The Munk Debates Podcast Munk Foundation / Antica Productions / iHeartRadio

Few people engender public debate like Elon Musk. When the world’s richest man purchased Twitter for a whopping $44 Billion, much of the media, the political establishment, and countless users, heralded that this marked the beginning of the end for one of the much beloved social media platforms. Musk’s detractors claim that handing over the platform akin to a mercurial sole proprietor has been a catastrophe from day one. Musk’s misguided maximal commitment to free speech is turning Twitter into a cesspool of hate, violent threats, and outright disinformation.  In short, Musk’s twitter is not just a nuisance, it is fast becoming a threat to our democracy. But others see Musk’s twitter takeover as a godsend.  Musk has proven himself an adept businessman and visionary, whose Midas touch can only make Twitter better.  They argue freedom of expression is a hallmark of democracy, and opening what people can express on Twitter is only going to make our democracy more vibrant and real.  For Musk’s supporters, democracy thrives when each individual is able to determine for themselves what and whom to believe, and a free exchange of ideas only encourages us to seek, to learn, to discuss, and to engage. 

 

Arguing for the motion is Kyle Spencer, an award-winning journalist and author. Her most recent book is Raising them Right, the untold story of America's ultraconservative youth movement and its plot for power.

 

Arguing against the motion is Michael Tracey, an independent journalist with over a quarter million followers on twitter. Tracey’s writings in recent years have appeared in the New York Daily News, the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast, and the Nation.

Speaker Quotes 

KYLE SPENCER: “When Elon Musk announced that the bird is free upon taking control of Twitter, what he really meant was tyranny is alive and well”.

 

MICHAEL TRACY: “Twitter was no less monopolistic in that sense before October of 2022, just now the ownership has changed hands to someone who people feel is a bit of a bomb thrower, a bit of troll in his own right, or offends their political sensibilities”.



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 podcast@munkdebates.com.  

 

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/

 

Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis

Editor: Adam Karch 

 

 

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the 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. 

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.  

On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard take on two stories in the news this week that made headlines. First up, Ukraine suffers brutal Russian missile attacks knocking out power, water and heating to millions as civilian deaths mount. Is it time for NATO to step up its involvement in the conflict in the face of Russia’s blatant war crimes and complete disregard for the safety and welfare of the Ukrainian population?

The donors-only second half of the program explores what Canadians have learned from a week of testimony by cabinet ministers into the government’s decision to implement the Emergencies Act to clear protesting “truckers” from Ottawa earlier this year. Was there an imminent national security risk? How are these decisions made in moments of crisis?

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.

As Xi Jinping enters an unprecedented third term as general secretary of China's Communist Party, many geopolitical experts believe his desire to strengthen China’s influence and power in the region will soon lead to a military invasion of Taiwan. The US, however, has made clear its intention to prevent that from happening. How could a conflict between the two superpowers play out, and how will it impact the global economy and foreign investment? What could happen to assets invested in China should the dispute intensify? American investor and founder of Conservation Equity Management Kyle Bass joins us for a candid discussion about the global financial consequences of a war between China and Taiwan and what investors should be thinking about in terms of the risks its poses to the North American economy.

 

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 podcast@munkdebates.com.  

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/

 

Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the 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. 

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.  

On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard take on four stories that got them thinking this week. First up, a Ukraine anti-aircraft rocket crashes in Poland, killing two. How do we manage the risk of the conflict escalating as the fog of war deepens? Next, Xi snubs Trudeau on camera. Business as usual for summitry or something more ominous?

The donors-only second half of the program tackles the topic of whether the U.S. is another side of peak populism with positive mid-term results for Biden. Will this trend hold out until 2024? And finally, Janice and Rudyard discuss more education strikes in Ontario. How much is inflation to blame for labour unrest in Canada?

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.

When Putin invaded Ukraine in the Spring of 2022, the western world reacted in understandable horror.  The first major ground mobilization in Europe since The Second World War arrived in shocking, gruesome fashion.  Almost immediately, global security experts were predicting Kyiv would fall within days, and the overmatched, under trained Ukrainian Army could not possibly compete with the Russian juggernaut.  But these early predictions severely underestimated the Ukrainian will to protect their homeland, and overestimated Russia’s military acuity. Now, almost a year into the conflagration, Russia is on its heels, and by all accounts Putin’s gamble has been one calamity after another for his sclerotic regime.   But the question that still remains is, how does it end? For some foreign policy experts, military brass, and Russia watchers, the only way to prevent similar incursions in the future Putin must be beaten outright, and beaten badly.  But others argue that the risks of cornering a madman vastly outweigh the benefits, and offering Putin an off ramp is the best possible scenario to restore order, peace, and stability.

 

Arguing for the motion is James Goldgeier, visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and a professor of international relations at the School of International Service at American University, where he served as dean from 2011 to 2017.

 

Arguing against the motion is Emma Ashford, Resident senior fellow with the New American Engagement Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security,and her opinion writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, and Vox.

Speaker Quotes 

JAMES GOLDGEIER: “Putin has had plenty of possible off ramps before and during this war. And he's shown no interest in taking them”.

 

EMMA ASHFORD: “Putin may deserve a dead end, but it's not clear to me that that's better for everybody else”.



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 podcast@munkdebates.com.  

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/

Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis

Editor: Adam Karch

 

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the 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. 

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.  

On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard dig into the two big tech stories in the news over the last seven days. First up, what is happening to Twitter as Elon Musk moves forward with mass layoffs? Will his warnings of the potential bankruptcy of the company come true?

The donors only second half of the program explores the lessons learned from the collapse of one of the world’s two big cryptocurrency exchanges, FTX. Is it time to pull the plug on deregulated cryptocurrencies and move toward state backed digital assets? What are the risks and rewards involved in creating a central bank issued “stable” coin? 

To access the full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

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.