalena Andersson.

In You Ask Us a listener asks about the significance of flooding in Pakistan.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading;

Philippa Nuttall says that even Pakistan’s devastating floods won’t inspire a green revolution.

Emily Tamkin writes that Mikhail Gorbachev tried to unite the impossible – his failure was heroic.

Megan Gibson on the Nordic leaders’ fight against far-right misogyny.

Katie Stallard on the beginning of the battle for Kherson.

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How Russia sees itself, with Orlando Figes

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 05:00:11 GMT

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, the historian Orlando Figes’s latest book considers how Russia and its rulers see the country.

He speaks to Alix Kroeger about why his book is called The Story of Russia, rather than The History of Russia, what drives Vladimir Putin and the low chances of the country liberalising any time soon.

The Story of Russia is published by Bloomsbury and available from 1 September

Serhii Plokhy: “The Ukrainian army that no one ever knew existed is winning”

Vladimir Putin has failed to learn Stalin’s lessons

How Vladimir Putin views the world

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After six months of war in Ukraine, what will happen next?

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 17:02:08 GMT

Today (24 August) marks 31 years since Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union and six months since Vladimir Putin’s invasion which has killed thousands and shaken the global order. This year, national celebrations are muted as the country braces for possible Russian attacks.

In this special episode of World Review, Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC, are joined by Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin to discuss his New Statesman cover story on “The war that changed the world”.

In revisiting the past six months, they praise Ukraine’s resilience and resistance, ask whether support from the West will continue during what is expected to be a difficult winter, and uncover the extent of China’s relations with Russia. They also hear from the Estonian foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu about Russia’s claim that his country was involved in the killing of Darya Dugina, daughter of the prominent Russian ultra-nationalist Alexander Dugin.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks whether the war will be over by the end of the year.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Ido Vock reports Estonia dismisses Russia’s claim it was involved in Dugina killing.

Katie Stallard on what the murder of Darya Dugina means for Russia.

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Afghanistan, one year on | with Bilal Sarwary

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 10:40:23 GMT

After a year under the Taliban, Afghanistan is now in “survival mode”, the UN has warned. Its economy has crumbled and rights – especially for women and girls – have been sharply curtailed. The fall of Kabul, on 15 August 2021, came after the US announced its intention to withdraw troops by the following month. There were chaotic scenes at Kabul airport as thousands of desperate Afghans sought to flee. One of those who escaped was the veteran journalist and commentator Bilal Sarwary. He and his family have been granted asylum in Canada, from where he continues to report on Afghanistan.

Alix Kroeger speaks to Bilal Sarwary about his last days in Kabul, the failings of the Afghan government and the international community, and the missed opportunities for reconciliation with the Taliban.

John Simpson writes how the Taliban have learned that they cannot shut out the West.

Afiq Fitri explains how living standards in Afghanistan have collapsed.

Shiraz Maher on the tensions exposed within the Taliban by the death of the al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul.

Lynne O’Donnell on the “lifetime of lockdown” facing Afghan girls who have been shut out of education.

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What is Russia doing with Ukraine’s nuclear power plant?

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 05:00:13 GMT

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russia to withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, and warned of the disastrous consequences for Europe of any radiation incident at the plant. But why was Russia so keen to take the plant in the first place? Alix Kroeger in London joins Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC to discuss.

Plus, as another US congressional delegation visits Taiwan, Katie Stallard analyses how China’s military exercises could signal the beginning a new normal in the Taiwan Strait and why US-China relations are so bad.

Then, in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on what documents former US president Donald Trump is accused of taking from the White House and why he might have done it.

Are Russian forces in Ukraine exploiting Western fears of a nuclear disaster?

Is China preparing to invade Taiwan?

Republicans, this is why you wait for more information

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How did US politics become so polarised? With Nick Bryant

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 08:41:27 GMT

On Monday 8 August the FBI launched an unprecedented search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Agents were reportedly searching for classified documents, including those related to nuclear weapons. The raid has prompted Republican officials to condemn the Department of Justice and fuelled speculation that Trump will pursue a presidential run in 2024.

Emily Tamkin speaks to Nick Bryant, the former BBC New York correspondent and author of When America Stopped Being Great: A History of the Present, which is released in paperback by Bloomsbury on 18 August.

They talk about the reaction to the raid from the US right, as well as what paved the way for Trump’s political rise, covering post-Cold War optimism and the scandal-wracked Nineties, and how the billionaire became a working-class hero. They also discuss whether Ronald Reagan was the “godfather of polarisation”, and if this division is here to stay after these recent dramatic events.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin argues that the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort was the rule of law in action.

Emily Tamkin asks is everything coming up good for Joe Biden?

Emily Tamkin writes Republicans, this is why you wait for more information.

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Why the Democrats’ big bill matters

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 08:09:16 GMT

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has called on Western governments to bar Russians from entering their countries. In an interview with the Washington Post he said that they ought to “live in their own world until they change their philosophy”. Finland, Estonia and Latvia have also backed restrictions on Russian travel.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, Ido Vock in Berlin and the New Statesman’s environment correspondent, India Bourke, in London, discuss the rationale behind Zelensky’s request, the consequences such a ban might have for people in Russia and how Western countries have responded.

Meanwhile, the US Senate has finally passed the Inflation Reduction Act. It is the largest climate investment in the country’s history and the biggest victory against climate change since the 2015 Paris Agreement. The team discuss what the bill includes, the concessions made to get the legislation through the Senate and what it means for inspiring climate action around the world.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener wants to know what on Earth a vote-a-rama is, and will we have more of them?

Further reading:

India Bourke explains why Biden’s bill is the biggest climate victory since the Paris Agreement.

Ido Vock writes Volodymyr Zelensky is wrong to ask the West to ban Russian tourists.

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How serious is the Taiwan Strait crisis?

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 11:18:43 GMT

The US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on 2-3 August, and China responded with large military exercises and missile launches. To analyse this, Katie Stallard speaks to Bonnie Glaser, the director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. They talk about the signals Beijing is trying to send with its live-fire drills, and what the risks are of a serious escalation in the Taiwan Strait.

They discuss the background to the current crisis, the breakdown of US-China relations, and the range of coercive measures Beijing could bring to bear on Taiwan in the coming weeks and months. Plus, what the Chinese leader Xi Jinping has really said about potential timelines in trying to seize the island.

Further reading:

Is China preparing to invade Taiwan?

The crisis around Taiwan is only just beginning.

The pointlessness of Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan trip.

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BONUS: Putin can still be toppled, with Leonid Volkov

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 07:32:05 GMT

Leonid Volkov, chief of staff for the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, speaks to Europe correspondent Ido Vock about how the war in Ukraine could end Vladimir Putin's regime.

They discuss Navalny’s treatment in Russian prison, the miscalculations that Putin made in starting the invasion, and why giving into Russian energy blackmail would make a Ukrainian victory more difficult.

Further reading:

How Vladimir Putin views the world

The conflict in Ukraine is reaching a critical moment

Russia counterattacks in its economic war with the West

Russia is bluffing about its success in the war – but so is Ukraine

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How will China respond to Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit?

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 09:44:24 GMT

Nancy Pelosi, the US House Speaker, arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday 2 August to meet President Tsai Ing-wen. Chinese officials had repeatedly warned against her visit to the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own territory.

Alix Kroeger in London, and Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC, discuss why Pelosi went ahead with the visit now and how Beijing is likely to respond in the coming days and weeks as the Chinese navy begins live-fire drills around Taiwan.

Then, the US state of Kansas has become a surprising place for a triumph of abortion rights. On 2 August its residents resoundingly voted to keep abortion protections in the state constitution. The team discuss what this early political victory for supporters of abortion rights tells us and whether, along with the recently brokered Inflation Reduction Act, there’s cause for cautious optimism among the Democrats.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks about the background to this weekend’s dispute in Kosovo.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin on why a bid to strip away abortion rights in Kansas backfired.

Katie Stallard on Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.

Alix Kroeger says that the flurry of alarm over Kosovo reveals underlying tensions.

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Election law dispute threatens to reopen Bosnia’s wounds, with Gerald Knaus

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 10:48:52 GMT

In Bosnia and Herzegovina a dispute over a proposed new elections law has led to protests and concerns about the stability of the country. For more than 25 years since the Bosnian War ended in 1995 the country has been governed through a complex federal system intended to strike a balance between the three main ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Many Bosnian Croats, however, now want changes that would, they say, give them better representation.

Alix Kroeger speaks to Gerald Knaus, the chairman of the European Stability Initiative, a think tank focusing on south-eastern Europe and the enlargement of the European Union. He’s been researching the two big European peace agreements of the 1990s: the Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia and the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. They discussed the parallels between the two, the role of the international community in Bosnia and the lessons for the war in Ukraine.

Further reading:

Jeremy Cliffe on Bosnia and the weakness of the West.

Alix on the echoes of Bosnia in Ukraine.

Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard on the end of peace in Europe.

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Is the far right about to come to power in Italy?

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 08:35:32 GMT

The Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, has resigned after roughly a year and a half in charge of a caretaker government, meaning there will be early elections.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin to discuss why Draghi quit, the far-right coalition hoping to take power, and what a government led by Giorgia Maloni would mean for Italy and its future support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, China is warning of “serious consequences” if Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visits Taiwan, as she is said to be planning. The team discuss what’s behind those threats, why the timing of the proposed visit is particularly important, and how it could exacerbate tensions between Washington and Beijing.

In You Ask Us, a listener asks why a long-term adviser to Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, has resigned.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Katie Stallard writes on the gathering storm over Pelosi's proposed visit to China.

Jeremy Cliffe on what a Giorgia Meloni government would mean for Italy.

Emily Tamkin on the threat of Viktor Orbán's anti-mixed race speech.

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What Ukraine needs now from the West, with Lesia Vasylenko.

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 05:00:28 GMT

As the war in Ukraine enters its sixth month, Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko speaks to Megan Gibson about what support Ukraine needs to win against Russia.

She explains how parliament keeps functioning in a war, the way the country is uniting behind President Volodymyr Zelensky and why the West needs to keep up the supply of weapons to help Ukraine beat back the Russian forces.

Further reading:

Russia is bluffing about its success in the war – but so is Ukraine

Why the Russian military should be very worried

Which countries could Putin try to ‘protect’ next?

Who’s arming Ukraine?

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The global fallout of the war in Ukraine

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 05:00:58 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled their country since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February. With open dissent to the president’s regime almost impossible, many opposition activists have fled to neighbouring Georgia.

Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Alix Kroeger in London speak to Ido Vock, who has been reporting from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, about its status as a growing hub for the opposition in exile, the threats activists face, and their prospects of return.

Next, the team turn to the influence of powerful Russians in London and the questions around Boris Johnson’s links to Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev. Alexander is a former KGB agent and oligarch, now a British citizen; Evgeny, his son, owns the Evening Standard.

Then in You Ask us, a listener asks what happens if Russia cuts off gas supplies to Germany.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Katie Stallard writes that Russia is bluffing about its success in the war – but so is Ukraine

Ido Vock reports from Georgia, which is now a hub for Russian opposition in exile.

“Boris Johnson’s secret conversations with Alexander Lebedev raise serious concerns”: Alix Kroeger interviews Christopher Steele

Ido on what happens if Russia doesn’t turn Germany’s gas back on

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BONUS: What will Zeitenwende mean for Germany? With Katarina Barley, vice-president of the European Parliament

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 05:00:55 GMT

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of a watershed moment for Europe and announced a shift in Germany’s approach to foreign policy. In this special episode, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), World Review looks at the context of this shift and whether it will make a difference to how Germany interacts with the world.

Megan Gibson speaks to Katarina Barley, the vice-president of the European Parliament and a SPD politician in Germany, about what this change will look like.

Then she discusses Germany’s approach to foreign relations with Sophia Besch from the Centre for European Reform, Jeremy Cliffe, the New Statesman’s writer-at-large, and Christos Katsioulis, head of the FES regional centre for cooperation and peace in Europe, in a conversation recorded shortly after the FES Tiergarten Conference “Zeitenwende: Into a new era”, held in June.

For more information on the FES, visit uk.fes.de or the FES Competence Centre for Peace and Security.

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Behind Sri Lanka’s economic collapse

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 12:52:50 GMT

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, has been forced to resign amid mass protests over his mismanagement of the economy. The country is suffering runaway inflation and shortages of food, fuel and basic supplies.

Ido Vock speaks to Ganeshan Wignaraja, senior research associate at the Overseas Development Institute, a British think tank, and a former senior official at the Asian Development Bank. They discuss the background to Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, the role of debt-trap diplomacy, and what the resignation of the president will mean for the country.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Katie Stallard writes Sri Lanka's protests boil over

Himal Kotelawala reports on Sri Lanka on the brink

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What does Boris Johnson’s resignation mean for UK foreign policy?

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 10:58:24 GMT

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, resigned as Conservative Party leader last week, bowing to pressure after more than 50 government resignations. Emily Tamkin in Israel and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by the host of the New Statesman podcast and the NS’s Britain editor, Anoosh Chakelian, to discuss the race to replace him, the candidates’ foreign policy agendas and what Johnson’s departure might mean for the UK’s support for Ukraine.

In Japan, the country’s former prime minister Abe Shinzo has died after being shot while making a speech in the western city of Nara. The team discuss the attack, Abe’s political legacy and what his death means for Japan and the politics of the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks what to watch for in US president Joe Biden’s visit with Israel’s interim prime minister, Yair Lapid.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin explains how Joe Biden’s democratic values will be tested in the Middle East.

Katie Stallard on the assassination of Abe Shinzo.

Jeremy Cliffe on the political legacy of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

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What does Yair Lapid as prime minister mean for Israel?

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:26:19 GMT

Just hours after Israel’s parliament dissolved itself on 30 June 2022, Yair Lapid became Israel’s 14th prime minister. He will act as interim leader until the upcoming elections in November this year.

Amir Tibon, senior editor at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, joins Emily Tamkin to discuss whether Lapid will prove himself in office over the next four months, or whether the elections will be a lifeline for the country’s former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. They also cover the string of challenges facing Israel at home and abroad, including what’s next for Palestine.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin writes about how Joe Biden’s democratic values will be tested in the Middle East.

Alona Ferber explains why Israel’s ouble standard on flag-waving is a risk to democracy.

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Has the US given up on ever stopping gun violence?

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 15:01:32 GMT

After another mass shooting in the US, politicians seem resigned to these incidents happening again and again. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Megan Gibson in London to discuss why they appear unable to do anything to stop them.

Plus, more than four months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the team look at how Russia’s war plan has changed and what the West needs to do to support Ukraine in this new phase.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on what a change of UK prime minister would mean for Ukraine.

To submit a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Republicans put US shootings down to anything but guns

Can Ukraine win the war?

Guns still take priority over safety, despite the closure of the “boyfriend loophole”

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What Trump and Putin got wrong, with Marie Yovanovitch

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 05:00:57 GMT

The former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, talks to Emily Tamkin about how Russia and the world underestimated Ukraine’s resolve ahead of former’s February invasion, and how the West needs to hold its nerve and stay united to support Ukraine.

Yovanovitch, who was pushed out by President Donald Trump in 2019 following a smear campaign during his first impeachment, talks about the 6 January Capitol riot congressional hearings and whether the US has really returned to the world stage. Plus, she explains how Ukraine is an example to the world because of the way it has fought against the invasion.

Further Reading:

The Capitol riot testimony was more smoking gun than smoke and mirrors.

Russia’s army is fighting Ukraine the way it was designed to.

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How will the end of Roe vs Wade transform America?

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:41:24 GMT

On Friday 24 June, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, a 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Jeremy Cliffe in Madrid to discuss the fear and frustration felt on the ground in America, the Democrats’ lukewarm response amid rising polarisation in the country, and the global implications of the decision.

Meanwhile in Madrid, Nato leaders have met this week for a pivotal summit, the organisation’s first since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year. The team discusses Turkey’s decision to lift its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the alliance.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener has a question about the significance of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony, who was an aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, at the 6 January US Capitol riots committee hearings.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading

Emily on the end of Roe vs Wade.

Katie and Emily on Roe vs Wade and the land of lost liberty.

Jeremy on the new era of American darkness.

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China’s broken promises on Hong Kong, with Chris Patten

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 05:00:57 GMT

It is twenty-five years since the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule in 1997, when Beijing promised that Hong Kongers’ freedoms would be protected for 50 years. Katie Stallard speaks to Lord Patten, the last British governor of the territory from 1992-1997, about his new book, The Hong Kong Diaries.

They discuss his dealings with the Chinese Communist Party, the failure to foresee Beijing’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong and his belief that Hong Kong might change China more than China would change Hong Kong. Also, the folly of the so-called “Golden Era” of UK-China relations under David Cameron, and what he really thinks of Boris Johnson.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

The betrayal of Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s authoritarian future is already here.

China doesn’t just want to be part of the global order – it wants to shape it.

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BONUS EPISODE: Will the world end its addiction to growth? With the Club of Rome

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 09:10:57 GMT

In 1972 the Club of Rome published the Limits to Growth report: a pioneering document on the extent to which the Earth's natural resources can support rates of industrialisation and population growth.

Now, 50 years on, we consider the impact of that report and what is happening to create a new social and economic paradigm that will help the global population live in tune with the environment.

The New Statesman's environment editor, Philippa Nuttall, is joined in Brussels by Kate Raworth, the economist who created the concept of "Doughnut Economics"; Tim Jackson, a British economist from the University of Surrey; and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the Club of Rome.

This special edition of World Review is produced with support from the Club of Rome and the BMW Foundation.

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Why is Europe facing a summer of discontent?

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 09:56:13 GMT

Strikes across Europe have thrown the continent into chaos just as summer travel takes off. Emily Tamkin, Alona Ferber and Alix Kroeger discuss what is driving workers across the public sector to take to the picket line, and they speculate where the “summer of discontent” is headed.

In Israel, the coalition government has dissolved, prompting the fifth election in almost four years, and giving Israel’s longest-serving prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu another shot at returning to power. The team discuss what finally brought the “government of change” to its knees, if it indeed did bring about any change, and what the election means for Netanyahu.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks how the UK views the rising tide of Islamophobia in India.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin on India's diplomatic dilemma over war in Ukraine.

Alona Ferber writes Israel's double standard on flag-waving is a risk to democracy.

Anoosh Chakelian on why rail strikes are testing the Tory's culture war on working at home.

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Is Emmanuel Macron to blame for the rise of the far right? | France Elects

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:38:55 GMT

In the final episode of this series of France Elects Ido Vock, Europe correspondent, is joined by the New Statesman’s writer-at-large Jeremy Cliffe to digest France’s legislative election, at which Emmanuel Macron’s party failed to win a majority and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally had its best ever result. Macron will now be the first president in 20 years to govern without a parliamentary majority.

They discuss whether Macron and his party could have done more to prevent the far right winning so many seats, what the next few years has in store for France and whether forcing the executive to work with other factions could benefit the country’s political culture.

Further reading:

Emmanuel Macron falls to earth

France’s Jupiter may be about to discover a culture of compromise

In the long shadow of De Gaulle

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

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How Nato can protect Ukraine, with Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 05:00:07 GMT

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heading towards its fifth month, Europe correspondent Ido Vock speaks to the former Nato general secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

They discuss what else can be done to support Ukraine, what form security guarantees for a neutral Ukraine might look like, and why democracies need to stand up to autocrats.

Further reading:

Europeans were united in support of Ukraine, but that consensus is fraying.

The war in Ukraine should have strengthened Europe’s common voice. Why hasn’t it?

Vladimir the Great

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Was Angela Merkel too easy on Russia?

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 05:00:32 GMT

On 7 June, the former German chancellor Angela Merkel appeared at a speaking event at a Berlin theatre, to discuss how she has spent the past six months since leaving office and reflect on present politics. Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin joins Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC to assess Merkel’s defiant stance on her policies towards Moscow and ask whether we should reappraise her international legacy. Could she have done more to prepare Germany, Ukraine and the rest of Europe for Russia’s invasion?

Meanwhile, in a speech in Moscow on 9 June, Vladimir Putin compared himself to Peter the Great and his leadership during Russia’s Great Northern War against Sweden. He claimed that the imperialist, who ruled tsarist Russia from 1682 to 1725, was “returning and reinforcing” Russian land, and “it fell to us to return and reinforce as well”. The team discuss this troubling historical comparison and why so many commentators appear reluctant to believe that Putin does not envisage a future for Ukraine as a sovereign state.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener notes that unlike other networks Fox News did not air the first public hearing on the Capitol riot that shocked America and the world on 6 January 2021. The listener asked how concerned we should be that a major news network is helping to create an alternative reality for a significant portion of the US.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Jeremy Cliffe writes that Angela Merkel’s self-justification over Russia does not add up

Katie Stallard on Vladimir the Great

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Will Emmanuel Macron lose his parliamentary majority? | France Elects

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 11:40:06 GMT

In the first of a two-part special of France Elects, as the united left comes ahead of Emmanuel Macron’s party in the first round of the French legislative elections, we look at what this might mean for the French president and what’s to play for in Sunday’s second round.

Europe Correspondent Ido Vock discusses the result with Alix Kroeger. They talk about how the left managed to unite, what has happened to the far-right, and what it could mean for Macron if he fails to keep his majority in the French National Assembly.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

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What the West must do to stop Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, with Bruno Maçães

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 05:00:56 GMT

Fresh from his reporting trip to Kharkiv in Ukraine, Bruno Maçães talks to Katie Stallard about the mood in Ukraine.

They discuss how Kharkiv is at the heart of a new national movement, why Ukraine needs long-range artillery capabilities and how Macron’s “off-ramp” offer to Putin will not help end the war.

Further reading:

Bruno Maçães’s Diary: Kharkiv is shelled, streets are renamed, and soldiers on a break head for the cafés

How will the Ukraine war end?

“Russia cannot afford to lose, so we need a kind of a victory”: Sergey Karaganov on what Putin wants

A “strategic nuclear exchange” would offer Putin zero military gains

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Could Mélenchon be France’s next prime minister?

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 09:55:53 GMT

After narrowly missing out on making the second round of the presidential election, the leader of the left in France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, is battling Emmanuel Macron’s renamed Renaissance party to win this weekend’s legislative elections. Could he give the president a tough five years?

The New Statesman's Europe correspondent, Ido Vock, joins Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard to look ahead to the vote.

Also this week, as a progressive district attorney is recalled in San Francisco, the panel discuss why US police are so bad at tackling crime.

In You Ask Us, Ido, Emily and Katie answer a listener’s question on whether Vladimir Putin might actually be dead or dying? If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Headache for Emmanuel Macron as support for the French left surges.

Policing in America is broken.

Is Vladimir Putin dead?

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What happened in Ireland’s mother and baby institutions? With Deirdre Finnerty

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 05:00:45 GMT

Bessborough House, a grand mansion on the outskirts of the city of Cork, was one of Ireland’s largest mother and baby institutions, open from 1922 to 1998. Thousands of women and girls confined there had their babies taken from them and placed for adoption, often without maternal consent.

In her new bestselling book, Bessborough: Three Women, Three Decades, Three Stories of Courage, the BBC journalist Deirdre Finnerty recounts the stories of three women who spent time there across three different decades, and the devastating impact the institution had on their lives.

She speaks to Alix Kroeger about what went on inside this secretive institution, the legacy of trauma and shame, and the findings of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, published last year.

Further reading:

Megan Nolan on the appeal of Catholicism – but not the Catholic Church.

Michael Coren writes about the hypocrisy of the Pope to lecture anyone about violence against women.

Helen Charman on the politics of everyday life: motherhood.

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Is Hungary undermining the West’s resolve on Ukraine?

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 05:00:24 GMT

As the EU claims victory with a partial oil embargo on Russia, Ido Vock, Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard discuss whether Hungary’s right-wing populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is weakening the West's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They also look at the significance of Russia’s latest advances in the east of Ukraine.

Then, in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on France’s policing of the Liverpool vs Real Madrid Champions League final in Paris.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further Reading:

Viktor Orbán is using the war in Ukraine to entrench his power

Hungary throws sand in the gears of an EU oil embargo

The West can’t desert Ukraine

Will the West pressure Ukraine to concede territory?

Were fake tickets behind the Champions League final chaos?

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Can nuclear power ever be considered safe? With Serhii Plokhy

Mon, 30 May 2022 05:00:24 GMT

When the site of the Chernobyl disaster was occupied by Russian troops during their invasion of Ukraine, fears of further contamination put the safety of nuclear power in the spotlight once again.

In his latest book, Atoms and Ashes: From Bikini Atoll to Fukushima, the Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy looks at the history of nuclear disasters and asks whether there are better ways to tackle climate change than nuclear power.

He speaks to Alix Kroeger about his book and the dangers of a lack of transparency around nuclear power, plus how academics in Ukraine asked him to keep their records safe before the invasion, and how Russia underestimated Ukrainians’ resolve.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Philippa Nuttall on the risks of nuclear power in an increasingly destabilised world

How Vladimir Putin weaponised the environment in Ukraine

Serhii Plokhy: it’s impossible for states to be both democratic and pro-Russian

Adam Tooze on whether Ukraine needs a Marshall Plan

Listen to The Future of Media, Explained – from the Press Gazette

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Australia’s climate change election, Covid in North Korea, and will the US ever act on gun control?

Thu, 26 May 2022 08:41:38 GMT

Australia has a new prime minister, but how much of an impact did climate change have on the defeat of Scott Morrison?

Environment and sustainability editor Philippa Nuttall joins Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard to discuss Labor’s election win. Plus, with Covid spreading rapidly in North Korea, is there any sign the regime will accept international help?

And after at least 19 children and two teachers were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde in Texas, they answer a listener’s question on whether the US will ever attempt to introduce gun control.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further Reading:

Australia’s Scott Morrison shows that danger lies in the hollow politics of the status quo

North Korea’s Covid-19 catastrophe

The forgotten nuclear threat of North Korea

The Texas school shooting won’t change the US’s deadly gun laws

Listen to The Future of Media, Explained – from the Press Gazette

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The risks facing Ukrainian refugees – with Suzanne Hoff

Mon, 23 May 2022 05:00:52 GMT

As millions of Ukrainians flee from the Russian invasion of their country, could those seeking refuge be vulnerable to exploitation?

Alix Kroeger speaks to Suzanne Hoff, international coordinator at La Strada International, a European NGO that campaigns against human trafficking, about the organisation's new report on the dangers facing Ukrainian refugees.

They talk about the different forms exploitation can take, the worries around unvetted help offered through social media, and what governments and agencies can do to protect Ukrainians.

Further reading:

Refugees caught in the UK's Homes for Ukraine scheme feel powerless amid delays and red tape.

The EU’s welcome for Ukrainian refugees could be a model for asylum reform.

Russia’s Black Sea blockade is a problem for the whole world.

Courage and camaraderie on the borders as refugees flee the fighting in Ukraine.

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Buffalo shooting and the dangers of "great replacement theory"

Thu, 19 May 2022 09:00:44 GMT

The mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday (14 May) by a white nationalist appears to have shown the real consequences of the racist “great replacement theory”. Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC, Megan Gibson in London and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss how this far-right conspiracy theory evolved from being a fringe notion in France to entering mainstream political discourse in the US, and the worrying frequency of racist shootings.

Sweden and Finland, meanwhile, have formally applied to join the Nato military alliance, confirming a radical transformation of Europe’s security landscape since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The team discuss the application and the global response, including Turkey’s objections.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what is the significance of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, appointing Élisabeth Borne to be his prime minister.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Sarah Manavis writes attacks like the Buffalo shooting have become numbingly inevitable.

Adam Tooze on the second coming of Nato.

Ido Vock reports for only the second time, France has a female prime minister.

Megan Gibson writes Sweden’s decision to join Nato isn’t just about security.

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How China targets Uyghurs around the world

Mon, 16 May 2022 13:05:59 GMT

Thus far, international concern for the Chinese Uyghur ethnic minority has been focused on their persecution within China itself. But the reach of the Chinese government's campaign against them extends to countries around the world.

Katie Stallard is joined by Bradley Jardine, a research director at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and a global fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the US.

They discuss his new publication, Great Wall of Steel: China’s Global Campaign to Suppress the Uyghurs, which documents China’s pursuit and harassment of Uyghurs in at least 44 countries.

Katie and Jardine cover the global scale of China's campaign, as well as the complex toolkit used to target, harass, detain and extradite individuals, which includes the exploitation of the global policing organisation, Interpol. They also suggest actions that Western governments should be taking in response.

Further reading:

Bradley Jardine on how China's repression of Uyghur's extends far beyond its own borders.

Anoosh Chakelian interviews the Uyghur poet Fatimah Abdulghafur Seyyah about her family’s devastating persecution.

Rian Thum and Musapir on how historic Uyghur culture is under existential threat.

Katie Stallard on suspicion and subjugation in Xinjiang.

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What will the return of the Marcos dynasty mean for the Philippines?

Thu, 12 May 2022 11:39:53 GMT

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, son of the Philippines’ former dictator, who was ousted in 1986, won a decisive victory in the presidential election on Monday 9 May, according to unofficial results. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss what the Marcos dynasty’s return to power will mean for the country, as well as its relations with China.

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine observed Victory Day on the anniversary of Germany’s defeat in the Second World War. Katie and Emily discuss the competing narratives of the countries’ leaders, and the latest on Russia’s war.

Then in a special You Ask Us our producer, Adrian Bradley, reports from Turin, where Eurovision 2022 is being held, to answer a listener’s question on how the song contest can be reconciled with all the turmoil and violence in Europe right now.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Adrian Bradley explains Ukraine’s 2022 Eurovision song

Ido Vock writes that Vladimir Putin has little to celebrate at his Victory Day parade.

Katie Stallard on Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky’s contrasting visions of the future.

Katie Stallard on the Marcos dynasty’s return to power in the Philippines.

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Where will South Korea’s new president lead the country?

Mon, 09 May 2022 07:58:20 GMT

South Korea’s new president Yoon Suk-yeol takes office on Tuesday 10th May. Emily Tamkin speaks to Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor at Kings College London and author of Shrimp to Wale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop, about the challenges facing this political outsider.

They discuss relations with North Korea after Kim Jong Un conducted another weapons test ahead of his inauguration, his promise to take a more combative stance against China, and how far his appeal to the “anti-feminist” movement during his election campaign will translate to policy.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer

Further reading:

South Korea’s new president weaponises anti-feminism to win election.

The forgotten nuclear threat of North Korea.

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Why the US Supreme Court is going backwards on abortion rights

Thu, 05 May 2022 12:07:33 GMT

A leaked draft decision suggests the US Supreme Court is about to repeal Roe vs Wade, threatening abortion rights across the United States. Emily Tamkin is joined by Katie Stallard and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss what this ruling could mean, how dangerous a moment this is for women, and how the decision is reverberating across the world.

Plus, after Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov sparked a row with Israel by suggesting that Hitler was of Jewish descent, they discuss the role that Russia's revisionist history of the Second World War plays in selling the invasion of Ukraine to the Russian public.

And in You Ask Us, they answer a listener's question on whether Russia will formally declare war with Ukraine on its Victory Day holiday on 9 May.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

The threat to abortion is just the beginning of the assault on individual rights in America

Goodbye, Roe vs Wade?

Overturning Roe vs Wade blurs church and state

Why a murder charge in Texas heralds a frightening new phase in the fight for abortion

How the world’s dictators rewrite the past to control the future

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How autocrats manipulate history, with Katie Stallard

Mon, 02 May 2022 05:00:25 GMT

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, the way the Russian regime is attempting to retell its own history is crucial to Vladimir Putin’s hold on power at home. Katie Stallard talks to Emily Tamkin about how authoritarian regimes manipulate history, what the parallels are between Russia, China and North Korea, and how the Kremlin has twisted the past in its attempt to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

Katie’s new book, Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia and North Korea is available now.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstateman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

The truth about Vladimir Putin's “denazification” of Ukraine fantasy.

How Putin has substituted his own interests for those of the Russian state.

Putin’s power vertical and the pathologies of authoritarian rule.

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Victory for Emmanuel Macron and Twitter for Elon Musk

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 12:28:47 GMT

Emmanuel Macron has defeated Marine Le Pen to be re-elected as president of France. Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, Ido Vock in Paris and the New Statesman’s associate business editor Emma Haslett in London discuss the response in Europe, Macron’s relationship with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the future of the far-right in France.

Then they move to Twitter, which Elon Musk is set to purchase for $44bn. They discuss the potential reasons for the deal and how the self-described “free speech absolutist” might change the platform.

Then, in You Ask Us a listener asks whether Russia is going to invade Moldova.

Further reading:

Will Dunn writes that Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is about controlling attention.

Emily Tamkin asks whether we are prepared for Donald Trump to return to Twitter.

Jeremy Cliffe reports that Emmanuel Macron promises humility in victory.

Ido Vock on accusations that Russia is orchestrating attacks in Moldovan breakaway region.

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Is populism beatable? With Yascha Mounk

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:47:39 GMT

With populist movements gaining ground in Europe, the New Statesman's international managing editor Alix Kroeger speaks to the journalist and political scientist Yascha Mounk.

They discuss how populists play on divisions in society, why some of the ways in which the left tries to fight back can make the problem worse, and how to make diverse democracies more stable.

Monk's book The Great Experiment is available in book shops now.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Right-wing populism is a bigger threat to the West than “woke ideology”

What does Europe’s right want?

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Emmanuel Macron defeats Marine Le Pen | France Elects

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:04:22 GMT

The results of France’s presidential election are in: Emmanuel Macron has won a second term as the French president with a comfortable majority. However, this victory is tempered by the fact that the far right, led by Marine Le Pen, achieved its best result in the history of the Fifth Republic.

Ido Vock discusses Macron’s success and Le Pen’s relative gains with the New Statesman executive foreign editor, Megan Gibson.

They cover the reaction in France and across the world, the sincerity of Macron’s promise to deliver change via an entirely new political project, and the looming parliamentary elections in June.

While the election is over, the France Elects podcast series will continue to provide updates on French politics with special episodes to cover big developments.

Further reading:

Macron wins re-election: live results and analysis here.

How Le Pen failed to land knockout blow against Macron in TV debate.

Macron courted left-wing voters in Marseille.

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How to counter the rise of the far right in Europe, with the FES | France Elects

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 16:01:50 GMT

In a special episode of France Elects supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), we discuss its latest report on the far right, "Understanding Right-Wing Populism and What to do About It". As Marine Le Pen faces Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the French presidential election, her National Rally party is on course for the far-right’s best ever result in the country.

We’re joined by one of the report's co-authors, Daphne Halikiopoulou from the University of Reading, and by Marta Lorimer, a fellow in European politics at the LSE European Institute.

They discuss how the far right has managed to detoxify its brand, the challenges for the centre left as it looks to counter this electoral success, and the dangers of trying to out-populist the populists.

Then Ido is joined by the FES’s head of office in Vienna, Johanna Lutz, to explain more of the work of the foundation.

Further reading:

The FES report: "Understanding Right-Wing Populism and What to do About It"

Find out more about the work of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung internationally and in the UK, and on the topic of democracy

Also recommended is the IPS, the English-language FES Journal

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Will China change its Covid course?

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 16:15:24 GMT

As discontent rises in Shanghai during another Covid lockdown, Katie Stallard, the New Statesman's senior editor, China and global affairs, and Emily Tamkin, senior editor, US, discuss how China has ended up in this situation and why it could struggle to find a way out.

They also examine the increasing communal violence in India.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on the role of diplomacy in Russia's war in Ukraine.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer

Further Reading:

“Control your soul’s desire for freedom”: Shanghai’s dystopian Covid regime

India reveres its democracy, but the room for dissent is shrinking

Why Putin’s war in Ukraine turned into a military disaster

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Can Emmanuel Macron win back left-wing voters? | France Elects

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 11:13:44 GMT

Under a week before Emmanuel Macron faces Marine Le Pen in the final round of the French presidential elections, we have a special episode looking at the latest polling and what the candidates will be trying to achieve in the final days of their campaigns.

Europe correspondent Ido Vock is joined by Paul Hilder, the founder of Datapraxis, – a strategy company which has been polling the French election – to discuss whether Macron is doing enough to win over left-wing voters, widely viewed as the kingmakers in the second round.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Macron courts left-wing voters in Marseille to see off Le Pen

Exclusive polling: Macron strengthens his position after the first round of the French election

Five takeaways from the first round of the French presidential election

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Russian soldiers asked my parents, “Why are you leaving Ukraine?” – Olia Hercules

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 05:00:42 GMT

Alix Kroeger speaks to Olia Hercules, a London-based Ukrainian chef and food writer who has become an unexpected activist following the Russian invasion of her home country.

They discuss her parents’ recent escape, her reunion with them, her journey from writer to campaigner, and what British people can do – and cook – to welcome Ukrainians.

Donate to Olia's #CookForUkraine fundraiser here.

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BONUS: Travelling through Macron’s France, from the Channel to the Mediterranean

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 05:00:49 GMT

On the eve of the 2022 French presidential election, the New Statesman’s writer-at-large Jeremy Cliffe caught a train from Courseulles-sur-Mer on the north coast of France to Marseille on the Mediterranean. Stopping in Caen, Paris and Vierzon along the way, he heard how contemporary France is reshaping itself in the long shadow of Charles de Gaulle – and against the backdrop of Europe’s biggest war since 1945. What does the future hold for the Fifth Republic?

Written by Jeremy Cliffe and read by Adrian Bradley.

Subscribe to Audio Long Reads, from the New Statesman here.

Read the text version here. It was first published on the New Statesman website on 12 March 2022, and in the magazine on 18 March 2022.

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What happens if Finland and Sweden join Nato?

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 05:00:00 GMT

Finland and Sweden are poised to make a historic decision as the countries consider joining Nato. Polls have shown a surge in support for the move following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Megan Gibson in London discuss this extraordinary move and its possible consequences as Sweden’s elections approach, as well as the Ukrainian response.

Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen will go head to head with President Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election run-off in a fortnight. Emily and Megan discuss what a potential win for Le Pen would mean for France’s support of Nato and the European Union.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks: Finland has quite an open road-border linking it to St Petersburg; what would be the impact if that border became a Nato defence against invasion by Russia?

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Alix Kroeger on why ‘Finlandisation’ is not an option for Ukraine.

Andrew Hussey on the evolution of Marine Le Pen.

Jeremy Cliffe on the new Iron Curtain.

Jeremy Cliffe on why the possibility of a Marine Le Pen victory in France is a boost for Vladimir Putin.

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What’s going on inside the Kremlin, with Andrei Soldatov

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 08:42:00 GMT

As Russia’s war on Ukraine enters a new phase, the New Statesman’s Europe correspondent Ido Vock speaks to the Russian investigative journalist and security services analyst Andrei Soldatov.

They discuss how Russia got its pre-war planning so wrong, how the Kremlin is responding to military setbacks, and why a palace coup to overthrow Vladimir Putin is unlikely to happen.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman using our special offer of just £1 a week for 12 weeks. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to find out more.

Further reading:

“Russia cannot afford to lose, so we need a kind of a victory”: Sergey Karaganov on what Putin wants.

Putin has little to celebrate in Ukraine as a key anniversary approaches.

Putin’s war aims are in disarray, as the Donbas debacle shows.

As the conflict in Ukraine grinds on, Putin escalates his information war at home.

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Macron and Le Pen qualify for the second round of the French presidential election | France Elects

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 11:31:06 GMT

In a special episode of France Elects, Ido Vock looks at the results of the first round of the French presidential election with New Statesman executive editor Megan Gibson.

They examine how Macron beat his 2017 performance, and why he could nevertheless find the second round much tougher this time. Also under discussion: how Marine Le Pen successfully detoxified her brand and the death of the traditional parties in French politics.

Ido and Megan also answer a listener’s question on why French presidents have traditionally struggled with re-election.

Further reading:

Exclusive polling: Marine Le Pen on 49 per cent of the vote for French president

French election 2022: Live results and analysis

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Could Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 11:03:09 GMT

Harrowing images and reports from Bucha – a town where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians appear to have been massacred – have shocked the world. US president Joe Biden has joined calls for Putin to face trial for war crimes.

Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Alix Kroeger in London discuss the atrocities, lessons learned from the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and why, despite huge public pressure, it is so difficult to prevent war crimes from being committed and to prosecute those responsible.

Also on the show: on Sunday (3 April) Viktor Orbán won a fourth consecutive term as Hungarian prime minister, in an election mired in allegations of corruption. Emily and Alix talk about what four more years of Orbán will mean for Hungary and its relations with the EU.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin on the long road to prosecuting war crimes.

Emily Tamkin asks what four more years of Viktor Orbán mean for Hungary.

Cas Mudde argues that Orbán’s unfair election victory makes a travesty of EU values.t

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Could Marine Le Pen really win the French presidency? | France Elects

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 11:28:29 GMT

Just days before the first round of the French presidential election, polls are showing that the far-right leader Marine Le Pen is within just a few points of overturning Emmanuel Macron's lead. What is behind her surge in support? Could she actually win the whole thing?

Ido Vock, Europe correspondent, is joined by the political theorist Hugo Drochon and the New Statesman’s international managing editor Alix Kroeger to discuss the campaign. They talk about why the cost-of-living crisis could be the most important issue, and whether Macron has been too complacent.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 or €1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Could Marine Le Pen really win the French presidency?

A look at the polls in the French presidential election.

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Why North Korea is testing weapons right now, with Jean Lee

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:41:18 GMT

In what could be a big year for weapons testing in North Korea, Katie Stallard speaks to Jean Lee, senior fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington DC and the former Pyongyang bureau chief for the Associated Press.

They discuss the country's recent missile launches, fears that the regime could be preparing to test a new nuclear weapon, and why 2022 could see a new crisis on the Korean peninsula.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

Further reading:

Kim Jong-un is just getting started (New York Times).

Keeping up with the Kims: North Korea's communist monarchy.

From the NS archive: North Korea.

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Europe’s new Iron Curtain

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 17:36:31 GMT

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raises the question: could Vladimir Putin attack Nato’s eastern flank? The alliance is greatly increasing its defences all along this “New Iron Curtain”.

The New Statesman’s writer-at-large Jeremy Cliffe has been reporting from Estonia, where the UK has doubled its military presence. He speaks to Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin about the evolution of Nato since the end of the Cold War and how it has changed since the Russian invasion.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden delivered a speech in Warsaw on Saturday (26 March) to reassure Ukrainians and Nato of his continued commitment. The team discuss whether it marks a permanent shift in Washington’s foreign policy agenda or if attention will return once more to China.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks if the presence of Syrian fighters in Ukraine and the potential presence of Belarusian troops changes the balance with regards to foreign intervention in the war.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for 12 weeks for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin on Joe Biden’s ad-lib and the limit of words.

Jeremy Cliffe on the new Iron Curtain.

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Where does China stand on Russia’s war in Ukraine? With Bonny Lin

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:47:33 GMT

China has been walking a diplomatic tightrope in its response to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, caught between close ties with Russia and concerns about further straining relations with the West.

Katie Stallard is joined by Bonny Lin, the director of the China Power Project and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to discuss China’s position in the conflict, and whether Beijing is beginning to adjust its approach. She also explains what the limits, if any, are to its support of Russia, and if its use of chemical weapons represents a red line.

Further reading:

Caught between Putin and the West, Xi Jinping faces a crucial choice on Russia.

Xi could stop Russia’s war in Ukraine. Will he?

The poisoned peacemaker: why China can’t abandon Putin.

China backs Russia in calling for an end to Nato expansion.

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Reporting Russia’s war in Ukraine

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 11:36:28 GMT

The intensive media coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has rallied global public opinion behind Ukraine, while also resulting in accusations of Western bias.

In London, the New Statesman’s editor-in-chief, Jason Cowley, joins Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington, DC, to discuss how coverage of the war has differed from other conflicts and the ways in which people in Russia are accessing information.

The team then look at how the war is shaping domestic and international politics in Europe and beyond, and whether we are witnessing a “Zeitenwende”, meaning a turning point in history.

In You Ask Us, a listener asks if Russia would have invaded Ukraine if Donald Trump was still US president, or did his behaviour towards the UN, Nato and energy pave the way for Russian invasion?

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin writes: Biden isn’t being ideological on Ukraine, and that’s a good thing.

Jason Cowley’s book, Who Are We Now? Stories of Modern England

Katie Stallard argues there can be no more illusions about the nature of Putin’s rule – he is a war criminal.

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How Ukraine has strengthened Emmanuel Macron | France Elects

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 12:08:47 GMT

As Russia continues its attack in Ukraine, the French election has featured little in news coverage and the public consciousness. Will this help Emmanuel Macron's hopes of winning re-election?

In this episode of France Elects, Ido Vock gets the latest polling from the New Statesman’s data guru Ben Walker, and then speaks to Catherine Fieschi, the director of Counterpoint, and the Paris-based journalist John Lichfield about how the campaign is unfolding.

They discuss whether Macron is all but assured victory, and whether the left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s recent surge could make him a surprise for the run-off.

You can read all our coverage of the French election at www.newstatesman.com/international.

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for 12 weeks for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

Who will win the French presidential election?

Europe enters a brave new world.

Emmanuel Macron bids to win by positioning himself as Europe’s elder statesman.

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Andrey Kurkov: "This war will last as long as Putin is alive"

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 13:52:03 GMT

Andrey Kurkov, author of Death and the Penguin, speaks to Megan Gibson about life in Ukraine right now. They discuss the role of artists during war, how this conflict will change Ukrainians’ view of Russia for good, and what it will take to bring an end to the war.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for 12 weeks for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

Art from a nation under attack

Courage and camaraderie on the Ukraine-Hungary border

The exemplary resilience of Volodymyr Zelensky

Letter from Kyiv: While Ukraine’s oligarchs flee, my friends and I have Sunday lunch

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Is Russia setting the agenda on Ukraine? With former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 14:42:11 GMT

Russia’s war in Ukraine has challenged preconceptions in western Europe – and confirmed the views of many in Russia’s more immediate neighbourhood, including the Baltic states. We discuss why this was the case – and whether western Europe is still underestimating Vladimir Putin.

Emily Tamkin is joined by former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves to discuss Europe and America’s response to the war so far and why Putin miscalculated the invasion.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Energy policy is a vital battlefront in Putin’s war – so let’s take away his leverage

Mapping Putin’s war on civilians

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Zelensky’s effective campaign for Western support

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 17:46:19 GMT

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth week, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the US Congress, calling on the West to “do more” to help Ukraine.

The New Statesman’s senior editor of politics, Harry Lambert, joins Megan Gibson and Katie Stallard to talk about the pressure for no-fly zones, what the conflict might mean for how the West supports Taiwan, and how different countries are responding to the refugee crisis.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on the relationship between China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin.

Further reading:

Exclusive polling shows Britons want Nato to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Are Britain and the West doing enough to help Ukraine.

Caught between Putin and the West, Xi Jinping faces a crucial choice on Russia.

Xi Jinping could stop Putin's war in Ukraine. Will he?

Could Zelensky and Putin agree a Ukraine peace deal.

The West must do more to resettle refugees fleeing Ukraine.

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How Orbán is responding to Putin’s war, with Péter Krekó

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 12:46:21 GMT

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, we discuss how Viktor Orban’s more pro-Russian government in Hungary has managed to distance itself from Vladimir Putin ahead of a general election in April.

Emily Tamkin talks with Hungarian political scientist Péter Krekó about how Hungary’s government has reacted to the war, why it’s supported Western sanctions against Russia and how it’s left the opposition in a difficult position in the run-up to the election.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Péter Márki-Zay could represent the last chance for Hungarian democracy

Donald Trump’s endorsement of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán makes sense

Courage and camaraderie on the Ukraine-Hungary border

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Why Putin's war in Ukraine is a war on the free world, with Estonia's President Alar Karis

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 17:17:01 GMT

As the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine continues, the Baltic states continue to call for sustained pressure on Vladimir Putin.

Megan Gibson speaks to the Estonian president Alar Karis about his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky days before the war, the importance of Nato membership and how best to support Ukraine.

Further reading:

Iceland’s prime minister: “My opposition to Nato has not changed”

A no-fly zone over Ukraine risks igniting war between Nato and Russia

The Ukraine crisis is about more than just Nato membership

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How to end the world’s dependence on Russian oil and gas

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:50:40 GMT

This week, US president Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The European Union opted to phase out gas imports only.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by the New Statesman’s environment and sustainability editor, Philippa Nuttall, in Brussels to discuss the EU’s more cautious approach, the spike in fuel prices globally, and how green energy technologies may offer a solution in the scramble for energy.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what we should make of the argument that a Nato intervention in Ukraine would lead Vladimir Putin to respond with nuclear weapons. Does this allow Putin to do whatever he wants and undermine the whole basis of Nato?

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin interviews former Russian foreign minister Adrei Kozyrev

Ido Vock on why a no-fly zone over Ukraine risks igniting war between Nato and Russia

Philippa Nuttall writes that switching off Russian gas could put the planet on the road to a green economy

Philippa Nuttall on the risks of nuclear power in an increasingly destabilised world

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How is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacting the French presidential campaign? | France Elects

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 17:17:11 GMT

Welcome to France Elects, an in-depth look at the 2022 French election. As Russia’s siege on Ukraine continues, the New Statesman’s Europe correspondent, Ido Vock, examines how the crisis is dominating the presidential campaign, and may benefit President Emmanuel Macron after he officially announced his re-election bid last Thursday (3 March).

He is joined once again by Tara Varma from the European Council on Foreign Relations and Jeremy Cliffe, the New Statesman’s writer-at-large.

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

Emmanuel Macron bids to win by positioning himself as Europe’s elder stateman.

Why Putin is running out of options.

Ukraine’s former finance minister Natalie Jaresko on how to stop Putin.

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Why Russia gambled on Ukraine, with Bruno Maçães

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 14:26:24 GMT

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, the former Portuguese Europe minister and New Statesman contributing writer Bruno Maçães speaks to Ido Vock, Europe Correspondent, about how we got here and what could happen next. They discuss Russia’s increasingly indiscriminate bombings of Ukrainian cities, whether Putin misread Ukrainian strength and morale, and what action Western governments could take to support Ukraine militarily.

Further reading:

Why Putin invaded Ukraine

Without more planes from the West Ukraine can’t defend itself

Our addiction to oil has paid for Putin’s war

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Russia’s war on Ukraine – Can more be done to help?

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 18:20:35 GMT

Russian attacks on a number of Ukrainian cities continued on Saturday, as President Zelensky pleaded for Nato to introduce a No Fly Zone. Emily Tamkin in Washington DC is joined by Writer-at-large Jeremy Cliffe in Marseille and Managing Editor, International, Alix Kreoger on the Slovakian Ukrainian Border.

They discuss why Nato is resisting a No Fly Zone, whether Europeans yet understand the true impact of the sanctions and Alix shares her reporting with refugees on Ukraine’s borders with the West.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on whether this war will force us to reevaluate the legacy of Angela Merkel.

Further reading:

A no-fly zone over Ukraine risks igniting war between Nato and Russia

Alix’s video reporting from the border

The exemplary resilience of Volodymyr Zelensky

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Russia’s war, Ukraine’s fight

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 17:52:49 GMT

The UN reports that 136 civilian deaths have been recorded since Russia invaded Ukraine seven days ago, although the real number is likely to be "far higher". Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and its second largest city, Kharkiv, are braced for further violence from Russian troops after missile strikes on Tuesday (1 March) that could amount to war crimes.

Last night, the US president Joe Biden’s State of the Union address included a standing ovation in support of Ukraine, while China has offered to be a peacemaker with Russia.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss the international response and whether Vladimir Putin’s fiction that this is a war of liberation will hold up as the Ukrainian people resist and Russia heads for economic collapse.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether, considering the consequences of Russian investment and money being so entwined in the British economy, the UK should be far more cautious over Chinese inward investment.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 per week.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin writes that while the state of the US's resolve on Ukraine is strong, the state of the union is unclear.

Ido Vock on why a no-fly zone over Ukraine risks igniting war between Nato and Ukraine.

Jeremy Cliffe on the exemplary resilience of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Katie Stallard on the truth about Vladimir Putin’s attempt to rewrite history.

Lyse Doucet’s diary from Kyiv.

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Standing up for the world’s refugees from Afghanistan to Ukraine, with Rory Stewart

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 12:44:27 GMT

As another refugee crisis unfolds in Europe, the former UK international development minister Rory Stewart speaks to the New Statesman’s US senior editor, Emily Tamkin, about his call for a new global coalition on asylum seekers.

They discuss what can be done to support Ukrainians leaving their country, the continuing Afghan refugee crisis, and how to share the migrant impact without undermining border security.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Ido Vock reports on how Russia has escalated the war on Ukraine as blitzkrieg calculations fail.

Olia Hercules shares how Putin’s war in Ukraine has torn her family apart.

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Is the war with Ukraine the beginning of the end for Putinism? With Mark Galeotti

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:47:04 GMT

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth day, the New Statesman’s Executive Editor, Foreign, Megan Gibson, interviews the Russian security expert, Mark Galeotti. Galeotti is an honorary professor at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, and the author of The Weaponisation of Everything and We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West Gets Him Wrong.

The two discuss the latest developments of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, what miscalculations Vladimir Putin has made so far and why experts failed to predict the scale of the conflict.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 per week.

Further reading:

Ido Vock reports “Scared, hopeless and silent”: anti-war Russian’s are pessimistic about mass protests.

Jeremy Cliffe on the exemplary resilience of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Katie Stallard on how Putin has substituted his own interests for those of the Russian state.

Mark Galeotti on the dark evolution of Vladimir Putin’s regime.

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War in Ukraine: what is Putin’s end game?

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 14:48:35 GMT

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its second day, we bring this special episode of the World Review podcast.

Ukraine is facing an onslaught from Russian forces on several fronts, with troops entering the northern districts of the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reports that 137 people have been killed and 316 wounded after the first day of fighting. An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have been displaced after fleeing their homes.

Alix Kroeger in London, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss Vladimir Putin’s plan, the crackdown on anti-war protests in Russia, and the latest sanctions.

In You Ask Us, a listener queries what the impact would be of throwing Russia out of the global Swift payments network. Would such a move drive Russia into China’s arms, and how bad would that be?

Further reading:

Ido Vock on why Belarus provides a template for Putin in Ukraine.

India Bourke on why net zero is the energy answer to Russian aggression.

Katie Stallard describes how Putin has substituted his own interests for those of the Russian state.

Paul Mason calls on the West to wage economic war on the Russian regime.

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Russia invades Ukraine – how far will Putin go?

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:46:01 GMT

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has ordered Russian troops to cross the border into eastern Ukraine on what he claims is a “peacekeeping mission” in defence of the breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk. Western leaders have condemned the move as the beginning of an invasion and imposed a first round of sanctions on Moscow, which have been widely criticised as not being punitive enough.

Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington, DC are joined by Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss this dangerous new phase of the conflict, where China stands, and what might happen next.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks if, retrospectively, we will see any difference between this invasion of Ukraine and the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and whether there are any lasting reprisals that would destabilise Putin or cause him to withdraw.

Further reading:

Jeremy Cliffe reports Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Donbas is a grotesque parody of humanitarian intervention.

Ido Vock on Putin ordering Russian troops into Ukraine.

Andrew Marr on why London’s response to Vladimir Putin is pathetically inadequate.

Michael Colborne on why silence won’t make the Ukrainian far right go away.

Katie Stallard reports how Putin is confronting Ukraine and the West with a terrible choice.

Paul Mason in Kyiv calls on the left to stand with Ukraine against Putin’s aggression.

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What is happening to the French right? | France Elects

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:09:46 GMT

In just over six weeks, voters in France will go to the polls in the first round of the 2022 presidential election, in which President Emmanuel Macron’s toughest competition for re-election comes from the right. This week, the New Statesman’s Europe correspondent, Ido Vock, examines the state of the French right wing.

He, along with special guests Agnès Poirier, a journalist and the author of Left Bank: Art, Passion, and the Rebirth of Paris, and Catherine Fieschi, the director of Counterpoint, looks at the likely battle for second place between the Republican candidate Valérie Pécresse and her rivals on the far right, Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour.

Is Macron’s domination of the political centre forcing his rivals to take more extreme positions?

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 a week.

How bad could China-US relations get? With Rana Mitter

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 13:38:11 GMT

This week marks the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's visit to China. In 2022, there are warnings the US and China are entering a new Cold War, while the latter's relationship with Russia is strengthening.

The New Statesman’s senior editor of China and global affairs, Katie Stallard, interviews the historian and author Rana Mitter, whose most recent book is China's Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism (2020). They discuss what drove Beijing and Washington, DC together back in 1972, what could happen today in Taiwan, and how China now sees its place in the international order.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the New Statesman's international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

China doesn't just want to be part of the global order - it wants to shape it

China backs Russia in calling for an end to Nato expansion

Ukraine crisis forces Biden to rethink foreign policy goals

The nuclear tinderbox: why the Indo-Pacific is the new arena of great power rivalry

Why there is no solution to our age of crisis without China

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Does Russia still intend to invade Ukraine?

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 13:16:09 GMT

While the US and UK predicts that an invasion of Ukraine is imminent, the recent intensification of Western military aid to Ukraine has raised the stakes for Russia. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington, DC, are joined by Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss the latest flurry of diplomacy and what might happen next.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what parallels we can draw with the situation in Ukraine with what happened in Afghanistan, and if that is helpful to make sense of it all.

Further reading:

Andrew Marr reports the Ukranian crisis shows “Global Britain” can’t afford to turn its back on Europe.

Emily Tamkin asks is the US playing Chicken Little on Russia and Ukraine?

Ido Vock reports Olaf Scholz is getting tougher on Russia, if only his allies would notice.

Ido Vock on how the fall of the Soviet Union still haunts Ukraine.

Jeremy Cliffe reports that in the face of Russian aggression, the West can and must rediscover its strength.

Katie Stallard on why the clock is running out for Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.

Mark Galeotti reports that invading Ukraine would signal a dark evolution of Vladimir Putin’s regime.

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What the Indian state elections mean for Narendra Modi, with Ravinder Kaur

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 13:17:34 GMT

As voters in India go to the polls in state elections across the country, Emily Tamkin, the New Statesman’s Senior Editor, US, talks to the historian and author Ravinder Kaur about the impact that these elections might have on Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

They discuss whether Hindu nationalism is more important to voters than the economy, the continuing fall-out from the farmers protests and what room remains for dissent and opposition in Indian politics.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 per week.

Further Reading:

India reveres its democracy, but the room for dissent is shrinking

Will the BJP’s defeat in West Bengal prove a turning point in Indian politics?

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Peng Shuai at the Olympics, and Russia on Europe’s border

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 13:39:43 GMT

China has been using the Olympics to try and present a positive view of its treatment of the Uyghur minority in China amid a diplomatic boycott of the games over human rights abuses. Katie Stallard and Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the games, as well as the treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai, and whether her reappearance has erased concerns for her welfare.

Also, the French president Emmanual Macron has visited Russia amid heightened tensions on the Ukraine border. The team discuss whether Europe should be more worried about troop build-ups in Belarus.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener has a question about the 6 January US Capitol insurrection and whether anyone involved will be prevented from holding political office.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for 12 weeks for just £1 a week.

Further Reading:

Beijing’s “green” Winter Olympics looks as fake as its snow

Peng Shuai speaks but the man she accused remains out of reach

Russia’s military build-up in Belarus could be Nato’s next flashpoint

Hoping to stave off war in Ukraine, Macron goes to Moscow

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Will 2022 be the foreign affairs election? | France Elects

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:57:51 GMT

Welcome to France Elects, an in-depth look at the 2022 French presidential election. Will Emmanuel Macron win a second term as president, or will challenges from the left, right and far right end his five years in office?

In this series, the New Statesman’s Europe correspondent, Ido Vock, will speak to some of the sharpest observers of French politics, delving deeply into the big issues shaping the race to lead the EU’s biggest military power and its second-largest economy.

In this episode, we focus on foreign affairs. Ido speaks to Tara Varma from the European Council on Foreign Relations and the New Statesman’s writer-at-large, Jeremy Cliffe. Plus, the latest on the opinion polls with the New Statesman’s polling expert, Ben Walker.

Further Reading:

Hoping to stave off war in Ukraine, Macron goes to Moscow.

As tensions with Russia build, Macron highlights splits within Nato.

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for 12 weeks for just £1 a week.

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How to win back trust in politicians, with the Icelandic PM Katrín Jakobsdottír

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:59:50 GMT

The New Statesman’s executive foreign editor, Megan Gibson, interviews the prime minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

They discuss her opposition to Iceland’s Nato membership, why the left is back on the rise in all five Nordic nations, and how to win trust in a country that doesn’t trust its politicians.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the International team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Victory puts Portuguese Socialists at forefront of Europe’s centre-left comeback

The biggest challenge for Sweden’s new prime minister: tackling rampant gang crime

How Norway’s left triumphed in a climate election

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Vaccine protests in Canada and victory for the Portuguese Socialists

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:49:42 GMT

Thousands have joined the so-called “Freedom Convoy” in Canada, which has spiralled from truckers’ frustrations over Covid-19 vaccine mandates into calls to overthrow the government. Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin, Megan Gibson in London and Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC, discuss the protests and parallels with the US Capitol Riots of 6 January.

Then the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, has led his Socialist Party to victory at a snap election this week, winning 41.7% of the vote. The team discuss the specific circumstances of Costa’s success and whether it will last.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether the success of the Socialists will spark a resurgence for left-wing parties.

Further reading:

Micheal Coren on why the “Freedom Convoy” shows the Americanisation of Canada’s right.

Jeremy Cliffe reports that victory puts Portuguese Socialists at forefront of Europe’s centre-left comeback.

Ido Vock asks whether anything can save the French left.

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Why the US needs bipartisanship| with Ro Khanna

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 11:51:25 GMT

Emily Tamkin, the New Statesman’s senior editor, US, interviews the California Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, the author of the new book Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us.

They discuss the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency and whether any significant changes to voting rights or the Build Back Better plan could actually get into law; why it’s important Biden gets to make a Supreme Court justice nomination; and what can be done to make sure the tech sector is a net good for the American economy at all levels.

Further reading:

More from Emily on the Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer’s decision to retire.

And on voting rights, she warns that Biden’s failure could cost Democrats the White House in 2024.

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Report from Kyiv: Will Russia invade?

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 12:25:43 GMT

As Russian troops continue to mass on the Ukrainian border, Jeremy Cliffe discusses his dispatch from Kyiv with Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Ido Vock in Berlin.

What do Ukrainians think Russia is up to if not an imminent full-scale invasion as suggested by the US and UK?

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks if Germany's phasing-out of nuclear energy has hobbled their foreign policy towards Russia.

Who will win the French presidential election? | France Elects

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 12:51:11 GMT

Welcome to France Elects, an in-depth look at the 2022 French election. Will Emmanuel Macron win a second term as president, or will challenges from the left, right and far right end his five years in office.

In this series, the New Statesman’s Europe correspondent Ido Vock will speak to some of the sharpest observers of French politics, delving deep into the big issues shaping the race to lead the EU’s biggest military power and its second-largest economy.

From climate policy to foreign relations, who French voters choose as their leader this year will have implications not just for Europe but for the world.

In this episode, Ido is joined by James McAuley, European affairs columnist for the Washington Post, and Paris-based journalist John Lichfield.

Further reading:

Four questions ahead of France’s 2022 presidential election.

Can anything save the French left?

Could Valérie Pécresse be France’s first female president?

Éric Zemmour: the “TV-friendly fascist” who thinks he can be France’s next president.

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The fight to prosecute Syrian war criminals | With Joumana Seif

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:31:38 GMT

The New Statesman’s Europe Correspondent Ido Vock interviews the Syrian human rights activist Joumana Seif about the recent conviction in Germany of the former Syrian colonel, Anwar Raslan, of crimes against humanity.

They discuss whether the Syrians who suffered under Bashar al-Assad’s regime will see this as justice, and whether other European countries could follow Germany’s lead in prosecuting international crimes.

Further reading:

Syrians in exile are fighting to hold Bashar al-Assad’s regime to account on an international stage.

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What the Winter Olympics reveal about China's zero-Covid strategy

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 12:25:32 GMT

As the three-week countdown begins for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Omicron variant has reached the city, prompting restrictions on ticket sales for an event China had hoped would symbolise its successful containment strategy.

Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Katie Stallard, senior editor of China and global affairs in Washington, DC, our latest addition to the team. They discuss China’s ability to deliver a “streamlined, safe and splendid” games, and whether there is a way out of the country’s “zero-Covid” strategy.

Amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, splits have begun to emerge between members of the Nato alliance. The team discusses Russia’s view of its neighbours and the concept of spheres of influence, long thought to be a Cold War relic.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener questions what the view is from Beijing on Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

Further reading:

Emily asks whether transatlantic can allies hang together with Russian forces still on Ukraine’s border.

Ido Vock asks what a Russian assault on Ukraine would look like.

Megan Gibson reports on the US's diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. China is not happy.

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Who counts? Voting rights under Joe Biden | Battle for the Soul of America

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 10:30:35 GMT

Emily Tamkin presents Battle for the Soul of America, a three-part series from the World Review podcast that looks at Joe Biden’s first year in office. How have some of his core campaign pledges – on foreign policy, immigration and voting rights – held up?

In our final episode, we look at the state of voting rights under Joe Biden. Just over a year ago, on 6 January 2021, supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington, DC. They believed what Trump said: the presidential election was stolen, not lost to Biden. Since the attack, unsubstantiated assertions of voter fraud have sparked a Republican movement to restrict voting access. While Biden has denounced this attack on democracy, voting rights activists are critical of his lack of action. Is it too late to save American democracy?

Emily Tamkin is joined by Dr Keisha Blain, associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, and Brandon Tensley, a national political writer at CNN who heads the Race Deconstructed newsletter. Then she speaks to Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at democracy watchdog Common Cause, about anti-democratic trends under the Biden administration and what can be done to reverse them.

Further Reading:

Emily on why the 6 January attacks never ended.

Emily reports on the four-pronged attack on American democracy.

Emily on why Joe Biden’s failure on voting rights could cost the Democrats the White House.

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Could Silvio Berlusconi become Italy’s next president?

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 09:40:49 GMT

The New Statesman’s international editor, Jeremy Cliffe, speaks to author Tim Parks about the upcoming Italian presidential election.

They discuss whether Italy’s strict Covid regulations are popular, why Mario Draghi wants to become president and whether the disgraced former prime minister Berlusconi could make another political comeback.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Ahead of the presidential election, Italians are divided on the unvaccinated

Mario Draghi, “ungovernable” Italy and the EU

What we can learn from Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Italy in the wake of coronavirus.

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Crises at Russia’s borders, a new Czech prime minister signals West, and Trump’s hold on the Republican Party

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 12:55:35 GMT

While Russia builds troops at the border with Ukraine, Russian officials have been on a tour of Europe, meeting the US in Geneva and Nato in Brussels. Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss why this round of diplomacy has once again failed to defuse tensions.

At the same time, Russia has sent troops from the Moscow-based CSTO military alliance to Kazakhstan to prop up President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev after widespread protests. The team discuss the unrest and the political gain of Russian intervention.

We then turn to the Czech Republic where Petr Fiala took office last year, promising a shift to the West. Emily and Ido discuss the significance for the Visegrad alliance and relations with Europe more widely.

In You Ask Us, a listener asks if there are significant anti-Trump factions who could lead the US Republican party in a different direction.

Further Reading:

Ido Vock reports Russia intervenes in Kazakhstan to prop up President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Ido Vock asks can Joe Biden’s diplomacy stop Russia from invading Ukraine?

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Undoing Trumpism? Immigration under Joe Biden | Battle for the Soul of America

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 10:03:19 GMT

Our second episode looks at Biden’s record on immigration. Implementing the "fair and humane" immigration system he promised on the campaign trail is proving a huge undertaking. The administration continues to embrace Trump-era policies, most controversially using Title 42 – ostensibly a public health measure that experts say is being misapplied – to deny people the right to seek asylum. And recently, the controversial “Remain in Mexico” programme was revived – a policy Biden campaigned to repeal.

Emily Tamkin speaks with two journalists covering immigration under the Biden administration: Tanvi Misra, an independent reporter based in NYC, and Adolfo Flores from BuzzFeed News. She then interviews Nancy Meza from the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Raices) about fighting for immigrant and refugee rights in the Biden era and how it differs (and doesn’t) from that of Trump.

Further reading:

Emily asks why Joe Biden’s immigration policy looks so much like Donald Trump’s.

Emily says that on Cuba and Haiti, US policy should first seek to do no harm.

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What threatening Ukraine says about Russian identity, with Peter Pomerantsev

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 14:11:12 GMT

The New Statesman’s senior editor, US, Emily Tamkin, speaks to author, journalist and TV producer Peter Pomerantsev about the growing tension between Russia and Ukraine.

They discuss why Russia finds Ukraine so important, what closing down Memorial, the country's oldest human rights organisation,says about its historical memory, and how Russians might feel about a potential war.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Donald Trump’s endorsement of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán makes sense

Can Joe Biden’s diplomacy stop Russia from invading Ukraine?

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Elections to watch in 2022

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 11:57:20 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC to discuss some key elections that could shake up political dynamics across the world in 2022.

Has leftish, resurgent Lula da Silva shaken Jair Bolsonaro’s grip on Brazil? What will happen when Sweden’s first female prime minister Magdalena Andersson goes to the polls? And will the Donald Trump-endorsed Viktor Orbán cling on to power in Hungary?

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener wonders what it is going to take to prevent another member of the Marcos dynasty from occupying the presidential office in the Philippines.

Further reading:

Ido Vock outlines four questions ahead of France's presidential election.

Emily Tamkin on why Donald Trump’s endorsement of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán makes sense.

Jeremy Cliffe on how strongmen cling to power.

Jeremy Cliffe on whether Covid-19 will mean another lost decade for Latin America.

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Is America back? Foreign policy under Joe Biden | Battle for the Soul of America

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:20:05 GMT

Emily Tamkin presents Battle for the Soul of America, a three-part series from the World Review podcast that examines the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency. How have some of his core campaign pledges – on foreign policy, immigration and voting rights – held up?

Our first episode focuses on foreign policy. With his decades of experience in international affairs, Biden claimed that “America is back” after four years of a Trump administration that conducted its foreign policy through an “America first” lens. Has Biden restored the US to the world stage, and at what cost?

Emily speaks with two analysts covering international affairs: Benjamin Haddad, senior director for the Europe Centre at the Atlantic Council, and Tanvi Madan, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Then she interviews the congressman Joaquin Castro, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to assess how progressive Biden's first year in foreign policy has really been.

Further Reading:

Rory Medcalf on what the new Aukus alliance means for global relations.

Emily on whether the United States can work with India to counter China.

Emily asks if the US and EU have healed relations.

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What it will take to stop climate change, With Christiana Figueres

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 13:40:25 GMT

The New Statesman’s environment and sustainability editor, Philippa Nuttall, speaks to the leading climate change diplomat Christiana Figueres.

They discuss whether Cop26 went far enough, what it will take to turn the pledges into action, and what role the fossil fuel industry should have, if any, in the transition to a carbon-zero world.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Protests, nature protection and plant-based meat: ten climate and environment predictions for 2022

The emotional journey of Alok Sharma: how climate action got personal for the Cop26 president

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2021 in review: the biggest stories of the year

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 14:27:41 GMT

The New Statesman international team look back at their most significant moments of 2021, including the 6th January storming of the US capitol, the Belarus border crisis and Cop26.

Then Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, Ido Vock in Paris and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin make their predictions for 2022, looking ahead to elections in Hungary and France as well as what could be a challenging year for China.

Further Reading:

Emily Tamkin’s seven predictions for the world in 2022.

Ido Vock's four questions ahead of France's 2022 presidential election.

Jeremy Cliffe’s ten crucial questions about the world in 2022.

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World Review’s predictions for 2021: what came true?

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 11:54:18 GMT

In this special episode of World Review, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC return to their predictions for the stories they thought would dominate in 2021.

The trajectory of the pandemic, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, continued tensions between India and China and the rogue regime in Belarus; did we see it coming?

Further reading:

World Review: what happened in Washington, DC – and 2021 predictions.

Emily Tamkin: crystal ball or shattered glass. Did her predictions hold up?

Jeremy Cliffe: ten predictions for 2021 – how did they turn out?

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How farmers fight for democracy in India, with Mukulika Banerjee

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 10:40:09 GMT

Emily Tamkin, the US editor of the New Statesman, interviews Mukulika Banerjee about her new book Cultivating Democracy: Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India.

They discuss the farmers' protests that eventually led to a government U-turn in India, the history of Indian rural politics and the health of democracy in the subcontinent.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

India reveres its democracy, but the room for dissent is shrinking

Claims of conspiracy behind India’s farmers’ protests carry a warning for the world

How a farmers’ protest in India evolved into a mass movement that refuses to fade

How India’s farmers’ protests went global

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Putin’s plans for Ukraine, Chile’s presidential election and the German coalition

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 16:06:20 GMT

A massive build-up of Russian troops and military infrastructure on the Ukrainian border has the US and Nato worried that President Vladimir Putin may be planning an imminent new invasion of the country.

Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC to discuss the escalating crisis and the future of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Meanwhile, Chile’s presidential election heads to a runoff. The tight race between far-right José Antonio Kast and left-wing Gabriel Boric has been characterised as a battle of two extremes. The team discuss the election and the polarised political landscape in Latin America.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether the foreign or economic ministry is more valuable for the German Greens in their efforts to shape foreign policy.

Further reading:

Bruno Maçães on if Vladimir Putin is preparing for war.

Ido Vock on how Russia’s military build-up at the border with Ukraine is testing the West’s resolve.

Jeremy Cliffe on whether Covid-19 will mean another lost decade for Latin America.

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Has the world failed to share vaccines? | with Covax managing director Aurélia Nguyen

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 13:12:18 GMT

As a new Covid variant causes concern about the effectiveness and global equity of vaccine programmes, is the project to deliver vaccines to the Global South working?

New Statesman reporter Harry Clarke-Ezzidio interviews Aurélia Nguyen, the managing director of Covax, an organisation set up to ensure fair access to Covid vaccines.

They discuss criticism of the current vaccination programme, whether richer countries are hoarding vaccines, and why the world needs to cooperate to defeat the pandemic.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

International coronavirus vaccine tracker: how many people have been vaccinated?

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The fate of abortion rights in the US, the Biden-Putin summit and a Beijing Olympic boycott

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 12:46:39 GMT

The US Supreme Court is to decide on a case that directly challenges Roe vs Wade, the 1973 ruling that guarantees the right to an abortion. Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Megan Gibson in London discuss the fight for reproductive rights, not just in the US but across the world.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a video call of "strong measures" that could be applied to Moscow, amid fears that Russian troops amassing on the border with Ukraine could lead to an invasion. The team discuss the limits of US power, and what the growing tensions mean.

In You Ask US, a listener wonders how upset China is about diplomatic boycotts of the forthcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin on a dark day for abortion rights in the US.

Megan Gibson on the US boycotting the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

Bruno Maçães on whether Vladimir Putin is preparing for war.

Emily Tamkin on whether America’s toolbox for Russia is empty.

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Farewell Merkel, hello Scholz | Germany Elects

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 09:54:01 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin presents a special series from the New Statesman's World Review podcast on the German election and its aftermath.

In this final episode, he reviews Germany's new centre-left coalition government and the incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz. What is the government's politics? What are its policy priorities at home and abroad? Who are its most important personalities? And where could the difficulties lie?

To discuss all this he is joined by Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform.

Read Jeremy's essay on Angela Merkel's legacy here and his profile of incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz here.

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Turkey’s escalating crisis, with Ece Temelkuran

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 08:32:30 GMT

Megan Gibson, our Senior Editor, International, speaks to the Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran.

They discuss Turkey’s slide into authoritarianism – and the lessons the political situation holds for other democracies – as well as the country’s spiralling economic crisis and what chance a united opposition might have to defeat the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further Reading:

With Turkey in crisis, Erdoğan leans into chaos

Erdoğan rising: the making of an autocrat

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Travel bans, the migrant crisis and the rise of Éric Zemmour

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:27:02 GMT

On 26 November Omicron was declared a Covid-19 variant of concern by the World Health Organisation. With Omicron now detected in more than 20 countries, governments across the world are acting to limit its spread. Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC, Alix Kroeger in London and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the politics of travel bans and vaccine inequity.

On 24 November, at least 27 people died trying to reach the UK by boat, in the biggest recorded single loss of migrants' lives in the English Channel. Ido speaks about reporting from Calais, where migrants remain undeterred from making the treacherous journey.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks if Éric Zemmour has a realistic chance of reaching the French presidential election run-off or if he is more likely to split the far-right vote and lead to a more moderate candidate.

Further reading:

Ido Vock on why travel bans won’t defeat Omicron

Laura Spinney on the global race to contain Omicron

Ido Vock, a dispatch: migrants in Calais are still determined to cross the Channel

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Afghanistan under the Taliban, with John Simpson

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 10:15:54 GMT

Alix Kroeger in London speaks to the BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson after his recent visit to Afghanistan.

They talk about how life under the Taliban compares with the last time the regime was in power, where the country is getting aid from, and how the rest of the world should engage with Afghanistan.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the New Statesman international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

As sanctions bite, Afghanistan edges towards famine

Afghanistan shows the American dream of remaking the world is over

Can G20 leaders keep their promise to prevent economic collapse in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is on the brink of humanitarian disaster – and the West is culpable

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Kyle Rittenhouse, Europe’s anti-lockdown protests and the disappearance of Peng Shuai

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 13:03:50 GMT

Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted after fatally shooting two men and wounding another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year. Megan Gibson in London and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Sarah Manavis in London to discuss what the case means for questions of racial justice and for firearms rights.

Meanwhile, new restrictions to curb surging Covid-19 cases across Europe have led to violent protests. With Austria making vaccinations mandatory and other EU countries set to follow suit, the team examine what might be in store for Europe this winter.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks if China underestimated the reaction to Peng Shuai's disappearance.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Jeremy Cliffe on the fourth Covid wave crashing over Europe

Sarah Manavis on the disappearance of Peng Shuai

Jessie Lau on why tennis star Peng Shuai’s #MeToo allegation is such a threat to China’s leaders

Louise Perry on why the Kyle Rittenhouse case shows terrible things happen when the state is absent

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Europe needs to be tougher on Belarus | Svetlana Tikhanovskaya

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 09:24:25 GMT

Europe Correspondent Ido Vock speaks to Belarus opposition leader and democracy activist Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in an exclusive interview for World Review.

They discuss the migrant crisis on EU’s border, why the EU needs to impose tougher sanctions on Lukashenko and how she manages to keep in touch with Belarusians from exile in Lithuania.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Dispatch: Migrants freeze as Belarus pursues its cold war with the EU

Autocrats around the world are watching to see how the West responds to Belarus’s air piracy

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The Paris terror trial, the fallout from Cop26 and Russian troops on the Ukrainian border

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:26:11 GMT

Six years after terror attacks killed 130 people and injured more than 400 across Paris, the biggest criminal trial in French history is under way. The nine-month trial is being welcomed as a truth commission: a forum to address personal and national trauma, as well as the socio-political context of the attacks.

Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC, Megan Gibson in London, and Philippa Nuttall in Brussels ask how the trial is shaping the French national psyche.

Meanwhile, a “disappointing” deal has been struck at the Cop26 climate summit. It has been denounced by some as a “monumental failure”, with developed nations blaming India and China for weakening more ambitious pledges on coal. The team discuss the future of Cop and our collective responsibility to meet targets.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what Russia wants in Ukraine.

If you have a question on any topic of world news for our international team that you would like answered in You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Katherine Cowles on how the memory of the Paris attacks is shaping France’s national psyche.

Philippa Nuttall on the good, the bad and the ugly: what did Cop26 achieve?

Paul Mason writes how the West must confront Russia and Belarus to avert catastrophe.

Ido Vock on Russia’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine is testing the West’s resolve.

Emily Tamkin with Fiona Hill: “US democracy is on a precipice right now.”

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Samir Saran on India-US relations

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 11:42:08 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC interviews Samir Saran, the president of the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank based in New Delhi.

They discuss India-US relations, how Washington wants closer ties with New Delhi and whether that enthusiasm is matched on the Indian side.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Samir Saran on India-US relations

Narendra Modi will talk up India’s green energy at Cop26, but how far will he go in ending fossil fuels?

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Political crisis in Bosnia, Joe Biden’s presidency and the French election debate

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 13:00:19 GMT

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a political crisis that some fear could lead to conflict. The Bosnian-Serb member of the country’s tripartite presidency Milorad Dodik has announced that Republika Srpska will withdraw from the military and other shared state institutions, which many see as a prelude to secession and a merger with Serbia.

Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC to discuss whether this concerning situation is symptomatic of the West’s reluctance to intervene in central and eastern Europe more generally.

Meanwhile in the US, will the passing of Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill – claimed to be a “monumental step forward” – be enough to shake electoral defeats and a polling slump?

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what is the current state of the French centre-right?

If you have a question on any topic of world news for our international team that you would like answered in You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

The threat to Democracies: Hong Kong exile Nathan Law

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 09:34:33 GMT

Megan Gibson interviews Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law.

They discuss his new book, Freedom: How We Lose It and How We Fight Back.

They talk about the speed of the impact of Hong Kong’s National Security Law, how safe and stable western democracies really are and whether he could ever return to Hong Kong.

If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further Reading:

Nathan Law: From Poland to the UK, “freedom is under threat”

One year on from China’s national security crackdown, Hong Kong is a changed place

Radosław Sikorski: “Poland is on the path of Hungary and Russia”

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Climate, migration and Democratic crises

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 13:41:02 GMT

World leaders from over 100 countries have descended on Glasgow for the climate summit. Cop26 is billed by host Boris Johnson as the ‘last chance’ to limit global warming to 1.5C.

Are headline-grabbing pledges to reduce methane emissions and end deforestation realistic? Emily Tamkin in Washington and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by New Statesman environment and sustainability editor Philippa Nuttall and executive politics editor Tim Ross directly from Cop26.

Meanwhile, Belarus’s dictator Alexander Lukashenko stands accused of orchestrating massive illegal migration into Poland, precipitating a humanitarian crisis on the EU’s eastern border. Ido Vock speaks about his reporting from the Polish border on the unforgiving conditions facing migrants as winter sets in.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what the Virginia governor’s race means for Joe Biden.

If you have a question on any topic of world news for our international team for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

The coming migration boom, with Parag Khanna

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 10:06:55 GMT

In the first of our new Monday interview episodes, International Editor Jeremy Cliffe interviews author, and geopolitical researcher Parag Khanna, the author of the new book Move: How Mass Migration Will Reshape the World.

They talk about the countries that are embracing migration, those that are having a harder time and how pressures such as climate change and ageing populations might transform where people live, and the tensions that could cause.

If you have a question on any topic of world news for our international team for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Degrees of separation: why Cop26 is so important

The massive challenge of climate action in oil-dependent Iraq

Fears about climate migration are being used to build up borders

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The climate and Covid-19: Who pays for government inaction?

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 13:49:34 GMT

This Sunday the UN climate summit Cop26 begins. World leaders will meet in Glasgow to try to agree new ways to solve the climate crisis. They must arrive ready to turn ambitious slogans into action, but who will deliver and who will pay the costs if they don’t?

Emily Tamkin in Washington and Alix Kroeger in London are joined by Philippa Nuttall in Brussels to discuss whether Cop26 will achieve the outcomes that the world needs.

Against the backdrop of surging Covid cases in southeastern Europe, they examine the relationship between vaccine scepticism and authoritarianism.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks about US relations with Iraq in the light of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Philippa Nuttall on the price of the planet: who will step up at Cop26?

Ido Vock on whether Belarus is using migrants to wage “hybrid warfare” on the EU

India Bourke on whether China’s climate envoy can make a difference at Cop26

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COP26: EU climate chief Frans Timmermans warns of the costs of inaction

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 10:33:29 GMT

With the COP26 climate summit less than two weeks away, Megan Gibson met the EU Commission vice president Frans Timmermans in London to discuss leading the European Green Deal, the role of the private sector, and the need for a just transition. Ultimately, he warns that ambitious climate targets are not enough, and leaders need to prove that they can deliver.

Emily Tamkin joins the podcast from Washington for a conversation on Timmermans’ effective diplomacy, as well as the feasibility of the climate promises in the UK and around the world.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Further reading:

Megan Gibson’s interview with Frans Timmermans

Patrick Mulholland on how economic recovery is trumping climate action in Latin America

Philippa Nuttall on China increasing coal production

Murray Griffin on Australia’s climate ambitions

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Can COP26 achieve anything?

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 12:59:33 GMT

As the world looks ahead to COP26 in Glasgow, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, what will it take for the summit to be declared a success?

Jeremy Cliffe and Megan Gibson are joined by New Statesman Environment and Sustainability Editor Philippa Nuttall, all in London, to discuss the summit, the need for a just transition that includes the global south and whether big players like Russia and China will engage with the process.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener\s question on how COP26 will take into account of the other UN summit on Biodiversity.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

Philippa Nuttall on Why we shouldn’t panic – just yet – about China increasing coal production

Our New Statesman Emissions Tracker

Nick Ferris and Michael Goodier on efforts to stem biodiversity loss

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Who is Japan’s new prime minister, Fumio Kishida?

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 13:31:05 GMT

Kishida has formally taken office as Japan’s new prime minister, succeeding Yoshihide Suga as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Ido Vock in Berlin and the World Review’s new co-host Megan Gibson in London discuss his rise to power with Tokyo-based journalist Kenji Hall.

They cover Kishida’s plans for economic reform, whether Japan’s pacifist constitution could change as the country faces an increasingly assertive China, and the factional jostling within the dominant LDP.

Further reading:

Kenji Hall on why Japan’s prime minster has his work cut out for him

Kristin Surak on Shinzo Abe and the rise of Japanese Nationalism

Tom Feiling on how the Olympics have thrown the future of Japan’s prime minister into doubt

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The road to a coalition | Germany Elects

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

In a special episode of the Germany Elects podcast made in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), Jeremy Cliffe talks with an array of experts on progressive politics in Germany to discuss the prospect of a "traffic-light" coalition of the centre-left SPD, the Greens and the centre-right FDP.

He is first joined by Martin Schulz, the FES president and SPD chancellor candidate at the 2017 election, to discuss the significance of the election on 26 September in German and European politics.

Then he is joined by SPD MP Jens Zimmermann and commentator Ulrike Herrmann to discuss the SPD in the Bundestag and how a "traffic light" government might govern domestically.

Finally he is joined by MEP and former federal justice, labour and families minister Katarina Barley as well as the editor of the IPG journal Anja Wehler-Schöck to discuss what the election means for Europe and the wider world.

Further reading

Find out more about the work of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the UK in the EU and in the US .

You can read this recent policy brief by the FES office in Brussels on how to build on the success of the global minimum corporate tax rate.

Also recommended are the IPG, the FES journal in German, and the the IPS, its English-language counterpart.

You can listen back to all episodes of Germany Elects and read all the New Statesman's coverage of the German election.

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What does Michel Barnier believe?

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 10:19:46 GMT

In this special episode of World Review, Ido Vock in London is joined by Emily Tamkin in Tel Aviv to discuss his interview with Michel Barnier, now running for the Republican presidential nomination.

We hear about Barnier’s new book, My Secret Brexit Diary, the right-wing polemicist Eric Zemmour, and whether fuel shortages in the UK are, in part, a result of Brexit.

Further reading:

Michel Barnier interview: “No way” Eric Zemmour should be allowed to run for the Republican presidential nomination

Andrew Hussey on the “TV-friendly fascist”, Eric Zemmour’s, presidential bid

World Review is sponsored by Hexaware Technologies. Watch this video to find out more about their mission to "create smiles through great people and technology"

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How did Germany vote? | Germany Elects

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 08:19:22 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin is joined by Emily Tamkin in Tel Aviv on the morning after the German election to discuss the results. How did Germans vote? Which parties gained and which lost seats? And what does it all mean for the coming coalition talks and the country's next government?

You can catch up on the New Statesman's German election night live blog, and follow all of our rolling coverage of the election and the race to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor at www.newstatesman.com/germany.

World Review is sponsored by Hexaware Technologies. Watch this video to find out more about their mission to "create smiles through great people and technology"

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How Aukus marks a shift in global power

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 09:15:13 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Tel Aviv and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the Australia, UK, US defence pact Aukus with Rory Medcalf, professor and head of the National Security College at the Australian National University.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on what this means for European powers in the region.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

What does the new Aukus alliance mean for global relations?

Depression without protest: the aftermath of Russia’s 2021 election

The nuclear tinderbox: why the Indo-Pacific is the new arena of great power rivalry

Why China’s Evergrande debt crisis is the tip of an iceberg

Full German Election coverage

World Review is sponsored by Hexaware Technologies. Watch this video to find out more about their mission to "create smiles through great people and technology"

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The Climate Election? | Germany Elects

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 07:56:36 GMT

In this final episode of Germany Elects before polling day (Sunday 26 September) we discuss how the election actually works and whether this has been Germany's first "climate election".

Host Jeremy Cliffe is joined by World Review's Emily Tamkin to explain the electoral system, the results and possible coalitions, and takes a quick-fire round of You Ask Us listener questions.

Then he is joined by Sven Egenter, Editor-in-Chief of Clean Energy Wire and Philippa Nuttall, the New Statesman’s Environment and Sustainability Editor, to discuss Germany's climate policies, how the party manifestos shape up and how the climate crisis has marked the campaign.

Further reading:

Philippa Nuttall on why Angela Merkel did not live up to her reputation as "climate chancellor"

Jeremy Cliffe on Angela Merkel's historical legacy

Read all the New Statesman's German election coverage, including its election night live blog, here.

World Review is sponsored by Hexaware Technologies. Watch this video to find out more about their mission to "create smiles through great people and technology"

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Canada snap elections: why Justin Trudeau's gamble could backfire

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:43:58 GMT

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a snap election. He claims his minority Government needs to win a majority to push through his Covid recovery plans. Critics, however, say the move is a cynical power play.

In this episode of World Review, Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined from London by Canadian journalist Megan Gibson, the New Statesman’s new senior editor, International. They discuss the politics behind Mr. Trudeau’s decision, and why polls are showing a swing towards the Conservatives led by Erin O’Toole.

Then, in You Ask Us, they answer a listener question on whether the far-right People’s Party of Canada (PPC) will win enough votes to cause problems for the Conservative Party.

Further Reading

Luke Savage writes on why Justin Trudeau may come to regret his decision to call a snap election

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/americas/north-america/2021/09/why-justin-trudeaus-snap-election-is-backfiring

Megan Gibson profiles Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party

https://www.newstatesman.com/canada/2021/09/jagmeet-singh-the-rise-of-canadas-kingmaker

Ido Vock explains the new Australian, UK and US alliance known as AUKUS

https://www.newstatesman.com/security/2021/09/what-is-the-aukus-alliance

Rory Medcalf explores why the AUKUS deal has sparked outrage in France

https://www.newstatesman.com/security/2021/09/stab-in-the-back-how-the-new-aukus-pact-sparked-french-outrage

Jeremy Cliffe has profiled Angela Merkel, as the German Chancellor prepares to leave office

https://www.newstatesman.com/long-read/2021/09/the-fateful-chancellor-what-the-end-of-the-merkel-era-means-for-the-world

Jeremy will also be co-hosting a webinar with Michelle Kosinski of the One Decision podcast, discussing the question: “Where does the transatlantic relationship stand after Afghanistan?” It’s on on 21 September at 16.30 BST. Register for free here:

https://events.zoom.us/ev/AF2a6BUjUMcNexmewWK5c083XOFytoTRqS2O_s-VFonWzPj6zeqY-3T3Tx6X5Iqx7yL7Me4?lmt=1631816171000

**This episode is sponsored by Hexaware Technologies, who have joined the New Statesman as launch partners for our print and digital transformation. They've also sponsored the Tech Leader's Agenda - an exclusive survey into the future of technology leadership. Find out more at www.newstatesman.com/techleadersagenda. Visit the new New Statesman website at www.newstatesman.com today.**

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Angela Merkel's effect on the German election campaigns | Germany Elects

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 16:00:00 GMT

In the latest episode of our special series on the German election, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin is joined by Michaela Kuefner, Chief Political Editor at Deutsche Welle and host of the podcast Merkel’s Last Dance, and Dr. Alex Clarkson of King's College, London. They discuss Angela Merkel’s legacy, how the “Merkel factor” has shaped the election and why Armin Laschet's Christian Democrats are struggling to win voters over with their campaign.

Jeremy also speaks to the New Statesman's election data expert, Ben Walker, for an update on the latest polls.

Hear more podcasts from the New Statesman at www.newstatesman.com/podcasts, and read more of our German election coverage on www.newstatesman.com/germany

America, 20 years after 9/11

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 12:38:26 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Sarah Manavis in London are joined by New Yorker columnist and author Evan Osnos to discuss his new book, Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury and how America has changed since the attacks on New York and Washington.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on whether there could be another Trump or Trump-like president in 2024.

Further reading

Sarah Manavis on how 9/11 internet culture created a blueprint for modern conspiracy theories.

Emily Tamkin on how the 9/11 attacks changed America.

Adam Tooze on the future of US power.

Jonathan Powell on how the war on terror led to the forever wars.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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US power after Afghanistan, with Bruno Maçães (REUPLOAD)

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:02:50 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by political analyst and New Statesman contributing writer Bruno Maçães to discuss the political fallout from the withdrawal from Afghanistan

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on what the US handling of Afghanistan will mean for the future of the EU.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

How Olaf Scholz and the SPD could lead Germany’s next government

Afghanistan Diary: The fall of Kabul was predictable – if you were there

Why Joe Biden got everything wrong in Afghanistan

Why the Biden administration should not sanction the Taliban

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What the SPD surge means for Germany | Germany Elects

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 21:30:00 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin presents a special series from World Review focusing on the German federal election – the runners and riders, the issues and what it means for Germany and beyond.

In this episode we look at the surprise front runner to succeed Angela Merkel: Olaf Scholz. Tarik Abou-Chadi, associate professor of European politics at Nuffield College, Oxford University takes us through the latest polling and how the different candidates fared in the debate.

Plus Philippa Sigl-Glöckner, director of the economics think-tank Dezernat Zukunft and Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform talk us through the economic challenges facing any new government.

You can follow the New Statesman’s German coverage at www.newstatesman.com/germany

Produced by Adrian Bradley

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The fight to save democratic rights in the US

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 12:07:02 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin talk to Ted Johnson, senior fellow at the Brennan Centre for Justice on the fight to protect voting rights in the US.

They discuss the attempts to pass new voting rights legislation and whether this is the right time for the Democrats to end the filibuster and allow the senate to pass bills with a simple majority.

Plus Emily and Ido discuss the latest from Afghanistan after a terrorist attack killed dozens and injured many more outside the airport in Kabul.

IF you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Why American democracy is under threat

US democracy in peril: Covid-19 and the threat of voter suppression

Our latest coverage on Afghanistan

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The fall of Kabul, with John Simpson

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 10:23:34 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by the BBC’s World Affairs Editor, John Simpson to discuss the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

They talk about the country’s history of rapid takeovers, the failings of the US and allies and what life is like in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on whether President Obama’s surge could have made a difference to the future of Afghanistan.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Further reading:

John Simpson’s New Statesman essay on the Afghan tragedy.

Emily Tamkin on how the decision to withdraw will haunt Joe Biden's presidency.

Rory Simpson's interview on the end of liberal Interventionism

The New Statesman coverage on the of Afghanistan

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How do German voters see foreign policy | Germany Elects

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 05:00:20 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin presents a special series from World Review focusing on the German federal election – the runners and riders, the issues and what it means for Germany and beyond.

In this episode we look at Germany’s place in the world and the role foreign policy will play in the election. We speak to polling experts Dr Liana Fix and Julia Ganter from the Körber Foundation about how German voters view foreign policy, and to Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations, on Germany’s foreign policy challenges

You can follow the New Statesman’s German coverage at www.newstatesman.com/germany

Produced by Adrian Bradley

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Will Lula beat Bolsonaro to become Brazilian president?

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:43:22 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in London are joined by New Statesman contributing writer Nick Burns to discuss the political situation in Brazil. They talk about how Lula might be returning to power and what the reaction has been from the Bolsonaro regime.

Then in You Ask Us, they take a listeners question on what a Lula victory might mean for US Brazil relations

If you have a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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What can be done to challenge Lukashenko's regime in Belarus?

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 13:37:27 GMT

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Belarusian journalist Tadeusz Giczan to discuss the situation in Belarus after the athlete Krystina Timanovskaya evaded an apparant kidnap attempt by the regime after criticising her olympic commitee after a muxup during the Tokyo 2020 olympics. As she arrives in Poland on a humanitarian visa, they discuss what western governments could do to put pressure on the regime.

Then they answer a listener's question on what can be done to about Belarus escorting Iraqi migrants into the EU.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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The coalitions that could shape Germany's future | Germany Elects

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin presents a new series from World Review focusing on the German Federal Election 2021 – who will be the next chancellor of Germany?

We speak to the New Statesman’s Ben Walker as we launch our new german polling tracker – and discuss what to expect from the campaign with Constanze Stelzenmüller, the Fritz Stern chair on Germany and trans-atlantic relations at the Brookings Institute in Washington DC and journalist and author Khuê Phạm from Zeit magazine in Berlin.

You can follow all of the New Statesman’s Germany coverage at www.newstatesman.com/germany

Produced by Adrian Bradley

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Does the world need to learn to live with China? with Adam Tooze

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 10:23:05 GMT

Historian and economist Adam Tooze joins Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC to talk about his New Statesman cover story on the West's relationship with China. They talk about who China's allies are and what impact climate change will have on geopolitics.

Then in You Ask Us, they take a listener's qustion on how green finance is changing neo-liberalism

If you have a question for You Ask Us, you can email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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What Father Stan Swamy's 'Custodial murder' means for Indian Human Rights

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 12:24:55 GMT

Professor Alpa Shah in London joins Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss the death of Father Stan Swamy in prision in India and what it means for the plight of human rights campaigners in India.

Then in You Ask Us, they answer your question on what the international reaction to Father Stan's death should be.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, please email Podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Mediterranean migrant tragedy: why are so many risking their lives

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:30:00 GMT

Journalist Emmanuelle Chaze joins Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC to discuss her seven weeks on a rescue boat in the Mediterranean. They talk about why so many are making the treacherous journey, and why they get so little help from official agencies.

Then in You Ask Us, they discuss how migration is viewed politically across the world

If you'd like to submit a question to You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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What the Tokyo Olympics means to Japan

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:45:43 GMT

Tom Feiling in Tokyo joins Emily Tamkin in Washing DC and India Bourke in London to discuss the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in Japan. As the country enters another state of emergency and spectators are banned from, how are the Japanese feeling about the games - the first in japan for nearly 50 years.

Then in You Ask US, they take a listeners question on whether the Olympic games should be broken up to avoid having these expensive and controversial events all in one city..

If you'd like to submit a question to You Aks Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Can Ukraine find a unifying national message?

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 17:38:39 GMT

Ido Vock in Odessa joins Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC to discuss Ukraines national identity, and whether the Russian and Western leaning sides of the country can find a unifying message. They also discuss the efforts of President Volodymyr Zelensky to tackle oligarchs and corruption.

In You Ask Us, they take listener questions on how Ukraine sees it's relationship with the US after the election of President Biden.

If you'd like to submit a question to You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Hong Kong: Apple Daily, democracy and the National Security Law

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:34:07 GMT

It's nearly one year since China imposed the Hong Kong National Security Law which has been the focus of intense protests. In this episode, Louisa Lim joins Jeremy and Emily to discuss Hong Kong's relationship with Beijing, and what impact the law has had on democracy in the region - including the recent closure of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.

Louisa Lim is the author of The People's Republic of Amnesia, a Senior Lecturer in Audio-Visual Journalism at the University of Melbourne, and co-host of the Little Red Podcast.

To submit a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Emily Tamkin: How the US and Russia are 'trapped in the cold web'

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A European view of the transatlantic relationship

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 15:36:47 GMT

Emily Tamkin is in Bratislava, Slovakia, where she's been speaking to European security experts about their view of the transatlantic relationship in light of the recent G7 and NATO meetings, and US President Biden's first round of in-person summits since taking office including his bilateral with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Emily is joined by Ido Vock, with contributions from General Petr Pavel, former chair of the NATO Military Committee, and Daniel Milo, Senior Research Fellow and GLOBSEC Policy Institute.

Emily writes on 'the Cold Web', exploring how the United States and Russia have become entangled.

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What we learned from the G7

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 16:36:50 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC debrief on the G7 summit, which concluded today in Cornwall, UK. They ask: what did the first in-person multilateral since before the pandemic reveal about the state of western geopolitics?

Read all of the New Statesman's G7 coverage and analysis at www.newstatesman.com/g7

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Germany after Merkel - live at the Progressive Governance Summit

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 17:05:13 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe is joined by Michael Miebach, Chair and Co-Founder of Das Progressive Zentrum, and Constanze Stelzenmüller of the Brookings Institution to discuss the future of German politics after Angela Merkel steps down.

This episode was recorded live at the Progressive Governance Summit. The New Statesman was proud to be a media partner and hosted several events. Sessions are available to watch on demand now.

No experiments: Armin Laschet is elected leader of Germany’s CDU

Podcast: Who will replace Angela Merkel as German chancellor?

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G7: What now for US multilateralism?

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 14:45:20 GMT

Ahead of the G7 summit starting on June 11, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by Rachel Rizzo, Director of Programmes at the Truman Center, to discuss what Joe Biden will be bringing to the table at his first multilateral talks since taking office. They also look ahead to the US President's first bilateral meeting with Vladmir Putin, and take your questions on whether the G7 is still appropriate as a global forum.

To submit a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Gordon Brown: how to mend a failing world

Leader: The new age of Westlessness

Jeremy is hosting a live recording of the World Review podcast at the Progressive Governance Digital Summit 2021, and you can be in the audience. Register for tickets here.

For more on the forthcoming G7 summit, listen to previous World Review episodes:

David Miliband: Covid-19 and the global hunger crisis

Decoding Britain's post-Brexit foreign policy

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Decoding Global Britain's post-Brexit foreign policy

Fri, 28 May 2021 14:53:55 GMT

On 11th June, Britain hosts the G7 summit. In this episode Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin are joined by the New Statesman's special correspondent Harry Lambert to discuss the role a post-Brexit UK plays in global affairs.

Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on what's at stake for Britain at the G7.

If you'd like to submit a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.

Read more:

Harry Lambert explores the meaning of Global Britain as the country charts its post-Brexit course

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2021/04/global-britain-losing-its-voice

Jeremy Cliffe argues that Britain should focus its foreign policy on Europe's own neighbourhood

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2021/03/britain-should-focus-not-indo-pacific-europe-s-own-geopolitical-neighbourhood

Ido Vock interviews a former colleague of Roman Protasevich about Belarus's air piracy

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2021/05/it-wouldn-t-be-difficult-do-something-nasty-us-nexta-s-tadeusz-giczan-belarus-s

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David Miliband: Covid-19 and the global hunger crisis

Fri, 21 May 2021 14:01:16 GMT

David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Secretary, joins Emily Tamkin and Ido Vock to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the global hunger crisis. They also discuss the role of multilateral talks in the handling of future global crisis, the global Covid-19 vaccination programme and the latest developments in Israel and Gaza.

In You Ask Us, they take listener questions on whether it's right to vaccinate teenagers in the rich world before elderly people in the developing world.

If you'd like to submit a question to You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Left in crisis: why European social democracy is in decline

Mon, 17 May 2021 15:00:34 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin are joined by political scientist Tarik Abou-Chadi to explore the plight of social democratic parties in Europe.

In You Ask Us, they take listener questions on overlooked social democratic successes in Europe.

Read more:

Jeremy Cliffe: the British Left's electoral woes are part of a Europe-wide trend.

Tony Blair: without total change, Labour will die.

Emily Tamkin with the US take on Tony Blair's essay.

If you'd like to submit a listener question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep making these podcasts. Get 12 weeks for £12 at www.newstatesman.com/subscribe12

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Israel and Gaza: what's behind the latest conflict?

Fri, 14 May 2021 20:26:02 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin are joined by Dimi Reider and Ido Vock to discuss the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza.

Emily Tamkin on the international reaction to the crisis

Ido Vock on the backdrop to the violence

Anshel Pfeffer on how the Palestinian cause is slipping down the international agenda

If you would like to submit a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Clips courtesy:

@Jins_dhimmar

@NewsMoghule

@rajputids

@omaralsersawi

@VanhiKalpit

@AyaIsleemEn

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West Bengal elections: a turning point for Indian politics?

Fri, 07 May 2021 16:41:23 GMT

On 6th May, Mamata Banerjee was sworn as Chief Minister of West Bengal for a third term after leading her party to a landslide victory in the State elections against India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In this episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin are joined by Dr. Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics to explore what the BJP's defeat in West Bengal means for Indian politics.

They also discuss India's ongoing Covid-19 crisis, and take a listener question looking ahead to India's national elections in 2024.

To submit a question for You Ask Us, please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

Read Emily's article for the New Statesman: Will the BJP’s defeat in West Bengal prove a turning point in Indian politics?

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2021 predictions reviewed

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 16:08:13 GMT

In January, Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin made their predictions for world affairs in 2021. In this special live recording of the World Review podcast, Jeremy and Emily review their predictions, and take live audience questions in a special extended 'You Ask Us'.

This episode was recorded as part of the Cambridge Literary Festival in partnership with the New Statesman magazine. Find out more at https://cambridgeliteraryfestival.com/

To submit a question for 'You Ask Us', please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe, @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

More audio from the New Statesman: listen to our twice-weekly UK politics podcast The New Statesman podcast

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German election: who will replace Angela Merkel?

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 16:39:47 GMT

In September, Germany will elect a new Chancellor to succeed Angela Merkel after her 16 years in power.

In this episode, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC discuss the state of German politics as the parties prepare for a summer of campaigning ahead of the German general election.

To submit a question for 'You Ask Us', please email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

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Hong Kong's sactions gridlock

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 17:13:59 GMT

While countries including the US and UK impose sanctions on China over anti-democratic reforms in Hong Kong, some commentators argue economic measures have "practically no effect" - and may contribute to anti-Asian sentiments in western countries.

In this episode, Jessie Lau joins Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin to discuss the political gridlock over Hong Kong, and whether there are alternative actions that might prove more effective.

Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on the US rejoining multilateral institutions, and the impact that might have on US-China relations.

Read Jessie Lau's article for the New Statesman here: https://www.newstatesman.com/world/asia/2021/04/practically-no-effect-minimal-impact-sanctions-over-hong-kong

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The End of Policing

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 16:05:48 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing, to discuss the transatlantic movement to defund the police, and how the world can move to a better justice system. They also discuss key world events including developments in Ukraine, the death of Prince Philip, and the trial of Derek Chauvin.

We'd love to hear from you! Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe and @emilyctamkin.

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Spring You Ask Us Special!

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:51:19 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC take on your questions for a spring special. They cover topics ranging from Europe's Green parties to Australia's misogyny crisis, by way of Iran, China, Israel and the United States.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe, @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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Enter the Draghi

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 17:47:19 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe, in Berlin, and Emily Tamkin, in Washington DC, are joined, from Milan, by the writer Tim Parks to discuss Mario Draghi's appointment as Italy's new Prime Minister, Europe's AstraZenaca debacle, and whether it's fair to say that Italy is in a state of perpetual chaos.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe, @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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The Dark Night of Brazil

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 19:24:23 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe, in Berlin, and Emily Tamkin, in Washington DC, are joined by Roberto Mangabeira Unger, Roscoe Pound Professor of Law at Harvard and a former Minister in the Lula and Rousseff governments, to discuss whether Brazil's stagnation will lead to crisis, if Lula can make a successful return to politics, and what the similarities are between Brazil and the United States.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe, @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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Israel's Sisyphean Elections

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 16:56:50 GMT

On March 23, Israel faces its fourth election in two years, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition with Benny Gantz's Blue and White party collapsed after just seven months. Current polling suggests neither of Israel's major political blocs can secure enough votes to form a majority.

In this episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Alona Ferber joins Jeremy Cliffe and Ido Vock to discuss Israel's complex political landscape, and ask whether anything might swing voters enough to deliver a clear election result.

***

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe, @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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***

Read more from the New Statesman

Germany is also preparing to go to the polls. Jeremy Cliffe has been considering the future of the current ruling party, the CDU, and reflects that they may benefit from a period in opposition.

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2021/03/merkel-era-approaches-its-end-german-left-has-several-paths-chancellery

US President Joe Biden has signed into law an historic $1.9 trillion stimulus package. The New Statesman's leader this week calls the President a quiet radical.

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2021/03/leader-quiet-radical

Helen Thompson argues that the EU’s hollowed out democracies are a product of the utopian illusions of the 1990s.

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2021/03/why-eu-s-hollowed-out-democracies-are-product-utopian-illusions-1990s

***

People mentioned in this episode:

Jeremy Cliffe

Ido Vock

Alona Ferber

Benjamin Netanyahu

Benny Gantz

Joe Biden

Donald Trump

Topics discussed in this episode:

Israel

Palestine

Gaza strip

West Bank

Jerusalem

Two-state solution

US embassy

Peace process

Israel elections 2021

Coronavirus

Covid-19

Vaccine

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India's Farmers' Protests

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 17:16:55 GMT

On today's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined, from Copenhagen, by Ravinder Kaur, author of Brand New Nation, to discuss the farmers' protest in India, how they've sustained momentum for a hundred days, and whether they can create a meaningful and lasting opposition to Modi's government.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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Lessons From The Arab Spring

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 17:26:18 GMT

Sir John Jenkins, formerly the UK's ambassador to Iraq, Libya and Saudi Arabia, joins Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin to look at the decade that's passed since the Arab Spring, and what lessons have been learnt in both the region and the wider international community.

Further reading:

Sir John Jenkins' piece, The lights that failed, discusses why the cause of liberal democracy collapsed in the Middle East.

BBC Middle East Editor, Jeremy Bowen, has written for the New Statesman to explore how the dream of the Arab Spring died.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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Myanmar's Democratic Future

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 17:41:10 GMT

Large scale protests have been taking place in Myanmar since a military coup on February 1st deposed the democratically-elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. This week, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar reported that the military were being deployed to the city of Yangon, raising fears of bloodshed. Protesters are calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, but activist groups have raised concerns that even that may not be enough to restore democracy in Myanmar.

On this episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, an activist for Burma Campaign UK whose father was one of those arrested in the days following the military coup. They discuss why the military have taken power, what this means for Myanmar, and whether there is a road to true democracy for the country.

Further reading:

Francis Wade has also been following the situation in Myanmar, and has written this piece exploring how democracy might be defined after the military coup.

Emily has been reporting on the Texas storms that have caused power outages leaving millions in freezing conditions without heating or hot water. She writes that the storms offer a warning to ill-prepared governments.

Ido discusses how new variants of Covid 19 could continue to limit international travel for years beyond the immediate crisis.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12

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Water Off a Dutch Back

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 17:28:49 GMT

On 17th March the Netherlands will to the polls in the 2021 general election. In this episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Pepijn Bergsen, a research fellow in the Europe Programme at Chatham House, to discuss the upcoming Dutch elections. Will Geert Wilders improve his far-right party's performance from 2017? Is the coronavirus pandemic and the EU's troubled vaccine rollout having an impact in the polls? And what, if anything, can flap the unflappable Dutch?

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12

More audio from the New Statesman: listen to our twice-weekly UK politics podcast The New Statesman podcast

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What Alexei Navalny's arrest means for Vladimir Putin

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 18:14:50 GMT

On his return to Russia from Germany, where he'd been recuperating after being poisoned by a nerve agent, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested for criminal charges resurrected by the Kremlin from a years-old conviction. In the days since, peaceful protesters have taken to the streets demanding Navalny's freedom. They've been met with brutality. Does this mean trouble for Vladmir Putin and the Kremlin? In this episode, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined, from Moscow, by Felix Light, a reporter for The Moscow Times and regular contributor to the New Statesman. They discuss the trial of Alexei Navalny, protest movements against Putin's rule, and what international sanctions are available if Russia continues to flout international norms.

Further reading:

Ido argues that by returning to Russia and facing arrest, Alexei Navalny has forced the Kremlin on to the back foot.

For background, read Felix Light's piece explaining why, for Navalny, a comfortable life abroad was not an option.

Emily has been following the vote in Congress to strip extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. She's written this piece exploring why republicans have chosen to support the congresswoman who has promoted racist, Islamophobic and anti-semitic views.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

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Wuhan, One Year On

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 18:08:09 GMT

On today's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by Rui Zhong, Program Assistant for the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center, to discuss how Wuhan has (or hasn't) bounced back from the first days of covid-19, whether there's a growing anti-China sentiment globally, and how administrations from the US to the EU and Britain should handle diplomacy with Beijing in 2021.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe and @emilyctamkin.

Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12

More audio from the New Statesman: listen to our twice-weekly UK politics podcast The New Statesman podcast

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Topics in this episode:

China

Wuhan

Coronavirus / Covid-19

United States / US

United Kingdom / UK

European Union / EU

China Communist Party

Technology

Alibaba

Uighur

Forced labour

2022 Winter Olympics

People in this episode:

Rui Zhong

Emily Tamkin

Jeremy Cliffe

Xi Jinping

Joe Biden

Donald Trump

Ted Cruz

Kevin McCarthy

Dr. Li wenliang

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The Transatlantic Relationship

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 17:22:51 GMT

In the week when Germany's governing party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), elected Armin Laschet as its new leader, and Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin are joined on World Review by Constanze Stelzenmüller, Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Transatlantic Relations at the Brookings Institution. In this episode, they discuss what these new appointments mean for the future of relations between Europe and the US, and how the rise of China will play out for the transatlantic alliance.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe and @emilyctamkin.

Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12

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Trump Logs Off

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 17:35:37 GMT

The movers have arrived, and the Trump administration is finally leaving the West Wing of the White House after a tumultuous - to say the least - post-election period.

As the outgoing president is locked out of his social media accounts and impeached for a historic second time accused of inciting the riot on Capitol Hill, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined on the World Review podcast by the New Statesman's senior writer Sarah Manavis to discuss the last days of the Trump presidency and what we can expect from next week's inauguration.

They also look at the tech giants' purge of controversial accounts and which white, Catholic man will win the keys to the CDU in Germany.

Read more: Sarah has written on the role of big tech in fuelling extremism, and Jeremy has tried to answer ten crucial questions about the year ahead.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe and @emilyctamkin.

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Capitol Hill riot & 2021 predictions

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 17:07:27 GMT

Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Paris sit down to look ahead at the stories that might dominate 2021 – from protests in Belarus to friction in Asia via elections in Latin America – and the global impact they could have. They also take stock of the events of the last week, including the scenes as Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol building.

Jeremy: Ten crucial about the world in 2021

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @jeremycliffe, @emilyctamkin and @idvck

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Topics discussed in this podcast:

US election

Capitol riots

protestors storm Capitol building

Belarus

Indonesia

Latin America

international politics

2021

People discussed in this podcast:

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Alexander Lukashenko

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2020 in Review

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:35:26 GMT

On this week's World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe, in Berlin, and Emily Tamkin, in Washington DC, are joined, from Paris, by regular contributor Ido Vock to put 2020 under the microscope and look at the good news, bad news and under-reported stories from a tumultuous year.

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The Arab Spring, A Decade On

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 18:49:56 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined, from Tunis, by Layli Foroudi to discuss the decade that has passed since a Tunisian fruit-seller sparked the protests and revolutions known as the Arab Spring. They also discuss the latest from Europe, the USA and India.

Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk.

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Aid in the Time of Covid

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 06:00:31 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by Mark Lowcock, the United Nations' Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. They discuss how covid-19 has impacted the Global South, what aid should look like during this time, and whether societal institutions will survive the difficulties of 2020.

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Europe's Renegades

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 10:41:21 GMT

On this week's World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined from Warsaw by Annabelle Chapman, a European political writer and NS contributor, to discuss the abortion protests in Poland, the rise and rise of illiberalism in Europe's 'renegade' states and whether a Belgian sex party could spell trouble for Viktor Orbán.

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Irish Joe

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 17:35:41 GMT

On today's World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined, from London, by the NS's Political Correspondent, Ailbhe Rea (also a co-host of the famed New Statesman Podcast). They discuss Joe Biden's Irish roots and what they could mean for Brexit, and try their hand at resolving the island of Ireland's border issues.

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India in the World

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 17:39:00 GMT

On today's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia programme at the Carnegie Endowment and author of When Crime Pays. They discuss Indian-American voting patterns, the Biden administration's possible relations with South Asia, and recent elections in Bihar.

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The Next President

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 17:33:58 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Ido Vock in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by Evan Osnos, staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Joe Biden: American Dreamer. They discuss President-Elect Biden's next moves, how he might handle diplomacy with China, and whether the Lincoln Project impacted the election result.

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America Goes With The Joe

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 16:26:13 GMT

On today's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Ido Vock in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by New Statesman contributor Gary Younge to discuss the fallout from the US presidential election, as Joe Biden appears to be on the cusp of victory.

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Biden His Time

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 17:42:53 GMT

On today's bonus episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Ido Vock in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by the New Statesman's data guru Ben Walker to look at the fallout from the electoral stalemate, and what might happen next in this extraordinary contest.

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Election Day Eve

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 18:03:52 GMT

On today's special episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by the New Statesman's own data guru Ben Walker. They discuss the polls on the eve of the election, and what the New Statesman model thinks will happen, as well as the whole team giving their predictions for what will likely be a hugely controversial and important vote.

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Terminator Trump: Judgement Day

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 18:50:06 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by Sir Kim Darroch, the former British ambassador to the United States, and author of Collateral Damage: Britain, America and Europe in the Age of Trump. They discuss the last days of Donald Trump's first term, the possibility of a Joe Biden premiership, and what the next few months will look like, whatever the outcome of next week's vote.

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The Divided States of America

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:22:02 GMT

On this week's World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin, are joined by Courtney Fingar, editor of Investment Monitor, and Sommer Mathis, editor of City Monitor, to look at the geographical rifts that have emerged across America in the run-up to next month's election.

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The End of America's Forever Wars

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:50:52 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined, also from the American capital, by Stephen Wertheim, Deputy Director of Research and Policy at the Quincy Institute and author of Tomorrow, The World. They discuss the development of American foreign policy, it's place in the current global theatre and how it's playing in the American election.

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QAnon 101

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 16:08:49 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined, from London, by the NS's digital culture writer Sarah Manavis to discuss the QAnon conspiracy theory and the impact that it's having in the United States' election.

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The Iranian Playbook

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:48:48 GMT

On this week's World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin, are joined by the NS's international correspondent Ido Vock and Ariane Tabatabai, Mid East Fellow at the Alliance for Security Democracy. They discuss Iran's role in its region and the world, how diplomacy with the United States is likely to proceed, and the violence breaking out in Nagorno-Karabagh.

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Presidential Debate Special

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 13:39:38 GMT

On today's special episode of World Review, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin recap last night's opening salvo of the Presidential debate series, as Donald Trump and Joe Biden went head-to-head.

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You Ask Us Special!

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 09:22:08 GMT

On this week's World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined by the New Statesman's own India Bourke and Ido Vock for a special mega round-up of You Ask Us questions, tackling everything from Japan's new Prime Minister to the 2024 Republican candidate, by way of Taiwan, Zimbabwe, Belarus and many more.

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Our Climate Future

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:21:15 GMT

On this week's World Review podcast from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and India Bourke in London are joined by Tom Rivett-Carnac, political strategist and co-author of The Future We Choose. They discuss the crunch decade for arresting climate change's momentum and, in You Ask Us, take your questions on the impact that the postponement of COP26 will have.

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The Riled West

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 13:59:25 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined from Palo Alto by writer Nick Burns, to discuss Californian exceptionalism, the disastrous 2020 fire season, and, in You Ask Us, take your questions on Jair Bolsonaro's continued popularity in Brazil.

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Fallout in Lebanon

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 17:27:02 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined, from Erbil, by Lizzie Porter. They discuss the impact of the Beirut blast, a month after the explosion, and answer your questions on the future for a struggling Lebanon.

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American Corruption

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 17:37:40 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined, also from Washington, by Sarah Chayes, author of On Corruption in America: And What Is at Stake to discuss how modern America fits into a history of corruption and populism. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on Alexei Navalny and how anti-corruption leaders are at risk around the world.

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Central Banks in the Time of Crisis

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 17:11:12 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review from the New Statesman, Jeremy Cliffe in Berlin and Emily Tamkin in Washington DC are joined, from New York, by Adam Tooze, history professor at Columbia University and author of Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World. They discuss the role of central banks in the coronavirus crisis (and the climate crises to come), the unhelpful lure of austerity, and, in You Ask Us, take your questions on whether the dollar's days as the world's default reserve currency are numbered.

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All-American Fascism

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:20:01 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review, Emily Tamkin is in Washington DC and Ido Vock is in Tbilisi, and they're joined from London by Professor Sarah Churchwell, author of Behold America: A History of America First and the American Dream and a upcoming piece in the New Statesman, titled 'All-American Fascism'. They discuss the ongoing debate about Trump's administration and its historical context, and, in You Ask Us, take your (morbid) questions on the Presidential candidates' line of succession, as well as what the normalised relations between Israel and the UAE mean going forward.

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What it Means to Be a Hero

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:03:29 GMT

On this week's episode, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Tbilisi are joined from New York by the New Statesman's Sophie McBain to discuss

what heroism looks like in the age of Covid. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on new forms of nationalism and what a Biden presidency would mean for American troops in the Middle East.

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Bonus: The Evolution of Anglo-German Relations

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:23:26 GMT

On this bonus episode of World Review, Jeremy Cliffe speaks to Mark Damazer, former controller of BBC Radio 4, about his personal history with Germany, and the evolution of Anglo-German relations since the Second World War.

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Macron's Balancing Act

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 09:58:19 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review, Jeremy Cliffe is in London and Emily Tamkin is in Washington D.C. and they're joined by the New Statesman's International Correspondent, Ido Vock, from Tbilisi to discuss Macron's balancing act, Merkel's success, and the future of the Franco-German relationship.

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The End of Cosmopolitan Turkey

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 17:12:30 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review, Jeremy Cliffe, in Berlin, and Emily Tamkin, in Washington DC, are joined from London by British-Turkish novelist, journalist and activist Elif Shafak to discuss President Erdogan's controversial changes to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and the role of nationalist strongmen across the globe. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your question on what British can do to aid the Uighur and Rohingyas.

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Russia's Disinformation War

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 17:01:47 GMT

On this week's World Review podcast, Jeremy Cliffe, in Berlin, and Emily Tamkin, in Washington DC, are joined by Nina Jankowicz, author of How To Lose The Information War, to discuss the role of Russia in disinformation. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on what a post-Trump GOP looks like, and whether it might be too late to take a stand against China.

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White America's Wake-Up Call

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 15:18:57 GMT

On this week's episode of World Review, Jeremy Cliffe is in Berlin and Emily Tamkin is in Washington DC, and they dial in with CNN national political writer Brandon Tensley to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and the extent to which norms are changing in the United States, Germany and around the world. Then, in You Ask Us, the team take your questions on the unconscious bias training and the Polish presidential election.

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Exceptionalism vs the Coronavirus

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 18:37:30 GMT

On this week's World Review, Jeremy Cliffe dials in from Rome and Emily Tamkin from Washington DC to discuss the history making events of the week. Then they're joined by Fintan O'Toole to discuss how British, American and Swedish exceptionalism has exacerbated the coronavirus crisis.

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The India-China-US Triangle

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:33:25 GMT

On this week's World Review, Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin dial in from Berlin and Washington D.C. to discuss the big events in global current affairs, and this week they're joined by Tanvi Madan, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and author of Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War. Together, they discuss the border dispute between India and China and how that's impacting the region's geopolitics, before taking your questions on how America factors into the fraught situation.

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Hello, World

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 16:03:38 GMT

On this week's World Review – the first ever episode! – hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Takin dial in from Berlin and Washington D.C. to discuss the events this week that might one day fill the pages of history books. Then they're joined by Benjamin Haddad, Director of the Future Europe Initiative, to discuss foreign policy in the age of Trump.

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World Review – coming soon!

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 09:05:33 GMT

World Review is the brand new global affairs podcast from the New Statesman. Each week, Jeremy Cliffe and Emily Tamkin will dial in from Berlin and Washington D.C. respectively to discuss the biggest international stories, and they'll be joined by a selection of the best correspondents from around the world.

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