We live in a confusing time, bombarded every day with news from around the world that can be hard to follow, or fully understand. Let Worldly be your guide. Every Thursday, senior writer Zack Beauchamp, senior foreign editor Jennifer Williams, and staff defense writer Alex Ward give you the history and context you need to make sense of the moment and navigate the world around you. Produced by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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In the very! last! episode! of the Worldly podcast, Zack interviews renowned economic historian Adam Tooze about his forthcoming book, Shutdown — an early history of the year 2020, one that felt to many like the end of the world as they knew it. Zack and Adam discuss what the fateful year taught us about the global economic system, the rise of China, and the stability of the US-led world order. And don’t miss goodbye messages from Jenn and Zack (at the start and end of the show). We love you, listeners!
References:
Preorder our guest Adam Tooze’s new book, Shutdown, the subject of the conversation.
Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox
Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox
Jen Kirby (@j_kirby1), foreign and national security reporter, Vox
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If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox:
bit.ly/givepodcasts
More to explore:
Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
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Authoritarians without borders
Thursday, August 5, 2021 • Duration 42:59
Zack, Jenn, and Jen Kirby look at how authoritarianism has become internationalized, through the lens of two recent news stories: 1) Fox News host Tucker Carlson choosing to broadcast his show from Hungary this week; and 2) a Belarusian Olympian in Tokyo seeking asylum out of fear of punishment by the Lukashenko regime after she criticized her coach on social media. They discuss what happened in both of those cases, as well as what the events tell us about the ways authoritarian governments are expanding their international reach, by developing ties with like-minded influential figures in other countries and by threatening — and, in some cases, kidnapping or even assassinating — dissidents abroad.
References:
Zack on why Tucker Carlson’s trip to Hungary matters.
Why US conservatives admire Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
How Hungary’s democracy died.
The Belarusian Olympian who would not go home.
Here’s the transcript of Belarusian officials pressuring Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya.
Freedom House’s report on the rise of “transnational repression.”
Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox
Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox
Jen Kirby (@j_kirby1), foreign and national security reporter, Vox
Consider contributing to Vox:
If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox:
bit.ly/givepodcasts
More to explore:
Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
About Vox:
Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.
Follow us:
Vox.com
Newsletter: Vox Sentences
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Canada’s reckoning with residential schools
Thursday, June 10, 2021 • Duration 50:17
Zack and Jenn talk about the horrifying discovery of the remains of 215 children at a so-called “residential school” in Canada. They talk about the history of these schools, which were a centerpiece of Canada’s long-running effort to wipe out Indigenous culture and identity, and how the discovery of the children’s bodies is forcing a political reckoning with this history among white Canadians. Then they compare how Canada is handling this issue to the way that other countries like the US, Germany, and Japan have dealt with their own histories of atrocity — and how that shapes both politics inside those countries and their relations with other states today.
References:
You can read the final report from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission here or on the Commission’s website, where you can find additional information and resources on the commission and the residential school system, including more about the Missing Children Project.
And here are the 94 “calls to action” from the report, if you want to check those out in particular.
This is the op-ed by Jody Wilson-Raybould that Zack mentioned.
This is the infamous 1892 “Kill the Indian...save the man” speech by Richard Pratt, the US military officer who founded the Indian Industrial School at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which became a model for similar forced-assimilation schools in the US and Canada.
Here’s more on the lawsuit seeking reparations for the cultural impact of the residential schools, which the Canadian government is currently fighting against.
And here’s more on the Pope’s comments about the discovery at the Kamloops school, which notably do not include an apology for the Catholic church’s role in running that and many of the other residential schools.
Jenn mentioned the “birth alerts” that were only ended in British Columbia in 2019. You can read more about that here.
This is a good article contrasting Germany’s and Japan’s national approaches to reconciling with their past atrocities.
And here’s more about the ongoing tensions between Japan and South Korea over Japan’s wartime use of Korean sex slaves known as “comfort women.”
You can read the full text of the bill apologizing “to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States,” which President Barack Obama quietly signed into law in 2009, here, and read more about why many were disappointed by it here and here.
And you can read the report from the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission here.
Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox
Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox
Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox
Consider contributing to Vox:
If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
More to explore:
Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
About Vox:
Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.
Follow us:
Vox.com
Newsletter: Vox Sentences
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why the US can’t win in Afghanistan
Episode 120
Thursday, September 12, 2019 • Duration 23:08
Zack and Alex are joined by Ben Pauker, Vox’s managing editor for news and a longtime foreign correspondent, to talk about the war in Afghanistan — and why the US can’t seem to win it. They discuss the reasons that Afghanistan is fertile ground for an insurgency, why the Taliban has become a particularly effective bunch of militants, and why the US’ ultimate goal — building up an Afghan government and military that can sure the country in its absence — is so hard to achieve. Come for the policy pessimism, stay for Zack’s oblique reference to a dril tweet.
Read this interview Alex did with warfare expert Dominic Tierney on why the US has trouble winning wars.
The New York Times has a good history (with pictures!) of why many have tried and failed to win in Afghanistan.
Here’s how the US “won” in Iraq
Alex wrote about how the Taliban has very slightly moderated its stances towards women and minorities in recent years.
Yes, a Taliban fighter really did say “You have the watches. We have the time.”
Here’s what you need to know about the US-backed president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai
A US government report from this August found that the size of the Afghan army fell by 42,000 soldiers — mostly they had been paying 42,000 people who don’t actually exist.
Zack mentioned that the US even put treadmills in bases
Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), Senior Correspondent, Vox
Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), National security reporter, Vox
Guest:
Ben Paulker (@benpaulker), Managing Editor, Vox
More to explore:
Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
About Vox
:Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.
Follow Us:
Vox.com Newsletter: Vox Sentences
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The case for foreign policy restraint
Episode 119
Thursday, September 5, 2019 • Duration 01:00:49
In this special crossover episode, Weeds host Matt Yglesias talks to Emma Ashford, Research Fellow in Defense and Foreign Policy at the Cato Institute. It's a wide ranging discussion covering everything from China to the middle east, our relationship with Russia since the cold war, and the defense budget. They also explore the difference between restraint and realism, and whether or not Trump is an isolationist.
Guest Host:
Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias)
Guest
Emma Ashford (@emmamashford)
More to explore:
Subscribe for free to The Weeds. On Vox’s twice-weekly policy and politics podcast, Matthew Yglesias is joined by Ezra Klein, Dara Lind, Jane Coaston and other Vox voices to dig into important national issues, including healthcare, immigration, housing, and everything else that matters.
About Vox:
Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.
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Boris's Great British Brexit-Off
Episode 118
Thursday, August 29, 2019 • Duration 19:30
Zack and Jenn are joined by Vox foreign writer Jen Kirby to talk about UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to “prorogue” Parliament — meaning suspend it for five weeks — during the runup to the October 31st Brexit deadline. They explain how this is an obvious maneuver to prevent Parliament from blocking a no-deal Brexit, and then break down what Parliament could do in response, and how all of this represents a serious challenge for British democracy.
Here’s Jen Kirby’s explainer on the whole proroguing controversy.
We mentioned that the UK government’s own analyses suggest a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the UK.
And here’s a link to our past episode “The looming Brexit catastrophe” on what a no-deal Brexit could mean for Britain.
The UK House of Commons Library has a good summary of how proroguing normally works.
Here’s more on how the opposition Labour Party was planning to thwart Johnson before all this happened.
Here’s a member of Johnson’s Conservative Party, Dominic Grieve, calling Johnson’s move "tantamount to a coup against Parliament."
We referenced this BuzzFeed article about possible ideas Johnson has floated to try to force Brexit through.
Business Insider has a good piece explaining the debate about how involved the queen should get in all this.
Hosts:Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), Senior Foreign Editor, VoxZack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), Senior Correspondent, VoxAlex Ward (@AlexWardVox), National security reporter, Vox
More to explore:Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
About Vox:Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.
Follow Us:Vox.com Newsletter: Vox Sentences
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The Amazon is on fire
Episode 117
Thursday, August 22, 2019 • Duration 23:59
In Jenn’s and Alex’s absence, Zack is joined by Umair Irfan, a climate change reporter at Vox, to talk about the wildfires raging in Siberia, Greenland, and — most worryingly — the Amazon rainforest. They explain why preserving the health of the massive rainforest is vital to addressing climate change, and how the policies of Brazil’s right-wing populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, have helped cause the wildfires and jeopardized the Amazon rainforest’s very survival. Umair tells stories from his recent visit to Brazil, while Zack recalls a sweaty walk to work.
Links!
Here’s Umair’s piece on all the fires raging around the world right now.
Vox’s Jen Kirby explained Bolsonaro 101.
Some background on Bolsonaro’s environmental policy. It’s very bad!
Bolsonaro has gone after indigenous rights since literally the first day of his presidency.
São Paulo’s drought problem has been really serious.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s big new report on land use and climate change.
Information on one of several international initiatives to protect the Amazon.
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INF'd
Episode 116
Thursday, August 15, 2019 • Duration 22:05
Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the recently deceased Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty — a Cold War-era agreement that was supposed to stop the US and Russia from putting destabilizing missiles too close to each other. They explain where the treaty came from, why it mattered, and why Trump pulled out of it — and cap it off with a discussion of whether the treaty’s demise was a good thing or not. Zack does his best (worst?) Yaakov Smirnoff impression, Jenn breaks down the song “99 Red Balloons” at length, and Alex laughs at Mikhail Gorbachev’s jokes.
Alex’s recent INF treaty explainer
US President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev sign the INF in 1987
Here’s the full text of the treaty if you want to read it yourself.
The Worldly hosts prefer this cover of “99 Red Balloons” by Goldfinger, but their producer Byrd maintains that the Nena version is best. Editorial director Liz Nelson, meanwhile, recommends this version from the punk band 7 Seconds.
Zack mentioned that there were several times we came close to nuclear war thanks to misinterpretations or accidents. If you want to know even more, we recommend reading the chilling book Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety.
Here’s more background on the Obama administration’s policy toward the INF treaty and Russia’s apparent violation of it. And here’s then-US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats in November 2018 laying out the evidence the intelligence community has showing that Russia violated the terms of the treaty.
Oh, and here’s Russia’s government denying it did so, and instead accusing the US of having violated the treaty.
Also, more on the “missile gap”
Here is a smart op-ed laying out the case for pulling out of the treaty and building more of these missiles, and here’s a smart op-ed laying out the case against pulling out of the treaty.
Here’s some more background on National Security Adviser John Bolton’s well-known loathing of arms control agreements.
And we mentioned that China recently warned the US that it would take unspecified “countermeasures” if the US were to deploy these missiles near China.
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India’s power grab in Kashmir
Episode 115
Thursday, August 8, 2019 • Duration 21:09
Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about India’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its constitution, the provision giving special status to the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir, a decision that has sparked a political crisis with Pakistan. The Worldly team explains why Kashmiri autonomy is so sensitive, the ideological reasons why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to do something so destabilizing and provocative, and what this could mean for the always-volatile India-Pakistan relationship.
Alex has an explainer about India’s Kashmir power grab.
The New Yorker has a good piece on the India-Pakistan partition.
Vox also has an explainer on the violence between Pakistan and India earlier this year.
A part of Article 370 of India’s constitution reads: “[T]he President may, by public notification, declare that this article shall cease to be operative or shall be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as he may specify.”
India’s home minister said Modi’s government would give Jammu and Kashmir its statehood back once normalcy returned to the area, but also that Modi’s government still lays claim to Pakistan’s part of Kashmir.
People, including Pakistan’s prime minister, are afraid there will be ethnic cleansing.
Pakistan’s army chief said his nation would “go to any extent” to protect Kashmir’s residents, and Imran Khan, the prime minister, warned that a fight could break out.
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Are the US and Turkey heading for a divorce?
Episode 114
Thursday, August 1, 2019 • Duration 25:41
Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down the tension between the US and one of its major NATO allies, Turkey. The most recent fight is over Turkey’s purchase of a Russian missile system, but that’s emblematic of a much deeper rift relating to the Turkish government’s drift towards authoritarianism and the two ally’s diametrically opposed policies in Syria. They also then venture some guesses about whether this could get better — but since this is Worldly, you probably know where our hosts are going to come down on that.
Links!
Alex explains the background on the S-400 missile situation.
Turkey’s bid to join NATO was approved in 1951 (though it was technically effective in 1952).
Here’s a diplomatic cable from 1964 on how the Johnson administration’s handling of Cyprus shaped the US-Turkey relationship (wasn’t good!)
Alex’s piece also has a good short explanation on Gulf War tensions between the US and Turkey.
Here’s a Zack piece on the complicated US-Turkey-Kurdish tensions in Syria.
And another Zack piece on Turkey’s conflict with Kurdish separatists inside its borders.
Pastor Andrew Brunson, explained.
And here’s some solid background on how Turkey and Russia are growing closer.
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