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Charm and authoritarianism in the 21st century
How do politicians deploy charm? Author and scholar Julia Sonnevend discusses the way leaders in Hungary and around the world seduce and deceive their…
Oct 15
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
51:39
A constant bombardment of noise and information: China, 1974 to America, 2025
Geremie Barmé lived in China during the dying days of the Cultural Revolution, when every day brought a new political upheaval. It's a familiar feeling…
Oct 4
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
10
55:15
September 2025
Mobutu: The dictator who wanted to make Zaire great again
Scholar Pedro Monaville discusses the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, and life and politics under his rule in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sep 30
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
and
Maria Repnikova
52:31
The illusion of benevolent dictatorship
Power and its constraints in the U.S. and China—a chat with TikTok politics influencer Huey Li.
Sep 24
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
10
1
33:15
The abuse of history in China, Russia, North Korea, and Trump's America
Author and journalist Katie Stallard talks about her book on how authoritarian regimes use historical narrative to cement their power.
Sep 16
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
and
Maria Repnikova
3
1:00:04
An African vision for freedom
Author Howard French is one of the best narrators of recent African history in book form. We discuss his latest book, on Kwame Nkrumah—an African…
Sep 5
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
4
1
51:35
August 2025
Lysenko: RFK Jr.'s Soviet predecessor
William de Jong Lambert is a historian of science whose work on Trofim Lysenko illuminates the quackery of Trump's Health Secretary.
Aug 28
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
and
Maria Repnikova
7
1
34:37
American concentration camps
Andrea Pitzer—author of 'One Long Night'—on mass internment and other human rights abuses in Trump's America.
Aug 24
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
2
52:28
A mathematician looks at Trump's authoritarian takeover
Why and how Trump is attacking the Smithsonian Institution, universities, science, and medical expertise—a conversation with Christina Pagel.
Aug 22
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
7
35:07
Africa's most famous dictator, Idi Amin, and Donald Trump
Professor Derek Peterson has written a new book on Idi Amin's Uganda.It's a fascinating glimpse into Africa's most notorious dictator, whose rule and…
Aug 15
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
4
47:45
Iran's past and the future of America
A discussion with author Arash Azizi: From misogyny and religious conservatism to political apathy amongst the electorate—the United States and the…
Aug 11
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
and
Maria Repnikova
2
1:05:14
Why the U.S. is now a developing country
Journalist Richard Poplak talks about the U.S. as seen from South Africa, after six months of Trump.
Aug 1
•
Jeremy Goldkorn
3
33:46
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