In Solidarity - by openDemocracy

Trump, Putin and the Betrayal of Ukraine

openDemocracy — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:57:32 +0000

In this episode Sian Norris speaks with The Guardian’s Luke Harding about his book Betrayal: Putin, Trump and the New Age of Conquest (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781783353378), covering Harding’s 2007–2011 Moscow posting, FSB harassment and his expulsion while investigating Litvinenko and Putin’s wealth.

Luke argues Putin’s worldview is neo-imperial and explains how Western leaders misread Russia before the February 2022 full-scale invasion. He describes Biden’s fear of nuclear escalation and slow delivery of weapons, and says some Ukrainians hoped Trump might end the war, but Harding believes Trump behaves like a Russian asset, citing deference to Putin, policy shifts, cuts to Ukraine aid, and possible kompromat.

We also explore Kremlin ties to the British right, Brexit-era influence, Nigel Farage’s Russia Today appearances, and the Nathan Gill bribery case, before ending on Ukraine’s resilience, drone innovation, and a strategy of degrading Russia’s war economy.

00:00 Introduction

01:13 Expelled From Moscow

03:34 FSB Harassment Campaign

07:05 Warnings Before Invasion

10:17 Putin Mythology Ukraine

13:56 Biden Zelensky Tensions

17:51 Alaska Summit Deference

20:03 Why Trump Aligns Russia

23:42 Oval Office Ambush

26:15 Britain Right Russia Links

29:27 Nathan Gill Bribery Case

35:12 Far Right Influence Network

37:18 New Age Of Conquest

40:05 Drone Warfare Template

40:54 Ukraine Resilience Winter

43:49 Ukraine Innovation Victory

Presented by Sian Norris

Produced by harry Beney

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Burnham 'Unbreak' Britain?

openDemocracy — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:41:42 +0000

How do progressive movements defeat the far right without adopting their doom-laden narrative?

In this episode of In Solidarity, Aman is joined by fellow openDemocracy investigative journalists Sian Norris and Ethan Shone to break down the recent Labour conference and how it fits into the rapidly changing political landscape in the UK.

From repealing Thatcher-era bans on public water ownership to tackling the decades-long crisis in social care, does Burnham’s vision offer genuine structural reform or merely "empty calories" wrapped in charismatic delivery?

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Produced by Harry Beney

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Palantir and the art of Tax Avoidance

openDemocracy — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:39:23 +0000

Governments hand out billions in lucrative contracts to tech corporations to build surveillance systems, track migrants, and process public health data. Yet those same companies use every legal loophole available to avoid paying tax on their profits.

In this episode of In Solidarity, openDemocracy editor Aman Sethi and tech reporter Jade-Ruyu Yan sit down with Jason Ward, principal analyst at the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR), to analyze Palantir’s global tax practices.

Palantir supplies technology to US immigration enforcement, the Israeli military, and the UK’s NHS. Despite reporting 55% profit margins and over $1.6 billion in net income, Palantir maintains an effective global tax rate of just 1.4% and pays zero federal income tax in the United States.

Chapter Timestamps

00:00:00 - Introduction & What is Palantir?

00:03:25 - Palantir in the UK: NHS Contracts & Low Tax Bills

00:04:37 - Why Investigate Palantir's Tax Practices?

00:05:37 - Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and Silicon Valley Ideology

00:07:02 - The 1.4% Effective Tax Rate: How Palantir Dodges Taxes

00:10:47 - Explaining the Stock-Based Compensation Loophole

00:15:15 - Corporate Taxes, Democracy, and Inequality

00:18:48 - Who Works for Palantir? Inside Employee Motivations

00:20:21 - The France Exception: Why Worker Power Matters for Tax

00:23:14 - Australia’s Tax Transparency Revolution

00:26:32 - Debunking Corporate Excuses & Pushing for Reform

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Produced by Harry Beney

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Venezuelan Oil Steal

openDemocracy — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:30:33 +0000

Nine months after the US abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a highly unusual oil deal has surfaced. The US claims to have struck an agreement to take control of about a fifth of Venezuela's oil reserves. But this isn't a standard international trade agreement; it’s structured through a Barbados-based private company owned by a controversial businessman, with the US Department of Defense taking a 35% stake.

In this episode, we sit down with Francisco Rodríguez, a Venezuelan economist and author of The Collapse of Venezuela: Scorched-Earth Politics and Economic Decline. Rodríguez dismantles the mechanics of this unprecedented $100 billion deal, explaining why major oil companies are nowhere to be found and why Venezuela is currently shipping 40,000 barrels of oil to the US at cost.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:00 - The Barbados Company and the Missing $100 Billion

00:05:00 - Replenishing the US Strategic Reserve at Venezuela's Expense

00:07:00 - Bypassing Venezuelan Law and the National Assembly

00:09:00 - Comparisons to the 1996 Russian Privatization

00:13:00 - Hugo Chávez and the Origins of Economic Collapse

00:18:00 - The Devastating Impact of US Sanctions

00:22:00 - The Opposition’s "Faustian Bargain" with Washington

00:25:00 - "Regime Compliance" and the Future of US Intervention

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Produced by Harry Beney

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the UK Establishment Normalised Reform

openDemocracy — Fri, 15 May 2026 10:56:35 +0000

Is Reform fascist, far-right or merely right wing? And do we really need to get into this?

Our guest on this episode, thinks we should: Daniel Trilling is a journalist, a long-time openDemocracy contributor, and the author of a new Book: If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable.

Daniel has spent decades covering the wild west of right-wing politics in England— from the fascists to the conservatives.

And his point, which we dig into over the length of this episode, is we need to correctly diagnose what Reform is, and what they are tapping into, before we decide what to do about it.

I found this conversation particularly thought provoking for two reasons: Whenever we cover Reform on openDemocracy (and we go at them very hard), we often get readers writing in saying, “I support Reform but I’m not racist”; On the other hand, I worry — to borrow from the title of Daniel’s book, if we are making a dangerous group respectable.

So yes, we need to get into it, and Daniel is just the person to do this with.

Buy Daniel's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781037411571

Subscribe to openDemocracy: opendemocracy.net

00:00 Introduction

01:05 The Collapse of the UK's Two-Party System

02:18 The First-Past-The-Post Lottery

03:07 What is the "British Establishment"?

04:19 The Media Elite & Private School Pipelines

05:32 The "Punitive State": Working Class vs. The State

07:37 The Nigel Farage Playbook

10:48 The False Promise of "Fixing the Country"

13:30 "Anti-Nationals" & The Right-Wing Identity Crisis

16:32 Scottish Nationalism vs. Englishness

18:23 The Identity Void of Post-Empire Britain

21:40 How to Actually Defeat Reform UK & The Far-Right

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The Climate Wars: How Superpowers Are Carving Up the Earth

openDemocracy — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:16:48 +0000

The climate crisis is changing the way nations think about food, energy, resources, war and peace. Melting ice caps are opening up new trade routes fought over by the world's great powers, conflicts are waged over food and mineral resources, shifting climates are fuelling migration – and Donald Trump says it's all just a scam.

Join Arthur Snell as he discusses his new book Elemental: the new geography of climate change and how we survive it. Spanning conflict in the Sahel, Russia's war in Ukraine, the US coveting Greenland, NEOM in Saudi Arabia, and China's energy push, Snell explores how the climate crisis is now in every part of our politics. But while there is much to concern us here, there's hope too. The world faces various futures, and it can adapt and respond to the realities of a changing climate.

📕 Buy Elemental: The New Geography of Climate Change and How We Survive it

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781035412945

👉 Stay informed. Sign up for the openDemocracy newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

✊ Support our work. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. We rely on listeners like you to keep our independent journalism free. Donate today: https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:20 The Petro-State Panic: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the End of Oil

03:32 The Sahel Crisis: Climate Migration and Fragile States

08:24 Uranium & Mercenaries: Russia vs. France in Africa

10:25 The Arctic: Melting Ice, Shipping Routes, and Donald Trump

16:21 Ukraine: Why Putin is Weaponizing Food and Farmland

21:35 China’s Monopoly & Russia's Future as an "Economic Colony"

28:18 The Surprising Winners: Morocco, Interconnectors, and Climate Hope

32:41 Outro

Credits: Presented by Sian Norris

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The AI Panopticon: How Big Tech and the State are Watching You

openDemocracy — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:30:34 -0100

"My ultimate vision... was to achieve by means of AI and technology, what Jeremy Bentham tried to do with his panopticon." — UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

When the state openly admits it wants its eyes on you at all times, how do citizens fight back?

In this episode of In Solidarity, Matthew Linares sits down with Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group. We cut through the Silicon Valley PR to expose the terrifying reality of the modern surveillance state. From the aggressive rollout of facial recognition and predictive policing to the "revolving door" between Big Tech lobbyists and policymakers, we explore how our democratic infrastructure is being hollowed out for corporate profit.

This isn't just a warning - it's an escape plan. Jim breaks down the illusion of corporate regulation, the realities of "enshittification," and the actionable steps you can take to reclaim your digital sovereignty today.

Get involved offline. Find an Open Rights Group meetup near you: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/get-involved/

👉 Stay informed. Sign up for the openDemocracy newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:27 - The AI Panopticon

00:04:18 - The Lobbyist Loop & The “Rip-Off”

00:10:26 - “Enshittification” & The Illusion of Choice

00:14:48 - Why relying on tech regulators is a “mug’s game”

00:18:51 - Escaping the Matrix: Interoperability, analog meetups, and fighting back

Credits: Presented by Matthew Linares

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iran, Oil, Inflation, Unrest: The Global Fallout of the US-Israeli War in the Gulf

openDemocracy — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:03:08 -0100

As the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to escalate, the effects of the conflict are spiralling outwards across a world already whiplashed by cross-border violence, global tariffs, and the unravelling of regional alliances.

There is much that we do not know: How will spiking energy prices affect developing economies in Asia and Africa? What are the long term impacts of the destabilisation of the Gulf, a region that has long served as a magnet for labour and capital from around the world? What does the conflict in Iran reveal about the latest chapter in the relationship between international finance capital and nation states?

To talk through these questions, I interviewed analyst and columnist Mihir Sharma. Sharma is a principal research fellow at IPPR, and has been a Bloomberg Opinion columnist on global economics and politics for over a decade.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "Danish Model" of Asylum Explained: Cruelty by Design?

openDemocracy — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:02:29 -0100

Why are British and European politicians obsessed with Denmark's immigration strategy? We uncover the dark reality of the "Danish Model" and how it punishes asylum seekers by design.

Politicians across Europe - including the UK government - increasingly point to the so-called "Danish Model" as the ultimate solution for controlling borders, immigration, and asylum. But beyond the political talking points, what does this model actually look like on the ground?

In this episode of In Solidarity, host Aman Sethi sits down with Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, the first-ever Danish Professor in Migration and Mobility Law. They break down the harsh reality of "indirect deterrence," how Europe's most liberal border became its strictest, and the secret history of the modern passport.

Finally, they unpack the recent push by the UK and Denmark to bypass the European Court of Human Rights, and what that means for the future of global mobility. If you want to understand the reality behind the political rhetoric on border control, this is your essential briefing.

Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen is the director of MOBILE, the Danish National Research Foundation's Center of Excellence on Global Mobility Law.

👉 Stay informed. Sign up for the openDemocracy newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

Chapters:

00:00 The Cruelty of the "Danish Model"

01:59 What Actually is the Danish Asylum Strategy?

05:39 Does "Indirect Deterrence" Actually Stop Migration?

07:16 The Human Cost: Punishing Migrants to Send a Message

14:18 The Secret History of the Modern Passport

19:00 The UK and Denmark's Plot Against Human Rights Law

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Secret Pipeline: How the Far-Right is Radicalising Gen Z

openDemocracy — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:48:15 -0100

Are anti-rights movements infiltrating high schools? We uncover the deliberate, decades-old strategy the far-right is using to target young people, weaponise their insecurities, and build a pipeline of extremist power.

In this episode of In Solidarity, openDemocracy’s Senior Investigations Reporter Sian Norris sits down with Jamie Vernaelde, Senior Researcher at Ipas. They dive deep into a chilling new report detailing how far-right and anti-rights movements are actively grooming the next generation. From exploiting economic and physical insecurities to pumping massive financial investments into youth pipelines, Jamie exposes the conservative playbook for molding young minds.

More importantly, they discuss what the progressive movement is getting wrong about youth engagement and how we can fight back by giving young people the space and resources to lead.

Read the full report here: https://www.ipas.org/resource/future-proofing-the-professionalization-of-an-anti-rights-youth-generation/

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 How the Far-Right Targets Gen Z

04:15 Why Young Women are Drifting to the Far-Right

06:23 The 'Tradwife' Trend: A Pipeline to Radicalisation?

08:13 Rebranding Extremism for Secular Youth

11:36 The Wellness-to-Alt-Right Pipeline Explained

13:07 Why Contraception is the Right’s Next Target

15:12 Exposing the Dark Money Behind Anti-Rights Groups

18:04 The Playbook to Weaponise the Courts

20:08 Inside the Global War on Human Rights

22:57 The 'Elite' Seduction: Recruiting on Campus

24:39 Weaponising Victimhood: The Conservative Media Strategy

28:13 The Left’s Blindspot: How Progressives Can Fight Back

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaza's Illusionary Ceasefire

openDemocracy — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:11:39 -0100

Over 71,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the war began on Oct 7 2023, in what a UN inquiry has described as a “genocide”. When a US-brokered ceasefire was declared in October last year, the world's attention moved on to the next crisis. Since then at least 463 Palestinians had been killed by Israel as of Jan 21 this year, of whom 100 were children, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency.

Anywhere where else in the world, this would be an active conflict. In Palestine, this is what a ceasefire looks like.

In this episode, we speak to Jamil Sawalmeh, the Director of ActionAid Palestine on the situation on the ground in Gaza.

https://palestine.actionaid.org/

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:41 What is the situation on the ground like Gaza?

07:04 The 'Yellow Line'

10:40 A lack of fresh water

14:00 The great displacement

14:53 Returning to Palestine is impossible

20:08 Reality of the Board Of Peace

24:08 The local infrastructure

28:12 What should the world be doing to help?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Maduro: Storm Warnings in Venezuela

openDemocracy — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:41:18 -0100

If the US once claimed it was “defending Democracy” to justify attacking countries without pretext, the current administration has made no such excuses.

Last week US security forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from a compound in Caracas in an operation that killed 70 people.

Maduro was presented in a courtroom in Manhattan, on charges of supposedly “importing tons of cocaine into the United States”, and his deputy Delcy Rodriguez was installed in his place as acting President.

To make this all make sense, we speak with Laura Tedesco, a long time openDemocracy contributor and professor of political science and international relations at St. Louis university in Madrid. Prof. Tedesco is also the author of several books on democracy and politics in Latin America.

Read Laura's Book, Latin America's Leaders: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781783601028

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democracy from the ashes: Inside the Your Party conference

openDemocracy — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 12:37:07 -0100

Waring factions have dominated the headlines, but inside the Your Party conference the embers of hope for a different kind of politics were still burning.

Investigative reporter Ethan Shone tells what the mood was like among the party members following months of public spats and PR disasters.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

End Times: What Post-Socialist Societies Teach Us About Today

openDemocracy — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:29:35 -0100

We’ve normalised the idea that the world is ending, that society is tearing itself apart, that our countries — wherever we live — are falling apart. But what does that really look like? What does it feel like? What emerges in the aftermath?

In this episode host Aman Sethi speaks to Renata Salecl, a Slovenian philosopher, sociologist and political theorist to decode how the experiences of post-socialist countries can help us understand the crisis gripping the West.

A Passion For Ignorance - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780691240992

The Spoils of Freedom - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780415073585

On Anxiety - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780415312769

The Tyranny of Choice - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781846681868

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Post socialist societies

07:22 The modern respect for cunning

08:45 Lessons from pop culture

10:16 The (mis)use of fake news

13:53 On accelerationism

16:11 The dissolution of societies

18:53 Times when nothing and everything changes

20:50 Those that enjoy life the wrong way

22:24 Neoliberal collapse

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abortion decriminalisation now

openDemocracy — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:00:24 -0100

Earlier this year, Labour overwhelmingly voted in favour of an amendment that would end the criminalisation of women and pregnant people seeking abortions outside the 1967 Abortion Act exemptions. As the debate went through the Lords, we sat down with MSI Reproductive Choices’ Louise McCudden to discuss why we need decriminalisation now - and what this win means amid a global backlash against abortion rights.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:07 What is the current legal state of abortion across the UK?

05:13 The women being imprisoned for abortion

10:16 The late-term abortion argument

13:10 Imported tactics from the US

16:21 The case for optimism

19:02 Anti-abortion's international bankroll

23:17 The future of the pro-abortion movement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour puts capital over consumers

openDemocracy — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:52:50 +0000

What can we learn about the future of consumer rights from the merger between Microsoft and Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard?

When Labour came into power in 2024, they accused regulators like Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of inhibiting growth and appointed influential figures from the business world into key positions and advisory roles. This includes a former Amazon boss being made the head of the CMA, or as one lawyer observed “A monopolist had been appointed to lead the anti-monopoly watchdog”.

In today’s episode Ethan Shone tells us what we can expect from a government that has put growth and prosperity for business ahead of the rights of everyday consumers.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Special thanks to Indra Warnes

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:28 Why do regulatory bodies matter?

04:35 Who is influencing the CMA now?

07:25 Why are Labour taking this 'anti-consumer' approach?

10:15 Who should we be paying attention to?

14:09 What can we expect from Labour based on this trajectory?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that we have to say 'genocide'

openDemocracy — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:25:47 +0000

Did Western media manufacture consent for Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza?

In the last two years since Hamas' attack on Israel, and the latter's bombardment of the territories of Palestine it partially occupies, mainstream media particularly in the U.S. and Europe have broken their own rules of fairness, accuracy, conflict of interest, objectivity and so-called "neutrality" in their coverage of Israel's actions.

They have often repeated the Israeli government's statements as fact without critical context or analysis; for example the fact that Israel was considered to be imposing apartheid on Palestinians long before October 7th. They have underreported or omitted major events from coverage including attacks on aid flotilla for Palestinians or Israeli declarations of intent to commit genocide. In some cases it has been discovered that some news organisations hired former soldiers of Israeli Defence Forces, as reporters without disclosing this affiliation to their audience.

Lila Hassan, an independent investigative journalist and educator who has worked closely with many outlets in the West in the last two years and prior - and has seen the media's role in shaping this conflict firsthand, joins us today to discuss how we got here and the real world harms of the media failing at delivering the one sacred thing required of journalists: the truth.

Follow Lila:

https://www.instagram.com/bylilahassan/

https://lila-hassan.com/

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Clips from Boston Globe, Al Jazeera, SJS news

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

05:45 We MUST say genocide

07:06 The tipping point

11:25 The forbidden words

14:44 Societal understanding vs Journalism

20:02 The perception of language

23:28 Western media betrays itself

27:30 Conflicts of interest in reporting

31:12 Misrepresentation from the media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal: Is This A South Asia Spring?

openDemocracy — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 13:29:54 +0000

In early September, Nepal witnessed massive protests under the banner of GenZ protests to demonstrate against what they viewed as a hopelessly corrupt and sclerotic regime.

The immediate trigger was a government ban on social media apps, but as the protestors themselves have made clear – their grievances run much deeper.

The protests in Nepal bear parallels to similar uprisings in Sri Lanka in 2022 and Bangladesh last year. On this episode, journalists Roman Gautam and Aman Sethi discuss if we are witnessing a South Asian version of the Arab Spring.

http://www.himalmag.com

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:56 A week after revolution

06:38 How widespread were the protests?

07:55 The South Asian spring

12:40 Discord democracy

18:56 Respect for elders

23:42 What's next for Nepal?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Worse Than Trump: India is Deporting Its Own People

openDemocracy — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:09:36 +0000

The world is rightly horrified by how US President Trump is deporting people, including minors, without due process. Something similar is underway in India, but worse and under the radar. Even since the border skirmishes between India and Pakistan this year, Indian authorities have been rounding up Muslim citizens and deporting them on the spurious grounds that they either Pakistani or Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Abhishek Saha is an Indian journalist and author of No Land's People. He joins us on the show to discuss the devastating impact of India's forced deportations.

Read No Land's People: https://harpercollins.co.in/product/no-lands-people/

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:44 What's happening in India?

05:02 Why Bangladesh?

07:05 The global pushback against migration

12:39 Punishing inherited people

14:42 Who determines what people are 'undesirable'

17:50 Identifying outsiders

21:48 Abusing bureaucracy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What has Labour done for women?

openDemocracy — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:15:43 +0000

As Labour marked a year in government, Fawcett Society's Penny East asks: what has Labour done for women? And what needs to happen next?

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

00:00 Introduction

01:50 The positive impacts of the Labour government

04:38 Third party sexual harassment and the so-called 'Banter ban'

07:35 The online backlash against feminism

09:10 Decriminalisation of abortion

10:05 Unfulfilled promises

12:28 Traumatic failures around maternity care

14:30 Labour's attitudes towards poverty and welfare

16:56 Financial vulnerability and abuse

19:03 Halving violence against women and girls

22:09 The online safety bill

25:39 Legislation is lagging behind

31:55 What does solidarity mean to you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Planet Patriarchy

openDemocracy — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 10:22:15 +0000

Patriarchy refuses to die. In every country of the world, women are oppressed by male violence, patriarchal religions, and ideas of the family. But women are resisting, as Rahila Gupta explains, in a fascinating analysis that takes us from Riyadh and Russia, to Rojava.

Buy Planet Patriarchy: Global Tales of Feminism and Oppression: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781805262879

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https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Why write Planet Patriarchy now?

03:37 The violence of patriarchy

09:47 Family can be a form of violence

11:32 The women-led revolution in Rojava

16:56 The privilege of non-violence

21:07 Rojava's fragile future

22:31 What does solidarity mean to you?

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The tech start-up targeting sexual assault survivors

openDemocracy — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:24:37 +0000

Content warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, rape and trauma.

When our investigative reporter Sian Norris heard worrying claims about a Silicon Valley-style start-up targeting rape survivors at universities in Bristol, she knew she needed to uncover what exactly was going on.

Over the next six months, Sian interviewed more than a dozen people on and off the record, sent multiple FOI requests and reviewed countless social media posts.

Working with a Lucy H Watson, a student at Bristol university, Sian uncovered the concerns raised by students, universities and the police about Enough's approach, that sexual violence experts have issues with its methodologies, and that one of the organisation’s co-founders has links to a former beauty queen who described sexual assault as a “multi-billion-dollar industry”.

Read Sian and Lucy’s investigation:

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/enough-bristol-diy-rape-kits-bristol-university-start-up-katie-white-tom-allchurch/

Lucy has set up a Student-led Instagram account raising awareness about Enough and their self-swab kits:

https://www.instagram.com/enoughofenoughbristol/

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https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 CONTENT WARNING

00:12 Introduction

02:17 What is Enough?

03:56 Investigating Enough

05:07 The US connection

06:55 Have rape self-swab kits ever been used in a criminal prosecution?

08:42 Experiences of Enough 'in the wild'

11:12 A lack of sensitivity

12:47 How unique is Enough's solution?

16:16 Visibility for victims

19:23 Is there evidence of Enough's 'assault prevention' claims?

20:52 Using the vulnerable as test users

22:38 Is there any harm in using the kits as a backup?

24:41 What data is collected and how is it protected?

27:46 How is the company organised?

28:38 Concerns over how Enough was pitching itself to Universities

29:48 How revolutionary is Enough really?

32:16 The shocking belligerence of Enough

33:20 What does solidarity mean to Lucy?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is funding Nigel Farage’s Reform party - and why?

openDemocracy — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:32:52 +0000

This is the first episode of our new mini-series exploring the financial interests of political parties in England and Wales.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has banked almost £5m from wealthy donors since 2023, including those with links to fossil fuels, the financial services industry and tax havens. It has also received significant financial investment from the general public in the form of party memberships.

There seems to be a tension between the party’s desire to be seen as a grassroots, ‘by the people, for the people’ movement and its efforts to court the very billionaires its supporters believe they are rallying against.

openDemocracy’s investigations reporter, Ethan Shone, examines this contradiction, discusses what Reform’s future might look like and asks whether the UK media is right to dedicate so much time to the party.

Read Ethan’s investigation: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/reform-uk-funders-nigel-farage-5-million-donations-fossil-fuels-tax-havens/

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https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting https://opendemocracy.net/donate

https://insolidaritypodcast.substack.com/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

02:44 How was this data sourced?

04:25 What's the cut-off for reporting?

05:20 How does Reform's income compare to Labour and The Conservatives?

08:47 Off-shore benefactors for political parties

11:22 The people of note who back Reform

13:22 Backers shifting from Conservatives to Reform

14:34 George Cottrell - an unofficial aide?

17:49 The phantom punishments

19:22 What's Reform's future looking like?

23:48 Should we even be talking about Reform?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A momentous day for reproductive rights

openDemocracy — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:04:26 +0000

On 17 June 2025 UK Parliament voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, reversing a Victorian-era law. The amendment will prevent women from being prosecuted for ending a pregnancy after 24 weeks or without approval from two doctors.

We spoke to our senior investigative reporter Sian Norris, author of Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global.

Get Bodies Under Siege by Sian Norris: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781839764738

Read Sian’s full piece on this vote: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mps-vote-decriminalise-abortion-important-increasing-prosecutions-global-backlash-us/

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https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

00:55 A huge achievement for women's reproductive rights

01:55 'Isn't abortion already legal in the UK?'

07:19 The 24 week question

09:44 Telemedicine

13:24 What does this mean on a global level?

14:51 What happens next?

17:22 On to the next fight!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Locked up: protesters in prison

openDemocracy — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:03:41 +0000

Earlier this year, openDemocracy explored how successive governments had cracked down on protest rights. Now, with Just Stop Oil activists facing lengthy sentences for "conspiring" to commit protest offences, the impact of these laws is being felt more than ever. We sat down with human rights lawyer Katy Watts to discuss the sentencing, and how she and the NGO Liberty won a legal challenge against the government's new protest laws.

https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/

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https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

01:16 Long sentences for protestors

03:21 Protestors new-found reluctance

05:41 Broadening definitions of what is criminal

08:30 A framework for authoritarians

09:50 What inspired the clamp down on protest?

12:10 Holding the government to account in court

16:04 Labour defending Conservative policies

18:28 What happens to those arrested unlawfully?

19:35 Neutering protests

21:12 These protest laws target everyone

24:56 Concerns about Labour's approach to protest

27:37 What does solidarity mean to you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Generation Crisis: Why generational labels miss the mark

openDemocracy — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:26:11 +0000

Boomers ruined everything, Millennials are work-shy and Gen Z can’t comprehend anything that isn’t a TikTok dance. Generational language defines the way we think about broad cohorts of society, but is this way of viewing the world dividing us further at a time when solidarity has never been more important?

Tom Nicholas, a writer, filmmaker and YouTuber, joins us to discuss his latest film Boomers: The Rise of Gerontocracy, generational language and whether Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z are really that different to each other or are just one generation shaped by the financial crisis.

—

Watch Boomers: The Rise of Gerontocracy - https://go.nebula.tv/boomers

Subscribe to Tom Nicholas on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Tom_Nicholas

Get the openDemocracy newsletter - https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

03:00 Is generational discourse useful?

08:20 Shrinking generations

11:07 The long shadow of the financial crisis

13:47 How is generational language shaping politics?

15:47 What makes boomers different from other generations?

18:01 Is it time to redefine generations?

20:56 The Covid generation

22:55 Intergenerational solidarity

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Protest Became a Crime in the UK: "We’re All Arrestables Now"

openDemocracy — Thu, 22 May 2025 10:36:41 +0000

This week on In Solidarity, we're in discussion with openDemocracy's senior investigative reporter and feminist activist, Sian Norris. Sian joins us on the podcast to reveal how recent laws are quietly dismantling the right to protest in the UK.

Drawing on six months of in-depth reporting, Sian breaks down the true impact of the Public Order Act 2023 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. These laws allow protests to be stopped before they even begin, based on little more than suspicion.

What does this mean for democracy, and who is being targeted? From activists to everyday citizens, no one is exempt. This is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the increasingly authoritarian political climate in the UK -- and around the world.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/conservative-labour-protest-ban-climate-gaza-just-stop-oil-extinction-rebellion-black-lives-matter/

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Carla Abreu

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

01:51 Why investigate protest?

04:56 What are the PCSC and POA?

10:28 What's a 'serious disruption'?

11:53 Who do these rules target?

16:49 We're all 'arrestables' now

19:42 Are all protests targeted equally?

22:52 Targeting BLM and XR

25:56 How does the party of free speech justify suppressing protest?

29:25 The carol service crackdown

32:28 Why don't Labour 'undo' this?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women, life, freedom: resistance and protest in Iran

openDemocracy — Thu, 15 May 2025 14:00:30 +0000

As a young woman in 1980s Iran, Nasrin Parvaz was arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the Iranian regime. In this moving interview, she shares her experience of torture and incarceration, reflects on the successive women's revolutions in Iran, questions the West's ideas of regime change, and offers a powerful call for global sisterhood.

http://www.nasrinparvaz.org/web/tag/https-www-victorinapress-com-product-one-womans-struggle-in-iran-a-prison-memoir/

Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today.

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy Senior Investigations reporter Sian Norris, author of Bodies Under Siege. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Presented by Sian Norris

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

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Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today.

opendemocracy.net/newsletters

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

01:19 Being a female prisoner in Iran during the 80s

04:33 Stolen Trauma

05:59 A friend still imprisoned

09:11 Those who paved the way

12:32 The resistance lives on

16:35 What's next for Iran's women?

18:16 Global Sisterhood

20:40 Hubris of the west

23:27 Torture's global supporters

25:57 Hopes for the future of Iran

28:00 What does solidarity mean to you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Companies are making billions from anti-immigration fears

openDemocracy — Fri, 09 May 2025 09:30:57 +0000

For many years, politicians have sold the public a simple story: The answer to undocumented immigration is a strong, fortified border. This story has a seductive, common-sense reasoning — but it is also wrong.

Decades of research has shown that people determined to move, find a way to move.

And when States respond with border controls, people turn to smugglers to circumvent these controls; and on and on this cycle goes with increasingly militarised borders on the one hand, and increasingly desperate people on the other.

But politicians don’t want to engage with this research, when it is much more politically palatable to spend billions buying shiny technology from private corporations to prop the myth of strong borders.

Our guests today have published research that shows the UK government has spent over 3.5 billion pounds in public money to support a sprawling, almost entirely privatised, apparatus to stop desperately vulnerable people from using small boats to cross the English channel and apply for asylum in the United Kingdom.

Listen in to learn more

This research was part of the collaborative Channel Crossings project who are Dr Arshad Isakjee, Dr Thom Davies and Dr Tesfalem Yemane, Dr Lucy Mayblin and Dr Joe Turner.

We would like to thank Corporate Watch and Tipping Point UK in supporting this work.

Here is a link to the initial report: https://channelcrossings.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/border-security-contracts-briefing.-april-2025.docx-1-1.pdf

To find out more about the border security economy see here https://corporatewatch.org/category/companies/ and here https://www.tni.org/en/publication/financing-border-wars

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

03:30 The manufactured border crisis

06:30 How to understand borders

11:20 The economic migrant 'myth'

15:09 The Borders industrial complex

18:08 Technological underpinnings

22:20 Investigating surveillance contracts

25:09 Companies profiting from war and refugees

28:25 We're all complicit

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why organising locally matters

openDemocracy — Thu, 01 May 2025 10:08:54 +0000

Community organisers around the world have long argued that to change a country, canvas a community. But is that really true?

In this episode, we catch up with someone who literally wrote the book on the subject. Our guest George Goehl started organising in a soup kitchen in Southern Indiana 30 years ago in the Clinton era and continues to do so in the time of Trump.

Listen in to understand how to fight effectively for change and why immigration is such a divisive issue.

The Fundamentals Of Organizing - George Goehl

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

01:18 How to George get into community organising

05:37 The state of rural America

08:12 Can community organising go national?

11:45 Recharging for the fight ahead

12:45 The public opinion of migration

16:30 AD - The World Unspun podcast

17:55 Progressive meekness

21:31 Meaning making

23:37 How progressive are Democrats really?

25:54 Political vs Community organising

28:55 Tangible change

34:01 Tales from the doorsteps

36:55 What does solidarity mean to you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Palestine, Musk and BRICS: the issues dividing US and South Africa

openDemocracy — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 14:52:31 +0000

The already fraught relationship between the United States and South Africa has been put under even more strain with Donald Trump's decision to cut foreign aid, not to mention South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ.

Menzi Ndhlovu, a political economist and risk analyst at Signal Risk a risk analysis consultancy focused on Africa, joins us to discuss this critical moment for South Africa.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy’s Africa Editor, Ayodeji Rotinwa. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

02:51 South Africa's support for Palestine

09:19 The street that caused a geopolitical issue

14:06 How the ANC has changed

16:26 Trump's issues with South Africa

22:10 Musk's issues with South Africa

24:10 Is the US trying to bring South Africa to heel?

28:00 How can South Africa appease the US?

31:30 Is there an upside to the rift with the US?

34:28 South Africa's moral quandary

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Populism's Silver Lining

openDemocracy — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 06:43:16 +0000

Danny Sriskandarajah is the author of Power to the People: Use your voice, change the world

Sriskandarajah discusses the shift from a positive phase of civic engagement to a reversal over the past decade, emphasising the importance of community networks beyond state and market fixations. He highlights the role of civil society in nurturing democracy and the need for international solidarity. Sriskandarajah shares personal experiences from his childhood in Sri Lanka and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, underscoring the power of collective action and the interconnectedness of global issues.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Escaping The Alt-Right Pipeline

openDemocracy — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:49:55 -0100

Jimmy The Giant is a popular YouTuber who did what many would consider to be beyond the pale - he changed his mind about politics. Jimmy went from heading down the right wing pipeline of self improvement gurus to U-turning and becoming, dare we say, ‘woke’.

In today’s episode Aman Sethi talks to Jimmy about how and why he changed his mind about the political landscape and together they examine the changing online landscape that is making it all too easy for mainly young men to slip gradually into the world of alt-right politics.

Jimmy the Giant: @JimmyTheGiant

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from CSPAN, Jimmy The Giant and Rebel News.

00:00 Introduction

03:32 Jimmy's history

08:30 The rightward turning point

13:22 The popularity of Elon Musk

15:17 The need for hope

17:23 Ad - The World Unspun Podcast

18:48 Disillusion in young men

24:11 How do we get people thinking about the world again?

27:47 Are algorithms actually the problem?

30:13 Understanding online culture

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Migration, AI and The Rise of the Machines

openDemocracy — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:04:46 -0100

Borders patrolled by AI-powered robotic dogs once seemed like something purely in the realm of dystopian sci-fi novels. But the border industrial complex is working hard to make them a part of our (still dystopian) reality.

Petra Molnar, author of The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, joins us to discuss the militarization of border technologies, the racial politics of migration and the complexities of being both a refugee and an economic migrant.

Petra is a lawyer and anthropologist specializing in migration and human rights. She is the co-creator of the Migration and Technology Monitor, a collective of civil society, journalists, academics, and filmmakers interrogating technological experiments on people crossing borders.

—

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from NowThis, TVO Today and ParliamentTV

00:00 Introduction

01:39 Why Petra you write The Walls Have Eyes?

07:00 The theatre of surveillance

08:55 The history of the politics of migration

11:47 Racial politics and migration

14:37 AI's roll in policing borders

18:43 How do we decide who is 'worthy' or migrating?

20:09 Is Trump creating a new type of migrants?

22:00 Defining a refugee in the modern age

24:08 Petra's experiences in Israel and Palestine

27:28 The death of physical borders

29:19 How can we resist?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Germany's Rightwing Voters Are Telling Us

openDemocracy — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:46:37 -0100

Something strange is happening in Germany.

Last year, the Alternative for Germany or AFD, as it scored, became the first far right party to win a state election in Germany since World War Two. Then in February this year, the AfD came second in Germany's national elections, with 20% of the votes.

The AFD isn't just another populist right wing party. Members of the party have consistently downplayed the horrors of Nazi Germany. What is happening?

Georg Diez, journalist, writer, and author of a Tipping Points: From the promises of the 90s to the crises of the present joins us to discuss how he believes we're witnessing the birth of a new form of far-right politics and should prepare ourselves accordingly.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from CSPAN, Diem 24, Institute For Policy Studies

00:00 Introduction

01:23 What's going on in Germany?

05:30 The global financial crisis and the rise of the far-right

08:12 Right-wing extremism in modern Germany

12:01 Is fascism the right word?

15:27 What hope do we have for the future?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukraine and the return of Empire

openDemocracy — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:03:30 -0100

What do the Ukrainians at the heart of the conflict with Russia feel about being used as a bargaining chip by countries like the United States? In this episode we speak to Volydomyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, academic, and editor of Ukraine World. Volydomyr lives in Kyiv and is also the host of the Explaining Ukraine podcast.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from CSPAN

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's actually behind the Far Right's anti-women agenda?

openDemocracy — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:08:04 -0100

The rising global far right is violent, racist and misogynistic – and depends on exploiting women.

While many of us associate attacks on women’s bodily autonomy with ultra-religious groups, openDemocracy’s Sian Norris argues that the stripping away of abortion rights is a political issue, rooted in fascistic ideas about women and men. Her book, Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global, explains how organisations and individuals obsessed with stopping the “great replacement” are fuelling the assault on reproductive rights, and their success relies on recruiting, and exploiting, women.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from CSPAN

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Misdiagnosing Donald: Trumpism is Religion not Politics

openDemocracy — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 14:26:22 -0100

Have we all been looking at Donald Trump’s success in the wrong way? Jeff Sharlet, journalist and author of The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, makes a compelling case for examining his rise not as a political figure, but as a religious one. After all, Trump himself would surely be the first to suggest that he is divine.

Do the president’s most ardent supporters truly believe that he is an ‘imperfect vessel’ chosen by God? Join us as we discuss.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from CSPAN

00:00 Introduction

01:04 Why did Jeff write 'The Undertow?'

04:45 Trump the 'imperfect vessel'

06:06 Actually listening to Trump

10:01 The people who follow Trump

14:33 The appeal of Trump to people of colour

18:16 Where do we go from here?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Syria’s future lies in its past

openDemocracy — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 11:24:28 -0100

Since al-Assad’s regime fell from power in December 2024, much of the reporting on Syria has focussed on geopolitics in the region. More concern has been paid to the reactions of neighbouring nations than the ordinary Syrians whose lives have been uprooted by years of violence.

But Syria is so much more than a strategic stronghold to be fought over by nations in the Global North.

We spoke with Waseem Albahri, a Syrian cultural heritage specialist who works to preserve heritage sites in conflict zones, about the challenges of reclaiming a country’s history after it’s been held hostage by a regime that was quite literally re-writing the history books.

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In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from Aljazera, Middle East Eye, Wall Street Journal and France24

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump 2.0: Is This the Inauguration of A New Era of the Strongman?

openDemocracy — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:07:12 -0100

Trump 2.0: Is This the Inauguration of A New Era of the Strongman?

Professor Wendy Brown is an American political theorist, UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and an author.

Professor Brown’s bibliography includes what we refer to as ‘the Trump trilogy' - three books that span the political career of President Donald Trump. Given Trump’s return to the White House we felt it was the perfect time to speak to her about how a new blueprint for authoritarian leaders seems to be materialising before us.

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Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today.

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Featuring audio clips from CSPAN

00:50 How surprising was Trump's victory?

04:00 Why do Democrats find economic populism so hard?

06:34 Do pundits overlook Trump's populism?

11:30 Is chaos part of the plan?

13:37 The destruction of institutions

21:49 Profound unfreedom

25:30 Is Dehli a window into the future of the US?

27:12 Charisma and demagoguery

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.