Nick Clegg has had a seat at the heart of power for nearly two decades. As leader of the Liberal Democrats he served as deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015 in the coalition government with David Cameron. After losing his parliamentary seat in 2017 he became Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s right-hand man as President of Global Affairs at Meta.

Throughout his time in politics and the private sector Clegg has been a key player in the battle between governments and Big Tech. In September 2025 he came to Intelligence Squared to argue why he believes that the backlash against Big Tech and the charges against it in recent years are overblown – including the accusation that social media algorithms polarise, manipulate and harm adults and children. Clegg drew from his new book How to Save the Internet to offer an alternative future for the internet that seeks to regulate Big Tech without demonising or overstating the problems these giant companies are accused of causing.

Clegg was in conversation with journalist, author and former BBC News Editorial Director Kamal Ahmed.

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In November 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in Israel after winning his sixth election. Propped up by a bloc of far-right and ultra-religious parties, Netanyahu’s government is seen by many as the most extreme in Israeli history. But he is also a remarkably successful politician: he first won power in 1996 and is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

In September 2025 Anshel Pfeffer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the Israeli Prime Minister came to Intelligence Squared for the third instalment of our Age of the Strongman series. Pfeffer drew from his forthcoming book 'No King In Israel: The Jewish State Confronts its Demons' to shed light on Netanyahu’s bold vision for reshaping the Middle East, his cosy relationship with Donald Trump, his battles to silence the Israeli judiciary and his ongoing expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Pfeffer also explained the monumental shifts in Israeli politics that have taken place after October 7 and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

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In November 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in Israel after winning his sixth election. Propped up by a bloc of far-right and ultra-religious parties, Netanyahu’s government is seen by many as the most extreme in Israeli history. But he is also a remarkably successful politician: he first won power in 1996 and is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

In September 2025 Anshel Pfeffer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the Israeli Prime Minister came to Intelligence Squared for the third instalment of our Age of the Strongman series. Pfeffer drew from his forthcoming book 'No King In Israel: The Jewish State Confronts its Demons' to shed light on Netanyahu’s bold vision for reshaping the Middle East, his cosy relationship with Donald Trump, his battles to silence the Israeli judiciary and his ongoing expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Pfeffer also explained the monumental shifts in Israeli politics that have taken place after October 7 and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

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This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best.

On today’s episode, Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian - an artwork that provoked scandal, sparked imagination, and upended the very definition of contemporary art. David Galperin, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman, Head of Contemporary Art for The Americas, examines the complexities and challenges that come with bringing such an ineffable and metaphysical artwork to auction. An artwork that dares to ask: who sets the value of art?

The Specialist is brought to you by Sotheby's Financial Services. SFS offers asset-based loans to unlock the value of your fine art, automobiles and other luxury collectibles. Visit ⁠⁠⁠sothebys.com/sfs⁠⁠⁠ to find out more.To step further into the World of Sotheby’s, visit any one of our galleries, which are open to the public. Explore more at ⁠⁠⁠sothebys.com⁠⁠⁠.

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How can AI improve our healthcare industry?

In this episode, Dr Emma Yhnell speaks to health informaticist and author Dr Charlotte Blease about the role AI could play in the future of medicine, from making it more accessible to helping lighten the hours of a burnt-out workforce. 

Healthcare systems around the world are under mounting pressure. Healthcare professionals are amongst the most overworked, with half of all US doctors being burnt out and 42% of UK  doctors feeling unable to cope with their weekly workload. Studies show that burnout is linked to increased rates of error and harm, which in the medical industry could mean the difference between catching a diagnosis in time or risking a patient's life. But Dr Charlotte Blease argues that this need not be the case. It is time to thoughtfully implement the new technologies of our age to revolutionize the healthcare industry. AI can help us to overhaul a system that is reaching capacity and has the potential to change lives, both for doctors and their patients. 

Dr Charlotte Blease is a health informaticist with a background in philosophy. She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journals and books on healthcare and is an Associate Professor at the Participatory eHealth and Health Data Research Group at Uppsala University and Researcher at Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. Her latest book is Dr Bot: Why Doctors Can Fail and How AI Could Save Lives.

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This is an episode of Hotels with History, produced by Intelligence Squared on behalf of Perowne International⁠.

In today’s episode, the rise of one of the most exclusive districts of London, the hotel that became the Annex to Buckingham Palace, and how it has maintained its status as one of the world’s most iconic hotels ever since.

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Why do we dream? Why do dreams go bad? And can we harness the science of dreams and nightmares to improve our health?

Dr Michelle Carr is the Director of the Dream Engineering Laboratory at the University of Montreal and a researcher in the cutting edge field of dream engineering. Her new book, Into the Dream Lab, is a guide to the science of dreaming and nightmares, and the impact the dreaming brain has on our waking life. 

In this episode, she sat down with Dr Khalil Thirlaway to talk about what happens when we dream, how nightmares can negatively impact our waking health, how dream engineering can help nightmare sufferers and ways in which we can all have more agency over how we dream. 

Into the Dream Lab:The New Science of Dreams and Nightmares is available now.

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Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Tim Weiner has been chronicling the history of the CIA for more than two decades. His new book, The Mission charts the agency’s successes and failings, from 9-11 to the present day.

In this episode, he sat down with Carl Miller to talk about the agency’s notorious post 9-11 torture programmes, its key role in supporting Ukraine, the threat posed by China and Russia and the hard job of espionage in an age of technical surveillance. They also discussed the disorientating impact of the Trump administration, and what happens to the CIA when the threat is coming from above. 

Tim Weiner is an award-winning author and reporter. The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century is out now. 

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In today's episode we’re joined today by journalist and author Catherine Belton to continue our discussion on whether President Trump can deliver a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Belton speaks with Conor Boyle, Head of Programming at Intelligence Squared, about what Putin’s long-term ambitions really are, why sanctions are working, and what the future holds for Europe, Ukraine and the United States. Belton’s acclaimed book Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West is available now from your local bookstore. This episode was recorded on August 21 2025.

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How does the classical world shape our politics, culture, language and lives today?

On today’s episode, we’re joined by two of the greatest names making classics accessible for the modern day.

Dame Mary Beard is a classicist who taught at Cambridge for almost 40 years. She has close to 20 books to her name, including Pompeii, which won the Wolfson History Prize, SPQR and Emperor of Rome, both of which were bestsellers in the UK and US.

Charlotte Higgins is the chief culture writer of the Guardian. She studied Classics at university , and has since written many books on this topic, including Greek Myths: A New Retelling.

Charlotte and Mary sat down with classicist and author Honor Cargill-Martin to explore taking a ‘post-truth’ approach to antiquity, how the idea of the Romans have been used as a political tool throughout history, and what the Greeks got right and wrong about human nature.

You can find more of Mary and Charlotte discussing antiquity and the present day on their new podcast, Instant Classics, available to watch or listen weekly from Thursday August 28.

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