The Munk Debates Podcast

Tough talk on China helped Trump win the presidency in 2016 and over the last four years the US has taken a markedly more assertive approach to confronting the rise of its first major geopolitical competitor since the Soviet Union. Critics of Trump’s approach say his China policy is based on flawed assumptions - the key one being the jingoistic assumption that China aspires to be an expansionist power rather than a regional broker primarily focused on protecting its sphere of influence. These same critics argue that American’s decline, relative to China’s rise, is inevitable and America should be preparing now for an era of increased cooperation with Beijing to tackle the world’s big problems from climate to the next pandemic. China hawks respond that a naive American policy prior to Trump paved the way for China to become the world’s second largest economy and chief geopolitical rival. Trump deserves credit for reversing this complacency. China skeptics argue that America must continue to be vigilant and suspicious of Chinese intentions in Asia and beyond. To ensure the preservation of the liberal international order in the 21st century, the US must confront and contain China across a spectrum of flash points including the South China Sea, Taiwan, trade, space, high tech, and human rights. Arguing for the motion is Michael Pillsbury, Director of the Center on Chinese Strategy at the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C. and the newly appointed Chairman of the US Department of Defence policy advisory board. He’s the author of The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower. Arguing against the motion is Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore. He is the author of Has China Won? The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy. Sources: ABC, Bloomberg, PBS, CGTN, Fox News, NBC, CBC The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   For detailed show notes on the episode, head to https://munkdebates.com/podcast. 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

When COVID-19 shut down schools around the world last March, it launched an unprecedented experiment in education with a billion students as participants. At the heart of this experiment is the home computer, the new conduit to teachers, classmates and learning. Supporters of digital education say that the pandemic offers a much-needed opportunity to rethink our approach to learning for the first time in over a century. They argue that digital learning is the wave of the future and that students in virtual classrooms connected through a computer and the internet will learn more quickly, retain more information, connect to an extraordinary library of resources, and arm themselves with the knowledge and skills needed to solve the problems of the 21st century. By contrast, critics of distant learning believe we should be concerned not only about the inequitable access to the digital tools that support online learning -  the real threat to education is the computer itself. Screen-based learning doesn’t place the same cognitive demands on students as the physical classroom and negatively impacts the reading and reasoning abilities that foster lifelong critical thinking skills. They argue that if the global experiment in distant learning continues, we are going to witness a steep decline in the educational attainment of hundreds of millions of children the world over. Arguing for the motion is Mark Bauerlein, Emeritus Professor of English at Emory University and author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future. Arguing against the motion is Caitlin Fisher, Department Chair of Cinema and Media Arts at York University where she is also the Director of the Immersive Storytelling Lab and the Augmented Reality Lab. Sources: BBC, Arirang News, WJZ, NBC, CNBC, CBS, Ruby Rube The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   For detailed show notes on the episode, head to https://munkdebates.com/podcast. 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

The lowest oil prices in history thanks to stalled economies in lockdown. A President Elect and a Green New Deal that promises a carbon neutral America in a decade. Governments pledging to make the internal combustion engines illegal within a decade. It seems like the way we have powered our civilization for two plus centuries, using hydrocarbons, is on the way out as we welcome an energy revolution to combat climate change and environmental degradation. Fossil fuel proponents say that this is wildly wishful thinking that doesn’t take into account renewable energy’s infinitesimal contribution to current global demand. Moreover, most green energy is incredibly difficult to store and transit in the ways modern economies need, raising questions about whether hype has replaced common sense about replacing hydrocarbons as our dominant energy source.  Arguing for the motion is Ramez Naam, energy innovation advocate, and Co-chair for Energy and Environment at the Singularity University. He’s also the author of the award winning sci-fi Nexus Trilogy. Arguing against the motion is Mark Mills, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and co-founding partner of Cottonwood Venture Partners, an energy-tech venture fund. He served in the White House Science Office under President Reagan. Sources: Global, BBC, NBC, MSNBC, AP Archive, CBC, CNBC International, Global Warming Policy Forum The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   For detailed show notes on the episode, head to https://munkdebates.com/podcast. 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

Some proponents of liberal democracy are interpreting the US election results - and Donald Trump’s near win - as a warning sign that the pulse of populist politics still beats strong in the American body politic, an ill tiding for other liberal democracies currently trying to fend off populist insurgencies. Critics of populism say it is not inconceivable, if action isn’t taken to strengthen liberal democratic institutions and values, that the politics of Spain, France, the UK, and the US could end up looking a lot like those in Hungary, Turkey, Russia, and Brazil today. Defenders of populist politics say the recent US election is proof that the rough and tumble spirit of democracy is alive and well. They credit populism with turning out historic numbers of voters on both sides of the ballot. Thanks to populist politics, citizens have the power to articulate their interests and anxieties during a period of massive demographic and social upheaval. They argue that populist politics - both right-wing and left-wing - is key to renewing democracy and giving its values and institutions a new lease on life in the 21st century.  Arguing for the motion is Donald Critchlow, Katzin Family Professor at Arizona State University’s Faculty of History. He has recently published In Defense of Populism: Protest and American Democracy.  Arguing against the motion is Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies at Oxford University. He is the author of The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ‘89 witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin & Prague. Sources: MLive, Sky News, ITV News, WLKY Louisville, CBC, ABC, Al Jazeera, Daily Mail, Regan Library, Bedros Keuilen The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   For detailed show notes on the episode, head to https://munkdebates.com/podcast. 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

We’re heading into the twelfth month of a global pandemic and in many places the spread of COVID-19 shows no signs of slowing down. As infections continue to surge, countries in the northern hemisphere have started to reimpose lockdowns restricting people's movement and social interactions and closing portions of their economies. Many political leaders and their public health advisors argue that these kinds of restrictions are necessary as a crisis measure when infections spiral out of control, threatening a collapse of hospitals and devastating health consequences. They also advocate a strategy of suppression to keep infections low once the crisis is brought under control. But some politicians and public health experts are criticizing what they believe is an overly draconian approach. They say that it makes no sense to prevent the healthy and young from going about their normal lives when their risk of dying from the virus is less than the flu and they suffer considerable collateral damage from lockdowns. They argue that countries should adopt a focused approach to fighting the pandemic that zeroes in on protecting elderly and vulnerable. Arguing for the motion is Martin Kulldorff, Professor of Medicine at Harvard University. He is one of the authors of the recently released Great Barrington Declaration which advocates an alternative, risk-based approach to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Arguing against the motion is Stephen Reicher, Professor of Psychology at the University of St. Andrew’s in Scotland. He sits on a subgroup of SAGE, the official scientific body advising the UK government on its COViD 19 response. Sources: Global, ABC, NBC, City TV, CBC, NDTV, CBS 6 The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   For detailed show notes on the episode, head to https://munkdebates.com/podcast. 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

The election wasn’t supposed to turn out this way, according to months of American election polling. Survey after survey and breathless media commentary predicted that Joe Biden would beat Donald Trump in popular vote by upwards of 6, 8, even 10 percent. The same polls and media commentators projected the Democrats with winning margins in the key battleground states of Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Idaho. Bullish predictions included a Democratic sweep of Senate, more Democratic seats in the House of Representatives, and Biden flipping the traditional Republican strongholds of Georgia and Texas. So far none of these predictions came to pass and, instead, a Democratic cakewalk into the White House has morphed into a contested election with possibly weeks if not months to go before a winner is officially declared. How did this happen? Why, after 2016, is much of the media, and seemingly the majority of pollsters, so clueless when it comes to fathoming voter’s intentions on election day? Is it time, once and for all, to give up on public opinion polling as predictive tool? What is the effect on democracies of faulty polling and a media only too happy to widely publicize survey results that 2020 would suggest have little real bearing on what voters actually think? Sources: DW News, MSNBC, NBC, NBC Local 33

On this episode of the Munk Debates Podcast, James Carville, U.S. Democratic Party political strategist and bestselling author, on the likely outcomes of the November 3rd U.S. Presidential election.

On this episode of the Munk Debates podcast, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and best selling author, Newt Gingrich, joins us to discuss the legacy of Trump’s first term as president and where U.S. politics might be headed after November 3.

On this episode of the Munk Debates Podcast, former U.S. labour secretary, Robert Reich, joins us to discuss the once in a generation societal challenges presented by COVID-19.

On this episode of the Munk Debates Podcast, Michael Eric Dyson, best-selling author joins us to discuss the future of the politics of race in the shadow of the most consequential U.S. election in a generation.