The Munk Debates Podcast

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members Podcast explore three big issues in the news: Third Wave of COVID-19 bears down hard on countries with low vaccine rates – Are these government’s at fault for mismanaging the latest surge of the virus or was it inevitable that some countries would be caught up new wave of lockdowns in a world short on vaccines? Russia deploys large number of military units to its border with Ukraine – What are the risks of a Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine? Is it in NATO’s interest to get involved in this conflict? What can the West do to deter the threat of Russian aggression? Canadian Spring election in the air – Can you hold a free and fair election in the middle of a third wave of COVID-19? What are the risks and opportunities for the governing Liberals? We discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

K2-18 B, an earth-like planet with water vapour is spotted 111 light years away. An interstellar object christened Oumuamua flies through our solar system exhibiting characteristics never seen before in an asteroid. Scientists discover intriguing radio wave emissions coming from Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the sun. These are just some of a growing number of observations that have scientists excited about proving the existence of alien life. Statistical probabilities support this view - the Kepler Space Telescope has identified billions of planets theoretically capable of supporting life. To meaningfully advance the science of astrobiology humanity needs to abandon the longstanding and pervasive view that we are alone in the universe. Skeptics say that given the immense age of the observable universe there should be some evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, but instead all we hear and see is silence. These same scientists argue that the ability of a planet to make the jump from inanimate matter to life - known as abiogenesis - and then to stay alive and become intelligent - requires highly unlikely transitions. Earth and humans are special. Our existence represents an incredible fluke and the statistical probability of it happening elsewhere is all but impossible. In sum, we are alone. Arguing for the motion is Avi Loeb, Astronomer and Professor of Science at Harvard University and a New York times bestselling author, most recently of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. Arguing against the motion is Stephen Webb, a physicist at the University of Portsmouth, author of the best seller Where is Everybody, and presenter of the recent top ten TED Talk Where are all the Aliens?  Sources: Sky News Australia, Fox 35 Orlando, KSAT 12, Business Insider, PBS Space Time, World News, CBSDFW, MoleClues TV The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Producer: Nicole Edwards Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members Podcast focus on three stories in the news this week: the third wave of COVID-19 hits across the world –  was the latest round of lockdowns inevitable or were there decisions missed and made that now have April 2021 looking all too similar to April 2020?; Brazil is plunged into its latest political crisis as the pandemic ravages Latin America’s once dominant economy – are populists like Bolsonaro on the way out as their mismanagement of COVID-19 crisis ushers in a new wave of political instability?; and Russian democracy campaigner Alexei Navalny health is rapidly deteriorating in prison – is there anything the West can do to help to nudge Russia away from Putinism and towards democracy? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

China’s takeover of Hong Kong, and its increasingly aggressive military manoeuvres in the South China Sea have many wondering whether Taiwan is the country’s next “reunification” target. While politicians debate whether it’s in the West’s interest to step in, strategists say the more pertinent question is whether a military defence of Taiwan is even possible. China now boasts the world’s largest army, conventional air force, coast guard, and navy. These vast military resources provide Beijing with the capacity to overwhelm Taiwan through a combined amphibious assault using nuclear attack submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers, and an airborne assault using strategic stealth bombers, fighters, and helicopters. Some experts argue that it is wishful to think that the US can defend Taiwan militarily from half a world away unless there is a radical reset of American military strategy and posture towards China. But others contend that despite China’s clear military superiority over Taiwan, the island nation enjoys many advantages when it comes to fending off an invasion. Taiwan’s unique geography and navigational challenges of the Taiwan Strait mean that an amphibious invasion is a daunting task even for a navy the size of China’s.  The country has one of the best early warning systems in the world, and combat aircraft sequestered in mountain locations across the island that could repulse a large scale airborne assault. The almost two million Taiwanese who are trained to defend the country - guerrilla tactics included - vastly outnumber any possible Chinese invasion force. Add in US aircraft carriers, ballistic missiles, armed drones, and high tech minefields, and a Chinese military conquest of Taiwan could end up handing Beijing its biggest military defeat since WWII. Arguing for the motion is Oriana Skylar Mastro. She’s a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author of "The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime". Arguing against the motion is Michael Beckley, Associate Professor at Tufts University near Boston, and also a Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the author of "Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower". Sources: Formosa TV English News, CNA, Arirang News, ABC News, Senator Tom Cotton, BBC News, US GEGE, CGTN, France 24, RTI The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This edition of the Munk Member’s Podcast explores three big stories in the news this week: China and the West’s fast deteriorating relationship – Why is this happening? What are the consequences? And is a Chinese attack on Taiwan the big risk to world peace in our time?; Vaccine nationalism rears its ugly head as EU and UK relations take a dive on accusations of vaccine hording and threats of export controls – Are these proof points that every country will soon need its own vaccine production capacity?; and the Canadian Supreme Court rules in favor of a carbon tax – how will this decision echo in other federations globally? Is a carbon tax the optimal policy response to the threat of climate change? We discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Much of the wisdom that our society today has inherited from ancient Greece draws on the writings and ideas of its two greatest philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. Though contemporaries - Aristotle was Plato’s student - these two giants of Western Thought had radically different views of nature and the human condition, what constitutes a good society and the purposes to which we should direct our individual lives. Two millennia later can we now discern which thinker has had the greatest impact on our civilization? And, considering the daunting future humankind faces - from climate change to the rise of thinking machines to genetic manipulation of our bodies - which of these philosophers’ ideas best speak to our present-day reality? Supporters of Plato say that he more than any other thinker articulated the fundamental questions that have guided ethics and politics ever since. He influenced Christianity with his belief in a separate metaphysical reality, and the Enlightenment with his view that the role of a philosopher is to oppose superstition and articulate unpopular truths. Aristotelians argue that secular, science-based societies of the Western world owe an immense debt to Aristotle’s exploration and exaltation of reason, logic, and an empirical approach to understanding the world around us. Equally important, he was one of the first philosophers to engage in a systematic inquiry into the nature of human happiness. His prescriptions for how to lead a good life have profound connections to our search for personal and collective meaning in the modern world. Arguing for the motion is Clifford Orwin, Professor of Political Science, Classics, and Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto. He’s the founding Senior Fellow at the Bochum Thucydides Center, in Bochum Germany and the author of The Humanity of Thucydides. Arguing against the motion is Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King’s College, in London, England. She is the recipient of the 2015 Erasmus Prize and author of Aristotle’s Way, How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life Sources: BBC, Adam MacLeod, Fox News, Biola University The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members Podcast focuses on three big issues in the news: ambassadors are being recalled, personal insults traded, and sanctions levied – why are Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin having a very public dispute over who is the bigger “killer” and what does it mean for the future of US-Russia relations?; China has announced Canada’s “Two Michaels” will soon go on trail – with a conviction rate of 99% in mainland courts, what are their chances of ever winning their freedom and can the Canadian government do anything meaningful to secure their release?; and the Astra Zeneca “jab” is once again a flash point between the EU and Britain over who get access to millions of doses first – is it really safe for older people? How is the public meant to interpret the slew health authorities issuing conflicting guidelines on this high profile vaccine? We discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

We are into the fourth month of the largest global vaccination programme in history with over 335 million COVID-19 jabs administered in 108 countries. Critics of the vaccine rollout are deeply concerned about the inequitable distribution of the life saving inoculations. They say the vast majority of vaccinations have taken place in wealthy countries with inoculation rates dramatically lower in Asia and almost non-existent in Africa. They argue that we are experiencing an artificially created shortage and the culprit is intellectual property protection rights that give a small number of pharmaceuticals control over the global manufacturing and supply. The solution is a simple one: remove World Trade Organization intellectual property rights for the duration of the COVID crisis so that countries can manufacture their own vaccine supplies and save possibly hundreds of thousands of lives. Proponents of intellectual property protections argue that this would be disruptive and undermine future investment in innovation, and the hard work that go into producing effective treatments for deadly diseases. Removing these protections will undermine future drug development needed to prepare for future pandemics while doing nothing to contribute to the unprecedented challenge of how to safely manufacture billions of doses in a short period of time. Vaccine production requires knowhow and trained employees to run hugely complex and highly regulated manufacturing processes. Rather than suspend COVID-19 vaccine patents, the answer to an equitable vaccine roll out lies in international collaboration to scale up manufacturing and in the COVAX public private sector partnership that works to ensure that everyone, regardless of wealth, has access to safe and effective vaccines. Arguing for the motion is Dean Baker, Senior Economist & Co-Founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He is the author of the blog ‘Beat The Press’ and How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer. Arguing against the motion is Thomas B. Cueni, Director General at the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations. He’s also the biopharmaceutical industry representative to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, the global partnership that aims to accelerate equitable access to COVID-19 treatments. Sources: Blooomberg Quick Take, The Telegraph, France 24, Democracy Now, SABC News, Atlantic Council, KTN News, News4Jax, Al Jazeera English, BBC News The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Producer: Marilyn Mazurek Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members Podcast focuses on three big issues in the news: America’s massive $1.9 trillion dollar stimulus is stoking inflation fears and igniting a debate about the economic utility of direct cash payments of hundreds of millions of people; has the British Monarchy finally passed its sell by date in a world grappling with racial justice, inequality and elite privilege?; and as Italy announces a third national lockdown for Easter to try and stem the surge of new variants of COVID-19, should other countries that have been similarly slow to vaccinate follow suit? We debate it all.If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member.  To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Musician Ariel Pink is dropped by his label for attending a Trump rally. A top executive at Boeing loses his job because of an article he wrote decades ago opposing allowing women to serve as fighter pilots. JK Rowling is widely condemned for tweets her critics deem transphobic. All of the above were subject to social media ‘cancellation’ campaigns they experienced as attacks on their free speech rights and personal reputations. For cancel culture’s critics, shouting down a speaker in a lecture hall or labelling someone a racist for opposing affirmative action has nothing to do with social justice; it is about the intoxicating feeling of being part of a cultural mob motivated by grievance. To many progressives, so-called ‘defenders of free speech’ are crying foul to protect their positions of power in society. It is high time, they argue, that people are held accountable for harmful words and actions including online. Cancel culture is not a threat to free speech, but a champion of it; it gives a voice to those who have been excluded for too long from important public conversations that challenge the power structures benefiting the privileged at the expense of everyone else.  Arguing for the motion is Malaika Jabali, public policy attorney, activist, and Guardian columnist. Arguing against the motion is Jesse Singal, contributing writer at New York Magazine and author of The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills. Sources: CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox News The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja