Vox's Worldly

Zack and Alex are joined by Ben Pauker, Vox’s managing editor for news and a longtime foreign correspondent, to talk about the war in Afghanistan — and why the US can’t seem to win it. They discuss the reasons that Afghanistan is fertile ground for an insurgency, why the Taliban has become a particularly effective bunch of militants, and why the US’ ultimate goal — building up an Afghan government and military that can sure the country in its absence — is so hard to achieve. Come for the policy pessimism, stay for Zack’s oblique reference to a dril tweet. Read this interview Alex did with warfare expert Dominic Tierney on why the US has trouble winning wars. The New York Times has a good history (with pictures!) of why many have tried and failed to win in Afghanistan. Here’s how the US “won” in Iraq Alex wrote about how the Taliban has very slightly moderated its stances towards women and minorities in recent years. Yes, a Taliban fighter really did say “You have the watches. We have the time.” Here’s what yo

In this special crossover episode, Weeds host Matt Yglesias talks to Emma Ashford, Research Fellow in Defense and Foreign Policy at the Cato Institute. It's a wide ranging discussion covering everything from China to the middle east, our relationship with Russia since the cold war, and the defense budget. They also explore the difference between restraint and realism, and whether or not Trump is an isolationist. Guest Host: Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) Guest Emma Ashford (@emmamashford) More to explore: Subscribe for free to The Weeds. On Vox’s twice-weekly policy and politics podcast, Matthew Yglesias is joined by Ezra Klein, Dara Lind, Jane Coaston and other Vox voices to dig into important national issues, including healthcare, immigration, housing, and everything else that matters. About Vox: Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zack and Jenn are joined by Vox foreign writer Jen Kirby to talk about UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to “prorogue” Parliament — meaning suspend it for five weeks — during the runup to the October 31st Brexit deadline. They explain how this is an obvious maneuver to prevent Parliament from blocking a no-deal Brexit, and then break down what Parliament could do in response, and how all of this represents a serious challenge for British democracy. Here’s Jen Kirby’s explainer on the whole proroguing controversy. We mentioned that the UK government’s own analyses suggest a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the UK. And here’s a link to our past episode “The looming Brexit catastrophe” on what a no-deal Brexit could mean for Britain. The UK House of Commons Library has a good summary of how proroguing normally works. Here’s more on how the opposition Labour Party was planning to thwart Johnson before all this happened. Here’s a member of Johnson’s Conservative Party, Dominic Grieve, calling Jo

In Jenn’s and Alex’s absence, Zack is joined by Umair Irfan, a climate change reporter at Vox, to talk about the wildfires raging in Siberia, Greenland, and — most worryingly — the Amazon rainforest. They explain why preserving the health of the massive rainforest is vital to addressing climate change, and how the policies of Brazil’s right-wing populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, have helped cause the wildfires and jeopardized the Amazon rainforest’s very survival. Umair tells stories from his recent visit to Brazil, while Zack recalls a sweaty walk to work. Links! Here’s Umair’s piece on all the fires raging around the world right now. Vox’s Jen Kirby explained Bolsonaro 101. Some background on Bolsonaro’s environmental policy. It’s very bad! Bolsonaro has gone after indigenous rights since literally the first day of his presidency. São Paulo’s drought problem has been really serious. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s big new report on land use and climate change. Information on one of several

Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the recently deceased Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty — a Cold War-era agreement that was supposed to stop the US and Russia from putting destabilizing missiles too close to each other. They explain where the treaty came from, why it mattered, and why Trump pulled out of it — and cap it off with a discussion of whether the treaty’s demise was a good thing or not. Zack does his best (worst?) Yaakov Smirnoff impression, Jenn breaks down the song “99 Red Balloons” at length, and Alex laughs at Mikhail Gorbachev’s jokes. Alex’s recent INF treaty explainer US President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev sign the INF in 1987 Here’s the full text of the treaty if you want to read it yourself. The Worldly hosts prefer this cover of “99 Red Balloons” by Goldfinger, but their producer Byrd maintains that the Nena version is best. Editorial director Liz Nelson, meanwhile, recommends this version from the punk band 7 Seconds. Zack mentioned that there were several times we came cl

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about India’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its constitution, the provision giving special status to the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir, a decision that has sparked a political crisis with Pakistan. The Worldly team explains why Kashmiri autonomy is so sensitive, the ideological reasons why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to do something so destabilizing and provocative, and what this could mean for the always-volatile India-Pakistan relationship. Alex has an explainer about India’s Kashmir power grab. The New Yorker has a good piece on the India-Pakistan partition. Vox also has an explainer on the violence between Pakistan and India earlier this year. A part of Article 370 of India’s constitution reads: “[T]he President may, by public notification, declare that this article shall cease to be operative or shall be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as he may specify.” India’s home minister said Modi’s government would gi

Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down the tension between the US and one of its major NATO allies, Turkey. The most recent fight is over Turkey’s purchase of a Russian missile system, but that’s emblematic of a much deeper rift relating to the Turkish government’s drift towards authoritarianism and the two ally’s diametrically opposed policies in Syria. They also then venture some guesses about whether this could get better — but since this is Worldly, you probably know where our hosts are going to come down on that. Links! Alex explains the background on the S-400 missile situation. Turkey’s bid to join NATO was approved in 1951 (though it was technically effective in 1952). Here’s a diplomatic cable from 1964 on how the Johnson administration’s handling of Cyprus shaped the US-Turkey relationship (wasn’t good!) Alex’s piece also has a good short explanation on Gulf War tensions between the US and Turkey. Here’s a Zack piece on the complicated US-Turkey-Kurdish tensions in Syria. And another Zack piece on Turkey’

Zack and Jenn are joined by Jen Kirby, Vox’s chief Brexit correspondent, to discuss the UK’s new prime minister: Boris Johnson. They trace his rise to power, his political persona that is both funny and troubling, and his distinct lack of political conviction. They also discuss why we should be skeptical that Johnson can make a Brexit deal by October 31, as he’s suggested he would — and what could happen if he doesn’t. Here’s Boris, explained. And Boris explained, again, just in a lot fewer words. In the Guardian, Jennifer Rankin and Jim Waterson examine the impact of Johnson’s journalism. Jenn Williams explains Johnson’s offensive comments. The Guardian describes the zipline malfunction seen ’round the world. Jen Kirby writes on how Brexit finally brought Theresa May down. The future of Brexit under Boris ... maybe. Boris Johnson says Britain’s can-do spirit can solve Brexit, in the Daily Telegraph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Ward joins The Weeds' Jane Coaston  and Matt Yglesias to explain Trump's more-tedious-than-it-sounds plan for military domination of the final frontier. Recommended reading: “Trump really, really wants troops in space” by Alex Ward “Trump wants a ‘Space Force.’ We have many questions.” by Alex Ward “Trump’s call for a Space Force, explained” by Alex Ward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the saga of Kim Darroch, the recently-resigned UK Ambassador to the US. Some of Darroch’s private cables back home, where he referred to President Trump as “inept” (among other things), were leaked and published in a British tabloid — leading to a sequence of events that led to Darroch’s resignation and reveals quite a lot about Britain’s post-Brexit standing in the world and the US-UK relationship. For elsewhere, they discuss the Women’s World Cup — why some countries are much better than others at women’s soccer and the surprisingly deep socio-political reasons that the US is particularly dominant. References! Here’s the Daily Mail’s piece on the leaked cables. The Atlantic has a good piece on how Boris Johnson effectively sank Kim Darroch’s chances of keeping his job. This is the “Love Actually” scene Alex talked about. Yes, a British parliamentarian called Johnson Trump’s poodle in a tweet WikiLeaks has already released thousands of diplomatic cables Political science shows

The long-awaited Worldly live episode is here! In a taping at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Zack, Alex, and Jenn discuss the notion of “maximum pressure” — a phrase coined to describe Trump’s North Korea policy that has turned out to describe the closest thing we have to a Trump doctrine. They discuss what “maximum pressure” is, how effective (or not) it’s been, and which countries Trump has used it on. They also have a great time at the taping — well, Jenn and Zack do, because they make fun of Alex a whole lot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a Democratic debate special! Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down the big foreign policy issue dividing the candidates: whether the liberal international order the United States set up after World War II is working, and what reforms are necessary if it isn’t. They examine the views of four leading candidates — Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren — and analyze a really revealing exchange from Wednesday night’s debate. Here’s Alex’s piece describing the ideological split among 2020 Democrats. You can watch Biden’s speech here… …and Buttigieg’s here… ...and Warren’s here… ...and Sanders’s here. Zack’s beef with Bernie Sanders’s 2016 positions on trade. Vox explained the debate’s winners and losers. The Pentagon released the names of the two deceased soldiers. Zack has an explainer on Tulsi Gabbard’s fake pacifism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zack and Alex break down the past few weeks of worrying news about Iran. They discuss (what seem to be) Iranian attacks on oil tankers, Iran announcing that it was thinking about breaking the terms of the nuclear deal, and the US sending more troops to the region. Then they discuss what it all means: just how interested certain parts of the Trump administration are in war with Iran, the ways in which Iran’s actions are playing into their hands, and how similar this situation is to the Bush administration’s march to war with Iraq. Come see our live show on June 24! Alex’s most recent update on the drone attack. Here’s John Bolton’s original statement on Iran Alex has an explainer on the entire US-Iran standoff The Council on Foreign Relations has a detailed explainer on the Strait of Hormuz See the video and pictures of the oil tanker attacks released by the US military Both Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel say it looks as though Iran is behind the oil tanker attack Japan’s governm

Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the huge protests in Hong Kong that erupted over a controversial amendment to the city’s extradition law — and why the fight is really about protecting the city’s freedoms from Beijing’s attempts to repress them. They play audio clips recorded and sent to the show by protesters in Hong Kong explaining why they’re demonstrating and what it’s like on the ground, and discuss the big-picture issues surrounding democracy and rights in China. Zack ends the show with a characteristic monologue, Alex makes the obligatory Guns N’ Roses joke, and Jenn declares herself “old.” Links: Alex’s explainer has the background on Hong Kong and the recent extradition law change. Jenn described this video in which protesters rushed to put out tear gas grenades as they rained down on the crowd. How Hong Kong remembers Tiananmen. This is a good article on the belief that economic liberalization in China would produce a shift toward democracy — and why that didn’t happen. The details on Xi Jinping’s h

Nice Try! is a new podcast from Curbed and the Vox Media Podcast Network that explores stories of people who have tried to design a better world, and what happens when those designs don't go according to plan. Season one, Utopian, follows Avery Trufelman on her quest to understand the perpetual search for the perfect place. Enjoy this special preview of the first episode, Jamestown: Utopian for Whom, and subscribe to Nice Try! for free in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenn and Alex explain how months-long protests to oust a brutal dictator in Sudan, once so hopeful, have fallen victim to a bloody repression campaign. After initial peaceful talks, a government-linked paramilitary group decided to attack demonstrators, killing as many as 100 people and dumping bodies in the Nile River. The worry now is that Sudan is turning into another Arab Spring-like horror story, meaning that another repressive regime may ultimately survive despite the will of the people. Jenn shows off her Middle East expertise, Alex hosts Worldly for the first time, and both hope the Sudanese protesters get justice. References: This piece from Vox’s Jen Kirby outlines how the military coup that ousted Bashir happened and why protesters still weren’t satisfied. And this piece from former Vox intern Salwa Sadek takes a look at the women who have been at the forefront of the protest movement in Sudan. Here’s more on what we know about the death toll so far and the reports of sexual assault against prote

Jenn, Alex, and special guest Jen Kirby (who goes by Kirby in our shows) explain the shocking results of the European parliamentary elections. The world's second-largest exercise in democracy produced big wins for Europe's left-wing Green Party, some gains for far-right politicians, and a collapse of traditional centrist parties. The gang breaks down what these results actually mean for the people of Europe, the European Union, and the rise of fringe parties around the world. The result, it seems, is that extremist parties may be more mainstream now than you think. Jenn shows off her hosting chops, Alex records under a hot blanket, and Kirby drops some sweet, sweet European politics knowledge. As promised, here’s the reservation link to our LIVE SHOW! bit.ly/link-worldly Here’s Jen Kirby’s fantastic piece explaining what happened in the elections. This has a good breakdown of the voter turnout in past elections and how much higher it was this time around. If you want to know more about the policy positions of

Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down how a six-hour video of a far-right party leader drinking in Ibiza brought down Austria’s government. The story involves a fake Russian oligarch’s niece, a far-right party founded by former Nazis, and a plot to subvert the country’s independent media. The Worldly hosts make sense out of this sprawling drama, and explain what it tells us about the broader far-right movement across Europe. Alex tells us what it’s like on the ground in Austria (he’s actually there), Zack practices his German pronunciations, and Jenn manages not to curse for once. Alex wrote a fantastic explainer on the whole scandal. Der Spiegel, one of the two media outlets that viewed the secret video, has a great piece laying out everything that was on the tape. Here’s a selection of clips from the longer conversation, with subtitles.  This feature on Hungary from Zack explains why references to trying to build a media landscape like Viktor Orbán’s are so scary. Here is the anatomically implausible music v

Zack, Jenn, and Alex examine Trump’s trade war with China, which appears to be back on after negotiations failed to produce a deal. They run through how we got here, what’s happened so far in terms of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs, and what the costs of economic tensions between the world’s two largest economies are for ordinary Americans, Chinese citizens, and the world. On Elsewhere, they discuss a disturbing story about a Malaysian teenager who died by suicide after polling her Instagram followers on whether she should live or die — and what this says about the problems of managing social media’s dark side worldwide. Links: Our colleague Matthew Yglesias has an explainer on Trump’s China trade war. Some recent research shows the complexity and murkiness of the debate over US job losses from trade with China. The New York Times has a great piece outlining the various ways China manipulates US companies that want to do business in China, including forcing them to hand over valuable intellectual property. T

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about a scary rise in tensions between the US and Iran in the past week — a (possibly inflated) Iranian plot against American troops in the Middle East, and an Iranian announcement of plans to stop abiding by the terms of the nuclear deal. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who has long supported going to war with Iran, appears to be intentionally escalating the situation — and it’s not clear how much of an off-ramp there is. On Elsewhere, they discuss dictatorial Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s move to overturn the results of an election he doesn’t like, and what it says about the new model of authoritarianism in places like Turkey and Hungary. References! You can read Bolton’s entire Iran statement here. Alex has an explainer on the standoff. The Daily Beast reports that the Trump administration inflated Iran intelligence.  Iran declared that it wouldn’t abide by certain parts of the nuclear deal. Zack has you covered on Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran deal and what