A new “cold war”?

05/14/20 • 45 min

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the idea of a US-China “cold war” — a notion that’s been around for a while, but has become super popular since the coronavirus has turned into a blame game between the world’s two leading powers. They discuss what it would mean for the countries to be in such a conflict, compare it to the actual Cold War, debate whether the term really applies to the US, and wrap up by talking about how or whether tensions between Washington and Beijing could successfully be dialed down. There are references to Blink-182, The Office, and thumb war.

References:

Alex wrote about how China is exploiting the coronavirus crisis to achieve its goals faster.

Here’s Vice President Mike Pence’s China speech at the Hudson Institute.

There really are a lot of stories — see here, here, and here — on the US-China “cold war.”

Everything you wanted to know about the Thucydides trap.

And here’s that Chinese rap video Jenn mentioned.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

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If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

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Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

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References:

Alex wrote about how China is exploiting the coronavirus crisis to achieve its goals faster.

Here’s Vice President Mike Pence’s China speech at the Hudson Institute.

There really are a lot of stories — see here, here, and here — on the US-China “cold war.”

Everything you wanted to know about the Thucydides trap.

And here’s that Chinese rap video Jenn mentioned.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

Worst. Invasion. Ever.

Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the bonkers story of a botched invasion attempt of Venezuela, reportedly led by a group of US-based mercenaries. They explain the truly bizarre backstory of the head merc, former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau; discuss how a slapdash plan to topple President Nicolás Maduro reportedly came together in partial coordination with the Venezuelan opposition; and zoom out to look at what this fiasco says about Venezuelan politics and the role of private military contractors in world affairs. There is, of course, a lengthy discussion of Machiavelli.

References:

There are a lot of good reports on what happened, but this one by the Washington Post is comprehensive and easy to understand.

Here’s the video of Jordan Goudreau announcing the raid.

Now you can dig around Silvercorp USA’s Instagram page just like Jenn.

This story from the Sun-Sentinel details Goudreau’s Puerto Rico trip to make money.

Here’s a tweet featuring images of the IDs of the two captured Americans.

The New York Post has a video of the moment the mercenaries were detained.

New York magazine details some of the sillier moments.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow Us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next Episode

Hydroxychloroquine and the dangers of "medical populism"

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about the global spread of the idea that hydroxychloroquine can treat coronavirus. Americans know it as Trump’s favorite drug, but the idea actually started with a famous contrarian doctor in France — and its most fervent acolyte in politics is the Brazilian president, not the American one. They talk about how faith in the drug spread globally, despite a lack of evidence and considerable reason to worry about its side effects, and how it exemplifies a style of politics that academics have termed “medical populism.”

References:

The Guardian has a great story on the origins of how hydroxychloroquine became a global phenomenon.

Here’s that study on “medical populism” we talked about so much.

Populists around the world are turning to hydroxychloroquine, reports the Washington Post.

The New York Times has a thorough profile of French doctor Didier Raoult.

You can find the video of Brazilians singing about the drug to President Bolsonaro here.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts