The Lowdown from Nick Cohen

Nick Cohen interviews Andrew Gawthorpe about the current geopolitical situation, particularly focusing on America's disastrous war with Iran and its broader implications.Andy Gawthorpe is the author of the highly-regarded newsletter "America Explained" and teaches at Leiden University in The Netherlands. He describes the current mess caused by Trump and his fellow incompetents, such as defence minister Pete Hegseth, as "America's Suez moment", suggesting it could mark the beginning of American empire decline. Nick and Andy discuss how Trump's foreign policy lacks strategic rationale, the rise of militarism on the American right, and the potential dangers of Trump's ability to command military power - as "Commander-in-Chief" - even as his domestic political position weakens. They also discuss the impact on the U.S.-Israel relationship, with both agreeing that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's approach has undermined the alliance and international support for Israel, especially liberals who have been deeply antagonised by its catastrophic war on the Palestinian people, that increasing numbers of critics are characterising as genocide. Nick and Andy also discuss concerns about America's military becoming a tool for Trump's personal agenda.The UK and the rest of Europe face the most toxic version of the United States. On one hand, the U.S. is now deeply isolationist and not only seeks to abandon Europe to the wiles of the fascist regime of Vladamir Putin while it also actively helps the Kremlin in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the MAGA White House is seeking to overturn liberal and democratic governments in Europe and to replace them with MAGA-friendly acolytes in Europe's far-right parties. Only this week, U.S. vice-president J.D. Vance visited Hungary to help bolster the election chances of beleaguered authoritarian autocrat Viktor Orbán, who has impoverished Hungary democratically, morally and economically, while turning it from one of the richest countries in the EU to one of the poorest.Read all about it!Andrew Gawthorpe @andygawt explains an increasingly unstable and reckless U.S. to his baffled readers in his Substack column America Explained.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Centrists of the World, Unite! The world needs the path of Liberalism out of today's madnessNick Cohen and Adrian Wooldridge discuss Adrian's book "Centrists of the World Unite: The Lost Genius of Liberalism." They discuss how liberal institutions and ideologies have become corrupted across multiple domains - from "Woke" identitarianism on the left to neoliberal capitalism and global managerialism. Adrian identifies three main liberal overreaches: left liberals pushing extreme social policies, neoliberals promoting unfettered markets, and globalists supporting unmanaged immigration and multinational institutions.They discuss how these failures created conditions for authoritarian populism, with examples like Trump and Brexit, though Adrian argues these represent bad solutions to real problems rather than legitimate alternatives. They also talk about how tech companies pose a civilisational threat to liberal values by manipulating preferences and fracturing attention, and concluded with optimism about liberalism's historical pattern of revival after apparent deaths, suggesting current incremental adjustments by politicians like Sir Keir Starmer could lead to a new liberal renaissance.Read all about it!Adrian Wooldridge @adwooldridge is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and an author. His book Centrists of the world, unite! The lost genius of liberalism" has just been published. Adrian's book lays out a centrist agenda for today’s problems. It reminds us of the dynamism and fixed principles that have shaped the successes of liberalism and warns us against splitting into sub-groups that fail to grapple with the common good.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Can the Democrats put an end to Trump & his MAGA cult?Nick Cohen talks to leading U.S. commentator and conservative dissident Charlie Sykes about the continuing collapse of the U.S. Republic under the corruption, authoritarianism and incompetence of the Trump-MAGA regime. Nick asks Charlie the question increasing numbers of people are asking, "Can Democrats save the U.S. from becoming a despotic regime permanently controlled by Trump's MAGA cult?"Trump is desperately trying to get his so-called "Save America Act" passed through Congress and the Senate ahead of the midterm elections in November. The Act is widely seen as a brazen attempt by an unstable and rapidly ageing man to rig future elections to the Republicans' advantage by putting major obstacles in the way of voters' ability to vote. Meanwhile, the media, civic society and important institutions are under relentless assault by Trump and his MAGA minions. Trump's illegal tariffs are helping to impoverish many Americans - and billions more around the world - while his illegal and increasingly catastrophic war threatens to plunge the global economy into chaos and recession. His sinister support for Vladimir Putin not only threatens Ukraine but the security of the rest if Europe.Nick asks Charlie Sykes, "Can the Democrats finally get their act together and end Trump's increasingly toxic tyranny before it's too late?"Read all about it!Charlie Sykes @SykesCharlie is a leading highly respected United States conservative political commentator who was formerly editor-in-chief and founder of the highly influential website The Bulwark. Charlie has been a leading Never Trump Conservative since Trump stood for the presidency in 2015. Charlie's Substack - To the contrary is a must read, and his regular podcast - also called To the contrary - a must listen. He has also been a columnist and author for the progressive channel MSNBC.Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

The World's growing Trump crisis - the rogue U.S. president is everyone's biggest problem nowThis week, Nick Cohen interviews Paris-based American journalist and author Claire Berlinski, editor ofThe Cosmopolitan Globalist, about the ongoing crisis involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Nick and Claire discuss Donald Trump's decision to launch military strikes against Iran without congressional approval, with Claire describing it as a diplomatic catastrophe and economic disaster. They discuss Trump's rapidly deteriorating mental state and cognitive abilities, with Claire arguing that Trump increasingly appears to be losing his inhibitions and suffering from dementia. They explore potential outcomes of the messy, growing conflict, including the possibility of regime change in Iran and the implications for NATO. They also touch on the lack of understanding in Western media about the toxic religious ideology of Iran's religious leaders and the unpredictability and ruthlessness of Iran's political and security leaders.Read all about it!Claire Berlinski @Claire Berlinski is an American author and commentator based in Paris. Claire's regular Substack column The Cosmopolitan Globalist - is a must read for anyone looking for keen analysis of insight into the continuing Trump Trauma in the U.S. - a crisis which has serious implications for all of us and the current world order. Claire also co-hosts a podcast - Critical Conditions - with Dan PerryNick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Novelist Howard Jacobson discusses his new comic novel exploring post-October 7th anti-SemitismIn this weeks The Lowdown podcast, Nick Cohen and Howard Jacobson, discuss Howard's latest novel "hoWL" which explores antisemitism and Jewish fear in the world following the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Howard and Nick discuss whether the recent rise in anti-Jewish sentiment in Britain represents a new wave of anti-Semitism or a reemergence of historical hatred that had been suppressed since the Holocaust.Howard Jacobson argues that the attacks provided "permission" for anti-Semitic views to surface openly, particularly among university students and left-wing activists who - he claims - were celebrating Jewish deaths. The discussion also touched on the complex political situation in Israel and Palestine, with Howard defending his decision to use comedy in his novel rather than taking a more polemical approach, while acknowledging the difficult position many Jewish people now find themselves in when discussing Israeli policy. Howard explains a novel is not a protest march, but more of a song or a poem, and describes how comedy can be a brilliant tool for writers plumbing the darker themes of life.Read all about it!Howard Jacobson has written 20 books, including 17 novels, and is a former winner of the Booker Prize. His latest novel is hoWL and is available now. Howard also writes his own Substack column, Streetwalking with Howard JacobsonNick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Is this the end for Viktor Orbán - the Godfather of European authoritarianism?Nick Cohen talks to Hugarian author, journalist and politician Zsuzsanna Szelényi about the the upcoming Hungarian election on April 12th, where Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party faces a significant challenge from the opposition Tizsa party led by Péter Magyar. Could this - at last - be the end for the role model for Donald Trump and the rest of the authoritarian right?Over the last 16 years, Orbán has shown the radical right how to eat out a democracy and fashion an authoritarian state from what remains. He's created a game plan for the AfD, Reform UK and the Rassemblement National to follow to take and hold power through the manipulation of think tanks, corruption, state capture of institutions and the media and electoral manipulation. Trump has proved to be an avid student of Orbán''s methodsZsuzsanna Szelényi, a former Hungarian politician and author of "Tainted Democracy," explains how Orbán transformed from a liberal politician in the 1990s to an authoritarian leader who controls the media, civil service, and state resources through corruption and conspiracy theories. Nick's and Zsuzsanna's discussion highlights Orbán's cosy relationship with Vladimir Putin despite Hungary's historical opposition to Russian influence, - not least when it fell under Soviet Union control between 1945-1989 - and examines how Orbán's regime has spread disinformation about Ukraine and the financier George Soros while using state resources to fund a global network of conservative think tanks. Their chat concludes with Szelényi expressing hope for Orbán's defeat in the upcoming election, though she acknowledges that even if Fidesz loses, Hungary would face a complex transition period as the country seeks to emerge from Orbán's 16-year authoritarian rule.Read all about it!Zsuzsanna Szelényi @ZSzelenyi is the author of #TaintedDemocracy Director, Democracy Institute Leadership Academy, former Hungarian MP, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at RBA, Europe’s Future Fellow IWM.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.