The Monocle Daily – December 1, 2025

Main Theme:
This episode unpacks the recent escalation of tensions between the US and Venezuela, investigates the influence of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Middle East—with a special focus on Lebanon—and reviews other key stories including inheritance tax in Switzerland, Oxford’s word of the year, and the trajectory of Polish populism.

1. Cultural Warm-Up: Movie and Museum Recommendations

• [02:00] Michael Binion shares a recommendation for Ralph Fiennes’s new film "The Choral," a bittersweet WWI-era drama about a mixed choir in Yorkshire after the men have been called to war. Written by Alan Bennett, the film eschews graphic wartime violence in favor of moving drama left on the homefront.

  “[‘The Choral’ is] very moving, it's funny, it's bitter, it's sad. … Just terrific acting. Written by Alan Bennett, who must be almost 90 now.” – Michael Binion [02:10]

• [03:27] Daniela Peled discusses her visits to quirky local history museums in Kuala Lumpur and Chisinau.
  – Moldovan military museum: quirkily endearing, if inaccessible.
  – Kuala Lumpur’s museums: "Not really its forte," but offers some 1950s buildings and "strange waxworks."
  – Both give a warm, light-hearted start before delving into serious global affairs.

2. US-Venezuela Tensions: Gunboat Diplomacy in 2025

Background and Developments

• [04:48] Discussion kicks off with the news that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and US President Donald Trump had a phone call amid a US naval buildup off Venezuela’s coast. – The call, per Trump: “I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call.”

• [05:47] Michael Binion analyzes Trump’s strategy—oscillating between military threats and overtures, e.g., offering Maduro "safe passage" for stepping down. – US also threatening Honduras (on the eve of an election): “If my guy doesn’t win … I’m going to cut off all aid.” – Raises the question, "Is that diplomacy?"

  “One moment he sends an armada there, the next moment he has a phone call, then they go ahead and bomb ships, not once but twice, trying to kill the survivors, which actually constitutes a war crime.” – Michael Binion [05:47]

Motivations and Mixed Messages

• [06:56] Daniela Peled notes: – Venezuela has an organized opposition (unlike Iraq, post-2003). – The optics are complex: opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is about to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, to Trump’s probable irritation. – Trump’s world view: “I want something to be so, then it will be so. And sometimes it actually does seem to work out.” [07:34]

• [08:18] Andrew Muller challenges the justifications for intervention; oil is a dubious motive since buying is easier than invading.

• [09:06] Michael Binion:
  – Pretext is narcotics: "Venezuela is fueling and promoting the drug trade." – But: “So is Colombia, and so are plenty of other places... The appetite in America for drugs is so great.”

  – US releasing a drug-smuggling ex-President of Honduras ("Don’t people think that’s a bit ironic?") [09:45] – Summates: “These are somewhat mixed messages.” [09:53]

Legality and Political Fallout

• [10:06] Strike on alleged drug boats, with at least 80 people killed—possibly including civilians and after boats were disabled.

  “There's not much passing of the Geneva Conventions about that sort of behavior. It's not on and you don't do it. Has he potentially incriminated himself?” – Andrew Muller [10:50]

• Daniela Peled:
  – Notes the US focus is “preventing drugs coming in, rather than deal[ing] with any of the root causes…” [10:50] – Despite populist appeal, even Republicans want “to see some evidence” of the effectiveness/necessity of these attacks. [11:19] – "This latest incident, I think it's going to be really hard to prove ultimately where the final order came from. But this is just a step too far." [12:03]

3. Pope Leo XIV in the Middle East: Can the Papacy Move the Needle?

Papal Messaging in Lebanon and Turkey

• [12:08] Pope Leo XIV visits Lebanon (one-third Christian, mostly Catholic) and Turkey (tiny Christian minority).

• [13:05] Daniela Peled: While papal calls for peace are expected, the presence is important—a morale boost to ancient, beleaguered Christian minorities.

  “They're a really important part of the fabric and they feel... under threat and overwhelmed. I think this sends a really powerful message...” – Daniela Peled [13:35]

• [14:02] Pope encourages Lebanese Christians to remain in the country.

• [14:36] Michael Binion:
  – Pope’s message about staying rather than fleeing carries weight but may ring hollow, given the Pope’s own geographic journey. – Turkey visit was aimed at the Eastern Orthodox Church: “To try to get the Orthodox Church working with him to promote peace is also a message... directed also at Russia and Ukraine.” [15:20]

Two-State Solution in Israel/Palestine

• [16:01] On flight to Beirut, Pope reiterates support for a two-state solution—“the thing that people just say… and there’s generally a vacuum of detail, like, well, how?” – Andrew Muller [16:29]

• Daniela Peled: – Fewer leaders in the region still say it; the Pope’s statement is political even if the prospect is remote. – “If the Pope says it, that's certainly something. ... If you're talking about an idyllic ideal, then, well, who better than the Pope to discuss it?” [17:16]

Papal Diplomatic Style

• [17:24] Michael Binion on Pope Leo XIV: – Cautious and consolidating, "quietly moving out beyond Rome." – Focused on healing splits in the Church, "probably not going to be as globetrotting" as John Paul II, but already making symbolic gestures (e.g., converting the Popemobile into a mobile clinic for Gaza).

4. Swiss Reject Inheritance Tax: Soak the Rich, or Not?

• [19:14] Swiss voters overwhelmingly reject a 50% inheritance tax on fortunes over 50 million francs.

• [20:04] Daniela Peled: "It would be fun to soak the rich, wouldn’t it? This wouldn’t actually affect too many people." [20:04] – Points out the proposal was likely rejected because Swiss prefer such taxes at canton (local) level and real participatory democracy produces many such referendums.

• [21:16] Michael Binion:
  – Sees inheritance tax as a “large revenue earner” that doesn’t hurt recipients directly as it’s a windfall. – “I’m in favor of inheritance tax in principle. I don’t think it’s the monster people say.” [22:23]

• [23:25] Daniela Peled:
  – “Experience shows that if you want better services and more equality, everyone needs to pay a bit more tax—it’s not about one group paying a whopping great lot.” – Unequal inheritances no longer reflect modern lifespans and care costs.

5. "Rage Bait": Oxford’s 2025 Word of the Year

• [24:09] Review of recent "words of the year": Vax, Goblin Mode, Riz, Brain Rot—now joined by "Rage Bait."

  “Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive.” [25:05, OUP definition]

• [25:05] Michael Binion:
  – Amusedly notes his disconnect from social media rage cycles. “It drives me crazy… But since I hardly ever follow social media at all anyway, I'm not quite so infuriated.” [25:05]

• [25:49] Andrew Muller & Daniela Peled: – Favorite rage-bait genres: “articles aimed clearly at younger people than us who are wondering how they will ever be able to afford a house…” [25:49], where family wealth is always the secret. – Daily Mail cited as the paragon of the genre. – Rage baiting isn’t new—just a new label on an old phenomenon.

• [27:07] Discussion of other candidates: "Aura Farming" and "Biohack." – Light-hearted confusion over what “aura farming” even means. – Binion: “I thought it was oral farming—now that's a whole other genre.” [27:26]

• [27:58] Andrew Muller asks if “rage bait” actually explains modern politics, with Peled noting its success among certain politicians. – Peled: “I’ve been rage baited by rage bait. Yeah, it's happened.” [28:31]

6. Poland: The Rise and Fall of Illiberal Populism

• [29:34] Interview with Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley about their book "The Rise and Fall of Poland’s Illiberal Revolution" – Law and Justice party (PiS) as both specifically Polish AND a harbinger of global populism. – “They wanted to overthrow the liberal establishment… and the liberal establishment that in their understanding had… cooperated with the post-communist establishment.” – Stanley Bill [30:39] – Illiberal revolution had three main aspects: undermining institutions, welfare-driven economic populism, and a culture war grounded in Catholic values.

• [32:27] Fall phase:
  – Arrogance and missteps post-2019: overreaching on abortion and anti-LGBT+ laws, which proved less popular than social spending. – Economic shocks (COVID, Ukraine), inflation, and the challenges of broad oppositional coalitions.

  "What was required to defeat this party electorally was a very broad opposition coalition that came together… to restore Polish democracy, as they described it.” – Stanley Bill [34:17]

Notable Quotes & Moments (selected with timestamps)

• “One moment he sends an armada there, the next moment he has a phone call, then they go ahead and bomb ships, not once but twice, trying to kill the survivors, which actually constitutes a war crime.” – Michael Binion [05:47]
• "Trump… offered Maduro safe passage if he would leave to destination unspecified. It's not clear who else the United States would prefer to be in charge in Venezuela. Is it possible that they may not have thought this entirely through?" – Andrew Muller [06:56]
• “They're a really important part of the [Middle Eastern] fabric and they feel… under threat and overwhelmed.” – Daniela Peled [13:35]
• "All these things, I mean, yes, there's always the argument that the rich will flee. Well, can you have all the world's millionaires living in Dubai?… I'm in favor of inheritance tax in principle.” – Michael Binion [22:23]
• "I've been rage baited by rage bait." – Daniela Peled [28:31]

Key Timings

• [04:48–12:08] US–Venezuela Escalation
• [12:08–19:14] Pope Leo XIV in Lebanon and Middle East Diplomacy
• [19:14–24:09] Swiss Inheritance Tax Referendum
• [24:09–29:34] Word of the Year: Rage Bait & Cultural Commentary
• [29:34–35:50] Polish Populism: Book Interview & Lessons

Overall Tone:
Wry, incisive, skeptical of simplistic narratives and populist grandstanding; respectful and informed when it comes to international religious and political complexities; energetic and slightly arch when discussing media and semantic trends.