Claim OwnershipCrash Course With Michael Walker
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© Michael Walker
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A crash course into the issues essential for understanding the word today.
For access to full episodes, support to the show at https://www.patreon.com/crashcoursepod
Scripting & Presenting: Michael Walker
Production & Editing: Lewis Bassett & Patrick Heardman
Sound Design: Patrick Heardman
Graphic Design: Jacek Zmarz
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 Episodes
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I'll soon be moving to focus on the UK general election, but first this is a final look at a much bigger democratic contest: India's.In episode 1 and 2 of my mini-series on India's election I looked at Modi's hindu nationalism and his approach to democracy. In this third and final episode I’m taking a look at India’s economy.It's hard to overstate the significance of India's economic development. The country is home to 1.4 billion people and if as some hope it develops at the pace of its neighbour China, these are 1.4 billion people who can look forward to getting better jobs, whose children can expect decent educations, and who - in the main - can expect to gain all the privileges that come with entering the global middle class.If India fails to achieve that growth - or only achieves the wrong kind of growth - it would mean hundreds of millions of people having those ambitions stunted.Guest: Arjun Ramani, The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I've been wanting to get more ideological diversity and productive disagreement on Crash Course, and so I was pleased when Albie Amankona agreed to come on for an interview. Albie is a regular commentator on GB News, and vice chair of LGBT Conservatives. We discussed the council election results, how he became a conservative, the legacy of austerity, and whether he thinks his party is intentionally stoking a culture war. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. To sign up visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod**Given the local and mayoral elections in England and Wales I've taken a break from my India series to look at politics closer to home. In this episode I speak to George Eaton from the New Statesman about the nature of "Starmerism" and what Labour would do if - as seems very likely - they get into power at the next general election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
India's elections are the world's largest. But in a context in which Modi's political opponents are subject to arbitrary arrest, can we really call the country a democracy?LSE Anthropologist Alpa Shah thinks we shouldn't, and in her new book 'The Incarcerations' she explains how the arrest of 16 intellectuals and activists symbolises India's slide into authoritarianism, and even fascism.**This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
To mark India's general election, I'll be doing a few episodes on the politics and economics of the world's most populous nation. In this first interview, I speak to the Oxford historian Pratinav Anil about Modi's Hindu Nationalism, and how it came to dominate politics in India.**This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the second part of my conversation with Vincent Bevins we discussed the arab spring and the fall of the Soviet Union. The conversation includes Vincent giving a really useful explanation of the rise and fall of the Egyptian revolution, and me making a tentative case for small-c conservatism.**This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to all Crash Course episodes in full sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vincent Bevins is one of my favourite authors - and a good friend of mine - so I knew when I got him sat down in a room our conversation good go on for a long time. I wasn't wrong. This is the first part of a three hour conversation where we discuss his latest book "If We Burn: The Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution" . In this episode I tell Vince my doubts about the protest movements I was part of in the early 2010s, and we take a deep dive look at protest movements in Brazil and Chile.To listen to the full episode sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In my first crossover episode with Novara FM I spoke to Nick Bano about his new book "Against Landlords". Nick also wrote a recent piece in the Guardian which caused controversy due to Nick's unusual claim that Britain doesn't need to build more houses. I fundamentally disagree with Nick on that point, hence this became a bit of a debate!You can read Nick's Guardian piece here -> https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**This is free preview of a members only episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod**As Israel bombards Gaza, the Tory Party have used anti-war protests as an excuse to whip up a moral panic about British muslims. To discuss the long history of Tory animosity towards muslims - and the broader ideology that sees islam as a threat to the West - I spoke to Peter Oborne. Peter Oborne is the former chief political commentator at the Daily Telegraph. His most recent book is "The Fate of Abraham: Why the West is Wrong about Islam." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
** This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod **Events since October 7th have shown the strengths and weaknesses of international law. On the one hand, differing attitudes to Russia and Israel have shown the West's commitment to international law to be paper thin. On the other, cases brought to the International Court of Justice have given Palestinians a real voice in international affairs. To get a crash course on international law, how its made, who enforces it, and who can ignore it, I spoke to Alonso Gurmendi. Alonso is lecturer in international relations at Kings College London, and an expert on international law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. To listen to the full show visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod**I've taken a break from the Palestine series on this episode to interview an expert on another topic that has fascinated me this month: The election of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. Bukele has been criticised by human rights groups for locking up vast numbers of people suspected of being members of gangs. He is far from a liberal. But the harsh measures have been incredibly effective at reducing what were astronomical levels of violent crime. El Salvador's population has rewarded him with 83% of the vote in this month's presidential election. I spoke to Latin America analyst Nik McNally to discuss how we should interpret Bukele's success. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
** This is a free preview of a longer paid episode, to access the whole interview visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod **Is the West's unconditional support for Israel thanks to the existence of a powerful Israel lobby? I spoke to Hil Aked about Britain's Israel lobby, and its activity during the war on Gaza. Hil Aked is author of "Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity" - https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/723-friends-of-israelTwitter: @hil_akedWebsite: hilaked.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. You can access the full show at patreon.com/crashcoursepod**Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. The Houthis were a Yemeni group of rebel outsiders. Yet they now have the entire West on the ropes with their blockade of the Red Sea. I spoke to Beirut-based writer Séamus Malekafzali for a primer on how we got here. Séamus's substack: https://www.seamus-malekafzali.com/Séamus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Seamus_Malek Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
***This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full hour subscribe at patreon.com/crashcoursepod***Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen are all part of the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance" which poses the biggest challenge to Israel in the Middle East. I spoke to Trita Parsi about the surprising history of Israeli-Iranian relations, and whether rising tensions between Israel and the axis could lead to an all-out regional war. Trita Parsi is Executive VP of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of the classic book "Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Earlier in the year I started a series on Migration which I put on hold to focus on the Gaza War. This was going to be episode 2 of that series. It's with Jonathan Portes, who was a very senior civil servant in the New Labour years and is now a Professor of Political Economy at Kings College London. We discussed the history and economics of immigration to Britain, including the major waves of migration since WW2 and how, paradoxically, immigration has increased after Brexit. Jonathan is one of Britain's leading thinkers on immigration policy, and this was an illuminating discussion in a year when the Tories are desperate to get migration back up on the political agenda. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. To subscribe, visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod**Andrew Feinstein is a campaigner and author who grew up in apartheid South Africa and became an MP for the ANC. Andrew is also jewish, and has spent extensive time in Israel-Palestine, so I couldn't have found a better placed guest to discuss the connections and comparisons between apartheid in Israel and South Africa.Andrew is author of 'The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade', and 'After the Party' on his time in the ANC. Towards the end of the discussion Andrew mentioned a film about Marwan Barghouti. More details can be found here -> https://www.newarab.com/features/tomorrows-freedom-documenting-palestines-nelson-mandela Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**This is a free preview of a paid episode - to listen to the full conversation sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod**For my sixth episode on the Gaza War I interviewed Jon Lansman on the Labour Party and Israel-Palestine. Jon is a long-time stalwart of the Labour left who ran both of Jeremy Corbyn’s successful leadership campaign, and I've known personally since 2015. I have a lot of time and respect for Jon, though as you’ll hear though in this conversation, I’ve disagreed with him on a number of things since the start of the Gaza War.I hope you’ll agree we managed those disagreements in a productive way, and that you’ll learn something from them regardless of the side on which you fall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I spoke to Ben Judah from the Atlantic Council about how the U.S. sees the Gaza War. This is a free version of a longer episode. To listen in full sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Balfour to Braverman, Britain has consistently backed Israel in its war on Palestine. To discuss why, I was joined by David Wearing Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex. This is a free version of a longer episode - to listen to the full show subscribe at patreon.com/crashcoursepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since 1948, the relationship between Israel and its arab neighbours has gone from open hostility, to accommodation and collaboration. I spoke to Abdel Razzaq Takriti, Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston, about Egypt and Jordan's role in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and how that can inform our understanding of the current Gaza War. To support Crash Course, sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod.Crash Course is produced and edited by Lewis Bassett and Patrick Heardman.Patrick Heardman does the sound design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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