World Review from the New Statesman

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled their country since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February. With open dissent to the president’s regime almost impossible, many opposition activists have fled to neighbouring Georgia.Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Alix Kroeger in London speak to Ido Vock, who has been reporting from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, about its status as a growing hub for the opposition in exile, the threats activists face, and their prospects of return. Next, the team turn to the influence of powerful Russians in London and the questions around Boris Johnson’s links to Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev. Alexander is a former KGB agent and oligarch, now a British citizen; Evgeny, his son, owns the Evening Standard.Then in You Ask us, a listener asks what happens if Russia cuts off gas supplies to Germany.If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.Further reading:Katie Stallard writes that Russia is bluffing about its success in the war – but so is UkraineIdo Vock reports from Georgia, which is now a hub for Russian opposition in exile.“Boris Johnson’s secret conversations with Alexander Lebedev raise serious concerns”: Alix Kroeger interviews Christopher SteeleIdo on what happens if Russia doesn’t turn Germany’s gas back on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of a watershed moment for Europe and announced a shift in Germany’s approach to foreign policy. In this special episode, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), World Review looks at the context of this shift and whether it will make a difference to how Germany interacts with the world. Megan Gibson speaks to Katarina Barley, the vice-president of the European Parliament and a SPD politician in Germany, about what this change will look like. Then she discusses Germany’s approach to foreign relations with Sophia Besch from the Centre for European Reform, Jeremy Cliffe, the New Statesman’s writer-at-large, and Christos Katsioulis, head of the FES regional centre for cooperation and peace in Europe, in a conversation recorded shortly after the FES Tiergarten Conference “Zeitenwende: Into a new era”, held in June. For more information on the FES, visit uk.fes.de or the FES Competence Centre for Peace and Security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, has been forced to resign amid mass protests over his mismanagement of the economy. The country is suffering runaway inflation and shortages of food, fuel and basic supplies. Ido Vock speaks to Ganeshan Wignaraja, senior research associate at the Overseas Development Institute, a British think tank, and a former senior official at the Asian Development Bank. They discuss the background to Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, the role of debt-trap diplomacy, and what the resignation of the president will mean for the country.Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer. Further reading:Katie Stallard writes Sri Lanka's protests boil overHimal Kotelawala reports on Sri Lanka on the brink Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, resigned as Conservative Party leader last week, bowing to pressure after more than 50 government resignations. Emily Tamkin in Israel and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by the host of the New Statesman podcast and the NS’s Britain editor, Anoosh Chakelian, to discuss the race to replace him, the candidates’ foreign policy agendas and what Johnson’s departure might mean for the UK’s support for Ukraine. In Japan, the country’s former prime minister Abe Shinzo has died after being shot while making a speech in the western city of Nara. The team discuss the attack, Abe’s political legacy and what his death means for Japan and the politics of the wider Asia-Pacific region. Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks what to watch for in US president Joe Biden’s visit with Israel’s interim prime minister, Yair Lapid. Further reading: Emily Tamkin explains how Joe Biden’s democratic values will be tested in the Middle East. Katie Stallard on the assassination of Abe Shinzo. Jeremy Cliffe on the political legacy of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just hours after Israel’s parliament dissolved itself on 30 June 2022, Yair Lapid became Israel’s 14th prime minister. He will act as interim leader until the upcoming elections in November this year.Amir Tibon, senior editor at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, joins Emily Tamkin to discuss whether Lapid will prove himself in office over the next four months, or whether the elections will be a lifeline for the country’s former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. They also cover the string of challenges facing Israel at home and abroad, including what’s next for Palestine.Further reading:Emily Tamkin writes about how Joe Biden’s democratic values will be tested in the Middle East.Alona Ferber explains why Israel’s ouble standard on flag-waving is a risk to democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After another mass shooting in the US, politicians seem resigned to these incidents happening again and again. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Megan Gibson in London to discuss why they appear unable to do anything to stop them.   Plus, more than four months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the team look at how Russia’s war plan has changed and what the West needs to do to support Ukraine in this new phase.   Then in You Ask Us, they answer a listener’s question on what a change of UK prime minister would mean for Ukraine. To submit a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk  Read more:   Republicans put US shootings down to anything but gunsCan Ukraine win the war?Guns still take priority over safety, despite the closure of the “boyfriend loophole”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, talks to Emily Tamkin about how Russia and the world underestimated Ukraine’s resolve ahead of former’s February invasion, and how the West needs to hold its nerve and stay united to support Ukraine.Yovanovitch, who was pushed out by President Donald Trump in 2019 following a smear campaign during his first impeachment, talks about the 6 January Capitol riot congressional hearings and whether the US has really returned to the world stage. Plus, she explains how Ukraine is an example to the world because of the way it has fought against the invasion. Further Reading: The Capitol riot testimony was more smoking gun than smoke and mirrors.Russia’s army is fighting Ukraine the way it was designed to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday 24 June, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, a 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC are joined by Jeremy Cliffe in Madrid to discuss the fear and frustration felt on the ground in America, the Democrats’ lukewarm response amid rising polarisation in the country, and the global implications of the decision.Meanwhile in Madrid, Nato leaders have met this week for a pivotal summit, the organisation’s first since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year. The team discusses Turkey’s decision to lift its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the alliance.Then in You Ask Us, a listener has a question about the significance of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony, who was an aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, at the 6 January US Capitol riots committee hearings.If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.Further readingEmily on the end of Roe vs Wade.Katie and Emily on Roe vs Wade and the land of lost liberty.Jeremy on the new era of American darkness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is twenty-five years since the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule in 1997, when Beijing promised that Hong Kongers’ freedoms would be protected for 50 years. Katie Stallard speaks to Lord Patten, the last British governor of the territory from 1992-1997, about his new book, The Hong Kong Diaries.They discuss his dealings with the Chinese Communist Party, the failure to foresee Beijing’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong and his belief that Hong Kong might change China more than China would change Hong Kong. Also, the folly of the so-called “Golden Era” of UK-China relations under David Cameron, and what he really thinks of Boris Johnson.If you have a You Ask Us question for the international team, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.Further reading:The betrayal of Hong KongHong Kong’s authoritarian future is already here.China doesn’t just want to be part of the global order – it wants to shape it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1972 the Club of Rome published the Limits to Growth report: a pioneering document on the extent to which the Earth's natural resources can support rates of industrialisation and population growth. Now, 50 years on, we consider the impact of that report and what is happening to create a new social and economic paradigm that will help the global population live in tune with the environment. The New Statesman's environment editor, Philippa Nuttall, is joined in Brussels by Kate Raworth, the economist who created the concept of "Doughnut Economics"; Tim Jackson, a British economist from the University of Surrey; and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the Club of Rome. This special edition of World Review is produced with support from the Club of Rome and the BMW Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.