Worlds Apart

Opting for pain? Max Otte, Economist
NATO’s first secretary general famously said that the bloc’s purpose was to keep the Russians out and the Germans down. The war in Ukraine seems to have fully accomplished this goal but is it enough to keep the Americans in? To discuss...
Apr 5, 2026 05:29
Worlds Apart is a fast-paced, in-depth discussion on the most pressing issues facing the world today.It strives to depart from the traditional Q&A form of interview in favor of a more emotive and engaging conversation. Host Oksana Boyko is not afraid to ask the hard questions that others avoid, with the aim of promoting intelligent public debate.

Opting for pain? Max Otte, Economist
NATO’s first secretary general famously said that the bloc’s purpose was to keep the Russians out and the Germans down. The war in Ukraine seems to have fully accomplished this goal but is it enough to keep the Americans in? To discuss...
Apr 5, 2026 05:29
Frenemy feud? Kanica Rakhra, Assistant Professor of International Relations & Global Affairs
With friends like these, who needs enemies? This phrase, attributed to the late 20th century American comedian Joey Adams, has already become the ethos of 21st century geopolitics. The US-Israeli attack on Iran has created existential problems for...
Mar 29, 2026 06:28
Structural perversion? Joti Brar, Leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain
A century and a half ago, one of the forefathers of communism, Friedrich Engels, wrote that, “in the democratic republic … wealth employs its power indirectly, but all the more surely,” using incriminating personal corruption and...
Mar 22, 2026 07:55
Conflict for capital? William Robinson, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara
From Epic to Epochal — the Trump administration may be tantalized by its outsized impact on everything but my guest today argues that many of its expansionist initiatives are undergirded by a deep, epochal crisis in global capitalism. What...
Mar 15, 2026 06:33
Engulfed by fury? Pietro Shakarian, historian & lecturer at the American University of Armenia
A week into operation Epic Fury, it does seem to be living up to its title, although, perhaps, not in the way intended. The expanding geography of the strikes and skyrocketing energy prices have seen the fortunes of many American allies go from bad...
Mar 8, 2026 06:35
Tarrific injustice? Zichen Wang, Deputy Secretary-General at the Center for China and Globalization
The US’ behavior vis-à-vis other nations was never particularly subtle, reciprocal, or elegant but, given the country’s preoccupation with domestic politics, many Americans could afford to ignore it. That is, until the arrival of...
Mar 1, 2026 10:31
Nuclear implosion? David Swanson, Executive Director at World Beyond War
“The nuclear option” used to denote an extreme measure of the last resort but not to European leaders anymore. Germany, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and even Sweden have all had their leaders muse openly about acquiring nuclear weapons as a...
Feb 22, 2026 07:51
Resist to exist? Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative
Hopes, disappointments, violence, and farce – the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has come through so many shades of forced futility that it’s hard to imagine any dignified resolution. Is there any room left for it to get worse before it...
Feb 15, 2026 08:32
Big mouth trap? Bernhard Hommel, professor of psychology, Shandong
For decades now, Western politics has been built around the mantra that perception is reality, that mining emotional wedge issues increases the chances of electoral victory, and that this is indeed the democratic process and the way to make the...
Feb 8, 2026 08:16