When we discuss dictators and autocrats, we often think of those of the past. But, with the world increasingly turning away from democracy, how do they behave differently now compared to the 20th century? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Daniel Treisman, professor of political science at the University of California and co-author of Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century, to discuss. 

Buy Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Labour fallout continues as the Government also tries to get a grip on the water sector. Gavin Esler and Ros Taylor discuss the latest turmoil Starmer and co face this week. Plus, Badenoch is apparently doing a reshuffle (who cares?), Farage is having a press conference and Trump faces more chaos over his Epstein list crisis in the US. 

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.   

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Are you a progressive activist or a dissenting disruptor? These are two ends of a new group of political tribes identified by More in Common, in a report called Shattered Britain: Making sense of what Britons want in a country that feels broken. Luke Tryl, one of its authors and the UK director of More in Common, joins Alex von Tunzelmann to discuss how these groups have formed, how they move around, and what they mean for the shape and future of Britain’s politics. 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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AI is everywhere — writing emails, diagnosing illness, even offering therapy. And politicians are now obsessed with it, too. But is Starmer right to be so invested in it? Can it really fix everything, or are we asking too much? Today, Chris Jones sits down with Professor Kate Devlin, Chair-Director of the Digital Futures Institute, to break down what AI is actually good at, where it’s overhyped, and why your AI therapist may not be the best person to talk to about your feelings. 

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Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Xi Jinping can, technically, be China’s leader for the rest of his life. But, speculation has mounted that he might be stepping down from power. Is this justified? And if not, how does Xi keep such a tough grip on power? Jacob Jarvis discusses with Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese Studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College and the author of several books about China and Xi Jinping, including Xi: A Study in Power. 

Buy Xi: A study in power through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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As Ukraine fights to hold the line against Russian advances, Western support is starting to look shaky. With Putin’s war machine grinding on and Europe watching nervously, we ask: is the US still committed to Ukraine’s survival? Today, Chris Jones is joined by Keir Giles, Senior Consulting Fellow at Chatham House and author of Russia’s War on Everybody, to unpack what’s happening on the battlefield, what Trump’s statements mean for Ukraine and who Ukraine can rely on. 

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Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Starmer’s friendly hang out with Macron feels a long time ago now and the reality of trying to make his deal “work” now looms. Alex von Tunzelmann joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss how implementing it might play out, plus they discuss union clashes, a Trump state visit and more crazy conspiracy news from the United States. 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  

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In the past the Central Intelligence Agency got its hands dirty to support the American vision of freedom and democracy. But what is the spy agency’s purpose for when the President himself despises those very values? Pulitzer Prize winning author Tim Weiner talks Andrew Harrison through The Mission: The CIA In The 21st Century , his absorbing new history of the Agency through the years of 9/11, secret prisons, torture to a surprise vindication over Putin’s election interference and the Ukraine War. Is there a future of intelligence in the age of dumb ideology? 

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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The US has a world-class diplomatic corps, yet increasingly its foreign policy is based around war. And while most nations still favour negotiation, Washington seems hooked on force. Today in The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Professor David Reynolds, author of Mirrors of Greatness, to find out if the US policy of intervention is working or making things worse?

Buy Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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What would the world look like if children became scarcer? Birthrates are falling across the world but the main voices trying to turn them around seem to be weird traditionalist “pronatalists”. Is there a way to encourage having more kids while preserving women’s freedom – and without encouraging right-wing conspiracy ideas about “replacement”? Or should we just tax people who don’t have kids? Demographer and author of No One Left: Why the World Needs More Children Paul Morland tells Alex von Tunzelmann how culture not government shapes the way we breed, and why collapsing birthrates are not solely a white European/Western issue any more.

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production by Dominic Delargy. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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