Is free speech in academic institutions under attack? In the latest podcast episode, Policy Fellows Ely, Romy and Nolan highlight the changing culture in academic institutions, whereby, far from being places for free debate and exchange of ideas, academic institutions are increasingly becoming echo chambers, characterised by restrictions of free discussion, lack of diversity of perspectives and desire to silence the other side on the grounds of “offensive” or “hate speech”.

They address the question: should academic institutions have the right to limit free speech and deplatform speakers?

In our recent podcast episode, Mackenzie France interviewed Paul Gross, a Senior Fellow at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, discussing the judicial reform and its implications for Israel. Paul outlines and explains the four main proposals incorporated into the judicial reform, arguing that the reform aims to weaken the judiciary and change the governmental system of Israel.

Mackenzie and Paul further discuss whether Netanyahu’s support for the reform is ideological or pragmatic, and what benefits various coalition members hope to derive from it. Paul also noted that the judicial reform is hurting Israel’s reputation abroad, not only among the critics of Israel but also among her friends.

How has the Labour Party changed under Keir Starmer? Policy Fellows Lucy, David and Alex discuss how Kier Starmer has transformed the Labour Party, moving away from Corbynism and distancing himself from the far left of the party.

They further discuss whether Labour still represents the values of the working class and whether "Starmerism" can be considered an extension of Blairism. Finally, they compare and contrast the Labour and Conservative campaign promises

As the Midterms have passed, and the Presidential campaigns are picking up steam, where is US politics heading? In this episode of People Talk...Politics Policy Fellows William, Ryan and Olivia analyse the recent trends and developments in American domestic politics, such as increasing political polarisation, the cost of living crisis, Trump's influence in the Republican Party and DeSantis's ambitions.

They also discuss foreign policy, questioning whether support for Ukraine will remain bi-partisan, and evaluating how the Biden administration approaches the relationships with America's adversaries like China and friends like Israel.

In this episode, Mackenzie France interviewed Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation and a former aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Mackenzie and Nile discussed the US midterms, the success of De Santis in Florida and changes in the Latino vote, recent Ukrainian advances, Russian failures and Putin’s plans and reflected on the recent developments in the Conservative party and how Britain is viewed abroad.

In this episode of People Talk… Politics, Pinsker Policy Fellow Mackenzie France interviews Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi. Sarit is the founder and president of Alma – a nonprofit independent research and education centre specialising in Israel’s security challenges on the Northern border.

Following the conversation about Alma, its focus, mission and recent work, they discuss security threats facing Israel and how these should be addressed. Sarit and Mackenzie also discuss the implications of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and reflect on the August 2022 operation Breaking Dawn, evaluating its successes and failures.

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.