Worldly

Jenn, Zack, and special guest Matt Yglesias talk about the Iran nuclear deal and the looming Sunday deadline for President Trump to recertify that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the deal. They discuss why, contrary to the advice of nearly all of his top advisers, Trump is probably not going to recertify, and what that means for the future of the landmark nuclear pact. On Elsewhere, the gang answers questions sent in by listeners on everything from the controversial independence referendum in Spain to their favorite foreign policy books. Jenn seizes control of the hosting chair in a coup, Zack debuts a brand new Groot impression, and Matt offers a scorching hot take on the irony of National Security Adviser HR McMaster appeasing Trump. 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack look at how the Trump administration’s bungled response to the crisis in Puerto Rico reflects the longstanding challenges facing an island that is neither a full US state (with all the benefits that brings) nor a fully independent country (which can more easily ask for, and receive, financial aid). That leaves Puerto Rico in many cases getting the worst of both worlds, with its people paying a heavy price. On Elsewhere, they look at what happens if Secretary of State Rex Tillerson loses his job after reportedly calling Trump a “moron” — and after being publicly humiliated for months by a president he clearly doesn’t respect. Zack takes a brave stand against colonialism, Jenn decides to run for president, and Yochi prepares for the darkness that will descend if Mr. Charisma Rex Tillerson moves on. 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack look at Sunday’s landmark elections in Germany, which were simultaneously reassuring and deeply alarming. German Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term, which means she’ll still have the power to let in refugees, challenge Vladimir Putin, and defend the international order in all the ways President Trump refuses to. At the same time, a far-right German political party known for its bigotry and Islamophobia surged at the polls, a jarring shift for a country with Germany’s dark history. On Elsewhere, they look at Saudi Arabia’s historic decision to allow women to drive, a victory — but only a small one — for the female activists fighting to gain more rights in the deeply conservative country. Jenn manages to squeeze in an obscure Lady Gaga reference, Yochi goes a whole episode without an old age joke, and Zack gives his one-sentence view of the Saudi government (hint: he doesn’t like it). 

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On a special episode of Worldly, Yochi, Jenn, and Vox defense reporter Alex Ward look at Donald Trump’s big first speech to the UN, where the president said the US would “totally destroy” North Korea if war breaks out and hinted that he’d rip up Washington’s nuclear deal with Tehran. The speech was also notable for what it showed about Trump’s broader belief that every nation should put its own interests first even if the end result is a world that is less stable, and less equitable, than the one we have now. 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack look at the growing human rights catastrophe in Myanmar, where Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi is doing nothing to stop her country's military from mounting a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against its Muslim minority. Burma had long been seen as a democratic success story; now it may be edging closer to genocide. On Elsewhere, they look ahead to next week's United Nations General Assembly, where leaders from around the world will snarl traffic in New York while trying to make sense of Donald Trump. Zack issues a heartfelt call for the creation of a world government, Jenn bashes U2, and Yochi recalls a long afternoon of drinking and smoking with the Russian foreign minister. 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack look at why decades of US economic sanctions haven’t stopped North Korea’s nuclear program — and why the Trump administration’s new ones probably won’t, either. They examine how such a devastatingly poor country has managed to develop an advanced nuclear weapons program, how Kim Jong Un stays so rich while his people starve, and how the country profits by selling illegal mushrooms and building Stalinist statues across Africa. On Elsewhere, they look at why protesters in Germany just threw a tomato at Angela Merkel, Donald Trump’s least favorite European leader (hint: it has to do with Syrian refugees). 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack ease out of the summer with a look at the one of the most complicated, explosive, and genuinely fascinating issues in the world: the decades-long fight between Israel and the Palestinians. They look at Israel’s promise this week to hold onto its West Bank settlements forever, why Donald Trump may have killed the idea of an independent Palestine, and how Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians — and Israel’s harsh responses — have made the chances of a peace deal seem more remote than ever. On Elsewhere, they use political science and international relations theory to evaluate which Game of Thrones character had the most effective strategy for consolidating their power and influence and which one failed most completely. Producer Peter Leonard chimes in with his first-ever hot takes. 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack look at Trump’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan despite spending years calling for a US withdrawal, why it’s impossible to truly defeat the Taliban, and the sad reality that America’s longest war will now continue well into the future. On Elsewhere, they look at whether the Cuban government used a secret, new sonic weapon against American diplomats in Havana. Zack makes Yochi and Jenn feel like terrible people for finding that very, very funny. 

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Zack and Jenn are joined by Worldly’s first guest host, Vox senior reporter Dara Lind, to discuss President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines — an abrasive populist leader whose year-long war on drugs has already killed over 7,000 people. They explore what he's doing, why he's still so popular at home, and what his rise to power can tell us about Donald Trump and populism around the world. For Elsewhere, they look at a bizarre political crisis in Australia that reveals an important truth about immigration. 

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Yochi, Jenn, and Zack discuss whether Kim Jong Un is more rational and easier to predict than Donald Trump, the dangers of having senior administration officials openly contradicting each other on whether the US would actually use force against North Korea, and why decades of academic research about how nuclear-armed countries can avoid war may be falling by the wayside. Elsewhere, they look at the uniquely French debate over whether President Emmanuel Macron’s wife should be formally recognized as the country’s first lady and given her own staff and budget. (Spoiler alert: Most of France seems to hate the idea.) 

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