Intelligence Squared

Latest Episodes:

The Story of the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster, with Adam Higginbotham Jun 09, 2024

Show notes

The voyage of the space shuttle Challenger on the morning of January 28th, 1986, lasted just minutes before it broke up mid-flight. The tragic outcome for its lost crew has cast a shadow over space travel for decades since. But how did that disaster unfold? And what is its legacy for space exploration today? These are some of the questions being asked in journalist and author Adam Higginbotham’s new book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space. Higginbotham’s previous book was Midnight in Chernobyl, which covered the synonymous nuclear disaster and was one of the the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2019. His writing has appeared in magazines including The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Wired and more. He’s also the former US correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph Magazine and former Editor-in-Chief of The Face. Joining Higginbotham in conversation for this episode is the technology researcher, author and co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, Carl Miller.

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Archive – How I Found My Voice: Michael Palin Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

This is an archive episode from 2019 from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed, the podcast explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. In this episode Samira speaks to the actor, writer and comedian Michael Palin. Part of the legendary Monty Python comedy group, Palin has helped shape British comedy on our TV screens. From growing up with a father who stuttered to finding his comedy partners and travelling the world, Palin speaks about the moments that shaped and inspired his voice.

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The Volatile Future of US Politics, with Robert Kagan Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

There's rarely a week in which Donald Trump doesn't make the headlines but the last few have been particularly potent with the former US president having been served justice in a US courtroom. One voice who has been vocal in lamenting the transformation of the Republican Party into a vehicle for Trump's agenda is Robert Kagan. He's a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a historian and contributing columnist at The Washington Post. He has advised on policy for the US State Department for both Republican and Democrat administrations. and some of the Republican party's most prominent voices in recent decades. His latest book is Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart—Again; a reflection on the increasing radicalisation of the Republican Party. Joining Kagan in conversation to talk about it for this episode is Edward Luce, chief US commentator for the Financial Times, based in Washington DC, and author of books including The Retreat of Western Liberalism.

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Swimming Against the Tide with Athlete Turned Advocate, Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

In a competitive field defined by record breakers, medals and podium places, being first in sport is often considered the primary marker of success but being out in front can also be a lonely experience. In her new memoir, These Heavy Black Bones, former swimmer for both Kenya and Team GB, Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, tells a story of ecstatic professional highs and alienating personal lows. She is a former world number one athlete who became the first Black woman to represent Great Britain in swimming but who also chose to walk away from the sport shortly before the 2012 Olympics. Since then her achievements have been no less remarkable. She's a filmmaker, an award-winning essayist and heads up the 10,000 Interns Foundation, which helps young people from underrepresented communities get their start. Joining her in conversation for this episode is journalist and podcaster Ruchira Sharma, who is host of the Anatomy of a Stalker and Everything is Content podcasts, and writes for The Guardian, the BBC, GQ and more.

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A History of Nostalgia, with Agnes Arnold-Forster Jun 02, 2024

Show notes

Writer and historian Agnes Arnold-Forster's most recent book, Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion, blends fields such as neuroscience and psychology with social history to explore a feeling that many might view as a simple human fondness for the past. Nostalgia, though, is also vulnerable to misuse, manipulation by unreliable narrators and it often reflects many of our deeper anxieties as a society. Joining her to discuss the book is the scholar, critic and editor Merve Emre, who is Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University.

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Max Hastings on On the Secret Mission to Defeat Hitler, Part Two May 30, 2024

Show notes

This is the second instalment of a three-part conversation. Military historian, journalist, author and broadcaster Max Hastings comes to the Intelligence Squared stage to recount the remarkable story of Operation Biting and what it tells us about the crucial role of intelligence and special forces in great power conflict. Drawing from his new book Operation Biting: The 1942 Assault to Capture Hitler’s Radar, Hastings discusses how this almost forgotten operation helped turn the tide of the war and how modern intelligence and special forces continue to shape the conflicts and wars we see in the world today. Joining Hastings live onstage in conversation is Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History at Oxford University.

This is the second episode of a three-part conversation. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all three parts now plus all of our longer form interviews and Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

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Max Hastings on On the Secret Mission to Defeat Hitler, Part One May 29, 2024

Show notes

Military historian, journalist, author and broadcaster Max Hastings comes to the Intelligence Squared stage to recount the remarkable story of Operation Biting and what it tells us about the crucial role of intelligence and special forces in great power conflict. Drawing from his new book Operation Biting: The 1942 Assault to Capture Hitler’s Radar, Hastings discusses how this almost forgotten operation helped turn the tide of the war and how modern intelligence and special forces continue to shape the conflicts and wars we see in the world today. Joining Hastings live onstage in conversation is Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History at Oxford University.

This is the first instalment of a three-part conversation. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all three parts now plus all of our longer form interviews and Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:

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The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook China Special, with Keyu Jin May 26, 2024

Show notes

China’s economic power has been growing for decades. The capitalist reforms of Deng Xiaoping quickly transformed China into the world’s fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% annually. But in recent years the so-called China miracle has begun to slow down. The Covid-19 pandemic and the default of property giant Evergrande (the world’s most indebted property developer) are among the factors that have economists and politicians around the world asking: Is China’s economy in big trouble?

As we enter 2024 President Xi Jinping faces some formidable challenges: slow growth, high youth unemployment and a domestic property market in turmoil.

In May 2024 renowned economist Keyu Jin came to Intelligence Squared to help us all make sense of the problems China faces. In conversation with the BBC's Jonny Dymond at London's Asia House, she explained how the success or failure of China's economy will have profound consequences for the rest of the world.

Some argue that a more vulnerable China will seek better relations with the United States and the West. Others say economic weakness could make the country more aggressive and therefore more likely to invade Taiwan. Either way it has never been more important for us to understand the Chinese economy.

This recording is part of The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook series of events made in partnership with Guinness Global Investors, an independent British fund manager that helps both individuals and institutions harness the future drivers of growth to achieve their investment goals.

To find out more visit: https://www.guinnessgi.com/

If you would like to attend The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook's next event, visit www.IntelligenceSquared.com/attend

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Archive: Debate – The Left has right on its side May 26, 2024

Show notes

Following the recent announcement of a general election in the UK, we revisit our debate from 2018 in which key politicians debated the merits of Left vs Right politics. The political Left often purports that it has society’s best interests at heart and that it works for the good of all. Yet according to conservatives, it is precisely that self-regard, that attempt to monopolise virtue, which exposes the hypocrisy of left-wing ideology. In this archive debate from 2018, we gathered Labour MP Stella Creasy, environmental campaigner, journalist and author, George Monbiot, Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng, and the leading philosopher of conservative thought, the late Roger Scruton, who sadly passed away in 2020, to discuss the issue of right vs left. Our host for the discussion was the journalist, broadcaster, and John L Weinberg visiting professor at Princeton University in the School of Public and International Affairs, Razia Iqbal.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/IS for £100 sponsored credit.

This is the second instalment of a two-part conversation. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all of our longer form interviews and Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

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Archive: Western Intervention and the Rise of Guerrilla Warfare, with David Kilcullen May 24, 2024

Show notes

In this archive discussion from 2020, David Kilcullen, former soldier, diplomat, and senior counterinsurgency adviser for the US during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, explains the nature of past Western interventions and the guerrilla warfare resistance that has followed. He joined Carl Miller, Research Director at the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think tank Demos, to discuss his book: The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West.

We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/IS for £100 sponsored credit.

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