The Reaction Podcast

Apr 18 2024 192
The Reaction Podcast artwork

Reaction is an online magazine dedicated to commentary and analysis on politics, geopolitics, economics and culture. The Reaction Podcast, hosted by Iain Martin, will feature some of the world's leading writers and thinkers about a variety of subjects ranging from politics and philosophy to economics and culture. Become a Reaction subscriber (https://reaction.life/subscribe/) to receive Iain Martin's weekly newsletter, the Reaction Daily Briefing, columns from Tim Marshall, Adam Boulton and Maggie Pagano, and much more.

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Kapil Komireddi on the history of modern India, Narendra Modi and the upcoming elections

Apr 18 2024 44 mins  
On this episode, Max Mitchell (standing in for Iain Martin) speaks to author and journalist Kapil Komireddi about the upcoming Indian elections. They discuss the domineering figure of Narendra Modi, the rise of Hindu nationalism, the tumultuous history of modern India and Kapil’s book, Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India, which has just been released in a new an

James Kaplan on Kind of Blue and the lost empire of cool

Apr 11 2024 45 mins  
In this conversation hosted by Reaction, Political Reporter and Podcast Editor Max Mitchell speaks to author and journalist James Kaplan about his new book 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool. They discuss the genius of Miles Davis, how these musicians came together to create the best-selling jazz album of all time, the economic and

Maggie Pagano and Tim Montgomerie on the future of the Conservative party

Mar 28 2024 26 mins  
On this episode, Reaction’s Executive Editor Maggie Pagano sits in for Iain Martin and is joined by commentator and founder of ConservativeHome Tim Montgomerie. They discuss whether Rishi Sunak will survive till the next election, who might take over the party, why Labour is courting the corporate world and what it means for a potential Labour government, the state of the economy

Jade McGlynn on Putin’s mythmaking

Mar 20 2024 34 mins  
On this episode, host Iain Martin speaks to historian and author Jade McGlynn about the Russian myths and propaganda powering the war in Ukraine. Calling in from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Jade talks about her two important books on modern Russia, Russia’s War and Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia. The discussion also touches on Ukrainian morale, the ethi

A global conflict update with Tim Marshall

Mar 13 2024 40 mins  
In this episode, host Iain Martin speaks to geopolitical expert and Reaction columnist Tim Marshall about the state of global conflict. They touch on the recent developments in the Israel-Hamas war, the future of the Middle East, how the growing Axis of Resistance is enabling Putin’s war in Ukraine, European rearmament and deterrence with or without the US and the end of the end

Merryn Somerset Webb on the rise and fall of ESG

Feb 28 2024 40 mins  
On this episode, host Iain Martin talks to Merryn Somerset Webb, Bloomberg columnist and author, about her prescient book Share Power. The discussion touches on the origins of ESG, how huge amounts of money poured into sustainability funds, its vague and subjective definitions, how ESG could only exist in a low interest rate environment, what Jeremy Hunt will do in the Spring Budge

Goodbye Globalisation with Elisabeth Braw

Feb 09 2024 53 mins  
On this week’s podcast, host Iain Martin speaks to Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at Atlantic Council and author of the new book Goodbye Globalisation. Since the end of the Cold War, many saw the adoption of market economies by previously communist countries as a sign that a liberal democratic system of government had prevailed definitively over authoritarian and totalitarian re

Ed Conway on the Material World

Jan 31 2024 69 mins  
Host Iain Martin talks to Ed Conway about his book Material World. From the extraction processes to treatment, through the supply chains and on to the consumer, Ed’s new book follows the stories of the key substances that have built the modern world: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. We are heavily reliant on these substances but often ignorant of where they come from, h

Francis Hoar on the Covid disaster

Jan 26 2024 53 mins  
This week, host Iain Martin talks to Francis Hoar, barrister and legal commentator, about the disaster of political decision-making during the pandemic. The discussion ranges from the fallacy of zero Covid to the embarrassment of politicians standing in the way of an honest reckoning with the mistakes made. Francis argues that society has to reassess its relationship with risk, hea

Lord Arbuthnot on the Post Office scandal

Jan 17 2024 35 mins  
On this episode, host Iain Martin interviews Lord Arbuthnot, Post Office scandal campaigner, about the heroic role he played, helping to pave the way for justice. They discuss the history of the scandal, the groupthink of Post Office and Fujitsu employees, the fallacy of blind faith in machines, the scandal's similarities to the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash and potential gove