World Review from the New Statesman

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, and another chance for Jeremy Hunt Lawrence Freedman on why Putin is counting on “dirty bombs” and dipping temperatures in Ukraine Mark Galeotti asks if Putin is really willing to go nuclear? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, where Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, is poised for a comeback of his own with the help of far-right extremists.  The team also takes a listener question on what role political violence is playing in the US midterm elections.If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskusPodcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.Read more:Jeremy writes Lula's victory in Brazil shows how authoritarianism can be defeatedAlona asks who is the biggest winner in Israel's election? The far rightEmily on why political violence in the US has always been there, waiting to erupt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 India. First, Ravinder Kaur, associate professor of modern South Asian studies at the University of Copenhagen and author of Brand New Nation: Capitalist Dreams and Nationalist Designs in Twenty-First Century India, talks about why nationalist politics have proven so effective in India, and how nationalism and capitalism in India are entwined. Then, Suchitra Vijayan, author of Midnight’s Borders: A People’s History of Modern India, explains what is lost in the country’s broader political narrative, and discusses where there are signs of resistance.Read more:Emily on the accelerating rise of a dangerous new nationalism in India. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 forward for China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 progressive Democrats sent, and then retracted, a letter urging Joe Biden to negotiate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. What does this mean for the future of US president’s Ukraine policy? And what are we really talking about when we urge “diplomacy”?They also take a listener’s question on Ukraine’s request to have Russia labelled a terrorist state in this week’s You Ask Us.If you have a question you'd like the team to answer, just go to newstatesman.com/youaskusRead more:Could China stop Russia going nuclear?What will stop Vladimir Putin?Everything you need to know about the US midterm elections Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 nationalism is exclusive, based on ethnicity or race or religion. Is there another way? This series will look at nationalisms around the world, and whether they could be countered by a civic, liberal nationalism. In this second episode we look at nationalism in Hungary. First Zsuzsanna Szelényi, a former Fidesz member and author of Tainted Democracy: Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary, talks about Orbán's long history of using nationalism to trip up political opponents. Then Gergely Romsics, a senior research fellow at the research centre for the humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who teaches at the department of social science at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, takes a look at the precedents for civic nationalism in Hungarian history and why it is struggling now. Read more: Hungary and the US right deepen their illiberal mutual admirationWhy it’s not surprising that Viktor Orbán spoke at CPAC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As protests in Iran continue, sparked by the death of Masha Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab law, Ido Vock speaks to the Iranian academic Fatemeh Shams. They discuss how these protests have grown, the history of patriarchy in Iran and whether this could be the beginning of the end of the Iranian regime.Read more:How Mahsa Amini’s death set Iran on fireIran’s silencing of Elnaz Rekabi proves the protests are working Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian forces have launched major missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities for the second week in a row, killing at least five people. The European Commission condemned the strikes as “acts of pure terror” that amounted to war crimes. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss how this escalation by Russia is changing the tenor of the war, the coming winter and morale among Ukrainians, and the backdrop of rising discontent within Russia. Next, we move to the US midterms which are just weeks away and the polls are close. The team discuss President Joe Biden’s pledge to codify abortion rights if the Democrats win, whether rising inflation and the cost of living are more major concerns for voters, and the Republican candidates who dispute the 2020 election results. Then in You Ask Us a listener asks if power in the EU is swinging more eastward nowadays, after former eastern bloc countries have been vindicated of their wariness of Russia.Read more:Katie writes Vladimir Putin's land grab is an act of desperation.Ido reports on Iran testing out its deadly weapons on Ukraine.Emily on everything you should know about the 2022 US midterm elections.Emily asks will the right-wing Supreme Court hurt Republicans in the US midterm elections?Emily on why even an abortion scandal might not stop "pro-life" candidate Herschel Walker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Politicians all over the world use nationalism. They use it to win elections, and to stoke fear, and to gain and hold on to power. This form of nationalism is exclusive, based on ethnicity or race or religion. But is there another way? Emily Tamkin presents Nationalism Reimagined, a new series from the World Review podcast that will examine nationalism in its various guises in countries across the globe and look for an alternative approach. Can these divisive politics be countered by building a civic, liberal nationalism? In this first episode, we’ll explore why this is a question worth asking. First, the political scientist Ivan Krastev will talk about what it means to expand nationalism. Then the Time journalist Yasmeen Serhan will look at examples of nationalism around the world and talk about why symbols matter. 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.

Katie Stallard speak to our own Emily Tamkin about her new book, Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities. They discuss how the book came about, the challenges of Jewish identity in America in the 21st century, Trump and what Emily learned from interviewing her parents.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.Read more: With George Soros, right-wing America puts conspiracy above reality Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.