The Political Cycle

Karol Nawrocki has won the race to be the next President of Poland. It follows a tense campaign, where the far-right Nawrocki was often labelled (by both critics and supporters) ‘the Polish Trump’. So who is the relative newcomer, how big was the margin, and what does this mean for Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland with a steadfast commitment to a united Europe?Rohan Venkat and Emily Tamkin are joined by Anna Gielewska, co-founder and editor-in-chief of VSquare and co-founder of Polish investigative outlet FRONTSTORY.PLSubscribe to Goulash, the VSquare newsletter.Here are the Cycle Recommendations from this episode:Support from Trump lifts candidate in Poland's knife edge Presidential race – WSJPolish compatriots and the Kremlin's network of support – VSquareWhen lawless cruelty becomes state policy – India’s casting of Rohingya into the seaSubscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily TamkinIndia Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

Last week, two Israeli Embassy staff were shot and killed after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC, Washington. Once arrested, the shooter reportedly said “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.” The murders have raised questions about how far-reaching antisemitism is in the USA. Was this, for example, an act against Israel’s war or an attack on innocent Jewish people living and working in America? And does White House messaging have a part to play in this tragedy? Rohan Venkat and Emily Tamkin discuss. Here are the Cycle Recommendations from this episode:Certainty and Strange Thoughts - The Ideas LetterEven if the Capital Jewish Museum shooter ‘did it for Gaza,’ his actions were antisemitic - ForwardMay 2025 National Survey of Jewish VotersYes to Transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis Back Expelling Gazans - HaaretzPoll analysis: Trump’s approach to universities, Israel-Palestine, and antisemitism - BrookingsAnti-Jewish attitudes have increased among anti-Israel Americans - Good AuthoritySubscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily TamkinIndia Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom Hamilton

It’s now been more than a 100 days for Trump’s administration. The self proclaimed master of dealmaking has made international waves, with tariffs that have shaken (and confused) the world. But what do his deals look like now? And are politicians around the world starting to cotton on to how you keep him at bay? Is it just a case of giving him a large jet, as Qatar have done this week? The question for America is how can domestic opponents to Trump learn from his dealmaking abroad? Emily Tamkin and Rohan Venkat discuss.Here are the Cycle Recommendations from this episode:Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic – ForwardWhat does Trump want in the Middle East? – The Ghost of Abu AardvarkTrump did Riyadh. What did we just see? – The Ghost of Abu AardvarkSubscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily TamkinIndia Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

This week, India launched retaliatory attacks on Pakistani territory following last month's terror attacks that left 26 people dead in the tourist town of Pahalgam in Kashmir. That was the worst attack on civilians, on Indian soil, in 15 years, and it has reignited simmering tensions between the two nations, which focus on the disputed region of Kashmir. Operation Sindoor – as India has dubbed it – has been deemed a commitment to holding those responsible for the attack accountable, but the Pakistani authorities have denied all responsibility and promise their own reprisals. How dangerous is the situation between these two nuclear powers? How much of this escalation is being propelled by domestic political considerations? And will the international community – most importantly Trump's America – intervene? Emily Tamkin talks to Rohan Venkat about this delicate situation.Here are the Cycle Recommendations from this episode:Bug-eyed and Shameless by Justin LingTrump's first 100 days in 10 chartshttps://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/pahalgam-terror-attack-jammu-and-kashmir-9963428/Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to an ad-free version of the show)India Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

Canadians went to the polls this week and completed a staggering turnaround for the Liberal party. Having trailed hugely at the start of the year, a new leader – suave former central banker Mark Carney – has found himself elected, via a minority, as the country's next PM. Is this a victory for technocratic leadership? Or have Canadian voters simply wanted to demonstrate their ideological distance from Donald Trump, who has been battling Canada on trade and inflaming national pride with remarks about it being "the 51st state"? To look at this week's electoral shake-up, Emily Tamkin and Rohan Venkat are joined by political commentator and former Justin Trudeau speechwriter Colin Horgan.Subscribe to Colin's Substack here!Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode:Bug-eyed and Shameless by Justin LingTrump's first 100 days in 10 chartshttps://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/pahalgam-terror-attack-jammu-and-kashmir-9963428/Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to an ad-free version of the show)India Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

On this week's episode of The Political Cycle, we're talking to Yamini Aiyar, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, about a recent Foreign Policy report she's co-authored on the question of efficiency. With Elon Musk's DOGE bringing the idea to a mainstream audience, do we need to better interrogate the motives behind this trend? Here, she talks to our Cyclist Rohan Venkat.Read Yamini's piece here.Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode:The Nehru Years: An International History of Indian Non-Alignment by Swapna Kona NayuduRecoding America by Jennifer PahlkaSubscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to an ad-free version of the show)India Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

President Trump has been continuing his tornado of tariffs. Today, China was given a 104% tariff (naturally, this figure has changed in the few hours since we recorded). This has shocked the global economy, with stock markets around the world in fluctuation. But is this a tipping point? What recent global economic moments can we look at to guess what comes next? Is this anything like Brexit? Does it share similarities to India’s demonetisation? Emily Tamkin, Rohan Venkat, and Tom Hamilton discuss.Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode:https://alexmassie.substack.com/p/what-are-you-going-to-do-stab-mehttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/opinion/trump-deportations-gulag-prison.htmlForeign Policy: Efficiency Isn't EverythingAnd a bonus extra: https://www.compactmag.com/article/liberation-now/Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to an ad-free version of the show)India Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

In a blow to France’s far-right, Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for office for five years. The leader of the National Rally received a four-year prison sentence, two years of which were suspended, in addition to a €100,000 fine. Accused of embezzling EU funds, her hopes of becoming President in the immediate future have been dashed. But is the ruling an attack on far-right politics or a defence of democracy? And does the defanging of Le Pen and the NR provide a roadmap for other countries dealing with insurgent demagogues?Emily Tamkin and Tom Hamilton discuss all this with Julien Hoez, a political expert and editor of The French Dispatch.Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode:https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/19/trump-tariffs-trade-farmers-agriculture-economy/https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-exorbitant-price-of-trumps-tariffshttps://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-elon-musk-81f71cdda271827ae281a77072a26badSubscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to an ad-free version of the show)India Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Producer: Ewan CameronFor sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

Mass demonstrations have erupted in Turkey after the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. Thousands have gone to the streets to protest the silencing of President Erdogan’s most obvious opponent for the 2028 elections.What does this public anger tell us about the regime’s current strength in Turkey? And are there through lines with other far right governments world-wide? Tom Hamilton, Emily Tamkin and Rohan Venkat are joined by Selim Koru, the author of New Turkey and the Far Right.Here's Selim's Substack!Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode:https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/is-turkeys-declining-democracy-a-model-for-trumps-americahttps://kalamweekly.substack.com/p/will-the-monarchy-returnhttps://amitavghosh.com/parallel-journeys-turkeys-experience-of-akp-rule-and-its-portents-for-india-under-the-bjp/Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to an ad-free version of the show)India Inside Out by Rohan VenkatDividing Lines by Tom HamiltonThe Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.For sales and advertising, email [email protected] watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS