Hassan and Mike return, in-person, to discuss the recent 'blue tsunami' in the US midterm elections through the lens of 'regime change', looking at shocking political repudiations across the world over the past few years.
Is it simply 'anti-corruption' that ties electoral shocks and revolutions in South Asia (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, India) and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary) to Lula's comeback victory in Brazil?
Has there been a pushing back against autocracy through social media, or has digital technology actually made it easier for authoritarian regimes to crack down on citizens?
And what does it all mean for Western Europe, with French elections on the horizon, deep resentment of the German government, and duopoly realignment in the UK?
Are autocracies in fact more stable now than democracy?
00:00 Intro
02:06 Regime Change in the US?
05:57 Lula's Earthquake in Brazil
09:04 Student / Gen-Z Anti-Corruption Protests
11:42 Can 'Sensible Centrists' Capture the Moment?
15:00 How Radical is the Public?
18:40 Has Europe Become the Leader of Liberal Democracy?
23:11 Will France Change Regime?
28:06 Germany's AfD Firewall Dilemma
32:28 Ukraine's Shifting Position on Peace
34:24 Is Iran's Regime Stable?
37:17 How Secure is Putin?
39:22 China and the NVIDIA Spy Affair Scandal
42:44 Autocracy vs. Democracy
[We apologise for some issues with the audio half-way through, it will be rectified in the next episode!]
","author_name":"Chaos Theory"}