Intelligence Squared

Latest Episodes:

Lyse Doucet on Reporting from the Frontlines (Part Two) Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Afghanistan since 1988, during the Soviet troop withdrawal, played a leading role in the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and has covered major wars as well as efforts to make peace in the Middle East since 1994. In 2022 she covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine live from Kyiv as Putin’s tanks crossed the border. Most recently she reported from Tehran in the aftermath of Israel’s bombing of Iran.

Doucet is renowned for her compassionate, human-centred reporting often in times of war and suffering. In October 2025 she came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share her reflections and insights from four decades on the frontlines.

In conversation with fellow broadcaster Lindsey Hilsum, the International Editor for Channel 4 News who has also reported from frontlines of our time, Doucet also discussed the themes and approach of her new book, The Finest Hotel in Kabul, a vivid history of Afghanistan as seen from the iconic Inter-Continental Hotel. Drawing on years of interviews with its staff and guests, the book traces the country’s tumultuous history – from the Soviet withdrawal and civil war to the US invasion and the return of the Taliban – through the prism of this landmark hotel and the lives of the staff who kept it running during war and peace.

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Lyse Doucet on Reporting from the Frontlines (Part One) Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

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An Evening with Dan Jones on War, Plague and Lion Hearts (Part Two) Oct 19, 2025

Show notes

‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore

The Hundred Years’ War was an age-defining conflict. The violent struggle between England and France spanned over a century and permanently transformed the art of European warfare itself. Rich with stories of iconic figures, from Joan of Arc to Henry V, the sheer scale of it continues to inspire fictional retellings today.

In his Essex Dogs trilogy, bestselling historian and author Dan Jones retells the battles and bloodshed through the eyes of the Essex Dogs, a fictional platoon. Now, as the series reaches its climax, he joins us on stage for an exploration of war, plague, and the third and final instalment of the trilogy – Lion Hearts.

Jones’ story resumes as the Black Death is tearing through Europe. The Essex Dogs have scattered: Romford thrives in the glittering court of King Edward III, Loveday struggles with loss and a reluctant return to violence, and Millstone and Thorp enlist themselves on a deadly mission to escort a princess to Castille. Yet an explosive turn of events is set to pull them back together.

Jones returned to Intelligence Squared to explore the brutal realities of the Hundred Years' War, the profound impact of the bubonic plague, and the craft of weaving together fact and fiction.

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An Evening with Dan Jones on War, Plague and Lion Hearts (Part One) Oct 19, 2025

Show notes

‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore

Jones returned to Intelligence Squared to explore the brutal realities of the Hundred Years' War, the profound impact of the bubonic plague, and the craft of weaving together fact and fiction.

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Why Does It Feel Like Everything is Getting Worse? With Cory Doctorow Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

How can we reverse the enshittification of digital platforms? With Cory Doctorow

Why does every online platform seem to start out great - then slowly turn to garbage? Why do our digital public squares now feel more like corporate malls... or burning trash heaps?

‘Enshittification’ has been word of the year in the UK, USA and Australia. It's been printed in the pages of the FT and declaimed from podiums at the EU. As a word, it captures the feeling of a world that is ever worsening.

Cory Doctorow, the tech and ethics writer who coined the term, argues that enshittification is not a technical glitch, but a technique that every platform - from X to TikTok, Amazon to Apple, has adopted on purpose to maximise profit at the expense of user experience.

In this episode, Doctorow joins Carl Miller to break down what this relentless downward spiral means for democracy, privacy, creativity, and trust, and what can be done to reverse it.

Doctorow offers a roadmap for reclaiming a better digital future. From breaking monopolies and restoring interoperability to empowering tech workers and enforcing real regulation, this is a conversation about what's broken, and how we can fix it.

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Can the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part Two) Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.’ – Winston Churchill

In a world where geopolitical alliances are fraying and tensions are rising, what can the fragile coalition that defeated Hitler teach us about the challenges facing the West today?

In September 2025 historian Tim Bouverie came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss his Sunday Times bestselling book Allies at War: The Politics of Defeating Hitler. In conversation with Editor of The Spectator Michael Gove, Bouverie described how Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin overcame deep ideological differences and strategic rivalries to form a fragile but ultimately victorious alliance against Nazi Germany.

Now, with Donald Trump threatening to abandon NATO, Vladimir Putin intent on exploiting Western fissures, and democratic nations questioning their own cohesion, the lessons of WWII’s Grand Alliance have never felt more relevant.

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Can the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part One) Oct 12, 2025

Show notes

‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.’ – Winston Churchill

In a world where geopolitical alliances are fraying and tensions are rising, what can the fragile coalition that defeated Hitler teach us about the challenges facing the West today?

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s is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

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How Will the US Fight China? With Franz-Stefan Gady Oct 11, 2025

Show notes

The threat of war between the US and China seems to be a constant background hum in the news cycle. Commentators often tackle when and why this conflict might emerge and escalate.

But how would a war between the two great powers actually play out? Who would dominate across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace?

In today’s episode, host Adam McCauley sits down with Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss the operational, organisational and political challenges that the US would face should it go to war with China over Taiwan.

Franz-Stefan Gady has advised US and European militaries on structural reform and the future of high-intensity warfare. An adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, he has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. His latest book is How the United States Would Fight China.

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The Specialist | The Most Valuable Car in the World, with Gord Duff And Marcus Breitschwerdt Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best.

On this episode, the extraordinary story of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé — a car so rare and revered that few believed it would ever leave the Mercedes-Benz museum. Yet it went on to become the most expensive automobile in history. To tell this story to full effect, this episode will feature both Gord Duff, President of RM Sotheby’s in Blenheim, Ontario, and Marcus Breitschwerdt, Executive Vice President of Mercedes-Benz and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage.

Further details about the episode subject.

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What Can Criminal Psychology Teach Us About Climate Change? With Julia Shaw Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Can criminal psychology offer us a new way to think about and combat climate change?

In this episode, criminal psychologist Julia Shaw sits down with physicist and broadcaster Helen Czerski to offer a compelling new framework to understand environmental crime.

While big structural issues often cloud political progress on climate action, Shaw takes a more granular approach. In conversation with Czerski, she draws on her new book Green Crime to illuminate the minds of those behind some of the world’s most devastating environmental scandals - from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to Dieselgate and the shadowy wildlife trade in Shuidong.

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