Podcast
Politicology
Hosted by Politicology · EN
Politics in America is transforming. We’re embarking on a new series to deepen our understanding of who we are, how we got here, and how we rebuild without repeating the mistakes of the past. Ron Steslow hosts academics, behavioral economists, social psychologists, politicos, philosophers, anthropologists, journalists, poets, and storytellers—and more—to discuss America’s political present and future and dive into the deeper problems we face as a nation. Email us questions or comments: podcast@politicology.com.
79episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
An Oligarch’s Warning—The Weekly
5d ago01:07:42Tap to summarizeMolly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins host Ron Steslow to examine how Ukraine’s widening reach is bringing the war home to Russia and what a defeated Russia could become. They begin with the war’s new geography: strikes that have idled a quarter of Russia’s refining capacity, and drones now reaching the Caspian corridor between Russia and Iran. Next, they trace Ukraine’s rise from scrappy insurgent to serious power, erasing Russian sanctuary and moving to the center of Europe’s security future. Then they examine The Economist’s profile of oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, who warns against breaking Russian sovereignty and sketches four dangerous futures for a defeated Russia. Finally, they confront what holding Russia responsible would truly require. In Politicology+, they take stock of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death and what his absence means for the Republican Party’s fading support for Ukraine. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Check out Great Power: https://www.greatpower.us/ Read The Economist’s coverage of Andrey Melnichenko: https://bit.ly/4x5YvDk SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Molly McKew on X: https://x.com/MollyMcKew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →ENCORE: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
1w ago01:03:53Tap to summarizeCatherine Sanderson (Poler Family Professor and chair of the psychology department at Amherst College) joins Ron Steslow to discuss emotional intelligence and how it impacts success in the workplace, politics, and our everyday lives (01:40) What emotional intelligence is and how we measure it (03:55) Why emotional intelligence is important (07:03) How self-awareness impacts emotional intelligence (10:15) How you can build self-awareness (13:05) How regulating your emotions shapes your emotional intelligence (16:20) Ways you can improve how well you manage and regulate your emotions (21:19) The importance of grit in emotional intelligence (24:43) Emotional intelligence and being a moral rebel (39:39) The “dark side” of emotional intelligence (41:39) Why emotional intelligence needs a moral backbone (50:53) How you can improve your emotional intelligence You can measure your emotional intelligence using this test: http://bit.ly/3DPYxpX Follow Ron and Catherine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/SandersonSpeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Double Feature: Machines Without Conscience, Corruption Without Consequence—Politicology+ Preview
2w ago01:04:18Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re bringing you another double feature of Politicology+ special previews. First, Ron Steslow talks with Mike Madrid about Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. Using the Pope's choice between "constructing Babel" and "rebuilding Jerusalem,” they confront what happens when we hand life-and-death decisions to machines that can't be held accountable. Then, Ron and Jennifer Schulp discuss political corruption in cryptocurrency and stock trading. They dive into the lack of political will to combat it, despite public outcry, and the challenges of enforcing ethical standards. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Mike Madrid on X: https://x.com/madrid_mike Jennifer Schulp on X: https://x.com/jenniferjschulp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →ENCORE: The Power Code
2w ago01:08:12Tap to summarizeKatty Kay (veteran reporter and four-time NYT bestselling author) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss her new book The Power Code: More Joy. Less Ego. Maximum Impact for Women (and Everyone), co-written with Claire Shipman. (02:12) Katty’s background and why she started looking at power (07:07) Women are passing men in college degrees, but not the boardroom (13:10) Why women have been more likely to avoid power (16:10) “Power over” vs “power to” (20:20) How reframing power changes how women approach power (25:57) The connection between power and status (33:04) Your brain on power (38:30) Does power corrupt? (54:30) What can you do to improve your power code? Get The Power Code: https://www.kayandshipman.com/books Follow Ron and Katty on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/KattyKay_ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Double Feature: Oxford Union, Doha's Long Game—Politicology+ Preview
3w ago00:56:44Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re bringing you a double feature of Politicology+ special previews. First, Ron Steslow talks with Mike Madrid about his invitation to debate at the Oxford Union, where he argued the position that Donald Trump has betrayed the conservative movement. Mike describes the pageantry and weight of history at one of the world’s most storied debating societies, the case he built around Edmund Burke, the opposing arguments he found most compelling. Then, Hagar Chemali and Jay Solomon unpack how Qatar, a tiny Gulf nation with just 350,000 citizens, has built one of the most wide-reaching influence networks in the world. They start with a scandal involving Israeli columnist Alon Pinkas, who received Qatari-linked payments while writing about Qatar, and use it to trace the larger system behind it. From there, the conversation widens to Qatar’s strategic investments and lobbying efforts across media, universities, think tanks, diplomacy, and politics. Then, they break down Qatar’s long game: using money, access, and soft power to position itself as an indispensable player in the Middle East—and reshape Western institutions in the process. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Mike Madrid on X: https://x.com/madrid_mike Hagar Cheali on X: https://x.com/HagarChemali Jay Solomon on X: https://x.com/FPJaySolomon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →ENCORE: Foreign Agents
3w ago00:38:26Tap to summarizeFor the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Casey Michel (Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation) about his book Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World and how foreign money influences our politics. They discuss: (01:46) The shadow world of foreign lobbying (03:45) Ivy Lee and Paul Manafort (07:36) The First Amendment and foreign influence (10:23) Understanding FARA (13:28) How Paul Manafort shaped modern lobbying (15:49) Legal loopholes and foreign influence in politics (18:11) The case of Viktor Pinchuk (22:13) The Trump Administration’s impact on foreign lobbying (27:19) How Universities and Think tanks are the new frontier of influence (33:05) Colorful characters in foreign lobbying (41:39) The Biden Family and foreign influence accusations (45:27) Contrasting foreign influence on Trump and Clinton (49:00) Proposed reforms Read Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World: https://bit.ly/4giHjBK Check out the HRF’s Combatting Kleptocracy Program: https://bit.ly/4hAAQTJ Follow Ron and Casey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/cjcmichel Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at (202) 455-4558 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →ENCORE: Bitcoin is Changing the Fight for Freedom
4w ago00:51:37Tap to summarizeHost Ron Steslow welcomes Alex Gladstein (Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation) to discuss the significant and often misunderstood role of Bitcoin in protecting human rights and fighting against authoritarians around the world. Segments to look forward to: (02:07) Alex’s background in human rights work and why he became interested in Bitcoin (16:18) Bitcoin vs other cryptocurrencies (26:04) Financial privilege (38:35) Bitcoin in action (45:50) Bitcoin creating financial independence for women in Afghanistan (56:25)How a human rights activist uses Bitcoin to free hostages (59:10) Bitcoin as a tool against monetary colonialism in west Africa (1:00:10) The importance of peer-to-peer transactions (1:07:50) How Bitcoin mining can bring electricity to remote areas and support sustainable energy projects (1:19:40) Why Bitcoin matters for everyone Follow Ron and Alex on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/gladstein Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at (202) 455-4558 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Is Horseshoe Populism the End of Pax Americana?
Jun 3001:47:54Tap to summarizeFor the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Jay Solomon (executive director of investigations at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and cohost of The Threat podcast) and Hagar Chemali (former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN and cohost of The Threat podcast) about what the latest war with Iran reveals about the limits of American power. They explore why allies failed to rally around the United States, how the Strait of Hormuz became a political weapon, and why both ends of the political spectrum increasingly argue that America itself is the problem. Then they trace the radicalization of one young American activist as a window into the forces pulling at the country from the outside. Later, Ron, Jay, and Hagar turn to corruption, transactional foreign policy, and where American leadership goes once the old institutions can no longer be rebuilt. They discuss: (5:01) What this war revealed about the limits of American power (6:41) Why allies didn't rally, and the Strait of Hormuz as a toll booth (8:34) The case that confrontation with Iran was inevitable (15:21) The left's turn: DSA, the Mamdani primaries, and a hollowing party (20:26) Populism meets foreign policy (25:52) The radicalization of Calla Walsh (35:02) Utopian movements and the dream of a perfectible world (39:09) The anti-war tradition versus foreign influence (46:30) The right's turn: JD Vance, Qatar, Pakistan, and the Quincy Institute (54:40) Transactionalism, corruption, and values that left the room (1:02:41) Anti-Semitism, legitimate debate, and the new litmus tests (1:09:47) What Israel does if American support collapses (1:13:12) The industrial complexes and their competing incentives (1:21:47) Iran's real motives and the lessons of the pallets of cash (1:33:49) Is this our Suez Canal moment? Check out The Threat podcast: The Threat podcast: https://bit.ly/3QPoKhZ Follow Ron on Twitter:https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Follow Jay on Twitter: https://x.com/FPJaySolomon Follow Hagar on Twitter: https://x.com/HagarChemali Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at (202) 455-4558 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The Last Institutionalists—The Weekly
Jun 2600:57:30Tap to summarizeMike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) joins Host Ron Steslow to dive into how populism is consuming both parties and the institutions meant to contain them, from a socialist sweep in New York to a building debt-and-oil crisis. They begin with New York's primaries, where DSA-aligned candidates won and Zohran Mamdani emerged as a kingmaker—signaling the Democratic party’s “Tea Party moment.” From there, they ask whether the party is radicalizing or whether its establishment wing is the last refuge of institutional conservatism Then they trace an oil crisis to a draining Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the rising cost of servicing the national debt, and the first moves of new Fed chair Kevin Warsh. Finally, they map the vise closing on the White House before the midterms: a standoff with Iran, a depleting reserve, and a choice between a weak deal and economic shock. In Politicology+, they discuss Mike’s invitation to the Oxford Union, where he argued the position that Donald Trump has betrayed the conservative movement. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Mike Madrid on X: https://x.com/madrid_mike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →American Made
Jun 2500:59:47Tap to summarizeFor the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Grace Pak (founder and cake artist behind Duchess of Cameron, and the artist selected by America 250 to create the official cake for the country's 250th birthday) about how a single dessert became a bipartisan project. They explore her path from a Columbia neuroscience lab to fine art cake design, and the philosophy of "cake as therapy" that shapes her studio work. Then they turn to the commission itself: how she pitched it, why she landed on the theme American Made, and how children's artwork from all fifty states and the territories became the centerpiece. Later, Grace walks through the congressional sessions she's running on Capitol Hill, the donated ingredients sourced from local farms and historic mills, the recipe she rebuilt from the first American cookbook, and the logistics of moving a cake the size of a car. They discuss: (0:00) Pitching the birthday cake (4:07) From a neuroscience lab to a cake studio (7:37) Fine art cakes and the multisensory experience (14:33)Personifying America and landing on American Made (29:48) Bipartisan sessions on Capitol Hill (37:04) Sourcing the ingredients from local farms (41:51) Baking like it's 1796: the historic recipe research (46:53) A cake the size of a car: logistics, humidity, and delivery (49:13) Volunteers, nonprofits, and what she'll take away Check out Duchess of Cameron: https://www.duchessofcameron.com/ Follow Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Follow Grace on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duchessofcameron Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at (202) 455-4558 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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