Observed from afar, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might appear to be a replay of the Cold War stand-off between Russia and the West. But according to political scientist Ivan Krastev a closer look complicates the picture. In a recent op-ed in the Financial Times Krastev argued that while America’s allies in Europe came together in support of Ukraine, other states, especially Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia have offered a different response. Turkey’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war is a classic example of middle power activism. President Tayyip Erdoğan has downplayed the country’s identity as a NATO member at the same time as he has positioned his country as a potential mediator between Moscow and Kyiv. India has used the war to capitalise on Western sanctions and import cheap Russian gas. And the Saudis have cosied up to Beijing and Moscow as a reminder to the United States that the US/Saudi security alliance is not unconditional. Middle powers have different goals and agendas but they all share one fundamental feature: they are determined to sit at the table of global politics and have a say in shaping their own regions. On this episode, Krastev, with journalist and academic Philippa Thomas, explores the rising activism of middle powers and how it is reshaping the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does the conversation on race need a reset? That is the question that Coleman Hughes and Kenan Malik explored when they came to Intelligence Squared in January 2022. Hughes is an acclaimed American writer and host of the award-winning podcast Conversations with Coleman. In 2019 at the age of 23 he testified before Congress against reparations for slavery and has roundly criticised the work of other Black writers on race such as Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo. In his view, their brand of anti-racism encourages a sense of victimhood among Black Americans and sows division between different racial groups. Malik is a British author and broadcaster, whose new book Not So Black and White explores the history of the idea of race and invites us to challenge many of the assumptions behind today’s culture wars. If you would like to support Coleman Hughes and his work, you can do so at colemanhughes.org.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does the world appear different when we’re in love? How can one colour make us feel anger and another calm? Why do sounds like chewing and yawning cause emotional distress for some people? Aristotle said that there were five senses but scientific research suggests that there could be many more than that, with some studies claiming that there are up to 52. On this episode we’re joined by Ashley Ward, Professor in Animal Behaviour at the University of Sydney. In discussion with zoologist and broadcaster Lucy Cooke, he explores some of the fascinating findings in his brand new book, Sensational: A New Story of Our Senses, and the mechanisms at the heart of how we navigate the world....Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Statues and memorials to famous figures of the past adorn our towns and cities but what should be done when some of these figures have come to be seen by many people as controversial symbols of oppression and discrimination?In Britain, the Rhodes Must Fall campaign hit the headlines when it demanded the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oxford’s Oriel College, of which he was a leading benefactor, because of his colonialism. In the US, violent protests in Charlottesville were sparked by a decision to remove from a park a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, because of the association of the Confederacy with slavery.Passions run high on both sides. Are those calling for the removal of controversial statues seeking to right an historical injustice or are they trying to erase history? And are those who object to removing memorials defending the indefensible or are they conserving historical reality, however unpalatable that may be? To discuss these emotive questions and examine the broader cultural conflicts which lie behind them, Intelligence Squared joined forces with Historic England to bring together a stellar panel including historians David Olusoga and Peter Frankopan, the journalist and author Afua Hirsch and the cultural commentator Tiffany Jenkins. The event was chaired by Guardian columnist, broadcaster and author Jonathan Freedland. This debate was made in Partnership with Historic England, on the 14th of May 2018 in London and was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye—We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today.Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In today's episode of Intelligence Squared, we hear from our podcast dedicated to exploring the possibilities of what lies ahead: The Futureverse. What if the solution to solving extreme poverty was as simple as giving cash to those who need it? GiveDirectly, the fastest growing NGO founded this century, does just that. By allowing donors to send money directly to the world’s poorest, it has revolutionised the aid sector. In the last decade, GiveDirectly has delivered $580M+ to over 1.37 million people across eleven countries. Cash in hand, no strings attached. In this episode, Kamal Ahmed is joined by the President of GiveDirectly Rory Stewart to discuss GiveDirectly’s work, the profound implications of direct cash transfers and why we all have a duty to do what we can to uplift the global poor. Rory’s career, which has taken him from Iraq, where he was Deputy-Governor of two provinces following the invasion in 2003, to the UK Government, where he served as Secretary of State for International Development, has shaped his approach to his own legacy, and what it means to be a good ancestor. Kamal and Rory discuss this and more in this wide-ranging interview with one of the most knowledgeable and compelling voices on international development and the charity sector.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his new memoir, Spare, Prince Harry has opened a Pandora's box of revelations on the carefully managed public image of the world’s most famous yet guarded family. The book reflects on his difficult relationship with senior royals, as well as sharing candid stories about his early life, the number of fighters the Prince killed while serving as a soldier in the army, and his interactions with the UK press. Could this be a historic turning point for the British monarchy? Rosamund Urwin, media editor for The Sunday Times, is joined to discuss it by author and filmmaker Robert Hardman, who has covered aspects of royal life for more than 20 years and who writes for the Daily Mail; his latest book is Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, and David Aaronovitch, columnist for The Times....Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russia's war on Ukraine, Liz Truss's mini budget and soaring inflation have all hammered the UK in recent months. But as the country begins a new year with a new Prime Minister – how much drama and uncertainty should we expect in 2023? In this episode we bring together an expert panel to debate and discuss the big questions facing the British economy. Will inflation be brought under control? Can the country cope without closer ties to the EU? And how prepared is Europe for more geopolitical tension with Russia and China? Our chair Manveen Rana is joined by Jonathan Portes, economist and Professor of Economics and Public Policy at King's College, London; Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at Interactive Investor, and Gerard Lyons, Chief Economic Strategist at the wealth manager Netwealth....Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some of the richest people in the world have decided against bequeathing their fortunes to their children; from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to Daniel Craig and Michael Sheen. The proponents of this view offer many arguments, including the idea that inheriting huge wealth can detrimentally impact children, distorting anything they might do with their life. They also argue that the wealthy are morally obliged to give most, or all, of their wealth away to effective causes – children, or no children. Nonetheless, historically, the vast majority of parents have decided to hand down their wealth to their children, believing it will help rather than harm them. In this episode, three leading thinkers come together to debate the motion ‘The kindest thing a parent can do for their child is to leave them nothing.’ Utilitarian philosopher Professor Peter Singer champions the moral imperative for the wealthy to give to the global poor; Julia Davies, a member of Patriotic Millionaires UK, advocates for a wealth tax, arguing that it should not be down to the rich to decide whether – and how – to give their wealth away; and author and academic Adrian Wooldridge argues that wealthy individuals are a net positive for society. Expertly moderated by journalist and broadcaster Kamal Ahmed, this conversation is a thought-provoking insight into one of the biggest decisions any parent has to make. The Futureverse is brought to you by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Y TREE. The past is in your head. The future is in your hands. For more information visit y-tree.com/futureverse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Powerful women have too often been overlooked by history. Of course we know about Boudica, Cleopatra, Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great. But there are many others whose stories are just as dramatic and deserve to be better known. For this episode of Intelligence Squared, acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of the new book The World: A Family History and the historical novelist Kate Mosse, whose latest publication is Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World, talk about how to reframe the role of women in historical narratives. In conversation with historian and broadcaster Kate Williams they discuss great women from across the globe and the whole span of human history – how they gained power, how they wielded it and how, given that it was largely men who wrote history and often distorted it to suit their own ends, we can establish the truth about these women and celebrate their contribution to the human story. ...Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are narwhals the closest creature to unicorns that we can ever know? How does the Greenland shark fill its 500 years on our planet? Is the iridescent golden mole a mole or an elephant? On this episode of the podcast we're joined by award-winning author and academic Katherine Rundell. In conversation with environmental historian and broadcaster Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough, they discuss the individual strangeness and beauty of the animal kingdom and the fragility of our natural world.—We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com. At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices