Intelligence Squared

In this episode, we’re joined by Edward Fishman, one of the foremost experts on economic statecraft and sanctions. With a career spanning roles at the U.S. State Department, the Pentagon, and the Treasury Department, Fishman has been at the forefront of America’s strategic response to global challenges.  He now works as a professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affair...

‘We live today in a perpetual superbloom – not of flowers but of messages’ –- Nicholas Carr   In this episode we explore the hidden costs of constant connection with American journalist and writer Nicholas Carr.  Best known for his New York Times bestselling book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Carr discusses his latest book Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear U...

For today's Classic Debate we're revisiting our 2018 debate "Parenting Doesn’t Matter (Or Not As Much As You Think)". We were joined by Professor of Behavioural Genetics Robert Plomin, the Developmental Clinical Psychologist Susan Pawlby, therapist, parenting counsellor and broadcaster Ann Pleshette Murphy, and Stuart Ritchie, lecturer in social genetics and developmental psychiatry and author of...

What is a monster? Why do humans create stories about otherness? What does it tell you about a society that engages in monster making? Our guest today is Surekha Davies. Writer and historian, who has written a book about these questions, Humans: A Monstrous History.  Davies was joined in conversation by Sophie McBain, associate editor of The New Statesman to discuss the topic.  ...  Or Subscribe o...

Is democracy in crisis? British judge and historian Jonathan Sumption thinks so and in this episode he explains why. Drawing from the themes of his latest book The Challenges of Democracy: and the Rule of Law, he explores the enduring struggles and conflicts within democratic societies today — and how we might overcome them. Joining him in conversation is historian of ideas Sophie Scott-Brown.  --...

2025 is set to be a seismic year for the global economy. Donald Trump will return to the White House with an ‘America First’ agenda that threatens to dismantle global trade. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza could continue to escalate and cause turmoil in diplomacy. And the race to develop AI will accelerate as China and the US battle it out for technological supremacy. Who better to make sense of these un...

2025 is set to be a seismic year for the global economy. Donald Trump will return to the White House with an ‘America First’ agenda that threatens to dismantle global trade. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza could continue to escalate and cause turmoil in diplomacy. And the race to develop AI will accelerate as China and the US battle it out for technological supremacy. Who better to make sense of these un...

Our guest today is Minna Salami, the feminist author, social critic and currently Program Chair at The New Institute. Her first book was Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone, and her writing can be found in the Guardian, Project Syndicate, Al Jazeera, and The Philosopher, and many others. In her new book, Salami explores the question Can Feminism Be African?. Drawing from fem...

Having reported from over sixty countries, from the front lines of wars in Ukraine and Syria to the wilds of the Antarctic, ABC News Chief International Correspondent James Longman has witnessed the extremes of human existence firsthand. But the story that has stayed with him the longest is closer to home. In his new memoir, The Inherited Mind, James applies his journalistic skills to explore a fa...

Having reported from over sixty countries, from the front lines of wars in Ukraine and Syria to the wilds of the Antarctic, ABC News Chief International Correspondent James Longman has witnessed the extremes of human existence firsthand. But the story that has stayed with him the longest is closer to home. In his new memoir, The Inherited Mind, James applies his journalistic skills to explore a fa...

Atossa Araxia Abrahamian is a journalist and author who writes about the cracks in the nation-state system. A former editor at the Nation and Al Jazeera America, Abrahamian’s reporting and criticism have appeared in the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, the London Review of Books, the Intercept, and many other publications. In her new book, The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World,...

In this episode, we uncover the story of a painter who was never recognised for his art during his lifetime with television scriptwriter Joe Tucker. Drawing from his new book The Secret Painter, Tucker sheds light on the life of his uncle Eric Tucker –  an unassuming working-class man from Warrington who secretly created over 500 extraordinary paintings, which were only discovered after his death....

For today's episode we're revisiting our debate from January 2020, "There's Not Much Great About Britain". Our panel of top speakers battle it out over whether Brits should be proud or ashamed of their country. Is the phrase 'Great Britain' an oxymoron, or is Britain one of the world's most free, open and tolerant societies, therefore making it the best place to live in the world? Listen to this d...

In this episode, Markus Zusak, the international bestselling author of The Book Thief discusses his new book Three Wild Dogs (and the truth) – a memoir over a decade in the making and a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty into our lives. Join him in conversation with researcher and writer Adam McCauley to discuss his most personal work yet. This episode was produced by Layla I...

Polls show that over 50% of us don’t believe racism exists. In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Keon West, a social psychologist at the University of London, specialising in identity, prejudice and representation. Drawing on his new book, The Science of Racism, West cuts through the divisive anecdotes and rhetoric with decades’ worth of clear, factual, rigorous science. In conversation with...

We are only just beginning to appreciate the healing power of music. In recent years, a wave of scientific research has upended everything we once knew about its effects on our brains: not only in reducing stress, but also in enhancing cognitive function, slowing the spread of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and even strengthening our immune systems. On January 21, Dani...

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In this episode Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, explores what he sees as the profound crisis facing liberalism and why many in the West have become disillusioned with it. Drawing from his latest book 'Liberalism against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times', Moyn traces the roots of this crisis to the Cold War. The liberalism of t...

Max Richter is an acclaimed composer and pianist, whose work spans film, dance, opera, television and more. Here, in conversation with critic and broadcaster Shahidha Bari, he discusses his life and work, what inspires him, his new studio in rural Oxfordshire, and his latest album In A Landscape. ---------- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus...

In recent years, the kickboxer turned reality TV star, Andrew Tate, has become a figurehead for a burgeoning sphere of toxic masculinity online. Drawn in by his shock-tactics and displays of wealth, his viral video content has helped to radicalise a whole generation of young men. But who is Andrew Tate? And how did he come to face alleged criminal accusations ranging from human trafficking to mone...

How has modern architecture transformed our cities — and is it for the better? In this episode, bestselling historian Simon Jenkins and co-host of the Rest is Politics Rory Stewart explore the rise of modernist planning and its impact on Britain’s architectural heritage. Jenkins walks us through Britain’s rich architectural history, from Stonehenge to the Shard, while offering a critique of the ch...

Duncan Mavin is a seasoned international financial journalist, editor at Bloomberg and critically acclaimed author. In his new book, Meltdown: Scandal, Sleaze and the Collapse of Credit Suisse, Mavin unravels how risky deals, rogue executives, and systemic hubris unraveled a 166-year-old banking giant.  Joining him to discuss the book is Carl Miller, the journalist, co-founder of the Centre for th...

AI is changing the face of war. Autonomous weapons, facial recognition technologies and industrial-scale disinformation systems are already being deployed in the Middle East and Ukraine. As countries race to harness AI’s military potential, we are faced with profound moral dilemmas and tough regulatory questions about the place of AI in modern conflict. Recorded live at Web Summit in Lisbon, host...

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The genius of Countdown’s dictionary corner Susie Dent is the master of the English language. Lexicographer and etymologist by training, she has spent 30 years on our screens explaining the history and origin of words on one of the world’s longest-running game shows, Channel 4’s Countdown. In November 2024 Dent came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss her life-long love affair with the En...