This Journalist Spent a Year Embedded With the Taliban
Ash Sarkar meets Ibrahim Nash'at
This journalist embedded himself with the Taliban.
Downstream is an in-depth interview show featuring conversations with activists, authors, economists, politicians, scientists, philosophers and thinkers of all stripes.
Humans Could Become Immortal This Century
Aaron Bastani meets Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston
The end of death is nigh.
Trains Are Better Than Cars. Here’s Why
Aaron Bastani meets Gareth Dennis
On the false hope of electric vehicles, the Hyperloop scam and why Rachel Reeves doesn’t understand potholes.
‘Green Capitalism’ Is a Con
Ash Sarkar meets Andreas Malm
The ‘global community’s’ design solution for solving rising temperatures was flawed from the outset.
Is the West Heading for Civilisational Collapse?
Aaron Bastani meets Peter Heather and John Rapley
What historians have got wrong about the collapse of the Roman Empire sheds much light on the current state of western civilisation, according to the authors of How Empires Fall.
Israel Is Not Interested in Peace
Aaron Bastani meets Ilan Pappé
A short history of the Israel-Palestine conflict by Ilan Pappé.
The History of Rice, Air-Con and How the Mongols Really Won
Ash Sarkar meets Sunil Amrith
What can the story of rice tell us about air-conditioning sales in 21st century India? The author of The Burning Earth explains.
Insects Are Disappearing and We Should Be Very Worried
Aaron meets Dave Goulson.
Britain’s leading entomologist on the insect apocalypse.
Do We Really Need to Tax the Rich?
Ash Sarkar Meet Stephanie Kelton
One of MMT’s leading lights on taxation, government deficits and tackling climate disaster.
Everything You Need to Know About China & Xi Jinping
Aaron Bastani meets Olivia Cheung
Xi Jinping is possibly the most powerful person in the world, but what do we know about his origins, ways of thinking and goals for China and the human race in general? To answer these questions and more, Aaron is joined by Olivia Cheung, author of “The Political Thought of Xi Jinping”. They discuss his […]
India Was the Epicentre of the Ancient World
Ash meets William Dalrymple
Historian and author, William Dalrymple, on India in antiquity.
The UK’s Landowning Elite Are Destroying the Countryside
Aaron Bastani talks to Guy Shrubsole, author of ‘The Lie of The Land’.
This Is the Reality for Palestinian Christians
Ash Sarkar meets Dr. Munther Isaac
The pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem talks to Ash about the ongoing annexation of the West Bank and the role of Christian Zionists.
This Is the End of the Liberal World Order
Political scientists agree that we are now living in a multi-polar world. How we might have arrived at this new formation and whether the newly powerful actors on the global stage are inherently problematic, remain areas of much disagreement. Someone who has a distinct perspective on this new world order is this week’s guest, Anne […]
Massive Attack Founder on Palestine, Riots and the Greenest Music Festival Ever
Moya Lothian-McLean talks to Robert Del Naja ahead of the Act 1.5 Climate Action Accelerator, a day festival which promises to be the greenest live music event of it’s size ever staged.
The Truth About the Riots and the White Working Class
Ash Sarkar meets Taj Ali
The co-editor of Tribune Magazine found himself at the centre of a communication network monitoring the far-right. Here’s his firsthand account of what happened during August’s riots.
Is Humanity Really Heading for Population Collapse?!
During 1960s, fears of planetary ‘overpopulation’ became widespread. And yet, in more recent years, an altogether different worry has emerged: future population decline. Fertility rates have fallen for decades – and in some places centuries – as humans live in cities, gender equality improves and access to birth control becomes widespread. But, according to some, […]
What Do the Riots Say About Britain?
Ash Sarkar, Aaron Bastani and Rivkah Brown
In the wake of the murders in Southport at the end of July, racist violence has swept Britain, but who or what is to blame? And what do these riots say about Britain in 2024?