With the ongoing protests in Iran and stalled nuclear negotiations, issues around policies towards the Iranian regime and the national security threat that Iran poses have come to the fore.

This episode of People Talk… Politics, unpacks the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran with a focus on how this impacts Israeli foreign policy and national security. They also discuss the historical basis of the modern rivalry between these two players in the Middle East.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Policy Fellows Alex, Elliot and Ojel analyse the short-term impacts of the war in Ukraine for Britain as well as longer-term geopolitical consequences from the war for Europe as a whole.

Relatedly, they debate what Britain’s role in the war should be and how Britain can best aid the Ukrainian war effort. The fellows also touch on the prospect of conflict resolution and what a ‘victory’ for Ukraine could look like.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Policy Fellows Oliver, Thomas and Avishai assess the nature of the threat posed by domestic and international terrorism.

The fellows cover the rise of far-right extremism in the UK as well as how the Covid-19 pandemic may have led to a rise in online extremism and ‘lone-wolf’ attacks. Lastly, they debate how terrorism is covered in mainstream British media, with a particular focus on terrorist attacks carried out in Israel.

With A-level students recently receiving their results, higher education and future career prospects will be on young people’s minds.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Policy Fellows Alex, Elliot and Ojel debate the importance of the humanities to higher education and the value of higher education itself. They also highlight the failings of the education sector to adapt to the needs of the modern economy and other issues, such as funding courses, that have arisen from increasing student numbers.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics, Pinsker Policy Fellow Mackenzie France interviewed Paul Gross, a senior fellow at The Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. He has previously worked on religious discrimination legislation for the British Government and has also worked for the Israeli Embassy in London.

They discuss the politics and historical legacy of Menachem Begin, the sixth Prime Minister of Israel who famously made peace with Egypt. Mackenzie and Paul also analyse the shorter-term political events which will result in Israel’s fifth election in three years.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics policy fellows Marina, Michelle and Jordan discuss various dimensions of US foreign policy.

Including, the withdrawal of Afghanistan. They ask how this has fed the notion of western weakness under Biden, and potentially impacted Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

The episode also covers US-Israel relations, specifically how these have been affected by the war in Ukraine.

In this episode, The Pinsker Centre’s Media Director, Georgia, interviewed Tim Ogden, the assistant editor of New Europe. He also writes for various other media outlets including The Spectator, focusing on post-Soviet Eurasia.

They discuss the historical and geopolitical importance of the South Caucasus. Primarily, how the political climate has shifted in light of the Russo-Ukrainian war, and what this means for China’s and Iran’s influence in the region.

With countries, such as China, pursuing ‘Zero-Covid’ policies and implementing severe lockdown measures, policy fellows, Oliver, Thomas and Avishai, think it is time to re-assess and reflect on the domestic and international response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oliver, Thomas and Avishai debate how states differed in their ability to gain access to, and distribute vaccines, they ask both if the race to vaccinate has led to a rise in nationalism globally and if this could impact other areas of policy such as energy security.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Oliver, Thomas and Avishai unpack various internal and external security threats facing Israel. 

The fellows highlight Iran’s extensive sponsorship of international terrorist groups and the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear bomb. In terms of internal security dynamics, the implications of the use of cyber tools,  namely NSO group’s Pegasus Spyware, for the balance between security and privacy in Israel is also debated.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics, Maria, Mackenzie, and Joe, discuss how Israel is treated by international organisations. They put forward the evidence for these bodies having double standards towards Israel compared to other members of international institutions.

The policy fellows also assess the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council’s ability to hold perpetrators of crimes to account, and explain the evidence of bias in the UN General Assembly and UN Relief and Works Agency.

In this podcast policy fellows, Oliver, Thomas and Avishai analyse how various external factors shape the boundaries of freedom of speech on campuses.

They focus on why the ‘long-arm’ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and CCP linked bodies, are detrimental to campus debate and the quality of education that home and international students receive whilst studying in the UK. Oliver, Thomas and Avishai also cover how universities could better respond to the complex topic of campus cancel culture and the censorship of external speakers.

In this podcast, our Fellows, Ojel, Alex and Elliot, discuss the relationship between British energy policy and national security. Energy policies of different nation’s, and their reliance on Russian energy, have become central to how nation’s have responded to the Russian invasion. Elliot, Alex and Ojel, though of course unaware of exactly what would unfold in Russia/Ukraine, predict the complications that some nations face in balancing their national security considerations whilst also ensuring a sustainable supply of energy.

Please note that this podcast was recorded before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In this week's podcast, Policy Fellows Michelle, Marina and Jordan discuss the most pressing security concerns facing Israel.

In this podcast, Policy Fellow, Mackenzie France, interviews Nile Gardiner, Director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom. The two discuss Lady Thatcher's legacy, failures of the Biden Administration, and the varied responses from Western nations amid the Ukraine/Russia crisis.

In this, the first episode produced by the 2021/22 group of Pinsker Centre Policy Fellows, Joe, Maria and Mackenzie discuss the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese influence in Africa, and how the West is - or isn't - responding.

In this week's episode, Dan, Daniel and Lili discuss the exponential rise antisemitic incidents, particularly in university and academia, in the aftermath of the recent flare up in Israel and Gaza.

In this episode, Peter, Tom and Eli look at some of the most significant partnerships and policies Britain is pursuing post-Brexit.

They discuss trade agreements, strategic regional partnerships, and wider questions around what Britain's place in the world has become, and what it can be in future, in the aftermath of leaving the EU.

Peter, Eli and Tom, students at Durham, Cambridge and QMUL respectively, discuss various aspects of the higher education system in the UK.

Does it prepare students for the real world? Is the tax payer's money being spent wisely? What adjustments could be made to improve the state of higher/further education?

In this episode, Ariella, Sarah and Angus delve into cryptocurrency.

We look at some of the most elementary questions regarding bitcoin - what is it? How does it work? - whilst also looking at some of the more intricate topics of debate, like do cryptocurrencies provide a cloak of darkness for criminals and the corrupt?

Asaf Romirowsky is the Executive Director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME). He is the co-author of Religion, Politics, and the Origins of Palestine Refugee Relief (Palgrave, 2013) and a contributor to The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel (WSUP, 2015).

Today, he talks with Peter, a Pinsker Centre Policy Fellow and student at Durham University, about the hurdles faced in discussing Israel in academia and on college/university campuses.