The Rest Is Politics

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372. Syria, al-Sharaa, and the future of the Middle East Feb 15, 2025

Show notes

What does al-Sharaa's rise to power mean for Syria? Given his surprise takeover, how will today’s CIA analysts be changing the way they think about the country and what happens next? Will Syria be the next Libya?

Join Rory and Alastair as they discuss Syria’s rapidly shifting political landscape with former CIA analyst and The Rest Is Classified co-host David McCloskey, who spent almost a decade covering Syria from Langley and Damascus, both before and during the Syrian civil war.

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Assistant Producer: Evan Green

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Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

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Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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371. Question Time: Buying Gaza, Macron’s AI Stunt, and Europe on a Knife’s Edge Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

How does Trump’s controversial plan impact Middle Eastern relations? Can President Macron combat AI deep fakes in France? How does Canada plan to fight a trade war with the US?

Join Alastair and Rory as they answer all of these questions and more.

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Assistant Producers: India Dunkley, Evan Green

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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370. Starmer’s Silver Bullet and Trump’s War on the Poor Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Will Musk’s Washington power grab increase global poverty? Has Keir Starmer lost control of his cabinet? Is now the perfect moment for Britain to join the customs union?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to receive early access to Question Time episodes to live show tickets, enjoy ad-free listening for both TRIP and Leading, receive our exclusive newsletter, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and join our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics.

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Assistant Producers: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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369. Question Time: China’s DeepSeek, Ambassador Mandelson, and misogyny in politics Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

What’s the danger of China’s DeepSeek? Why are male and female politicians still treated differently? Are politicians right to appease leaders they don’t agree with?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

Stream brand-new drama Brian and Maggie now on Channel 4.

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Assistant Producers: India Dunkley, Evan Green

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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368. Trump's Plan for Gaza Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

What exactly does Trump mean by "taking over" Gaza? How have others reacted to Trump's proposals? How serious is he?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in an emergency livestream, recorded on Wednesday 5th February 2025.

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Assistant Producers: Evan Green, India Dunkley

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Producers: Nicole Maslen, Theo Young-Smith, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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367. Rory vs JD Vance, recording from Damascus, and Trump’s tariffs Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

Why are Rory and Alastair in Damascus? What’s going on with JD Vance? Has there been a twist in the German election?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Assistant Producers: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Video Editor: Joshua Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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366. Question Time: Why do dictators bother with sham elections? Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

What stops billionaires spending their money in their lifetime? How can you stay engaged with politics without sacrificing mental health? Who are the hidden actors in the Israel/Gaza conflict?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

Stream brand-new drama Brian and Maggie now on Channel 4.

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Assistant Producers: India Dunkley & Evan Green

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen & Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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365. Trump's Mafia World Order Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

How many ‘early warning signs of fascism’ are we seeing in the US? Has Trump delivered a fatal blow to America’s soft power around the world? Why does Alastair admire Prince Harry and his battle with the tabloids?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive our exclusive newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics.

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @RestIsPolitics

Email: restispolitics@gmail.com

Assistant Producers: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Video Editor: Joshua Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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364. Question Time: America’s waning power, Alastair vs. Meta, and the existential threat of depopulation Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

Musk, Zuckerberg, and Trump – who’s controlling who? Does populist isolationism actually make a country weaker? Could Farage actually be Prime Minister by 2029?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @RestIsPolitics

Email: restispolitics@gmail.com

Assistant Producers: India Dunkley, Evan Green

Video Editor: Joshua Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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363. The Return of Donald J. Trump Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

What did the inauguration tell us about how extreme Trump 2.0 is going to be? What is Netanyahu’s endgame for Gaza – peace or perpetual war? Why has Starmer launched an inquiry into the Southport attacks?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @RestIsPolitics

Email: restispolitics@gmail.com

Assistant Producers: Evan Green, India Dunkley

Video Editor: Joshua Smith

Social Producer: Jess Kidson

Producers: Nicole Maslen, Fiona Douglas

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Head of Content: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport