Politics Theory Other
Episodes
American Crusade w/ Eleanor Janega
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eleanor Janega joins PTO to talk about the Christian right and the role of Christian Zionist ideology in the minds of key figures in the Trump adminis...
[UNLOCKED] China and the Iran war w/ William Figueroa
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
William Figueroa returns to PTO to talk about China's response to the US-Israeli war on Iran and the country's role in the subsequent peace negotiatio...
Excerpt - China and the Iran war w/ William Figueroa
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Excerpt - China and the Iran war w/ William Figueroa by Politics Theory Other
Strategic defeat in the Gulf w/ Jennifer Kavanagh
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Kavanagh joins PTO to talk about the two-week conditional ceasefire that has been agreed between the United States and Iran, and how the Isl...
Excerpt - A hegemonic Iran?
04 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Excerpt - A Hegemonic Iran? w/ Richard Seymour
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Excerpt - A Hegemonic Iran? w/ Richard Seymour by Politics Theory Other
Why Iran isn't breaking w/ Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi joins PTO to talk about the US and Israeli war on Iran, as the conflict - apparently expected to last mere days in the Tru...
Israel's forever war in Lebanon w/ Nathaniel George
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On March 2nd, in the early stages of the ongoing attack on Iran by Israel and the United States, and following the assassination of Iran's supreme lea...
Interregnum - Operation Epic Fury
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Seymour on the widening war in West Asia. We talked about the current military situation, the confusion around what US and Israeli objectives ...
Excerpt - James Meadway on the Green's historic byelection victory
28 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Excerpt - James Meadway on the Green's historic by-election victory
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Interregnum - Labour's Death Spiral
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On the ongoing crisis within the Labour Party following the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, over the appointment of Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter M...
Interregnum - mail bag (part one)
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 patron of the show at patreon.com/poltheoryother Richard respon...
Homeland Empire w/ Nikhil Pal Singh
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Nikhil Pal Singh joins PTO to discuss his recent article in Equator, titled Homeland Empire - in which Nikhil argues that from from Venezuela to Minne...
ICE, resistance, and 'capitalism without humans' w/ Sarah Jaffe
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On January 7th, Renee Nicole Good, a 37 year old prize winning poet and mother of three was murdered in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforce...
The Donroe Doctrine and US decline
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of Interregnum, Richard Seymour discusses the Trump administrations' attack on Venezuela and its broader global and regional imp...
Excerpt - Alex responds to listener questions
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother
COP30 and Lula's politics of class conciliation w/ Sabrina Fernandes
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
COP30 and Lula's politics of class conciliation w/ Sabrina Fernandes by Politics Theory Other
Spotify unwrapped w/ Liz Pelly
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2006, the music streaming service Spotify, founded by Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon was launched in the context of widesprea...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listener questions
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO extra please consider becoming a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother
Rewind: Alexander Gallas on the Thatcherite offensive
15 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
PTO has now been going for more than seven years and some of the earlier episodes unfortunately have truly abysmal audio quality - because of the podc...
The Sunlight Managers w/ Sofia Menemenlis
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sofia Menemenlis joins PTO to chat about her recent article in The Breakdown on the concept and history of solar geoengineering - or “solar radiatio...
Excerpt - Sebastian Budgen on collapsing trust in the French state
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sebastian Budgen returns to provide an update on the political situation in France. If you'd like to hear the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! ple...
The roots of the Korean far-right w/ Kevin Gray
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December of last year, the then South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol - of the right-wing People Power Party - attempted to impose martial law on th...
When the party's over w/ Phil Burton-Cartledge
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Phil Burton-Cartledge returns to PTO to talk about the ongoing crisis of the British Conservative Party and whether there is a way back for the party ...
France's political impasse and Macron's legacy w/ Sebastian Budgen
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sebastian Budgen returns to PTO to talk about the political crisis in France where Emmanuel Macron has appointed his third prime minister in a year. W...
Richard Seymour responds to listener questions
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! become a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother
Britain's new left party w/ James Schneider
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Juliet Jacques interviews James Schneider (co-founder of Momentum and director of strategic communications during Jeremy Corbyn's time as Labour leade...
Resisting Erasure w/ Adam Hanieh, Rafeef Ziadah and Robert Knox
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Hanieh, Rafeef Ziadah, and Robert Knox on their new co-authored book, 'Resisting Erasure: Capital, Imperialism and Race in Palestine'. We spoke a...
Digital Sovereignty and resisting the tech giants w/ Cecilia Rikap
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode Cecilia Rikap - an expert in the political economy of science and technology - speaks with Paris Marx (host of the excellent Tech W...
Understanding Iran-China relations w/ William Figueroa
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Expert on China-Iran relations William Figueroa joins PTO to talk about the relationship between China and Iran in the wake of the twelve day war betw...
Excerpt - Owen Hatherley responds to listener questions
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
if you'd like to listen to full episode of this episode of PTO Extra! become a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother
Owen Hatherley responds to listener questions
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Owen Hatherley responds to listener questions by Politics Theory Other
Fake work and Y2K w/ Leigh Claire La Berge
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1998 Leigh Claire La Berge was hired by a major communications conglomerate, where she worked alongside employees of the soon to be disgraced Arthe...
[UNLOCKED] Look back in anger w/ Jeremy Gilbert
05 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeremy Gilbert on the Oasis reunion and the britpop phenomenon more generally. We talked about the music that britpop marginalised, why 90s nostalgia ...
Aftermath of the Israel-Iran war w/ Séamus Malekafzali
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Séamus Malekafzali joins PTO to talk about the aftermath of the Israel-Iran war. We chatted about where the cessation of hostilities leave...
[UNLOCKED] Owen Hatherley on the Manic Street Preachers
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Owen Hatherley returns to discuss his New Left Review article on the Welsh guitar band, the Manic Street Preachers. We talked about the particular app...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on the US attack on Iran
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to hear the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! Please consider becoming a £5 supporter of the show on patreon at patreon.com/poltheoryo...
Israel's war on Iranian society w/ Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi joins PTO to talk about his recent article in the New Left Review on Israel's unprovoked attack on Iran. Eskandar explaine...
Excerpt - Owen Hatherley on the Manic Street Preachers
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to hear the rest of this episode please consider becoming a £5 p/m PTO supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on the logic of the Gaza genocide
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Seymour discusses the abrupt increase in Western criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, China's energy transition, and how to understand the T...
The India-Pakistan conflict w/ Radhika Desai
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Radhika Desai returns to PTO to talk about the latest round of violence between India and Pakistan, following the terrorist attack that killed 26 tour...
Excerpt - Natasha Lennard answers listener questions
10 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Natasha Lennard returns to answer listener questions on the escalation of the Gaza genocide, the prospects for a federal ban on abortion in the United...
Where do US-China relations go from here? w/ Jake Werner
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Werner on US-China relations in the context of the trade war. We discussed why Donald Trump has dialled down his rhetoric over tariffs, and why t...
Israel's renewed offensive w/ Amjad Iraqi
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amjad Iraqi returns to PTO to discuss the Israeli offensive in Gaza - following on from Israel's violation of the ceasefire in late March. We spoke ab...
Excerpt - Quinn Slobodian responds to listener questions
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Quinn Slobodian returns to answer questions sent in by listeners in response to our recent episode on Quinn's new book, Hayek's Bastards: The neoliber...
Hayek's bastards w/ Quinn Slobodian
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Quinn Slobodian returns to PTO to talk about his new book 'Hayek's Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right'. Whilst politicians and think...
Whither the Democrats? w/ Natasha Lennard
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Natasha Lennard joins PTO to talk about her recent writing on how the Democrats are making sense of their electoral defeat in November and how the mai...
Excerpt - Ambushed in the Oval Office? w/ Richard Seymour
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of Interregnum Richard Seymour comments on the the fallout from the calamitous meeting between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky,...
The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat w/ Hannah Proctor
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah Proctor joins PTO to discuss her book Burnout: The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat. Amongst other aspects of the book, we discussed...
Excerpt - Adam Tooze on resistance to Trump
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Tooze returns to answer the many excellent questions sent in by PTO supporters. If you would like to listen to this episode of PTO Extra! please...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listeners' questions
25 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Richard returns to answer more questions - including on the Gaza ceasefire, bible study in American schools, and what might be learned from Mexico's M...
Gaza's future w/ Muhammad Shehada
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
PTO is joined by the Palestinian writer and analyst Muhammad Shehada. In our conversation we talked about the humanitarian situation in Gaza after fif...
A crisis in credibility - Labour's economic programme
11 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will Davies joins PTO to talk about his recent article in the London Review of Books on the UK government's economic agenda. We discussed the policies...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on Luigi Mangione
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you would like to listen to this episode of PTO Extra please consider becoming a £5 patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/poltheoryother ...
Richard Seymour on Luigi Mangione
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you would like to listen to this episode of PTO Extra please consider becoming a £5 patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/poltheoryother ...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on the US election and Trump redux (part two)
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To get access to episodes of PTO Extra please consider becoming a £5 supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/poltheoryother In this second ...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on the US election and Trump redux (part one)
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To get access to episodes of PTO Extra please consider becoming a £5 supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/poltheoryother In part one of...
It's the inflation, stupid w/ James Meadway
10 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're publishing a crossover episode with our friends at the Macrodose podcast, hosted by James Meadway. In the episode talk about the economics...
Towards war with China? w/ Adam Tooze
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Tooze returns to PTO to discuss the extent to which war with China is increasingly being treated as a serious prospect in Washington and the Pent...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listener's questions (part 2)
27 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode Richard Seymour responds to more of the great questions sent in by PTO supporters. Those questions covered topics including degrowt...
“Where are the Arabs?” w/ Nihal El Aasar
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Israel's genocide in Gaza escalated in the autumn of last year, there was much speculation as to whether we would see mass uprisings in the Arab St...
Israel's violent escalation w/ Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi and Nathaniel George
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the 27th of September Israel dramatically escalated its war on Hezbollah, by assassinating its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Four days later ...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listener's questions
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of a two part listener's questions episode Richard responds to questions on Israel's murderous attack on Lebanon, the prospects for Gaza, ...
Excerpt - Jeremy Gilbert on Oasis
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jeremy Gilbert returns to PTO to discuss the news that Oasis have announced that they will be reforming to perform a series of gigs next summer. We di...
Zionism as a form of anti-semitism w/ Jake Romm
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zionism, and the project of ethnic cleansing and colonial settlement in historic Palestine, is often rightly compared to other projects of European co...
Excerpt - Phil Burton-Cartledge on Labour's project of authoritarian modernisation
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Phil Burton-Cartledge joins PTO to discuss the first few weeks of Keir Starmer's Labour government. To get access to this episode of PTO Extra please ...
The UK's pogroms and resurgent Islamophobia w/ Nesrine Malik
18 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On July 30th, a week of Islamophobic and racist violence broke out in England and Northern Ireland, following a mass stabbing even in the seaside town...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listener's questions (part two)
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Seymour returns to the show to respond to more listener's questions and to address the recent outbreak of racist and Islamophobic violence in ...
Germany, Israel, and staatsräson (part one) w/ Bue Rübner Hansen
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bue Rübner Hansen joins PTO to talk about his recent essay The New German Chauvinism. In the first part of our conversation we discussed the history ...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listener's questions
27 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode Richard Seymour returns to answer some of the excellent questions sent in by PTO patrons. To become a PTO supporter go to patreon.c...
Peak Hindutva? w/ Radhika Desai
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On January 22nd the new Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh was consecrated in a ceremony led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event kicked off Mod...
The French left's shock election win w/ Sebastian Budgen
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sebastian Budgen returns to the show to discuss the recent shock result in the French legislative elections that saw the left wing New Popular Front w...
UK Election Special w/ James Meadway and Richard Seymour
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s show is a crossover episode with our good friends over at the Macrodose podcast, which is hosted by economist James Meadway. In the episode ...
The Searchers w/ Andy Beckett
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Beckett joins PTO to talk about his new book, The Searchers: Five Rebels, Their Dream of a Different Britain, and Their Many Enemies. The five re...
PTO Live! w/ Gargi Bhattacharyya, Richard Seymour, and Eleanor Penny
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode is the recording of our recent live event. Gargi Bhattacharyya, Richard Seymour, and Eleanor Penny were joined by an audience in F...
Sunak calls the election and where now for the UK left w/ James Schneider
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
James Schneider joins the show to discuss Rishi Sunak's announcement that the UK general election will take place on July 4th, and to talk about his b...
How Israeli universities deny Palestinian freedom w/ Maya Wind
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Israeli universities have long enjoyed a reputation as liberal bastions of freedom and democracy and they enjoy warm relationships with their counterp...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour responds to listener's questions (part two)
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's PTO Extra! Richard Seymour responds to some more excellent listener's questions. We talked about the protests against Israel's genocidal wa...
Iran and Israel - stepping back from the brink? w/ Paul Rogers
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Rogers returns to PTO to talk about Iran's attack on Israel on the 13th of April - the first such direct operation carried out by Iran. We discus...
Israel and the history of imperial feminism w/ Sophie Lewis
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since October 7th Israeli politicians, spokespeople, and Israel's supporters have mobilised feminist narratives in defence of the state's genocidal ac...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on the US right's partial disenchantment with Israel
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of a two-part episode Richard returns to give his thoughts on an apparent turn against Israel on parts of the American right, the signific...
Late capitalism or technofeudalism? w/ Yanis Varoufakis
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yanis Varoufakis joins PTO to discuss his book, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism. We discussed why Yanis believes capitalism is no longer the a...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on Israel's drift towards pariah status
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you'd like to hear the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! Please consider becoming a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother Richard Seymour r...
The seventies and us w/ Michael Hardt
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 1970s is often depicted straightforwardly as the moment when the radical movements of the 1960s fractured, failed, and radicalised in ways that we...
The crisis is permanent - MENA after the Arab Spring w/ Gilbert Achcar
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thirteen years have passed since the Arab Spring and the great hopes aroused in 2011 have been overwhelmed by counter-revolution and civil war. And ye...
PTO Extra! - Richard Seymour answers listeners questions
25 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest PTO Extra! Richard Seymour returns to answer your questions on the impact of the Gaza protest movement, Israel's eroding international s...
Settler colonialism and doppelganger politics w/ Naomi Klein
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Naomi Klein joins PTO to talk about her book, 'Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World'. In the first part of our conversation we talked about why ...
Excerpt - Sai Englert on BDS and economic democracy
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode of PTO Extra! Sai Englert, author of Settler Colonialism: An Introduction returns to the show to answer listeners' questions. We ta...
Israel in the dock w/ Noura Erakat
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Palestinian-American legal scholar Noura Erakat joins PTO to discuss South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice and the utility of inte...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on Yemen, Gaza, and voting for "Genocide Joe"
20 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Seymour returns to answer listeners' questions on the history of Yemen and the emergence of the Houthi militia, comparisons made between Israe...
Interregnum - Gaza, regional war, and Israel in the dock
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Seymour on the possibility of Israel's assault on Gaza leading to broader escalation in the Middle East. We talked about the strategic calcula...
Settler colonialism - from Columbus to Gaza w/ Sai Englert
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Israel's assault on Gaza has led to a huge upsurge in discussion of settler colonialism and the extent to which the term accurately describes the Zion...
[UNLOCKED] Unnatural city - Owen Hatherley on the music of 1980s Japan
23 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Around 2010 I became somewhat obsessed with Japanese pop and ambient music of the 1980s - in particular the Yellow Magic Orchestra, the solo records o...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on Gaza, the anti-Deutsch, and threat of global war
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard returns to answer listener's questions on the situation in Gaza, the extent to which Joe Biden's support for Israel is about electoral calcula...
Parallels and contrasts - the Gaza crisis and the 1973 war w/ Leila Farsakh
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Palestinian writer and academic Leila Farsakh joins the show to talk about the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the parallels Leila sees b...
Excerpt - Richard Seymour on liberal Zionist apologetics
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Seymour responds to the arguments of Jonathan Freedland and other liberal Zionists who, despite the marginalisation of the liberal Zionist tra...
[UNLOCKED] Israel's technosolutionism w/ Sophia Goodfriend
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A 'start-up country', the world's first 'AI superpower', an 'innovation nation', those are some of the breathless descriptions used by Israeli politic...
Excerpt - Israel's technosolutionism w/ Sophia Goodfriend
18 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A 'start-up country', the world's first 'AI superpower', an 'innovation nation', those are some of the breathless descriptions used by Israeli politic...
Israel's war on the Palestinians w/ Amjad Iraqi
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Palestinian writer Amjad Iraqi joins the show to talk about where Israel's assault on Gaza is going. We talked about Israel's professed goal to wipe o...