The Munk Debates Podcast

Russia has moved more than 100,000 troops close to disputed areas in Ukraine, setting up fears of a new Russian military intervention following their invasion of Crimea in 2014. US officials have responded by threatening Putin both with economic sanctions and the cancellation of a planned gas pipeline to Europe. Some security experts believe that the west must do more to defend Ukraine; standing by and allowing Russia to invade the country sends a message to other aggressive powers like China that their attacks on smaller countries like Taiwan will be met with similar weak responses. Geopolitically, an independent Ukraine creates an important buffer between Russia and Central Europe and prevents military buildup in the region. Others argue that the US has no business in Ukraine. A string of failed military interventions overseas has left thousands of Americans dead and foreigners scrambling to deal with the mess left behind. Russia also has every right to feel threatened by western attempts to defend border territories and NATO’s alliances with border states. Furthermore, now is not the time to start a fight with Putin when conflicts are escalating with China and Iran. Russia’s fight is with Ukraine. The west, isolationists argue, need to stay out of this fight and away from this conflict. Arguing for the motion is Dov Zakheim, senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former US Under Secretary of Defense in the administration of George W. Bush. Arguing against the motion is is Anatol Lieven, senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the author of Ukraine & Russia: A Fraternal Rivalry QUOTES: DOV ZAKHEIM “If Mr Putin is allowed to invade Ukraine, then everybody else is going to notice it. It will weaken the NATO alliance and the Chinese will see that perhaps we, the Americans, really are a paper tiger” ANATOL LIEVEN “If you try to defend everywhere, you end up defending nowhere, which is what America risks vis-a-vis China, when it comes to Ukraine” Sources:  NBC, DW, CNBC, BBC, MSNBC, France 24 The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/ Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Reza Dahya Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast explores two issues in the news. First, its official…the world is now bracing for a massive surge in COVID cases brought about by the Omicron variant. Why is it that twenty months into this crisis are we still responding to the virus with the threat of mass school closures? Are we fine as a society for children to bear the brunt of the Omicron wave while mass sporting events continue along with restaurant dining and unvaccinated workers going into long-term care homes? What does this say about our collective values if we once again deny children their right to education in the weeks and months to come? Second, in swing states across America, Trump supporters are winning local elections for key positions that oversee voting processes and policy. How at risk is America’s democratic infrastructure from a partisan take over? If this is happening, what does it mean for the midterm elections and 2024? And how can a democracy like America work if the machinery of elections themselves are explicitly partisan and politicized? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Gone are the days of the post-war baby boom and nation-wide one-child policies. Fertility rates around the world – From the US to China to South Korea to Japan - are on the decline, and 23 nations are expected to see their populations halve by 2100. Some demographers are sounding the alarm. They argue that low birth rates combined with an aging population will lead to wage inflation, soaring healthcare costs for the elderly and shrinking workforces to pay for public services and already massive government debts. In sum, the shrinking populations of advanced economies will lead to widespread social and economic decline. Other demographers aren’t so concerned. They point out that a declining population will put less pressure on our resources and slow the effects of climate change. It will also ease the burden on women and lead to less unemployment as the demand for workers increases and wages improve. And finally, it will force governments to improve existing childcare, health care, and education policies to encourage families to have more kids. Lower birth rates are an opportunity to re-examine our existing social and economic structures and make changes that will benefit everyone in society. Arguing for the motion is Sarah Harper, Professor of Gerontology at Oxford University and Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing Arguing against the motion is Lyman Stone, Adjunct Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Research Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies    Sources:  BBC, PBS, CNN Money, Airirang News The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/ Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Reza Dahya Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast explores three important topics in the news. First, a boycott of the Chinese Winter Olympics by the diplomats of Western democracies is gaining momentum at the same time that the Biden administration convenes a virtual “summit of democracies” to push back against the perceived threats posed by authoritarian regimes. What it stake here? Is democracy promotion an effective foil to blunt the rise of China in the current geopolitical environment? Second, more virtual diplomacy was on tap this week between Russia and the United States. Are there now the outlines of a great power deal over the future of Ukraine? What could this look like? And finally, how should the world combat the threat of autonomous weapons? Will armed robots, drones, AI and mass surveillance of the battlefield make us more or less safe in the 21st century? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Trillions of dollars each year are poured into developing new technologies that redefine the art of war.  And the next frontier of military technology will bring the world of science fiction into reality: fully autonomous weapons.  Supporters of autonomous weapons argue that it is imperative that we develop artificial intelligence capable of making tough decisions at an extraordinary speed.  They argue that this new technology will limit civilian casualties and avoid human error that inevitably costs lives.  They argue that these weapons will be necessary to combat hostile governments, and failing to invest in the future of warfare is an existential threat to the international order.  Without them, we risk a future of greater violence and fewer freedoms.  But there is another camp that feels the risk of these weapons is far too great for anyone to possess. They argue that the human cost of war serves as a deterrent, and without that deterrent, war will become more common and more brutal. Fully autonomous weapons will make it easier and cheaper to kill people, creating more death and destruction than is absolutely necessary.  They argue machines are incapable of fully understanding the value of a human life, and life and death decisions must not be left to AI. The only answer is for the use of autonomous weapons to be banned entirely.  Arguing for the motion is Bob Work, the 32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for both the Obama and Trump administrations from 2014 to 2017 Arguing against the motion is Peter Asaro, Director of Graduate Program & Associate Professor of Media Studies at The New School, with a focus on autonomous weapons from the perspective of just war theory and human rights. Bob Work: “I think very strongly that autonomy has made warfare more humane already and will make it even more so in the future.” Peter Asaro: “Making warfare more humane would be to reduce warfare and conflict. And by the very nature of automating warfare you are encouraging more conflict and more warfare because it's going to be cheaper.” Sources: NYT, Yahoo Finance, CBS News The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/ Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis Editor: Reza Dahya Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja  

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members’ only podcast explores three issues in the news. First, while no progress was made when Russia’s foreign minister and the U.S. Secretary of State met this week, are the terms of a “deal” to avoid military conflict in Ukraine emerging? What could de-escalation look like? And who needs to do want to make this happen? Second, Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is going from bad to worse with over 20 million people now at risk of acute food insecurity. Why is this happening? Will the West standby with tens of thousands of lives, including children’s, at stake? And, finally, Israel and Iran are upping cyber attacks on each others’ civilian populations. What precedents are being set with these attacks? And what ultimately is at risk as state actors increasingly use their cyber arsenals to wage psychological warfare on each other civil institutions and infrastructure? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

We’ve come a long way since DNA was first discovered in the mid 19th century. Today’s scientists are using powerful engineering techniques to edit genes in human eggs and sperm, curing diseases and repairing defective genes before a child is even born. Some scientists are excited about these therapies, championing them as an exciting opportunity to create immunity to viruses, eliminate serious illnesses like AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and cancer, and possibly reverse aging. Like prior innovations in medicine and technology, why wouldn’t we embrace a science that allows people to live longer, healthier, and happier lives? Others are alarmed. They are worried that these new techniques raise a host of profound ethical issues. While eliminating genetic diseases is a worthwhile endeavor, many parents might be inclined to use this science to create designer babies: children who are smarter, taller, or have other supposedly desirable traits. And these tools aren’t cheap. They will surely be available to the rich first, creating a terrifying new dimension to the growing economic inequality crisis. Scientists also point out that ‘playing god’ and editing genes will alter our DNA code forever, and one mistake could inadvertently introduce new diseases into the human gene pool. While the desire to cure genetic diseases is a noble one, the manipulation of our DNA is more likely than not to push humanity towards a dangerous and dystopian future no one wants.  Arguing for the motion is George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT Arguing against the motion is Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute for Women's Health, University College London. GEORGE CHURCH “If we bring the cost down, help with education, and make sure there's a dialogue that goes on in both directions, then everybody will have access.” JOYCE HARPER “I worry that these technologies will not be accessible to all and I also worry that people will use them for non-medical reasons. We will have a rich-poor divide that will become bigger and bigger as technology advances.” Sources:  ABC News, France24, Today Show, NBC News, VICE, PBS, Gattaca, Critical Past The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/ Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Reza Dahya Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja  

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. On this week’s Munk Members’ podcast explores three stories in the news. First, a “Nu” COVID-19 variant is making global headlines as the week end. What are the risks of a more infectious and possibly dangerous version of COVID to our already fragile pandemic recovery? And, how can the world address the threat of more variants like Nu emerging from the developing world? Second, Russia-Ukraine tensions were on full display this week. How likely is a hot war between Moscow and Kiev? To what extent is it in the interests of NATO members like Canada and the U.S. to be involved this conflict? And finally, Canada-America trade relations take a hit with the introduction by the U.S. of new tariffs on softwood lumber. How should Canada be managing a series of new bilateral trade and economic tensions from electric vehicles to pipelines to now softwood lumber? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Everyone who enters the medical field does so altruistically, standing steadfast against the ever present threat of death and disease.  But as any doctor knows, there are limits to what they can do. At a certain point, the goal shifts from curative to palliative care.  At this stage, the goal is no longer to save a life, but to relieve suffering as best as possible.  How to do so, and the point at which suffering becomes worse than death, is highly contested.  A growing movement of doctors, nurses, and ethicists argue that patients should be empowered in the face of this impossible choice.  They argue that just as a patient has a right to choose how to live, they should also choose how and when to die.  They argue it is ethically and morally shortsighted to keep suffering patients alive at all costs, and that euthanisia and physician assisted suicide are a mercy, not a crime.  But others in the field argue that life is far too sacred to place in anyone's hands, doctor or patient.  Even on the brink of death, lives have meaning and must be preserved.  They argue that the oath that doctors take forbid them from making these types of decisions regardless of the state of their patient.  And that those that advocate for physician assisted suicide are doing their patience, and themselves, a massive disservice. Arguing for the motion is Dominic Wilkinson, Dominic Wilkinson is Director of Medical Ethics and Professor of Medical Ethics at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford. He is a consultant in newborn intensive care at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. Arguing against the motion is E. Wesley Ely, American physician and professor of medicine as the Grant W. Liddle Endowed Chair at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dominic Wilkinson: “It's time to be honest and consistent about end of life choice. People have the right to choose how and when to die”. Wes Ely: “If you tell me why you ought to respect a patient's autonomy, I'll tell you why you ought not kill that person”. Sources: CBC, ABC News, CBS Evening News, PBS News Hour The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membershipMembers receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/ Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica ProductionsSenior Producer: Jacob LewisEditor: Reza DahyaAssociate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast catches up with Janice Stein at the Halifax Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada. As one of the West’s premiere gatherings of security experts, senior military leaders and politicians responsible for defense and security, the Forum provides a unique entry point into the geopolitical preoccupations of our time. As a longstanding conference delegate Janice Stein takes co-host Rudyard Griffiths behind the scene to explore what Western democracies’ security establishments really think about Putin, the threat of war over Taiwan, the rise of autonomous weapons and whether creating a so-called “league of democracies” is a plausible deterrent to a rising China or a catalyst for cold war and hot war conflicts in the 21st century. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Recent gubernatorial losses have left the Democratic Party shaken, concerned about how these disappointing election results will predict how the country votes in the 2022 midterms. Moderate strategists are pointing the finger at their progressive party members. By promoting unpopular policies on police, immigration, education, and gender politics, the progressive wing of the party is alienating its moderate base and pushing them towards the GOP. They argue that the left’s tactics in government – holding important domestic bills hostage in a bid to pass a more progressive agenda – have weakened the party and frustrated independents. Progressives, meanwhile, believe that Democrats need to embrace bold policies in order to inspire the party base and deliver for working class voters, racial minorities and immigrants. Recent election losses are proof that the same tired playbook of centrist policies and priorities does not work. And it is moderate obstructionist Democrats, not progressives, who are standing in the way of Congress passing historic domestic legislation, frustrating voters and dividing the party. If the Democrats do not change course and embrace a bold agenda, they will lose the House and Senate in the 2022 midterms and the presidency soon after. Arguing for the motion is Jim Kessler, Vice President for Policy at Third Way, a Washington DC Democratic think tank Arguing against the motion is Jeff Weaver, campaign manager for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and senior advisor on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.  QUOTES: JIM KESSLER "Voters in the middle of the country, they just don't trust Democrats enough to really give us strong majorities, because they think we're going to go off the deep end." JEFFREY WEAVER “The Democratic party has to be a a labour-oriented party that uplifts working people of all races, that demonstrates in real ways that the future of democracy is a future that will have shared prosperity.” Sources:  PBS, Bloomberg, CNN, Ruptly The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/ Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Reza Dahya Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focuses on three stories in the news. First, Europe is facing a new border crisis orchestrated by the government of Belarus busing migrants to its borders with Poland and Lithuania. Russia is being blamed for fuelling the crisis as it conducts bomber sorties over Belarus in support of President Lukashenko. What are the origins of this crisis? Why is likely to happen next? And why is Russia seemingly so bent on destabilizing Europe? Second, President Xi's status as China’s supreme leader was further burnished this week with the passage of a “historical resolution” praising his “decisive significance” in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This has only happened three other times in the 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party with similar honours conferred on Mao and Deng. What does this mostly ritualistic event signify about Xi’s leadership and the future direction of China at home and abroad? And finally, the US government reported the highest monthly inflation in more than thirty years this week. How is higher, sustained inflation likely to play out politically? Who are the political winners and losers in a high inflation world? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

“All roads lead to Rome,” goes the saying, and many historians agree. They argue that ancient Roman civilization, which grew into a colossal super state lasting two thousand years, is the historical period that has the greatest influence on modern day society. Roman civilization’s impact is vast: a sophisticated approach to law that informs our modern legal system, the Western alphabet, the Romance languages spoken by 800 million people, Christianity as the spiritual home to over 1.2 billion followers today, and systems of governance that guide the constitutional foundation of many countries, including the United States. Critics of this sweeping view of Rome’s influence respond, “We are all Greeks,” quoting the poet Percy Shelley. They argue that a small city state just a couple thousand square kilometres wide and with a fraction of the Roman empire’s revenues determined the Western world’s destiny. When Athenians came to the conclusion that a random collection of equal citizens makes better decisions than kings and tyrants, a radical new form of self-rule was born, one that inspires and guides much of Western civilization to this day. Perhaps even more importantly Athens bequeathed a framework of scientific inquiry that continues to nurture the creativity and innovation that is a hallmark of Western societies and the source of their enduring strength all these centuries later. Arguing for the motion is Ian Morris, an archeologist, the Willard Professor of Classics at Stanford University and a best-selling author. His most recent book is the award-winning Why the West Rules - For Now: The Patterns of History and What they Reveal. Arguing against the motion is Barry Strauss, who holds an Endowed Chair at Cornell University where he is the Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies. He has written numerous best-selling books about Rome including most recently Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine. The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast digs into three stories in the news. First, what does Republican win in the Virginia’s gubernatorial race say about the state and future of Joe Biden’s presidency? Second, COP26 is wrapping up with some meaningful pledges, but why is the conference coming up short in terms of instilling its sense of urgency about the threat climate change among the broader public? And finally, we discuss Canada’s big pledge at COP26 or capping oil sands emissions by 2025. Is it fair Western Canada bears the brunt of the country’s climate mitigation efforts? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

COVID-19 presented a monumental shift in the way people work. Home offices replaced commutes and cubicles, ZOOM calls took over from conference rooms, and communication went from in person to over Slack. Some people believe now is the time to re-think other conventional work practises as well, specifically the five-day work week. Companies that have experimented with fewer workday hours showed an increase in productivity, better employee retention, higher recruitment of skilled workers, and overall happier staff. Shorter weeks, proponents of the 4-day work week argue, also promote gender equality by allowing mothers and caretakers more flexible hours to do their work. Companies do better when their staff are happier, rested, and live more balanced lifestyles. Others argue that trimming the work week without affecting the bottom line is a fantasy. Companies would require extraordinary gains in productivity to make up for lost hours, and access to services would decline. Certain public service professionals, like doctors or teachers, simply cannot do more work in less time, thereby requiring the government to hire more workers at great cost to the taxpayer. And finally, many hourly wage workers depend on the five-day work week to make ends meet. Awarding a long weekend to the laptop class while requiring everyone else to work 40 hours will deepen divisions in the labour market and exacerbate already existing inequalities.  Arguing for the motion is Andrew Barnes, founder of Perpetual Guardian and author of The 4 Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable Future. Arguing against the motion is Julian Jessop, former Chief Economist at the Institute of Economic Affairs. QUOTES: ANDREW BARNES “A 4-day work week is good for business, it's good for our people, it's good for our countries, and it's good for our planet.” JULIAN JESSOP “The idea that almost everybody could expect to work four days rather than five and still get the same pay they did before is unrealistic.” Sources: Euronews, BBC, WGRZ-TV, KTLA The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast explores three topics in the news. First, Joe Biden lays his presidency on the line to try and secure the support necessary in his own party to pass a $1.7 trillion human and physical infrastructure bill. What is at sake here for American politics, equity and the economy? Next up on the program Janice and Rudyard discuss the COP26 meeting and how the contest between democracies and authoritarian regimes are threatening to derail meaningful action on climate change. Is it time for carbon tariffs to push back against countries that are not cutting emissions fast enough? And finally, Canada has new defence and foreign affairs ministers. What do these appointments say about the future of these two important portfolios? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Traditional religious holidays are losing ground in a rapidly secularizing world. Halloween, on the other hand, keeps gaining steam.  Decorative pumpkins, elaborate costumes, and a cornucopia of sweet confections all signal that Halloween is upon us.  But for the hardcore Halloween reveler, Halloween means one thing: horror movies.  Horror films allow us to experience our fears from the comfort of our couch, confront them, and work through them.  But all horror movies are not created equal. Since the earliest days of the genre, few directors have reached the heights of John Carpenter. Horror aficionados, fellow directors, and film scholars hold Carpenter in the highest esteem for his ability to create fear from the mundane and believable, and his use of music to create an unparalleled sense of tension and atmosphere of impending doom. They argue Carpenter is the true master of modern horror, and all others are swimming in his wake. But another camp of horror fans disagree, and point to another director as the true master of modern horror. David Cronenberg’s intricate weave of psychological and physical horrors create dynamic, challenging and thought provoking films that have expanded the definition of the genre.  They argue that no other director has done more to push horror into the future, permanently redefining what we need fear. Arguing for the motion is Paul Tremblay, horror superfan and award-winning author of Survivor Song, The Cabin at the End of the World, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts.  Arguing against the motion is Noel Carroll, professor of philosophy at the CUNY graduate Center, specializing in the contemporary philosophy of art and film and the author of The Philosophy of Horror. Paul Tremblay: “I like to think of a horror film as the reveal of a terrible truth”. Noel Carroll: “The genre has always been about violations of the familiar”. Sources: Halloween (1978) [Compass International Pictures], Shivers (1975) [Cinépix Film Properties (CFP)], The Thing (1982) [Universal], The Fog (1980) [AVCO Embassy Pictures], Videodrome (1983) [Filmplan International], The Fly (1986) [Twentieth Century Fox], eXistenZ (1999) [Dimension Films], The Dead Zone (1983) [Paramount] The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast explores two topics in the news. First, why are the major advanced economies of the world stimulating asset prices, spending their way into wartime levels of debt but not taxing to raise public revenues to offset the extraordinary costs they have incurred to respond to the pandemic? Is this in any way a serious, sustainable strategy to create stable, equitable and long term economic growth? If not, why have we become so unserious when it comes running our economies and government, and what are potential risks of our current lassie fair approach? And, second, we look ahead to the COP26 meetings starting in Glasgow this weekend. Is the potential for a breakthrough on climate change mitigation over before the conference has started now that China’s Xi is signaling that he is unlikely at attend? How much longer are voters in democracies going to tolerate a political class that talks a good game on targets and the need for collective action but seems unwilling or unable to deliver on a substantive agenda that effects real and last change? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Falling wages. Failing infrastructure. Soaring public debts. Many believe that America’s future looks anything but bright. Stark ideological and partisan divisions have fractured the country at home while a string of failed foreign military interventions have soured Americans on the country’s role as defender of the liberal international order. Add in exploding disparities between rich and poor, a bungled pandemic response, and lacklustre economic growth and you have all the markers of a country in decline. Others argue that betting against America has always been a losing proposition. Declinists fail to account for the country’s amazing ability to adapt and re-invent itself time and time again. From world beating technological innovations in Silicon Valley to vaccine breakthroughs to the frontiers of commercial space exploration, America has proven it can rise to meet new challenges and opportunities. The strength of its diversity, size of its population, its entrepreneurial drive, military might, and financial prowess all ensure its continued dominance as a global power in the 21st century. In a world beset with authoritarian regimes, statist economies and the absence of human liberty, America will remain a powerful magnet for talented people the world over committed to democracy and freedom. Arguing for the motion is Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator of the Financial Times and author of Easternization: Asia's Rise and America's Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond. Arguing against the motion is Kori Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of America vs the West: Can the Liberal World Order Be Preserved? QUOTES: GIDEON RACHMAN “I've never seen the country in the state it's in now...it seems to me to be of a different order and one that does raise quite profound questions about the enduring success of the American experiment.”  KORI SCHAKE “Don’t underestimate the loud raucous conflictual way America solves its problems... that’s how we have traditionally clawed our way towards being a better republic and I believe that continues to happen now.” Sources: The Hill, CNET, Global News, CNN, Yahoo Finance, CNBC, Thames TV, ABC The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast explores three stories in the news. Talk of rising inflation was everywhere this week with an above-consensus CPI print in the U.S., soaring energy prices and a major Canadian bank CEO highlighting the growing risk of “sticky” inflation building across the economy. Are we in the early moments of a sustained upswing inflation? Or, are the deflationary forces stalking the global economy before COVID what lies in our mid-term futures? – Czech voters went to the polls this week and removed their populist, incumbent Prime Minister. Is this a sign that populism in on the wane in Europe? – And, Canada will see the swearing in of a new cabinet later this month. What can we expect in terms of players and personalities? Is there any reason to hope our political culture could allow for some strong voices and personalities in the country’s next cabinet? Janice and Rudyard discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

While the conversation around a universal basic income - a government program which provides every adult with regular cash payments - has gained traction in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic turned the fringe experimental program into a reality for millions of people around the globe. Facing skyrocketing unemployment and an impending economic crisis, some governments decided to act swiftly and without conditions: they transferred cash directly into the hands of all their citizens - regardless of age, income, or geography. Proponents of UBI see the pandemic era handouts as proof that the program works. COVID-19 exacerbated income inequality and sped up technological innovation which disproportionately hurt lower wage earners and marginalized communities. Direct cash payments offered financial security to society’s most vulnerable and helped transform the broken relationship between individuals and the labour market. It bought precious time and resources for those seeking new economic opportunities in a rapidly-changing workforce. Critics worry that UBI disincentivizes work and rewards indolence. They point to pandemic recovery rehiring difficulties as proof that getting cash handouts without strings attached encourages people to stay out of the workforce all together. Re-positioning government into the role of economic provider threatens individual aspiration for self-reliance and betterment. Furthermore, the already well-off do not need to benefit from cash handouts. If the government wants to address racial and economic injustices it would have much more success by enriching already existing social welfare programs that target those most in need. Arguing for the motion is Scott Santens, Senior Advisor to Humanity Forward and Editor of Basic Income Today. Arguing against the motion is Oren Cass, executive director of American Compass and author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America. QUOTES: SCOTT SANTENS “Basic income is an acknowledgement that everyone has basic needs, and we should make sure that those absolute most basic needs are being met at all times.” OREN CASS “It has always been an American tradition to value reciprocity, and a universal basic income runs directly against that.” Sources: ABC News, Global, Yang Speaks, CNBC, Newzroom Afrika The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members Podcast explores two events in the news. First up, what is driving surging energy prices around the world? With some governments now subsidizing consumer and business use of hydrocarbons what is the fate and future of the climate change agenda? The show’s second half looks the implications of China’s increasingly aggressive air incursions in and around Taiwan. Is America willing and prepared to militarily defend the Taiwanese? What risks are the Chinese running – economically and geopolitically – in continuing to assert their interest through demonstrations of military force and so called “wolf pack” diplomacy. Rudyard and Janice discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

This past year has seen an onslaught of disruptions that call into question our ability to coexist with our environment. The devastating effects of climate change have arrived, and show no signs of abating. Flash flooding has swept across China and Northern Europe. The Eastern United States has been inundated by hurricanes of historic size. Record breaking heat waves and wildfires have decimated large swaths of Western North America. And a global pandemic continues to rage on. All of this begs the question, must we look elsewhere in our universe to ensure the survival of humanity? A growing movement of astrophysicists, biologists, and billionaire space enthusiasts believes our salvation does indeed lie offplanet. Supporters of this movement argue that we are on the cusp of technology that puts this possibility within reach, and that exploration and settlement to deal with issues of environmental instability and scarcity is nothing new. Settling the reachable regions of our universe is merely an extension of this age-old trend. But detractors of the plans to settle space dismiss it as an immeasurably expensive fever dream. In their minds, it would be far more prudent to invest our time and resources into fixing the problems here on Earth, the only known planet to host life. Beyond the massive technological advancements required, there are simply far too many unknowns about how and where life originated to assume it can be simply transported through the cosmos. Arguing for the motion is Milan Cirkovic, Research Professor at the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade and author of Global Catastrophic Risks. Arguing against the motion is Lord Martin Rees, Lord Martin Rees Astronomer Royal, former President of The Royal Society. He is the author of On the Future whose updated paperback edition is due out in October, and The End of Astronauts due out in March of 2022. Milan Cirkovic: “There are many human achievements which, almost by definition, could never be realized if humanity remains bound to Earth.” Lord Martin Rees: “It is a dangerous delusion to think that we could escape the Earth's problems by going to Mars." Sources: Engadget, Blue Origin, SpaceX, European Space Agency, World Government Summit and 60 Minutes Australia The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focus on two important stories in the news. First up, the return of the “two Michael’s” and what this says about the past, present and future of Canada’s relationship with China and the brewing energy crisis in China and Europe. Janice and Rudyard discuss the three important takeaways from China’s return of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. Does the end resolution of this diplomatic crisis herald a reset in Canada-China relations or a return to closer ties? And second, as coal, gas and oil prices surge globally, are we collectively at risk of a 1970s style energy crisis? What will the effect be on inflation and the climate change fight as renewables struggle to keep up global power demand? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

It has become one of the more divisive topics in today’s culture wars: what to do with the statues of historical figures with controversial pasts. And while many can agree that the monuments of Robert E Lee and Edward Colston should not stand in city centres, the debate becomes murkier when the likes of Winston Churchill, John A MacDonald, Queen Victoria, and Abraham Lincoln enter the fray. Those calling for statues to come down and streets to be renamed argue that this is not a case of ‘cancel culture’. Rather, it is an overdue re-examination of past heroes and their subjugation of marginalized groups. Those who promoted racist and imperialist policies in their time should not be given the privilege of public glorification in ours. Others argue that social justice “mobs” are ignoring the context in which these transgressions took place, viewing history through a distorted lens comprised of their own values and assumptions and purposely rewriting the past to serve their ideological purposes today. If progressives succeed in their purity purge we will be left with no heroes, no history, and no nuanced understanding of our own past. Arguing for the motion is Cornell William Brooks, Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Social Justice at the Harvard Kennedy School and a former President of the NAACP. Arguing against the motion is George F Will, Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the Washington Post and author of American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent. QUOTES: CORNELL WILLIAM BROOKS “When you have commemoration, as opposed to education, it leads to misinformation. And it literally debilitates our ability to grapple with the past in order to come to grips with the present.” GEORGE WILL “My worry is about the question of control. I don't want to control the past. I want the past to be faced as what it was, and not controlled for any political agenda, good, bad or indifferent." Sources: City News, CTV, Washington Post, ABC, WPRI,  The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focuses on three stories in the news: Europe is in the news with historic elections taking place in Germany which portend a new and different future for the world’s largest political union and France’s Macron melts down over the new UK, US and Australia security pact. What do these two interconnected stories say about Europe’s domestic politics and future as a unit of global power and influence?; China’s central bank moves against cryptocurrencies suggesting a possible ban could be in the offing. Why is Beijing cracking down on the likes of Bitcoin? Will Western government’s follow suit as domestic currencies come under more pressure as public debts reach new all time highs? And, how should we be interpreting the Canadian election? Does this week’s inconclusive result set the country up for a period of instability or is it simply the reflection of Canada’s new normal. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Philanthropy, the act of giving, the sharing of one's resources is an inscrutable facet of our social compact. But as global economic trends widen the disparity between the haves and have-nots, the act of philanthropic giving has come under increased scrutiny. In just the last 18 months, billionaires have increased their wealth by $1.2 trillion dollars as markets boom while the rest of the global economy crumbles. And in the spirit of altruism, billionaires have committed portions of this windfall to serve the people most in need. But is it really making a difference? A growing movement of scholars, thinkers, and politicians believe the time has come to call these philanthropic efforts what they are: expensive PR campaigns that valorize extreme wealth and perpetuate a status quo of crushing inequality. If billionaires wanted to help the world, they would push for higher taxes, a greater role for government, and a fairer division of society’s scarce resources. Supporters of large-scale philanthropy argue the critics' arguments are simplistic and ill informed. Citizens should be angry at governments for letting the urgent problems we face as species fester for generations. It’s billionaire donors, not governments, who are stepping up with creative solutions to some of the biggest global challenges. In our time, billionaire philanthropy is creating tangible benefits for millions of people around the world by addressing urgent public health crises, environmental degradation and pushing for accountability on behalf of all donors. The world is a better place thanks to billionaire philanthropy and we are all benefiting from their charity. Arguing for the motion is Rob Reich, the Director of Stanford's McCoy Center for Ethics in Society, co-director of Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and author of Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How it Can Do Better. Arguing against the motion is Beth Breeze, the Director of the Centre for Philanthropy at University of Kent and author of upcoming book In Defense of Philanthropy due out this November. Rob Reich: “We should direct our scrutiny at the rich people for how they make their money, as well as how they give it away”. Beth Breeze: “Philanthropy simply means love of humankind. I'm in favor of more, not less human kindness in our society”. Sources: CNN, CNBC, ABC, and ABC News Australia The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s episode features a live taping of podcast held in Toronto, Canada on September 16. Janice and Rudyard discuss the upcoming Canadian federal election, the changing of the guard in Europe with Merkel’s exit from politics and why western government are increasingly struggling with one of the their most basic tasks: the competent delivery of public programs and services. A note to our non-Canadian listeners: this episodes is heavy on Canadian politics due to our upcoming election. The podcast will return to its usual format next week. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

What began as early summer optimism about the end of the pandemic has turned into frustration, anger, and worry over a steep rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations. Many are pointing the finger at the unvaccinated, accusing them of selfish and risky behaviour that puts everyone else’s lives, and livelihoods, at risk. Hospital ICUs are filling up again, health care workers are being forced back to the frontline, and taxpayers are expected to foot the bill for those who refused the shot. Some schools are being required to go online again, and many businesses will not be able to recover. With only 61% of US adults fully vaccinated, the virus will be able to circulate, and we run the risk of developing a new breed of vaccine-resistant strains. Some medical practitioners are calling on the government to step in: if individuals refuse to do their part and get the shot, mandates must be introduced to force them to do so. Others argue that draconian edicts such as vaccine mandates harm public health. Not only will they erode trust and increase vaccine hesitancy, but they could also court unnecessary risks for youth and children. Young people are far less likely to develop serious health complications from COVID and therefore should not be required to take vaccines whose potential effects have not been studied over the longer term. And finally, mandating shots in wealthy countries indirectly denies protection for older, more vulnerable populations in the developing world. Everyone should be given the ability to choose what they put in their body, else we become a nation where our basic freedoms play second fiddle to public health. Arguing for the motion is Paul Offit, Professor of Vaccinology and Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Arguing against the motion is Martin Kulldorff, biostatistician, epidemiologist and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. QUOTES: PAUL OFFIT “This is a contagious disease, and it is not your right to spread this disease to others and cause harm... we have to compel people to do the right thing because they seem not to want to do the right thing on their own.”  MARTIN KULLDORFF “If we want to have long-term trust in public health, we cannot use coercion and mandates. We have to use education and mutual trust.” Sources:  ABC, NBC, CBC, FOX The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members only podcast, featuring Janice Gross Stein and Rudyard Griffiths, focuses on three stories in the news this week: why was last night’s federal election debate in Canada such a disaster? What can we do to actually organise debates that work for voters? How are we to read the smoke signals the Taliban are sending to the international community with the announcement of a hardline governing cabinet? And, what does Angela Merkel’s political exit from stage left mean for the future of Europe? We discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

It’s back to school for millions of students this week after a school year of unprecedented disruption and with the traditional grading systems and report card one of the main casualties. But some educators say this past year’s abandonment of letter grades and grade point averages has been a good thing and is key to reforming the education system. They say that for decades research has shown that traditional grading systems decrease student learning by shifting their attention from deep learning to how to play and win at the game of school. Giving out grades reduces student interest in knowledge for its own sake as well as the desire to take on challenges. Rather than providing a fair and helpful snapshot of a student’s progress, grades only succeed in capturing the inequity and bias that afflicts our education systems. Supporters of traditional grading approaches respond that grades, especially when paired with individualized comments, provide a valuable feedback tool that is fundamental to a successful education system. Grades that are based on clearly defined learning goals address the problem of teacher bias and provide an honest answer to the key question on every student’s mind: how am I doing? Grades also communicate this important information to parents and to higher learning establishments with limited enrolment. Most importantly grades reward effort, a key pillar for a fair and just education system and the broader society it feeds. Arguing for the motion is Alfie Kohn, an education lecturer and author of many books on parenting and education including Punished by Rewards and The Schools Our Children Deserve. Arguing against the motion is Tom Guskey, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky’s College of Education, and an international expert on student assessment. He has also published many books, most recently Get Set, Go! Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems and What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next.  Sources: City News, King 5, First Coast News, ABC 10 News, ASCD, CBC, CESA 2 The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja Researcher: Eden Pollock

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members only podcast focuses three stories in the news: now that the Afghan withdrawal is complete will the West forget the people of Afghanistan? What do we owe our Afghan allies who remain trapped in the country? Why is there no discussion of foreign policy in the Canadian election. Are we really this provincial as a country? And, the Chinese government cracks down on online tutors and video gaming. What is behind Beijing’s new found animosity towards Big Tech? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Meritocracy has long been championed as a way of attaining success through hard work and skill; society’s best and brightest are rewarded based on their performance, not their background. But some people have started to poke holes in this theory, arguing that meritocracy, as it exists today, is an illusion. Critics argue this foundational principle has been co-opted by society’s elite, allowing them to transfer social status and wealth to their children by limiting the competition they face whether it's attaining higher education or gaining lucrative employment. The faux meritocracy of the 21st century is exacerbating inequality and diminishing opportunities for middle and lower class families and youth. While not perfect, others argue that meritocracy is the best system we have for conferring society’s resources on individuals thereby rewarding human talent. Meritocracy has transformed over a century or more Western societies mostly for the better, giving the poor and middle class a chance at upward mobility and including women and other historically disadvantaged groups in the collective pursuit of individual success. Social mobility is stalling not because of meritocracy, but due to institutions’ failure to complete the meritocratic revolution and fully embrace its core principles and ideas. Arguing for the motion is Daniel Markovits, Professor of Law at Yale Law School and author of The Meritocracy Trap. Arguing against the motion is Adrian Wooldridge, political editor of the Economist and author The Aristocracy of Talent. QUOTES: DANIEL MARKOVITS “Meritocracy has restructured education in such a way that having rich parents is almost a necessary condition for getting the kind of education that you need to get ahead.” ADRIAN WOODLRIDGE “Inequality between the upper and middle class is widening due to a lack of meritocracy. And the best solution to the problem is more meritocracy, not less meritocracy.” Sources: CNN, HBO, The Institute of Art and Ideas, Fox News, CNN The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focuses exclusively on the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan. What will be the immediate repercussions of the botched evacuation by Western powers of their citizens and only a limited number of Afghan allies? How big is the security threat of a Taliban governed Afghanistan for the region and the West? What does the handling of this crisis say about the state of elites in the world’s major powers? Are they still capable of competently managing international affairs and protecting their national interests? And finally, what are the knock on effects of the Afghanistan evacuation on the federal election currently underway in Canada? Will this crisis impact how Canadians’ vote in September? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

A Facebook algorithm that tracks posts for suicidal thoughts; an app that monitors the speed of keyboard strokes for signs of depression; a computer program that analyzes our facial expressions and tone of voice when we FaceTime. These are a few of the thousands of algorithms tracking our mental health that some experts say could revolutionize how we diagnose and treat mental illness. They say that our 24/7 use of digital devices is generating a goldmine of information about our mental state that must be accessible to mental health practitioners if psychiatric medicine is to operate like a scientific discipline in the 21st century. Instagram posts, text logs, Google searches, and GPS data, and not psychiatrists’ observations and intuitions based on conversation, offer the detail and time stamped precision we need to generate tailored and effective treatments to the millions of individuals who desperately need help in the post pandemic world. Critics say the problems with this big data approach go far beyond the obvious privacy issues that come with outsourcing mental health monitoring to digital monopolies like Google and Apple. The push for mental health algorithms reflects a reductive view of human emotions that undermines the strengths of the traditionally human centred field of psychiatric medicine. Diagnoses based on dialogue between two individuals and grounded in intuition and empathy will always be better than machine intelligence at drawing out the personal histories that explain trauma and generate helpful treatment. Engaging machines to address the mental health crisis is nothing but a quick fix solution that only helps the deeply underresourced health systems of our world today. Arguing for the motion is Daniel Barron, Medical Director of the Interventional Pain Psychiatry Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the author of the recently published book Reading Our Minds: The Rise of Big-Data Psychiatry. Arguing against the motion is Gerhard Gründer, Professor of Psychiatry and Head of the Department for Molecular Neuroimaging at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany. He is the author of How Do We Want to Live? Sources: CBSDFW, CBS Boston, The Doctors Company The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Producer: Nicole Edwards Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focuses on the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. What should Western powers do next to have a chance to get their citizens and Afghan allies out of Kabul? Is there a possible deal that could be reached with the Taliban to avert bloodshed? And what does this crisis say about the state and future of America’s engagement with the world? Specifically, what lessons should we be drawing from a failed twenty year war and botched evacuation? We wrap the show with details on our live show taping in September. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

While partisan fighting and gridlock has come to characterize most Western governments, one issue has united liberals and conservatives against a common foe: the rise of Big Tech. Anti-trust experts warn that Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft have become too powerful, too fast. They control our data, our discourse, and our politics. Their unmatched power is a threat to innovation and market competition. For the sake of democracy and dynamism, their days of unlimited expansion, privacy violations, and corporate acquisitions must come to an end. It is past time to regulate these internet giants. The CEOs of these tech companies, however, are fighting back. Zuckerberg, Bezos, Pichai, et al argue that they have become an easy scapegoat for the pitfalls of a digital revolution no one could have expected. Far from achieving a monopoly over the industry, these companies face stiff competition from big players in the space and emerging disruptors. Furthermore, the negative associations with these companies has overshadowed the very real benefits they have brought to the public; Google, Facebook, Youtube and Amazon have provided revolutionary and life-changing opportunities around the globe. These digital giants have transformed the world into a more inter-connected, transparent, and democratic space for all of its users, uplifting entire communities with just the push of a few buttons. We must embrace, not fear, the rise of big tech and its dominance in society. Arguing for the motion is Robby Soave, senior editor at Reason and the author of Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future Arguing against the motion is Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Democracy at McGill University and the host of The Big Tech podcast QUOTES: ROBBY SOAVE “I don't fear the dominance of Big Tech in society. However, I do fear the dominance of government in society, particularly any effort it might undertake to fix some of big tech’s reported problems” TAYLOR OWEN “We have a set of social harms and economic harms that aren't being self-regulated because of market concentration. We have a failed market that's leading to social and economic harms.” Sources: Yahoo Finance, NBC, CNBC, FOX Business The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focuses on three topics in the news this week. The Taliban shock the world with their rapid military takeover of Afghanistan – What explains the Taliban’s ability to overthrow the Afghan government in multiple regional capitals? How is this crisis likely the play out in the coming weeks. Vaccine mandates become an increasing part of America’s COVID response while Canada lags on making vaccinations mandatory – Why is Canada a laggard on vaccine mandates? With kids unvaccinated is it time for to make vaccination mandatory for all teachers? And, a Canadian federal election looks likely to called this Sunday – What are the issues that will dominate the campaign? How can the opposition parties challenge the incumbent Liberal government with so much of the election taking place before Labour Day? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

First the banning of headscarves in France’s public schools. Then prohibitions against full face coverings and religious worship in public spaces, and most recently legislation that targets Islamic fundamentalism. And in Quebec, a former colony of France, the outlawing of religious symbols in government workplaces, including schools. These are some of the strong measures that France and Quebec have taken to enforce the separation of church and state that is characteristic of Western democracies. Proponents of secularism, or laïcité as it is called in France, say that secularism promotes healthy democracies by ensuring that competing religious loyalties do not undermine the full equality and free speech necessary to be good citizens. Furthermore, secularism protects religions by providing a framework where believers and non-believers alike can privately and peacefully co-habitate. What secularism cannot tolerate is politicized religion, which secularists say we are witnessing with the rise of Islamism. They argue that this politicized form of Islam threatens democratic ideals in exactly the same way that the Catholic church undermined the French Republic at the beginning of the last century, and must be opposed just as aggressively. The lengths to which France and Quebec are willing to go to promote their vision of a secular society has provoked an international outcry. Critics argue that modern day secularism is not a neutral policy, but a form of disguised colonialism that targets religious and racialized communities, in particular followers of Islam. They argue that the activist secularist policies we are witnessing right now are based on simplistic ideas about the Muslim faith, such as the assumption that oppression of women is an essential feature of Islam, and that Muslim communities do not adapt or integrate when they join new communities. Prohibiting religious expression is undemocratic and illiberal, a denial of fundamental rights that enrich societies. Rather than supporting peaceful and productive democracies, secularism is another form of fundamentalism that sows the seeds for extremism and terrorism. Arguing for the motion is Caroline Fourest, a journalist, film maker, and expert on French secularism. She is the author of many best-selling books in France, including The Genius of Secularism. Arguing against the motion is John Bowen, who is Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology, at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books about Islam including Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space. Sources: AFP News Agency, France 24, CBC, Al Jazeera, TVO, Euronews, Wall Street Journal The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja Research: Charlotte Fay

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast focuses on three stories in the news: China introduces sweeping new virus controls as delta variant outbreaks happen in multiple cities; are we seeing the limits of China’s lockdown heavy COVID control strategy? What could be the effects on global economic recovery if China can’t fight off the delta threat? And, how worried should we be about the possibility of an “omega” strain that evade vaccines completely? – Two of Afghanistan’s major cities are battling large scale Taliban military incursions with possibly thousands of civilian deaths occurring already; is a complete Taliban takeover of Afghanistan a possibility? Or, is a collapse back into outright civil war the more likely outcome? And, what is the West’s responsibility after spending two decades and trillion dollars to supposedly “rebuild” Afghanistan? – Iran swears in a new hardline President; what does the elevation of Ebrahim Raisi to president of Iran foretell for the region, Israel’s policy towards Iran, and the Biden administration’s efforts to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Who can forget these memorable moments in sports when reigning world champions lost their titles, medals, and invitations to compete as punishment for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. But while most sports experts agree these high-profile scandals represent just the tip of the iceberg, some say the time has come to accept that doping is part and parcel of the spectacle of elite sport. They argue that the days where athletes won medals based on natural genetic advantage and dedicated training are long gone and that the World Anti Doping Administration’s push for clean athletes is wishful fantasy. The future of sport is one where athletes will push their physiological boundaries with the help of steroids, hormones, and yes even gene editing, embracing the high-tech innovation that is revolutionizing every other aspect of our lives. Anti-doping crusaders respond that a sporting world that allows unrestricted access to performance enhancement drugs is one that threatens athletes’ lives and also spells the end of sport as we have played and watched it for thousands of years. They argue that the most powerful reason to ban doping is that it undermines the skill development and overcoming of physical and mental obstacles that lies at the heart of fair play. Substances that provide immediate athletic advantages without any work or struggle represents the beginning of a joyless and pointless brave new world in sports. Arguing for the motion is Julian Savulescu, Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, where he directs the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities. Arguing against the motion is Angela Schneider, Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies, an Associate Professor in Kinisiology at the University of Western Ontario, and an Olympic silver medallist in rowing. Sources: BBC Sport, ABC News, Huff Post, CNBC, TNW, Calgary Herald, NBC, Channel 4, City News The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Christina Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Producer: Nicole Edwards Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Member’s podcast explores three important stories in the news this week: Somber Olympics kicks off in Japan as the nation battle delta variant outbreak; why is the mood of this Olympics different from past summer games? Is it the lack of crowds? The strain of the pandemic on athletes? Or, a host nation that has bigger problems on its plate in the form of a the delta variant? – The Chinese government wipes out a trillion dollars of stock value off its high flying domestic tech companies with threats of new regulations; what is behind this move on the part of the Communist Party? Are we seeing the beginnings of the “splinternet” as China takes control of its tech titans to mold a made in Beijing global world wide web? – And, millions in Australia have strict lockdowns continued to suppress delta variant spread. Is this sign of the failure of Australia’s COVID zero policies? Or, can the spread of delta be stopped by punitive lockdown measures including calling out the military to enforce public health controls? We discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

It’s been 125 years since the modern Olympics were founded in Athens, and this year will see a monumental first for the world’s biggest sporting competition: the inclusion of Laurel Hubbard, a transgender female athlete, in the women’s weightlifting competition. In 2015, the IOC issued guidelines that allow transgender athletes to compete as a woman if their testosterone levels are suppressed to predetermined level prior to competing. Scientific advisers to the IOC argue that hormone therapy is sufficient in creating a level playing field between transgender athletes and biological females. Trans women, they maintain, who have undergone estrogen therapy, do not possess a material athletic advantage over cisgender women. Critics of the current IOC policy argue that the suppression of testosterone does not mitigate many of the physical advantages gained by those who have gone through puberty as males - such as developing a bigger heart, more lung capacity, longer skeletal structures, etc. Separate sports categories for women and men were created to give female athletes the chance to compete against each other and win on approximately equal terms. Including transgender women in sports competitions like the Olympics is profoundly unfair to cisgender females and denigrates their hard work and sacrifice as elite athletes. Arguing for the motion is Joanna Harper, trans athlete, medical physicist, and adviser to the IOC on matters of gender and sport. Arguing against the motion is Gregory Brown, Professor of Exercise Science at University of Nebraska at Kearney. QUOTES: JOANNA HARPER “We need to be very careful when we make arguments that trans women athletes are displacing other women, because in a sociological sense they are indeed female." GREGORY BROWN “If you're going to compete, you should have a chance to win. Including a trans woman who runs 12% faster than a cisgender woman makes it very difficult for it to be a meaningful competition.” Sources: BBC, RNZ, Good Morning Britain, Fox News, France24 The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast digs into two big stories in the news this week: The Chinese ride hailing app DiDi finds itself in hot water with China’s communist government after it lists on U.S. stock exchange – Why is the Chinese government cracking down on domestic tech companies bent on attracting foreign capital? What does DiDi’s fate say about the future of big data in an era of growing great power competition been China and America?; On the heels of Biden-Putin summit which promised joint cooperation on ransomware attacks the US is hit twice in one week by cyber intrusions coming from Russia – How will the Biden administration respond? Are we on the verge of dangerous escalation of state originated cyber attacks?; and we conclude the program with a discussion of what these two stories say about the future of the Internet – Are we living through the disintegration of the World Wide Web as we know it? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Twenty years and counting. 800 billion dollars spent. Over 2,000 US service members killed. America, Canada and NATO’s longest war is finally coming to a close as troops begin to withdraw from their bases in Afghanistan this summer. While fully three quarters of Americans applaud President Biden’s decision to pull out ground troops completely, many security experts are sounding the alarm. Leaving Afghanistan without a secure national government and strong army in place, they warn, will almost certainly lead to a Taliban takeover, ethnic cleansing, mass slaughter, and the destabilization of a country that has long been a regional powder keg. It’s a risky move that would destroy the West's credibility as an ally at the very moment China is on the rise as a global player. Also, without a foreign military presence, the very real risk exists that Al-Qaeda will use the country again as a base to expand their recruitment and plan terror attacks against the US and its allies. Others see 20 years of fighting and little to show for it. The Taliban remains a major force in the country and controls more territory now than it did in 2001. Efforts to build up Afghan forces, install a stable government, and curb corruption ended in failure at great expense of blood and treasure. America, NATO and the West can no longer afford to be Afghanistan's policeman. It’s time to end a conflict that is no longer in the national interest. Arguing for the motion is Elliot Ackerman, former US Marine and intelligence officer and best-selling author of 2034: a novel of the next world order Arguing against the motion is Andrew Bacevich, President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and author of After the Apocalypse, America’s Role in a World Transformed QUOTES: ELLIOT ACKERMAN “The current policy in which the US forfeits the entire enterprise is strategically ill-advised and nearsighted, particularly given current costs, which are relatively minor.” ANDREW BACEVICH “Afghans don't want to be occupied by foreign armies. Afghans want to be the masters of their own fate. I think we should allow them to exercise that privilege.” Sources: NBC, ABC, BBC, MSNBC, Democracy Now! The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Member’s podcast explore three big issues in the news week: After two decades all foreign troops are being withdrawn from Afghanistan as Taliban forces surge toward Kabul – What did we learn from this war? What do we owe the people of Afghanistan including its women and girls? And, what is likely fate now of this perpetually war torn country?; Mass civil unrests grips Cuba and South Africa – Why are the protestors on the street? How is food inflation playing into increasing social instability in the developing world?; and the delta variant surges across Asia, Europe and the United States – How concerned should we be about this variant? To what extent could it imperil the reopening of our economies and return to something approaching “normal” this autumn? We discuss it all. To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

It is the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. Over 300,000 dead in Syria. One and a half million injured or disabled. Four and a half million people fleeing the country as refugees. And Syria is just one of a growing number of failed or failing states in the Middle East and North Africa. How should developed nations respond to human suffering on this mass scale? Do the prosperous societies of the West, including Canada and the U.S., have a moral imperative to assist as many refugees as they reasonably and responsibly can? Or, is this a time for vigilance and restraint in the face a wave of mass migration that risks upending Western nations’ openness, tolerance and ultimately their very way of life? Arguing for the motion are Louise Arbour and Simon Schama Arguing against the motion are Mark Steyn and Nigel Farage The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz and Christina Stewart Campbell Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

This is a sample of the Munk Members-Only Podcast. The program provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. This week’s Munk Members podcast digs into two big stories in the news this week: The Chinese ride hailing app DiDi finds itself in hot water with China’s communist government after it lists on U.S. stock exchange – Why is the Chinese government cracking down on domestic tech companies bent on attracting foreign capital? What does DiDi’s fate say about the future of big data in an era of growing great power competition been China and America?; On the heels of Biden-Putin summit which promised joint cooperation on ransomware attacks the US is hit twice in one week by cyber intrusions coming from Russia – How will the Biden administration respond? Are we on the verge of dangerous escalation of state originated cyber attacks?; and we conclude the program with a discussion of what these two stories say about the future of the Internet – Are we living through the disintegration of the World Wide Web as we know it? To access the full length episode consider becoming a Munk Member. Membership is free. Simply log on to www.munkdebates.com/membership to register. Under your membership profile page you will find a link to listen to the full length editions of Munk Members Podcast. If you like what the Munk Debates is all about consider becoming a Supporting Member. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents). To explore you Munk Membership options visit www.munkdebates.com/membership. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Seemingly out of nowhere Critical Race Theory has become a highly contentious front in a culture war raging in schools across North America, pitting parents against teachers and progressives against conservatives. Proponents describe it as an important theoretical concept that explains how racism is perpetuated within the power structures of historically white societies. Students, they argue, must be taught that racism is not an individual bias, nor is it a thing of the past; rather, racism is embedded into the country’s institutions and supports the perpetuation of white supremacy in society. In sum, race consciousness, on the part of all groups, is essential to our ability to achieve equality for all. Critics of CRT see it as non-empirical, highly specious academic doctrine that promotes discrimination and division in contemporary society. They maintain that analyzing everything through a racial lens impedes racial progress for all groups including the most disadvantaged. For its opponents, CRT is an illiberal and anti-enlightenment ideology that runs counter to ideals of progress, self-determination and equality built on people’s shared humanity. Arguing for the motion is John McWhorter, Linguist and Associate Professor of English at Columbia University. Arguing against the motion is Gloria Ladson-Billings, critical race theory scholar and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. QUOTES: JOHN MCWHORTER “What worries me is that it's not race that is being taught in schools, but an idea that racism is everything and that battling power differentials must be the focus of all of our moral, intellectual and artistic endeavors.” GLORIA LADSON-BILLINGS “The fight about critical race theory is not an academic one, it's a political one. And when politicians cannot win points on policy, they resort to inciting a culture war.” Sources: Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, The Hill The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected]. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ The Munk Debates podcast is produced by Antica, Canada’s largest private audio production company - https://www.anticaproductions.com/   Executive Producer: Stuart Coxe, CEO Antica Productions Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch Associate Producer: Abhi Raheja

COVID-19 has fast-forwarded us into a confusing and uncertain future. Nowhere are the accelerating forces of the pandemic more evident than in our democracy. We are being challenged by rising authoritarian regimes, a reckoning on race, and intense debates on cancel culture, identity politics and free speech. The Spring 2021 Munk Dialogues host some of the world’s brightest thinkers for in-depth, one hour conversions on the fate and future of democracy in a world remade by COVID-19. This episode features Irshad Manji in conversation with Munk Debates Chair, Rudyard Griffiths. The conversation explores finding common ground in our polarized society, and what attitudes that can help us open up to different points of view. Irshad Manji is a bestselling author, commentator and founder of the award winning Moral Courage Project. She has taught at New York University, the University of Southern California and, since 2018, in Oxford University’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights. Irshad’s latest bestseller is Don't Label Me. For more information on the Munk Dialogues visit www.munkdebates.com/dialogues. The Munk Dialogues are a project of the Munk Debates and the Peter and Melanie Munk Foundation. They are sponsored by Gluskin Sheff, Onex, Bond Brand Loyalty and Torys, LLP. If you like what the Munk Dialogues are all about consider becoming a Supporting Member of the Munk Debates at www.munkdebates.com/membership. For as little as $9.99 monthly you receive unlimited access to our 10+ year library of great debates, podcasts and dialogues, a free Munk Debates book, monthly newsletter, ticketing privileges at our live and online events and a charitable tax receipt (for Canadian residents).