Zack, Jenn, and Jen Kirby look at how authoritarianism has become internationalized, through the lens of two recent news stories: 1) Fox News host Tucker Carlson choosing to broadcast his show from Hungary this week; and 2) a Belarusian Olympian in Tokyo seeking asylum out of fear of punishment by the Lukashenko regime after she criticized her coach on socia ... Show More
Oct 2022
Fighting for freedom in Iran
<p>Tommy and Ben discuss the latest news out of Ukraine, including the increasingly vocal criticism of the war effort from Putin’s allies and talk of nuclear weapons use. Then they cover the election results in Brazil, prisoner releases, trickle down economics get humiliated in t ... Show More
1h 15m
Dec 2022
Standing up to autocrats (and royals)
Tommy and Ben talk about the ongoing protests in China, Ukrainian strikes into Russia, speculation over Putin’s health, Iran sending mixed messages on the morality police, and Bostonians greeting the royals as warmly as expected. Then, Ben interviews Maria Ressa about the evoluti ... Show More
1h 18m
Jan 2025
Another Take: You can run from Belarus, but can you hide?
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on August 11, 2021. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. One year after a contested election and many protests, the movement to free Belarus from President Alex ... Show More
24m 58s
Aug 2024
Anne Applebaum on dictators big and small
In this episode of EU Confidential, we speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum. Her latest book, "Autocracy Inc.," explores how authoritarian regimes are banding together against democracies, including EU countries. But first, we look ahead to local elections in ... Show More
35m 17s