Best Mark Galeotti Podcasts (2025)

1
Why Are We So Addicted to Everything? With Nicklas Brendborg 47:07

1h ago47:07

47:07

Are we living in a world designed to hijack our brains? In this episode, Dr Emma Yhnell speaks to international best-selling author Nicklas Brendborg about how supernormal stimuli have become the norm in modern society. Whether it's food or our screens, Nicklas Brendborg argues that we’re living in an environment that is engineered to keep us hooke…

1
#91 Nigel Gould-Davies: Why Russia Is Running Out of Time in Ukraine 39:01

1h ago39:01

39:01

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with Nigel Gould Davies - a senior research fellow at the Institute for I…

1
Sotheby’s Talks | The Leonard A. Lauder Collection: Klimt and the Art of Connoisseurship 44:24

4d ago44:24

44:24

On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the remarkable collection of Leonard A. Lauder, one of the greatest collectors and benefactors of the arts in America. At its centre is Gustav Klimt's celebrated Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, alongside works by Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, Vincent Van Gogh and other luminaries …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 223: After Putin, Who... or What? 42:39

15m ago42:39

42:39

We need to talk about post-Putin. It's fruitless at this point to try and come up with names of potential successors -- but maybe we can identify potential archetypes, the kinds of people who might succeed him, depending on the perceived needs of the day. The Julian Waller article I mention is here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Co…

1
Is This the Twilight of American Supremacy? Simon Jenkins on Why the World Needs the USA 34:01

5d ago34:01

34:01

The United States of America is younger than the British Museum and Guinness - in 2026 it celebrates its 250th birthday. How did this vast melting pot of people and ideas come to dominate global politics and culture? Historian and journalist Simon Jenkins believes America’s success stems from its careful balancing of the freedoms and interests of t…

1
Olivia Laing on Passion and Heartbreak in the Golden Age of New Italian Cinema 29:48

7d ago29:48

29:48

Olivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They are the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody and the Sunday Times bestseller The Garden Against Time. Laing’s first novel, Crudo, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and in 2018 they were awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction. In today’s epi…

1
Salman Rushdie on Mortality, Memory and The Eleventh Hour 42:57

6d ago42:57

42:57

Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s most acclaimed, award-winning contemporary authors. Translated into over forty languages, his sixteen works of fiction include Midnight’s Children – for which he won the Booker Prize in 1981, the Booker of Bookers on the 25th anniversary of the prize and Best of the Booker on the 40th anniversary – Shame, The Sa…

1
What is the meaning of freedom, Timothy Snyder? 56:37

5d ago56:37

56:37

Often considered ‘the value of values,’ freedom is increasingly interpreted in negative terms as the absence of interference, especially by prominent figures on the right. Historian and author Timothy Snyder argues that in order to achieve true freedom, we must ask about the moral and political structures required for human societies to flourish. I…

1
What was the Iranian Revolution really about? With Scott Anderson 33:42

11d ago33:42

33:42

Scott Anderson is a veteran foreign reporter and war correspondent, and a contributing writer for The New York Times. Over his career he has reported from Bosnia, Libya, Palestine and across the Middle East. In this episode, he spoke to host Hannah Lucinda Smith about his new book, King of Kings, a gripping account of the fall of the Shah of Iran, …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 222: Are We Seeing A New Putin? 47:43

5d ago47:43

47:43

The forthcoming release of the updated version of my WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT PUTIN gives me an excuse to consider whether and how Putin has changed since I originally wrote the book in 2018. My conclusion: not so much a different Putin as 'Putin squared.' In the second half, I discuss and riff off Russia’s Turkish Wars. The Tsarist Army and the Balka…

1
The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook with Jeremy Hunt (Part Two) 36:48

5d ago36:48

36:48

We’ve heard enough from the pessimists. Yes, these are hard times, but what investors, business owners and all of us need right now is not more despair about the economy, but a clear roadmap towards growth and prosperity. In October 2025, Jeremy Hunt came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share his vision of how we can achieve economic renewal. …

1
#90 Marcel Dirsus: Why Dictators Always Seem Unstoppable - Until They’re Not 40:15

9d ago40:15

40:15

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with Marcel Dirsus, a political scientist whose research focuses on the f…

1
The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook with Jeremy Hunt (Part One) 36:22

7d ago36:22

36:22

We’ve heard enough from the pessimists. Yes, these are hard times, but what investors, business owners and all of us need right now is not more despair about the economy, but a clear roadmap towards growth and prosperity. In October 2025, Jeremy Hunt came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share his vision of how we can achieve economic renewal. …

1
What Are The Essentials for Reimagining Work with AI Agents? 49:21

16d ago49:21

49:21

We’re only at the very beginning of the AI transformation. The next big leap isn’t just smarter chatbots, it’s AI agents: tools that don’t just answer questions but loop, reason, and complete whole tasks within your workflows. In this episode, journalist and author Kamal Ahmed sits down with Aaron Levie, CEO and co-founder of Box, to explain how a …

1
The Age of the Strongman: Understanding Trump, with Anne Applebaum (Part Two) 32:34

18d ago32:34

32:34

The morning after Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election, The New York Times front page declared: ‘America Hires a Strongman’. But is Trump really a ‘strongman’ and is it fair to put him in the same category of leaders as Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping? The Trump administration is already viewed by many commentato…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 221: Is the Sun Rising over Russo-Japanese Relations? 39:19

13d ago39:19

39:19

The new Japanese PM wants to conclude a long-delayed peace treaty with Russia - but that will mean selling a thorny territorial dispute. Will Moscow show the cunning and vision to try and undermine Japanese support for Ukraine -- indeed, can it, while keeping China and North Korea happy? The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, whi…

1
The Age of the Strongman: Understanding Trump, with Anne Applebaum (Part One) 37:39

19d ago37:39

37:39

This event is part of our Age of the Strongman series. Click here to see the other events in the series. The morning after Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election, The New York Times front page declared: ‘America Hires a Strongman’. But is Trump really a ‘strongman’ and is it fair to put him in the same category …

1
#89 Paul Scharre: The Real Life ‘Slaughterbots’: We're Building a Battlefield From Hell 36:22

16d ago36:22

36:22

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with Paul Scharre - a senior researcher at Center for Naval Analyses and …

1
Lyse Doucet on Reporting from the Frontlines (Part Two) 38:36

14d ago38:36

38:36

As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Afghanistan since 1988, during the Soviet troop withdrawal, played a leading role in the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and h…

1
Lyse Doucet on Reporting from the Frontlines (Part One) 36:26

16d ago36:26

36:26

As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Afghanistan since 1988, during the Soviet troop withdrawal, played a leading role in the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and h…

1
An Evening with Dan Jones on War, Plague and Lion Hearts (Part Two) 45:41

25d ago45:41

45:41

‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore The Hundred Years’ War was an age-defining conflict. The violent struggle between England and France spanned over a century and permanently transformed the art of European warfare itself. Rich with st…

1
An Evening with Dan Jones on War, Plague and Lion Hearts (Part One) 37:40

26d ago37:40

37:40

‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore The Hundred Years’ War was an age-defining conflict. The violent struggle between England and France spanned over a century and permanently transformed the art of European warfare itself. Rich with st…

1
#88 John Bolton Warns: The System Is Breaking Down - And The World’s Out of Control 31:56

22d ago31:56

31:56

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with John Bolton - a former US ambassador to the United Nations and a for…

1
Why Does It Feel Like Everything is Getting Worse? With Cory Doctorow 42:01

28d ago42:01

42:01

How can we reverse the enshittification of digital platforms? With Cory Doctorow Why does every online platform seem to start out great - then slowly turn to garbage? Why do our digital public squares now feel more like corporate malls... or burning trash heaps? ‘Enshittification’ has been word of the year in the UK, USA and Australia. It's been pr…

1
Intelligence Brief: Why Taiwan Is Losing Its Only Way to Stop China 13:24

26d ago13:24

13:24

➡️ Geopolitics of The Western Pacific Limited Edition Map Print: https://decoding-geopolitics-shop.fourthwall.com/products/geopolitics-of-the-western-pacific-limited-edition-map-print

1
Can the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part Two) 38:00

1M ago38:00

38:00

‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.’ – Winston Churchill In a world where geopolitical alliances are fraying and tensions are rising, what can the fragile coalition that defeated Hitler teach us about the challenges facing the West today? In September 2025 historian Tim Bouverie came to the I…

1
Can the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part One) 31:33

1M ago31:33

31:33

‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.’ – Winston Churchill In a world where geopolitical alliances are fraying and tensions are rising, what can the fragile coalition that defeated Hitler teach us about the challenges facing the West today? In September 2025 historian Tim Bouverie came to the I…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 220: Power Politics in the FSB and a new 'Most Dangerous Man in Russia'? 44:55

25d ago44:55

44:55

Time to look at the spooks again. It seems that the FSB's Military Counterintelligence Department (in other words, the anti-coup squad) may be getting a new head. What does this mean for the internal struggles to replace the ailing current director, Bortnikov? Is 'crown prince' Sergei Korolev finally going to take his place? And what might this mea…

1
How Will the US Fight China? With Franz-Stefan Gady 1:08:23

26d ago1:08:23

1:08:23

The threat of war between the US and China seems to be a constant background hum in the news cycle. Commentators often tackle when and why this conflict might emerge and escalate. But how would a war between the two great powers actually play out? Who would dominate across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace? In today’s episode, host Adam McCauley…

1
#87 Ben Hodges: Russian Collapse Is Coming. They’re Bleeding Out Fast And Their Time Is Running Out 32:14

1M ago32:14

32:14

➡️ Geopolitics of The Western Pacific Limited Edition Map Print: https://decoding-geopolitics-shop.fourthwall.com/products/geopolitics-of-the-western-pacific-limited-edition-map-print ➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeop…

1
The Specialist | The Most Valuable Car in the World, with Gord Duff And Marcus Breitschwerdt 16:48

1M ago16:48

16:48

This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On this episode, the extraordinary story of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé — a car so rare and revered that few believed it would ever leave t…

1
What Can Criminal Psychology Teach Us About Climate Change? With Julia Shaw 43:57

1M ago43:57

43:57

Can criminal psychology offer us a new way to think about and combat climate change? In this episode, criminal psychologist Julia Shaw sits down with physicist and broadcaster Helen Czerski to offer a compelling new framework to understand environmental crime. While big structural issues often cloud political progress on climate action, Shaw takes …

1
Anthony Scaramucci on Trump and the Threat to American Democracy (Part Two) 31:42

30d ago31:42

31:42

By Intelligence Squared

1
Anthony Scaramucci on Trump and the Threat to American Democracy (Part One) 35:46

1M ago35:46

35:46

Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director turned outspoken Trump critic, comes to Intelligence Squared in September for a straight-talking conversation on the fallout from Trump’s second presidency. From his brief but explosive tenure inside the Trump White House in 2017 to his career on Wall Street and success as co-host of ‘T…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 219: Decoding Putin in Valdai 49:35

1M ago49:35

49:35

Putin's 4-hour keynote and Q&A at Valdai gives us at least some insight into his thinking and his assumptions, but the interesting thing is that the key themes are strangely also reflected in the thinking of some of his fiercest critics, as everyone oversimplifies a complex world. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which prov…

1
The Thick of It: 20 Years On, with Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Rebecca Front (Part Two) 38:25

1M ago38:25

38:25

Malcolm Tucker. Pet ASBOs. A law requiring everyone in Britain to carry around a plastic bag. It’s been twenty years since Armando Iannucci‘s The Thick of It first brought the chaos and drama of the fictitious ‘Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship’ into our lives. First aired on the BBC in 2005, the show satirised the Blair government’s spi…

1
#86 Dan Wang: Will China Rule the 21st Century? 38:54

1M ago38:54

38:54

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ Probably the biggest trend defining geopolitics today is the global competition between two supe…

1
The Thick of It: 20 Years On, with Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Rebecca Front (Part One) 37:26

1M ago37:26

37:26

Malcolm Tucker. Pet ASBOs. A law requiring everyone in Britain to carry around a plastic bag. It’s been twenty years since Armando Iannucci‘s The Thick of It first brought the chaos and drama of the fictitious ‘Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship’ into our lives. First aired on the BBC in 2005, the show satirised the Blair government’s spi…

1
Is AI About to Automate War? With Anthony King 1:05:00

1M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

Are supercomputers and killer robots going to take over? In this episode, Adam McCauley speaks to professor and author Anthony King in order to debunk the science- fiction tinged narrative of AI’s military potential and to, instead, explore the actual applications of AI in the armed forces over the last decade. Professor Anthony King was appointed …

1
Sir Tim Berners-Lee on the Internet, AI and the Future of Humanity (Part Two) 36:05

2M ago36:05

36:05

Watch the full video of this event for free here: https://mailchi.mp/intelligencesquared/lw6gixq1t9 The transcript of this event is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GvYGaOE-fnDQdFvrTLQjUGcrE6Ra0acN/view?usp=drive_link --- The most influential inventor of the modern world, Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a different kind of visionary. Born in…

1
#85 Michael Hirsh: The Dark Logic Behind America’s New Foreign Policy 31:29

1M ago31:29

31:29

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with Michael Hirsh, columnist for Foreign Policy and one of the most expe…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 218: Putin, the Blunderer-in-Chief? 58:44

1M ago58:44

58:44

We spend a great deal of time thinking about Putin's intentions, his strategy. Yet it's hard to argue that this position, mired in Ukraine, sanctioned and facing recession, is where he wanted to be. Maybe, then, a better way of trying to analyse his regime and Late Putinism's prospects is through his blunders... The podcast's corporate partner and …

1
Sir Tim Berners-Lee on the Internet, AI and the Future of Humanity (Part One) 39:19

2M ago39:19

39:19

Watch the full video of this event for free here: https://mailchi.mp/intelligencesquared/lw6gixq1t9 The transcript of this event is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GvYGaOE-fnDQdFvrTLQjUGcrE6Ra0acN/view?usp=drive_link --- The most influential inventor of the modern world, Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a different kind of visionary. Born in…

1
Hotels with History | Raffles Hotel, Singapore, with Richard E. Grant and Jules Perowne 26:05

2M ago26:05

26:05

This is an episode of Hotels with History, produced by Intelligence Squared on behalf of ⁠Perowne International⁠⁠. On todays episode, Richard journeys to Singapore to explore the legendary Raffles Hotel. Discover how four visionary Armenian brothers turned a 10-room beach bungalow into a magnificent Neo-Renaissance palace, where literary giants fou…

1
#84 Estonia’s Ex-Air Force Chief Jaak Tarien: This Is How You Really Deal With Russian Violations 34:57

2M ago34:57

34:57

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with Jaak Tarien about two pretty big things that happened recently - the…

1
What Did Twenty Years of Western Intervention in Afghanistan Achieve? With Jon Lee Anderson 37:06

2M ago37:06

37:06

For more than 40 years, world-renowned foreign correspondent Jon Lee Anderson has been reporting on wars, crises and revolutions, from Latin America to the Middle East and Africa. Throughout his career he has made countless visits to Afghanistan, bearing witness to the Soviet invasion and the subsequent US interventions from 9/11 to the present day…

1
Who are the Trailblazing Women Hidden From Our History? With Women's Prize Founder Kate Mosse 53:47

2M ago53:47

53:47

Did you know that Mary Shelley was a teenager when she started writing Frankenstein in 1814? Or that England’s most prolific goal scorer - man or woman - was superstar striker Lily Parr, who scored a staggering 997 goals between 1919 and 1951? When Kate Mosse launched the #WomenInHistory campaign, asking people to highlight women whose achievements…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 217: MiGs in Estonian skies, exercises on Poland's borders - a threat to Europe? 52:00

2M ago52:00

52:00

MiGs in Estonian airspace, military exercises in Belarus, talk of the next war against NATO being prepared. Are we under threat? Well, maybe that’s up to us. I look at recent events, and Carlo Masala's new book 'If Russia Wins' to wonder if the West risks encouraging Russian pressure and undermining its own position. The podcast's corporate partner…

1
Is the Data on Climate Change More Optimistic than We Thought? With Hannah Ritchie 42:29

2M ago42:29

42:29

What if the real story of climate change is far more hopeful than we’ve been led to believe? With so much doomsday reporting and general misinformation on climate change, it can be hard to know what’s true - and what actually matters. In this episode, bestselling author and data scientist Hannah Ritchie joins us to examine the data on the biggest q…

1
#83 Francis Farrell: The New Ukrainian Fighting Strategy That Could Decide War 36:23

2M ago36:23

36:23

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ This is a conversation with Francis Farrell - a reporter for Kyiv Independent and someone who sp…

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