Best Sanjay Ruparelia Podcasts (2026)

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The Fight for Global Human Rights with Ketty Nivyabandi 48:42

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7d ago48:42

48:42

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, about the global state of human rights amid rising authoritarianism, conflict, and democratic erosion. Their conversation examines the roots of today's human rights crises and explores how international law, civil society, and citizen action are b…

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The Political Economy Underlying the US-China Clash with Ho-Fung Hung 45:47

2M ago45:47

45:47

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Ho-Fung Hung, the Henry and Elizabeth Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University, to discuss contemporary understandings of China and how they're shaped and influenced by China's storied past. Their conversation draws on themes from Ho-Fung's upcoming book, The China Question: Eight Centu…

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The Making and Unmaking of American Power with Ed Luce 39:03

2M ago39:03

39:03

U.S. national editor and columnist at the Financial Times, Edward Luce, joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss the topic of latest book: Zbigniew Brzezinski. They cover his life, legacy, as well as lessons learned from Brzezinski in global affairs and national security. _______________________________________________________________________________…

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Globalization and the New Geography of Inequality with Branko Milanović 44:20

8M ago44:20

44:20

Economist, professor and author Branko Milanović joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss global economic inequality, the impact of globalization and the role of migration in addressing inequality. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Show Notes: Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks wit…

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From Law Student to Chief Justice - The Role of the Judiciary in Democracy with Beverley McLachlin 41:06

9M ago41:06

41:06

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin about the role of courts in upholding constitutional democracy. McLachlin reflects on fairness and moral intuition in making judgments. She also discusses the evolution of the "living tree" doctrine and efforts to build consensus and transparency at the Supreme Court. The con…

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Leadership, Diplomacy, and Democracy with Lloyd Axworthy 38:01

10M ago38:01

38:01

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy sit to discuss Axworthy's life in politics, which culminated in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Recorded just a day before the 2025 Ontario general election and eleven days ahead of the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, they also disc…

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Wild Democracy: Anarchy, Solidarity, and Ruling the Law with Anne Norton 35:43

11M ago35:43

35:43

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and Anne Norton sit to discuss Norton's book Wild Democracy: Anarchy, Courage, and Ruling the Law, which reimagines freedom and democracy as expansive and inclusive. They discuss how anarchy, rather than being chaotic, can be a nursery for democracy. Norton argues that authoritarianism is a greater threat than anarchy and exam…

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Conversation in an Age of Rage with Carol Off 41:38

12M ago41:38

41:38

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sits with Carol Off to discuss her book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage, which explores the evolving meanings of political words like freedom, democracy, choice and truth. She argues that these words have been weaponized by the far right, emphasizing personal liberty over societal responsibility. Off criti…

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Reflecting on Cold War Liberalism with Samuel Moyn 37:43

1y ago37:43

37:43

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and Samuel Moyn discuss the evolution of liberalism, particularly during the Cold War. Moyn says that Cold War liberalism betrayed the emancipatory ideals of earlier liberals by focusing on negative liberty over positive liberty. He also highlights the contradictions in Cold War liberal thought, such as their pessimism about g…

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Building Solidarity in an Age of Insecurity with Astra Taylor 41:02

1y ago41:02

41:02

In this week's episode, we speak with Astra Taylor, a critically acclaimed writer, filmmaker and organizer about practicing solidarity in an age of insecurity. Taylor discusses insecurity as a structural feature of capitalism and advocates for solidarity, which fosters collective responsibility and mutual obligation. _______________________________…

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India's Surprising 2024 Election with Yogendra Yadav 49:32

1y ago49:32

49:32

In this week's episode, we speak with renowned public intellectual and political activist Yogendra Yadav about India's 2024 national election. We'll discuss the BJP's surprising losses, the continued dominance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the shifting political landscape, including the rise of lower caste support for Hindu nationalism. Yoge…

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South Africa's political crossroads with Sithembile Mbete and Lawrence Hamilton 52:11

1+ y ago52:11

52:11

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sithembile Mbete and Professor Lawrence Hamilton to shine a light on South Africa's political landscape following the 2024 elections. While the ANC achieved political freedom thirty years ago, it failed to secure economic justice for the majority. We discuss why many in the Born Free generation view Mandela's c…

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The Rise and Decline of Erdogan with Kaya Genç 39:02

1+ y ago39:02

39:02

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sat down with Kaya Genç, a scholar, writer and journalist and the Istanbul correspondent for the Los Angeles Review of Books. His latest book, The Lion and the Nightingale: A Journey Through Modern Turkey, weaves a narrative of the current political climate in Turkey after the terror events and failed coup in 2016 through the …

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Protecting Canadian democracy from US influence with Rob Goodman 36:15

1+ y ago36:15

36:15

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sat down with Rob Goodman, an assistant professor of politics at the Toronto Metropolitan University. An award-winning author and former political speechwriter, his most recent book is Not Here: Why American Democracy is Eroding, and How Canada Can Protect Itself. In this episode, they discuss how founding myths between Canada…

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What We Can Learn from Indonesian Democracy with Dan Slater 41:20

2y ago41:20

41:20

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sat down with Dan Slater, the James Orin Murfin professor of political science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he directs the Center for Emerging Democracies. Dan has written a series of essays and books on major issues in Southeast Asia, the latest of which is a book with Joseph Wong called From Development t…

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Diverging Paths of Ukraine and Russia with Maria Popova 38:36

2y ago38:36

38:36

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sat down with Maria Popova, an associate professor of political science at McGill University, where she holds the Jean Monnet Chair. Dr. Popova is a widely noted scholar of corruption, autocracy and populism in post-communist Europe, and recently released her book Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States which…

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Rescuing Social Democracy with Olle Tournquist 32:38

2y ago32:38

32:38

Host Sanjay Ruparelia interviews Olle Tornquist, professor emeritus of political science and development research at the University of Oslo. Professor Tornquist's research focuses on the rise and decline of second and third-wave democracy in Scandinavia as well as the Global South. This episode explores the power of participatory socialism in democ…

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The Politics of Remembering the Chilean Coup with Marcela Ríos Tobar 38:10

2y ago38:10

38:10

Host Sanjay Ruparelia talks with Marcela Ríos Tobar, a visiting scholar at the Latin American Center at the University of Oxford, and the former Minister of Justice and Human Rights in Chile. Their discussion coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Chilean coup, an event that continues to haunt the country's democratic institutions. In this epis…

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On The Frontlines of Democracy - Season 2 trailer 1:51

2y ago1:51

1:51

On The Frontlines of Democracy is back! Join us this season as we unravel the complexities, celebrate the achievements, and navigate the dangers faced by democracies across the globe. Make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss an episode!By Sanjay Ruparelia

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US-China conflict with Kristen Hopewell 53:58

2+ y ago53:58

53:58

Sanjay Ruparelia is joined by Kristen Hopewell, the Canada Research Chair in Global Policy at the University of British Columbia, to discuss the current conflicts in international trade. In this episode, Hopewell explains the stalemates in the World Trade Organization, particularly the escalating conflict between China and the U.S. in trade negotia…

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Democratization in Asia-Pacific with Joseph Wong 38:25

2+ y ago38:25

38:25

Sanjay Ruparelia is joined by Joseph Wong, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto and the Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Professor Wong discusses why it's better for authoritarian regimes to transition to democracies when they're strong, rather than when they are weak. Alth…

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Cultural Insecurity with Pranab Bardhan 38:18

2+ y ago38:18

38:18

Pranab Bardhan, an Indian economist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to talk about the global shift toward electing right-wing regimes. They also tackle themes pertaining to the growing social and political divide around the world. Pranab Bardhan argues that the driving force of polarization is cu…

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Diverse Democracies with Yascha Mounk 40:45

2+ y ago40:45

40:45

Yascha Mounk, political scientist and associate professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, sits down with Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss the challenges facing diverse democracies. In this episode, Mounk explains why being overly optimistic about ethnically and religiously diverse democracies might explain our disappointment when c…

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Racism in Liberal Societies with Debra Thompson 1:15:51

2+ y ago1:15:51

1:15:51

Debra Thompson, a McGill professor and political scholar on the comparative politics of race, joins host Sanjay Ruparelia for a conversation on racism and democracy in Canada and the U.S. In this episode, Thompson discusses the way racist policies and systems of oppression operate differently in the two countries, resulting in a complicated relatio…

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Interrogating Liberalism with Francis Fukuyama 1:13:29

2+ y ago1:13:29

1:13:29

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early '90s, political scientist Francis Fukuyama argued that humankind had reached its ideological end as more countries embraced liberal democracy. Today, this theory has come under greater scrutiny, and people across the political spectrum are dissatisfied with this system. In this episode of On the F…

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On The Frontlines of Democracy - Trailer 2:54

2+ y ago2:54

2:54

In this podcast, we'll sit down with scholars, writers, and academics to figure out how we can protect democratic values in a time of political mistrust, severe partisanship, and resurgent nationalism. Listen to the trailer now and subscribe to On The Frontlines of Democracy, launching May 2023!By Sanjay Ruparelia