The Financial Times has launched Martin Wolf on the US Midterms, a six-part video podcast series that examines what November’s elections could mean for the future of American democracy.
Hosted by the FT’s chief economics commentator Martin Wolf, the series brings together leading political thinkers, historians and economists to examine what’s at stake in these elections and their implications for the US and the wider world. Discussions will cover issues ranging from the US economy and cost of living to foreign policy and the international order.
The series is the first to launch under Martin Wolf on the World, a new podcast channel featuring Wolf in conversation with leading experts on the defining political and economic issues of our time.
“These midterm elections could prove a decisive moment for the future of the United States and Western liberal democracy,” said Wolf. "If the Republicans retained control of both Houses, the trend towards autocracy would surely continue. Yet even if the Democrats did well, a return to the past would be most unlikely. This series brings together some of the most incisive thinkers on the world that might emerge after the votes are counted.”
The first three episodes focus on the challenges facing American democracy ahead of the vote, while the final three will assess the political, economic and international implications of the results.
In the first episode, Wolf speaks with scholar and former Republican adviser Robert Kagan about Donald Trump’s accumulation of power, whether US democratic institutions can still constrain him and what a Republican loss of control in Congress could mean for American democracy.
The remaining episodes will feature the following guests and topics:
- Episode 2 | 24 October – Anne Applebaum, journalist and historian, on what the US midterms mean for democracy around the world and for an international order that can no longer take American leadership for granted.
- Episode 3 | 31 October – Barbara F. Walter, political scientist, on potential election scenarios and lessons from other countries about the risk of political violence in the US.
- Episode 4 | 7 November – Paul Krugman, economist, on his immediate reaction to the election results and their political and economic implications.
- Episode 5| 14 November – Timothy Garton Ash, historian and author, on what the result means for the rest of the world, particularly Europe.
- Episode 6 | 21 November – Heather Cox Richardson, historian and professor, on the election in the context of US political history.
The first episode is available to watch on YouTube, with new episodes released every Saturday. The series is available to watch for free on YouTube and ft.com, or to listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major podcast platforms by searching for Martin Wolf on the World.
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About the Financial Times
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