The Good Fight

Yascha Mounk and James Marriott explore what happens when a civilization turns its back on books.

James Marriott is a London Times columnist and the author of the Substack Cultural Capital, covering society, ideas, and culture. He is the author of The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-Literate Society.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and James Marriott discuss whether the decline of reading is as severe as the data suggests, whether television or social media is more to blame, and why this is bad news for democracy.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Eliot Cohen delve into the lost meaning of “strategy” and why Trump's Iran gambit went off the rails.

Eliot A. Cohen is the Arleigh Burke chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His latest book is The Strategist: How to Think About War and Politics.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Eliot Cohen discuss what genuine strategic thinking requires, why America's war with Iran represents a failure of strategy rather than of military capability, and what Winston Churchill's wartime memoranda reveal about what good strategy actually looks like.

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Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and David Deming discuss how artificial intelligence will transform research, teaching, and the economic foundations of higher education.

David Deming is the Danoff Dean of Harvard College and an economist. He writes a Substack called Forked Lightning and hosts a podcast called The Context Window.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and David Deming discuss why AI may force universities into a new era focused on community and virtue rather than knowledge or expertise, whether the business model of American higher education is facing existential or merely serious pressure, and how professors and students should rethink learning and assignments in an age when AI can do much of the traditional academic work.

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Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk, Owen Zidar, and Eric Zwick examine how America's hidden fortunes are built on garage doors, car dealerships, and beverage distribution.

Owen Zidar is a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. 

Eric Zwick is the Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk, Owen Zidar, and Eric Zwick discuss why the real concentration of American wealth lies with small business owners rather than tech billionaires, and whether entrepreneurship remains a viable path to upward mobility.

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Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Luis Garicano examine why Europe missed the tech revolution—and how it might catch up.

Luis Garicano is Professor of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and a co-founder of The Rhine Group.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Luis Garicano discuss why Europe has failed to produce world-leading technology companies, whether labor market rigidities and a fragmented single market explain Europe’s innovation deficit, and how much culture versus institutions are to blame for European risk aversion.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Galen Druke examine why the data points to a possible blue wave—and whether the polls can be trusted.

Galen Druke is the founder and host of “GD Politics,” a leading nonpartisan podcast and Substack that explains politics with curiosity, rigor, and a sense of humor. He also co-hosts the “Still Counting” podcast alongside Nate Silver and Clare Malone. 

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Galen Druke discuss whether Democrats are headed for a blue wave in the 2026 midterms, why the Senate map remains an uphill climb even in a favorable national environment, and what the persistent unpopularity of the Democratic Party tells us about its challenges going into the next election cycle.

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Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Frank Furedi delve into the case for populism—and clash over Viktor Orbán's Hungary.

Frank Furedi, author and social commentator, is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent. His latest book is In Defense of Populism.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Frank Furedi discuss whether populism is a legitimate force or a threat to democracy, the impact of political polarization on mainstream parties' claim to represent ordinary citizens—and to what extent Viktor Orbán undermined democracy in Hungary.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Simon Sebag Montefiore discuss how the fall of the Ottoman Empire shaped the region we know today.

Simon Sebag Montefiore is a historian and author. His latest book is The Cauldron: The Origins of the Modern Middle East.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Simon Sebag Montefiore discuss how the collapse of the Ottoman Empire gave rise to modern nationalism and ethnic cleansing in the Middle East, how the region’s history has shaped today’s conflicts, and the long-term impact of October 7. 

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Shashank Joshi also discuss Trump's war in the Middle East and the differences between the United States and Europe.

Shashank Joshi is The Economist‘s Washington bureau chief, having previously covered defense and national security for the publication for eight years.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Shashank Joshi discuss why Russia is escalating its hybrid warfare campaign against Europe, whether NATO’s political cohesion can survive the Trump era, and how the United States has changed over the last 20 years.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Yascha Mounk and Jerry Kaplan debate whether the existential risk from AI is overstated—and if so, what we should be worrying about instead. 

Jerry Kaplan is an artificial intelligence expert, serial entrepreneur, technical innovator, educator, and author. He is currently an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Jerry Kaplan discuss why the AI “existential risk” narrative is more science fiction than science, what actually happened during the Hugging Face security incident, and how to think clearly about the real—versus imagined—dangers of AI systems. 

(For an alternative take on AI’s existential risk, in Persuasion this week Matt Lutz explores why it’s time to worry about AI.)

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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