Terrorist attacks, new cyber threats and the coronavirus pandemic all pose new hazards for global security in the twenty-first century.At the same time, the value of the transatlantic alliance has also been called into question. On one side of the Atlantic, President Emmanuel Macron has described NATO as “brain dead”; on the other, Donald Trump has constantly berated European allies for not meeting their spending commitments. 

Is it time for the West to review its strategic alliances?

Jack Dickens hosts Karin von Hippel and Robert Fox.

Over the last decade a populist tide has been sweeping across the West. From Donald Trump’s entry into the White House to the rise of the Law and Justice Party in Poland, populists have spoken to widespread anxieties about immigration, identity, and inequality. In so doing, they have challenged the ideological foundations of globalisation and the post-Cold War liberal order.

Will this tide continue to grow in the wake of the coronavirus crisis? And will it fundamentally change the character of global politics?Jack Dickens hosts Matthew Goodwin to talk about the future of populism – and liberal democracy – after the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Middle East is in crisis. The hopeful Arab Spring has left a complex legacy, and United States-led efforts to bring democracy to the region have unravelled in the face of state collapse, sectarianism, and insurgency. Now the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated civil wars from Syria to Libya and aggravated political crises across the region and nearby North Africa.

What does the future hold for the Middle East? And is there any hope for the region after the crisis?

Jack Dickens hosts Emma Sky and Robert Fox to talk about state collapse and democracy in the Middle East. The podcast was recorded in July, before the recent explosion in Beirut. 

The strategic rivalry between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America is one of the dominant geopolitical trends of our time. Now, with the onset of the coronavirus crisis, this rivalry has been steadily intensifying. 

So how should we think about this clash between world’s premier powers? And how will this contest resolve itself? 

Jack Dickens hosts Bruno Maçães, renowned voyager, political theorist and geopolitical strategist, to find out more. Bruno joins the podcast from Lisbon. 

The internet and the digital revolution continue to transform the human experience. Smart phones, social media, and tech companies are now a fundamental part of our daily lives. This development has brought benefits for many around the world, but there are also concerns surrounding this rapid revolution. Is Big Tech too powerful?  And how is technology strengthening the power of surveillance states? 
Jack Dickens hosts renowned tech analyst and Silicon Valley insider Benedict Evans alongside Iain Martin, Editor of Reaction. 

The European Union is at a crossroads. With leaders trying hard to find common ground on a relief package for the Eurozone countries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, geopolitical challenges also loom on the horizon. Will a stronger Europe emerge from the crisis?  
Jack Dickens talks to Helen Thompson and Matthew Karnitschnig. 

Iain Martin, Reaction editor, in conversation with economist Liam Halligan and Reaction's Maggie Pagano.

This overview episode looks at how our world order is changing. It explores how international institutions have become a battleground in the rivalry between between the United States and China, whether globalisation is under fire, and the threats of debt and climate change after the coronavirus crisis.

Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni and Iain Martin discuss. 

Hosted by Jack Dickens.
Edited by Nick Hilton.

Recorded with Iain Martin, Alastair Benn and Maggie Pagano.

You can find our website at www.reaction.life

Iain Martin and Maggie Pagano talk to Bim Afolami MP, author of a new report on ideas to spur recovery