Quillette Cetera

Zoe Sankey speaks with Andrew Bushnell — policy researcher, criminal justice expert, and fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs — about crime, justice, and some of the most urgent and uncomfortable questions in Australian public life.

They start with the alleged murder of Kumunjayi, a five-year-old Aboriginal girl killed in the Northern Territory despite six child protection notifications in the two months before her death. What follows is a frank conversation about Indigenous offending rates, a justice system that too often fails its victims, and whether Australia has the political courage to apply its laws equally to everyone.

Along the way: the Voice to Parliament, the Bao Phuc Cao voyeurism case, Melbourne's graffiti-covered streets, and the gang warfare driving a billion-dollar black market in cigarettes.

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Does Western civilisation actually exist — or is it just a modern political myth?

In this episode of the Quillette Cetera podcast, Zoe Booth speaks with classicist James Kierstead about the origins of the West, the “Greek miracle,” Christianity, monogamy, democracy, and the cultural foundations of modern civilisation.

They discuss:

James Kierstead holds a BA in Classics from Oxford and a PhD in Political Science from Stanford University.

#WesternCivilization #AncientGreece #Christianity #History #Civilization #Quillette #Philosophy #Politics #JamesKierstead

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In this conversation, Zoe Booth and Shany Mor discuss the complex interplay between Australia's reputation in relation to Israel, the impact of anti-Israel activism, and the cultural and intellectual anxieties that contribute to anti-Semitism. They explore the role of guilt in Western society, the challenges of identity and belonging in multicultural contexts, and the evolution of political discourse. The discussion also touches on the dynamics of radicalization, the nature of prejudice, and the future of democracy, particularly in the context of Israeli society and global fertility rates.

Chapters

00:00 Australia's Protests and Israel's Perception

05:47 Understanding Anti-Israel Sentiment

07:58 The Role of Intellectualism in Anti-Semitism

10:27 Cultural Anxiety and Scapegoating

12:53 Oikophobia and Western Guilt

15:35 Moral Accounting and Identity Politics

18:04 The Impact of 9/11 on Western Discourse

20:27 Feminism and Cultural Symbols

23:01 The Transformation of Western Society

25:39 Radicalization and Immigrant Perspectives

28:14 The Role of Western Elites in Anti-Semitism

30:46 Media Narratives and Perceptions of Violence

30:54 Understanding Jewish Identity and Community Challenges

33:14 The Impact of Anti-Zionism on Academia

35:22 Cultural Myths and Their Influence on Society

36:59 Exploring Fertility Rates and Societal Values

42:08 Democracy in Crisis: The Referendum on Truth

47:56 The Legacy of the Post-War Order and Its Challenges

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Shay Khatiri is one of the most clear-eyed analysts of Iran’s regime and its role in global geopolitics. Raised in the Islamic Republic before escaping to the U.S., he now serves as Vice President and Senior Fellow at the Yorktown Institute and writes The Russia–Iran File, a Substack dissecting the domestic and foreign policy strategies of both regimes. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Bulwark, Providence, and Quillette.

In this episode, he joins Zoe to unpack the roots of Iran’s latest deadly protests, including the regime’s use of pellet guns and hospital raids to suppress dissent. He explains why so many Iranians are calling for foreign military intervention, what a post-regime Iran might look like, and why he believes a constitutional monarchy—led by Reza Pahlavi—offers the best hope for stability. They also discuss the role of the diaspora, the rise of underground Christianity, and why the West’s inaction may extinguish Iran’s last chance at revolution.

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In this conversation, Zoe Booth and Adam Louis-Klein delve into the complexities of antizionism, exploring its ideological roots, the language used to propagate it, and its normalisation in contemporary society. They discuss the formation of the Movement Against Antizionism (MAAZ) and the importance of recognising antizionism as a distinct form of bigotry. The dialogue also addresses the historical context of antizionism, its evolution in academia, and the psychological warfare embedded in its rhetoric. Throughout, practical strategies are offered for countering antizionist claims—emphasising the need for clarity, courage, and a comprehensive understanding of the issue.

Adam Louis-Klein is an anthropologist and PhD candidate at McGill University. His research focuses on Indigenous cosmologies in the Colombian Amazon and comparative forms of peoplehood. He is the founder of the Movement Against Antizionism (MAAZ), which challenges antizionist ideology as a distinct form of anti-Jewish hatred. His writing and advocacy explore the intersection of academic discourse, identity, and political propaganda.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Adam Louis-Klein and MAAZ

04:00 Interview begins: The Birth of MAAZ and Antizionism

09:10 Language and the Inversion of Reality

11:28 The Evolution of Antizionism

14:08 The Role of Academia in Antizionism

16:55 The Historical Context of Antizionism

19:21 Modern Antizionism and Its Global Impact

21:43 Government Responses to Antizionism

24:33 Understanding Antizionism vs. Antisemitism

27:18 The Psychological Mechanisms Behind Antizionism

29:50 The Australian Context of Antizionism

31:56 Personal Reflections on Antizionism and Academia

38:37 Indigeneity and Cultural Identity

42:22 The Complexity of Genocide Narratives

48:13 Understanding Whiteness and Cultural Concerns

52:47 Historical Atrocities and Political Violence

55:45 The Organisation of Antizionist Movements

01:04:58 The Movement Against Antizionism

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From algorithmic incentives to progressive posturing, this episode explores how anti-Semitism has become a feature—not a bug—of influencer culture. Zoe Booth speaks with Corey Walker, a Washington, D.C.-based reporter focusing on the Middle East and global terror groups, about audience capture, the anti-Western project of the modern Left, and why Israel represents values worth conserving.

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Chama Mechtaly is a Moroccan-American artist, activist, and policy advisor whose work sits at the intersection of cultural preservation, deradicalisation, and Middle Eastern diplomacy.

Born in Casablanca in 1992 to a Muslim mother and a Jewish father of Amazigh heritage, she draws on her complex identity to promote dialogue and coexistence between Muslim and Jewish communities throughout North Africa and the Gulf.

She recently organised the first-ever Abraham Accords Deradicalisation Summit, where she contributed to shaping cultural frameworks for regional integration in the wake of normalisation agreements.

In today’s conversation, we discuss her recent Quillette essay examining Qatar’s ideological reach into Western institutions, the suppression of critical voices, and the broader ambitions of Islamist movements on the global stage.

Drawing from her lived experience across Morocco, the Gulf, and the United States, Chama reflects on how Islamist actors have appropriated the language of democracy to undermine liberal values from within. What emerges is a sobering analysis of the soft power networks quietly reshaping our political and cultural institutions—and the steep cost of looking the other way.

We also explore how culture is weaponised, how the West has failed to confront these forces, and what a path toward genuine peace and pluralism in the Middle East might look like.

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Zoe Booth speaks with Gerard Holland, CEO of the Page Research Centre and a founding member of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Together they explore how foreign funding is shaping Australia’s energy policy, what’s driving the rising cost of living, and why ideological commitments to renewables may be undermining the country’s economic and strategic resilience.

Holland argues that Australia’s transition to green energy has been distorted by international interests, bad economics, and an aversion to politically unpopular technologies like nuclear power. Drawing on original research submitted to a federal Senate inquiry, he makes the case for a return to energy realism—and warns that unless we regain control of our policy decisions, Australia’s prosperity and security may be at risk.

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Zoe Booth speaks with Robert King, a psychology lecturer and researcher at University College Cork, whose work explores human sexual behaviour through the lens of evolutionary psychology and behavioural ecology.

Their conversation centres on the evolution of female orgasm—its potential adaptive significance, its neglect within scientific literature, and the cultural forces that continue to shape women's sexual experiences. King discusses the use of animal models in studying human sexuality, the neurobiological mechanisms behind pleasure, and why evolutionary frameworks are still resisted in mainstream discourse.

The discussion ranges widely, touching on female–female competition, the contested status of female ejaculation in both science and society, and the moral panic that often greets biological explanations for sex differences. Throughout, King makes the case for a more honest, curiosity-driven approach to understanding female behaviour—one that neither denies biology nor reduces it to determinism.

His latest book Naturally Selective: Evolution, Orgasm, and Female Choice is available in paperback, hardcover or Kindle.

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Journalist and former New York Post editor David Kaufman joins Quillette’s Zoe Booth to discuss his viral essay, The Art of Middle Eastern Pillow Talk, in which he recounts an unexpected romantic encounter with a Palestinian man that leads to a frank, civil conversation about Zionism and “genocide” in the aftermath of October 7th.

They also explore the politics of civility and why New York politician Zohran Mamdani has become a symbol of post-October 7th populism. Along the way, Kaufman reflects on fatherhood, race, sexuality, and what it means to speak across ideological lines in an increasingly polarised age.

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