We're starting 2025 with a cheerful subject: the rise, and rise, of a new class of international oligarchs. With Elon Musk – the world's richest man and most pathological tweeter – dominating headlines in the UK, as well as the US, questions are emerging about undue influence from a minority of super-rich people. Why is Mr Musk pushing the King of England to dismiss Prime Minister Keir Starmer? And how do oligarchs, beyond the Tesla chief, exert their power around the world? Emily Tamkin, in Washington, Tom Hamilton, in London, and Rohan Venkat, in Delhi, discuss.

Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode (a special self-indulgence roster):

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/us/politics/elon-musk-trump-mar-a-lago.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
• https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/01/elon-musk-george-soros-biden-presidential-medal-freedom.html
• https://www.thetimes.com/article/0c1bbae8-cb04-45e8-acf9-8c420f264d82?shareToken=c02533f9c71249c53ca4adc156b57f4d
• https://www.ft.com/content/cfbfa1e8-d8f8-42b9-b74c-dae6cc6185a0
• https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/01/06/endangered-and-unpaid-mukesh-chandrakars-life-symbolised-the-bastar-media-story

Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:

• ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to the PREMIUM version of the show)
• India Inside Out by Rohan Venkat
• Dividing Lines by Tom Hamilton

The Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.

It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.

Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.

For sales and advertising, email nick@podotpods.com

To watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been: a year. 2024, the biggest election year in the history of democracy, is almost over. In this final episode of our year, Emily Tamkin, Rohan Venkat and Tom Hamilton look back at elections in the US, India and the UK, as well as the trends that have dominated global political currents, and ask whether 2024 has been quite as rough as it seems.

Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode (a special self-indulgence roster):

• Emily: https://newrepublic.com/article/186698/october-7-anniversary-american-jewry-broken-half
• Emily: https://forward.com/opinion/675727/trump-antisemitism-america-democracy/
• Tom: https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/july-2024/keir-more-than-just-a-lucky-general/
• Tom: https://dividinglines.substack.com/p/shoddy-drafting
• Rohan: https://casi.sas.upenn.edu/casi-election-conversations-2024

Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:

• ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to the PREMIUM version of the show)
• India Inside Out by Rohan Venkat
• Dividing Lines by Tom Hamilton

The Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.

It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.

Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.

For sales and advertising, email nick@podotpods.com

To watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent events in Georgia and Romania have exposed, once again, the influence that Russia still exerts on the world. But while it's clear that Moscow wants Russia to be a major player on the world stage (once again), it's not entirely apparent how it expects to operate in this multipolar world. Are other superpowers willing to let Vladimir Putin meddle in democracy or will interference – as is the case in Romania – lead to the disintegration of confidence in the popular vote? Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat discuss.

Here are the Trike Recommendations from this episode:

• https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hundreds-arrests-mysterious-beatings-georgia-cracks-down-pro-eu-protests-2024-12-11/
• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2yl2zxrq1o
• https://vsquare.org/hungary-spying-eu-olaf-corruption-viktor-orban-intelligence/
• https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/48/general-elections-2024/oligarchisation-indias-democracy.html?check_logged_in=1

Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:

• ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin (via Emily's Substack you can also listen to the PREMIUM version of the show)
• India Inside Out by Rohan Venkat
• Dividing Lines by Tom Hamilton

The Political Tricycle is a Podot podcast.

It's presented by Emily Tamkin, Tom Hamilton and Rohan Venkat.

Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.

For sales and advertising, email nick@podotpods.com

To watch a video version of the show, go to COOLER.NEWS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.