The Monocle Daily – November 27, 2025

Overview

In this episode, host Andrew Muller is joined by Nina Dos Santos (international correspondent and former CNN Europe editor) and Elizabeth Braw (senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of Undersea War) to discuss France’s planned relaunch of military service, Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip, and the intersection of housing shortages with the rise of far-right populism. The episode blends sharp analysis with wit, global perspective, and memorable anecdotes, covering developments in Europe and beyond.

Key Discussion Points

Maritime Security, Mega-Yachts, and The Super Rich

[02:05 - 05:01]

• Elizabeth Braw comments on recent disorder on the world’s oceans, underlining the importance of maritime security both above and below the waves (“if there's disorder on the oceans, we don't get the goods that we depend on. And the same goes for the seabed…” [02:11]).
• Nina Dos Santos pivots to Evan Osnos's book "The Haves and the Have Yachts", highlighting the ostentation of tech billionaires and their penchant for extravagant vessels (“These ones are your sort of technorati types and they're even more expensive and often they come in twos…” [03:31]).
• Braw notes the irony of the super-rich building both mega-yachts and apocalypse bunkers (“It is lonely in a bunker. So it's better to just be with people…” [04:34]).

France’s Relaunch of National (Military) Service

[05:01 - 12:45]

Background and Details

• France is launching a voluntary national service scheme for 18-19-year-olds, offering €800/month for ten months. Initial intake: 3,000, scaling up to 50,000 by 2035 ([05:49]).
• Context: Post-Cold War Europe abandoned conscription, but renewed concern about Russia is prompting reevaluation.

Analysis & Insights

• Nina Dos Santos lays out France’s historical ties to conscription and Macron’s desire to revive civic duty (“...the first rules... decreed that each French man at the time was also born a soldier...” [05:55]). Recent alarming rhetoric from French military leaders about a Russian threat has accelerated debate (“...we may have to sacrifice our own children if we go to war with a belligerent neighbor like Russia.” [06:43]).

• Elizabeth Braw distinguishes between conscription and voluntary national service: “No country needs every teenager in its armed forces... The armed forces don't work the way they worked when Prussia set up conscription back in the day.” [08:14]

  • She notes various selection models in Europe: Norway & Sweden screen applicants, France opts to entice volunteers with incentives.

• Andrew Muller links military recruiting to the wider atmosphere: “Are things like this a way of saying to European publics, you do need to start getting your head around this?” [09:41]

• Dos Santos and Braw discuss urgent manpower issues: “...what they're realizing is they don't have the manpower to operate some of this hardware...” (Dos Santos [10:33])

• Braw warns, “...we have not left them [young people] a good legacy. And now...they may be asked to serve.” [11:35]

Memorable Quotes:

• “If you've got that much money, you can buy friends.” – Andrew Muller [05:01]
• “No country needs every teenager in its armed forces...” – Elizabeth Braw [08:14]
• “We have left 17 year olds, 16 year olds, we have not left them a good legacy.” – Elizabeth Braw [11:38]

Pope Leo XIV’s First Foreign Trip: Turkey and Lebanon

[12:45 - 20:26]

The Itinerary and Its Surprising Aspects

• Pope Leo’s first foreign visit is to Turkey — a country with a minuscule Catholic population — followed by a trip to Lebanon ([12:45]).

Diplomatic and Pastoral Implications

• Nina Dos Santos frames the Pope’s journey as both commemorative (1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed) and diplomatic, reflecting the modern papacy’s international priorities (“the Pope can extend the importance of the papacy to other parts of the world…” [13:45]).

• She situates the trip within Middle East politics (Turkey's role in Syria, Christian minorities, instability).

• Elizabeth Braw contextualizes Turkey’s Christian heritage and diplomatic symbolism: “How many things last for 1700 years? … it’s an important signal. And yes, the Vatican is a tiny state, but it's backed by 1 billion people. How many other leaders do have 1 billion people that they represent?” [16:16]

• On differences with his predecessor:

  • Francis was activist and reformist.
  • Leo XIV is “a moderate, but not too much of a reformer, but he is a reformer. So he has received universally positive reviews so far.” (Braw [19:03])

• The panel notes the potential drama of a papal visit to the US given the current political climate and Pope Leo’s open critiques of the US president ([17:44]).

Memorable Quotes:

• “Names aren't communities. The carnival associations, the neighborhood networks... these cannot be relocated or compensated.” – (from Stefan de Vries’s letter, also applicable to this segment on identity) [35:39]

Housing Crisis and Far-Right Populism

[20:26 - 26:26]

The Problem and Its Political Ramifications

• Andrew Muller introduces new research positing a link between the unaffordability of housing and increased support for the far-right: “It is the easiest play imaginable... to tell people struggling to buy or rent a home that the reason is that someone foreign is already living in it.” [20:41]

• Elizabeth Braw shares comparative European perspectives, referencing Sweden’s 1 Million Program (“...the government built 1 million housing units...” [21:54]) but underscores no nation has found a solution that satisfies all.

• Nina Dos Santos identifies insecurity as the underlying driver for far-right support: “...if people are more insecure, they are more easy to manipulate. And I think that is why this far right message becomes so seductive...” [23:37]

• Solutions are complex due to resource allocation and competing priorities (housing vs. defense spending):

  • “How can our governments possibly solve the housing shortage? And by the way, where would those houses be built?... how much money is available for the government for these sorts of initiatives?” – Elizabeth Braw [24:32]

• Addressing structural youth unemployment through programs like national service could integrate social and security needs (Dos Santos [25:32]).

Memorable Quotes:

• “If people are more insecure, they are more easy to manipulate.” – Nina Dos Santos [23:45]
• “I have yet to encounter a country that has found a solution that pleases most people.” – Elizabeth Braw [21:55]

The Health Hazards of Fame

[26:26 - 31:45]

Main Findings

• New research suggests that fame, particularly in the music industry, correlates with a significantly shorter lifespan (“A Listers were 33% more likely to die younger than the also rans” [26:48]).
• Elizabeth Braw: “Can you think of a single child actor other than Shirley Temple who has had an enjoyable and fulfilling life after being a child actor? It’s misery.” [27:22]
• Nina Dos Santos (veteran broadcaster) reflects on highs and lows of public life, how loss of fame can be difficult, and how the challenges of visibility increasingly affect everyone (“...this is becoming more. The visibility question is becoming more and more of an [issue] for everybody, not just whether you're a TV presenter, radio presenter. Politicians are having to deal with having to choose that poison chalice of visibility and all the kind of negative feedback they get from anonymous accounts.” [30:55]).

Memorable Quotes:

• “Fame is as bad for you as smoking. I don't know what they say about famous people who also smoke.” – Andrew Muller [26:38]
• “You can't afford to be anonymous in today's age. And so, unfortunately, I think everybody's gonna have to share a little bit more of that depression online.” – Nina Dos Santos [31:21]

Letter from the Netherlands: The Vanishing Village of Moerdijk

[32:00 - 37:04]

• Stefan de Vries reports from Moerdijk, a village in the Netherlands set to be erased to make way for energy infrastructure. He tells of the community’s history, the shock at losing their village, and the inadequacy of compensation for generational dislocation: “Names aren't communities. The carnival associations...these cannot be relocated or compensated. Soon the church bells will fall silent... and the only sound remaining will be the hum of transformers and the distant rumble of trains that never stop...” [35:39]
• An elegiac meditation on progress, displacement, and the things lost in pursuit of national priorities.

Notable Timestamps & Moments

• [05:49] – France’s national service announcement and historical context
• [08:14] – Why modern armies no longer need full conscription
• [13:45] – The meaning of the Pope’s Turkey trip
• [16:16] – Vatican’s global “soft” power
• [20:41] – Research linking housing shortages to far-right rise
• [23:37] – Insecurity as the foundation for populist success
• [26:48] – New findings: Fame and shortened lifespans
• [32:00] – Letter from the Netherlands: Moerdijk’s erasure

Notable Quotes

“No country needs every teenager in its armed forces... The armed forces don't work the way they worked when Prussia set up conscription back in the day.”
— Elizabeth Braw [08:14]

“If people are more insecure, they are more easy to manipulate. And I think that is why this far right message becomes so seductive...”
— Nina Dos Santos [23:45]

“How many things last for 1700 years? … it’s an important signal. And yes, the Vatican is a tiny state, but it's backed by 1 billion people. How many other leaders do have 1 billion people that they represent?”
— Elizabeth Braw [16:16]

“Names aren't communities. The carnival associations, the neighborhood networks... these cannot be relocated or compensated.”
— Stefan de Vries (Letter from the Netherlands) [35:39]

Concluding Tone

The episode deftly blends geopolitical gravity, global trends, and the quirks of modern society with Monocle’s trademark lively and conversational style. From shifting policies on military service and the symbolic travels of a new pope to the deeper causes of political discontent and the very human costs of economic progress, the panel offers clarity and perspective without losing a sense of wry humor.