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 independ...
Dec 08, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 o...
Dec 05, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 01, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. re...
Nov 28, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 whic...
Nov 24, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Read more: The biggest winner in Israel’s election ? The far right Hosted on Acast....
Nov 21, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 w...
Nov 17, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 pla...
Nov 14, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 hel...
Nov 09, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Nov 08, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 b...
Nov 07, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 hel...
Nov 03, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Universit...
Nov 01, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 31, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 e...
Oct 27, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Demo...
Oct 25, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Read more: How Mahsa Amini’s death set Iran on fire Iran’s silencing of Elnaz Rekabi proves the protests are working H...
Oct 24, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 d...
Oct 20, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 politi...
Oct 18, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Read more: With George ...
Oct 17, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Bjö...
Oct 16, 2022•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Oct 13, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 we...
Oct 11, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Kati...
Oct 10, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 No...
Oct 06, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 gr...
Oct 04, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, ...
Oct 03, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Sep 29, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Sep 27, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 willin...
Sep 26, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
