Intelligence Squared

Huma Abedin was Hillary Clinton’s most trusted aide and adviser for many years. Her recently published book, Both/And, reveals the details of that relationship as well as reflecting on the very public breakdown of her marriage to disgraced former congressman and convicted sex offender Anthony Weiner. She speaks to journalist Razia Iqbal about her life in politics and why she believes that during this current polarising moment in which we are often told to choose between either/or, she believes we can be both/and.

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We go to movies that make us cry, scream or gag we poke at sores, eat spicy foods and run marathons. Some of us even seek out discomfort and humiliation for sexual gratification. Most of these activities are painful yet many of us find pleasure within them and Professor Paul Bloom of Yale University's recent book, The Sweet Spot, seeks to suss out why. Bloom joins writer and broadcaster Linda Yueh to discuss how pain can be a compelling draw for some and so repellent for many others.

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This episode is part of our Energised series made in partnership with Iberdrola. To hear more search Energised, wherever you get your podcasts.

Transport emissions account for almost a third of global carbon dioxide emissions – and while other sectors such as the energy industry have reduced their emissions over the past three decades, transport emissions are growing. It is the EU’s second most polluting sector and the United Kingdom’s biggest single producer of carbon dioxide, with cars and vans making up the vast majority of these emissions. If we are to meet our net zero targets by 2050, as over 130 countries have committed to do, then something needs to be done about these gas-guzzling monsters. 

Enter electric vehicles. Right now they make up a minority of vehicles on the road but by 2030 cars and vans powered by fossil fuels will be banned, and five years after that so will hybrid vehicles. Electric cars are far more energy efficient, and are quieter and cheaper than cars that run on fossil fuels. So surely we should all encourage drivers to purchase electric vehicles and quickly render other vehicles obsolete. But hold on a second, some experts caution: electric vehicles are not a cure-all for our environmental problems, they say. Emissions from EV production are in fact on average higher than emissions produced during the traditional car manufacturing process, due to the production of the large lithium-ion batteries needed to power EVs. 

Furthermore, electric vehicles are only as green as the power used to charge their batteries. Renewables are a growing source of energy in the UK but we are still burning coal and gas to make most of our electricity. Should we be focusing on hydrogen fuel cells instead of electricity? Producing them causes less environmental damage than the production of lithium batteries. They provide a quicker charging time – and hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. 

Or is improving cars the wrong solution to an enormous problem? Should we be encouraging people to get rid of their cars and use public transport? We were joined by Iberdrola’s Head of New Initiatives, Innovation & Sustainability Division Enrique Meroño and award-winning transport expert Christian Wolmar to debate whether electric vehicles will solve our transport and emissions problems or whether they are simply a false start in the journey towards green roads.

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today.

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Linda Colley is the Shelby MC Davis 1958 professor of history at Princeton University and one of the most acclaimed historians of her generation. Her latest book is The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen, which tells the stories of how constitutions around the world were shaped by forces such as warfare, geopolitical upheaval and academic rigour. She speaks with fellow historian and screenwriter Alex von Tunzelmann about the book. 

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Black British Lives Matter is a new anthology of writing and conversations collecting the experiences of thought leaders in the UK including novelist Kit de Waal, architect Sir David Adjaye, politician Dawn Butler and many more. The book's co-editor, journalist and Chair of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Marcus Ryder MBE, discusses its themes and the importance of ensuring that diversity is championed in all walks of life with Manveen Rana. 

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Since the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the word that served as the title of the ground-breaking book has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, economists, engaged citizens and consumers everywhere. It has given rise to more than 400 nudge units in governments around the world and has influenced countless groups of behavioural scientists in every part of the economy. In October 2021 Richard Thaler, one of the co-authors of the book and winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize for economics, came to Intelligence Squared to talk with journalist and author Kamal Ahmed about Nudge: The Final Edition, a cover-to-cover refresh of the original publication.

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We are in a second Cold War with China. That’s the conclusion many experts have come to as they observe China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour beyond its borders – its suppression of democracy in Hong Kong, its sabre-rattling towards Taiwan, the vast espionage offensive against the West’s technology, not to mention the confrontational tone of its new ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy. That’s the argument of the China hawks, but not everyone agrees. Some believe that coexistence with China, not confrontation, should be the West’s goal. After all, allowing tensions to escalate to an actual war is too horrific to contemplate. We should put our faith in diplomacy and work to persuade the Chinese leadership that it is in their best interests to cooperate within the existing world order, instead of trying to dominate it. So how should the West respond? Arguing for the motion were Nathan Law, Hong Kong activist and former legislator, currently in exile; and Alan Mendoza, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Henry Jackson Society. Arguing against the motion were Shirley Yu, Professor and Director of the China-Africa Initiative at the London School of Economics; and Vince Cable, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats and author of The China Conundrum. The debate was chaired by Manveen Rana, Senior investigative journalist and host of The Times and Sunday Times flagship podcast Stories of Our Times.

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In summer 2021, a global panel of legal scholars and activists drew up a new definition of ecocide: unlawful or wanton acts that could cause widespread or long-term damage to the environment. The aim is that it will one day be ratified by the International Criminal Court. As COP26 draws to a close, researcher and author Carl Miller speaks with Jojo Mehta, chair and co-founder of the Stop Ecocide Foundation and Dan Gretton, campaigner and author of I You We Them, to learn more about this emerging field and also the complex history of alleged crimes committed by corporations and governments. 

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today.

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Does power corrupt, or are corrupt people drawn to power? It’s a question that runs through the heart of the work of Brian Klaas, professor of global politics at University College London and Washington Post columnist. His latest book is 'Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us', which looks at the psychology behind those who seek power. Pulitzer-prize winning historian and journalist Anne Applebaum speaks with Brian about what the book reveals. 

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