World Review from the New Statesman

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 we...

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...

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 ec...

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...

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...

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 M...

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, an...

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 w...

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 havin...

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 econo...

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 turbu...

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...

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 cen...

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 rul...

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,...

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. &nb...

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.   Em...

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...

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 Tamk...

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...

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, an...

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, w...

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...

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 for...

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 pro...