Take Me To Your Leader!
From autocratic strongmen to democratic internationalists, Hamish Macdonald examines the cultural, historical, and personal motives of people on the world stage. What would we uncover if we ask the friends, enemies, colleagues and observers to 'Take me to Your Leader!'
S3 E7 · Fri, October 04, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 07: Rwanda's Paul Kagame
To many in the West, Paul Kagame is Rwanda’s saviour, the man who restored the country after its recent genocide. But those who have dealt with him inside and outside the country paint a very different and much darker picture. Guests: Noel Zihabamwe - Survivor of 1994 genocide, now a leading member of Sydney's Rwandan community Phil Clarke - Professor of International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Michela Wrong - British journalist and author Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E6 · Fri, October 04, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 06: Javier Milei – Argentina’s ‘mad man’
Make Argentina Great Again. That's the catchcry Javier Milei has borrowed from his friend, Donald Trump. Wildly brash (like Trump) deliberately unkempt (like Boris Johnson), Milei has made his way to the top job with no government experience and a whole lot of chutzpah. And you won’t believe who – or what – set him on this path... Guests: Dr Constanza Sanhueza - Lecturer in Political Science, Australian National University Vera Bergengruen - TIME Washington DC reporter Eduardo Amadeo - Diplomat, economist, and economic advisor to Javier Milei’s Security Minister Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E5 · Fri, October 04, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 05: Iran's Ali Khamenei
He’s leader for life, his word is final in the highly factionalised theocratic regime of Iran and his influence extends across the flashpoints of the Middle East. Yet we know almost nothing about the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And as you’ll hear, his loyalists defend him as stridently as his critics attack him. Guests: John Limbert – One of the 55 American hostages held in captivity in Iran in 1979 Arash Azizi - Iranian writer and Historian. Senior lecturer in political science and history at Clemson University Fereshteh Sadeghi - Iranian journalist based in Tehran Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E4 · Fri, October 04, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 04: Hungary's Viktor Orban
At just 35 Viktor Orban, then a fiery radical, became Europe's youngest prime minister. Since then, his political brand has undergone an astonishing change. So how did the student dissident become a 21st Century demagogue? Guests: Zsuzsanna Szelenyi - Program director at the CEU Democracy Institute, former Hungarian politician and author, Tainted Democracy Viktor Orban and the Subversion of Hungary Nick Thorpe - The BBC's Central Europe correspondent Ben Wellings - Associate Professor of politics and international relations at Monash University Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E3 · Fri, October 04, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 03: Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto
He’s Indonesia’s hard man of politics - Prabowo Subianto is a former military leader who stands accused of human rights abuses. But in the latest election campaign he pitched himself as a cute, dancing Grandpa. Now he’s the country’s newest president. So, what kind of leader will he be? Guests: Yoes Kenawas - Research Fellow at the Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta Dr Jemma Purdey - Fellow at the Australia-Indonesia Centre at Monash University Geoff Thompson - Former ABC foreign correspondent Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E2 · Sun, September 29, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 02: Yahya Sinwar
Believed to be ‘the mastermind’ behind the October 7th attack on southern Israel, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in an IDF attack in Gaza in October 2024. So who was he and how did he rise to power? Three observers, including one who has met Sinwar, grapple with the factors that led to the man and the leader he became. This episode was recorded before Yahya Sinwar was killed. Guests: Ben Wedeman - CNN senior international correspondent Khaled Hroub - Professor of Middle Eastern studies at Northwestern University in Qatar Michael Koubi - Former chief interrogator for Shin Bet, Israel's security service Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E1 · Sun, September 22, 2024
Dictators & Demagogues 01: Kim Jong Un
He’s more ruthless than his father and more chilling than his grandfather, and his regime has been called a "model dictatorship". Meet North Korea's reclusive Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, and enter his world of missiles, murders, oppression and secrecy. Guests: Anna Fifield - Asia-Pacific editor for The Washington Post Hyun-seung Lee - North Korean defector and former Army Special Forces soldier In Bum Chun - Retired South Korean Army lieutenant general Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S3 E300 · Sun, September 15, 2024
INTRODUCING Season 3: Dictators & Demagogues
Democracy is under threat more than ever right now. Around the world, we’re seeing populism and nationalism taking hold and strongman leaders grabbing power. So, is this the era of dictators and demagogues? Who are they and what makes them so appealing? Our third season dives into the lives and times of seven autocrats from North Korea to Gaza to Hungary. Host: Hamish Macdonald Producers: Zoe Ferguson and Linda Lopresti Executive Producer: Amruta Slee Sound Engineer: John Jacobs
S2 E6 · Tue, October 10, 2023
06 | Bongbong Marcos: the return of a disgraced dynasty
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, better known as “Bongbong”, is the president of the Philippines. His popularity skyrocketed in recent years, particularly among Gen Z, thanks to his stardom on tiktok. But it was almost 40 years ago that he fled the country as a young governor when his father’s authoritarian and corrupt government was overturned in a dramatic coup.
S2 E6 · Tue, October 03, 2023
05 | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: The Shapeshifting Sultan
Recep Tayip Erdoğan’s maintained power for over 20 years by being all things to all people.
S2 E5 · Tue, October 03, 2023
05 | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: The Shapeshifting Sultan
Recep Tayip Erdoğan’s maintained power for over 20 years by being all things to all people. Turkey’s president is at once a Western ally and a close friend of Vladimir Putin, a hardline Islamist and a leader that evokes the golden age of the Ottoman Empire. He is adored by his supporters and feared by his critics. So who is he really and what future does he envision for Turkey? Guests: Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of, The New Sultan: Erdogan and the Crisis of Modern Turkey Meryem İlayda Atlas, journalist, founding editor of Daily Sabha and a board member of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) Prof Ihsan Yilmaz, research chair in Islamic Studies and Intercultural Dialogue at the Alfred Deakin Institute
S2 E4 · Tue, September 26, 2023
04 | Emmanuel Macron: International Charmer
Emmanuel Macron is a straight-talking, ambitious global figure who wants France to help solve the challenges of our time. But at home, he’s a divisive leader who faces a wave of discontent. So how did Emmanuel Macron start his own party and effectively come from nowhere to win two elections as the youngest president in French history. How will the charismatic centrist storming The Élysée Palace fare as far-right populism sweeps Europe?
S2 E5 · Tue, September 19, 2023
03| Ursula von der Leyen: the most powerful woman in the world?
Ursula von der Leyen is not easy to box. A mother of seven and medical doctor who once lived undercover, under a false identity in London before entering politics, has had a remarkable career. She rose through the ranks in the German parliament in the shadow of Angela Merkel, before being tapped on the shoulder for the president of the European Commission.
S2 E3 · Tue, September 19, 2023
03 | Ursula von der Leyen: the most powerful woman in the world?
Ursula von der Leyen is not easy to box. A mother of seven and medical doctor who once lived undercover, under a false identity in London before entering politics, has had a remarkable career. She rose through the ranks in the German parliament in the shadow of Angela Merkel, before being tapped on the shoulder for the president of the European Commission. But according to foreign policy analyst Constanze Stelzenmüller, “heads of state elect commission presidents in the hope that they won't be too powerful in Europe”. So how did Ursula von der Leyen manage to transform the position and become one of the most powerful women in the world? Guests: Constanze Stelzenmüller, director of the Center on the United States and Europe at The Brookings Institution Jacek Rostowski, former Deputy PM of Poland Professor Claire Annesley, professor of politics and gender studies and Dean of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture
S2 E2 · Tue, September 12, 2023
02 | Joe Biden: Does he still have what it takes?
Joe Biden is America’s oldest ever president. He wants to stay in the White House another four years and is now campaigning for a second term. If he wins that term, he’ll be 86-years-old by the time he leaves office. Is he too out of touch as his Republican critics have said, or after 50 plus years in politics, is he far more astute than we think? Importantly, does he have what it takes to repair an increasingly divided America and a potential rematch against Donald Trump? Guests: Kim Hoggard, former White House official in the Reagan and Bush Administrations Susan Platt, former Chief of Staff to Biden Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent at New York Magazine
S2 E1 · Tue, September 05, 2023
01 | Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "Exactly the right man"
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy has captured the world’s attention and admiration like few leaders can. When Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, the comic actor turned wartime leader became the face of Ukraine’s resistance. He refused offers of evacuation, famously telling Joe Biden he needed ammunition, not a ride. As the Russian bombs rained down, Zelenskyy went out into the streets of Kyiv using social media to talk directly to his people and the world. Rarely has the world seen a leader recording selfies from a city under attack. But his prolific online and social media messaging has helped galvanise widespread support for Ukraine. Now the man who played a president on TV, is in the role of his life. We find out who the man behind the screen and the podium really is from those who know Zelenskyy best. Guests: Olga Boichak, Lecturer in digital cultures and the director of the Computational Social Science Lab at the University of Sydney David Dodson, Film director and editor who worked with Zelensky for 14 years Oleh Rybachuk, Former Deputy PM of Ukraine and founder of the Centre of United Actions
Trailer · Wed, August 30, 2023
INTRODUCING — Season Two: Take Me To Your Leader
There’s a lot going on in the world right now; disruption, upheaval, and conflict. Long-running superpowers are teetering while others are emerging.
Tue, August 01, 2023
PRESENTS — If You're Listening
Heads up another terrific ABC Listen podcast is If You're Listening and it's back, and better than ever. Same espionage, same corruptions, same scandals, but more often.
Thu, July 06, 2023
Take Me To You Leader series 2 is coming
We've been going through all the suggestions for leaders to discuss as well as keeping across the massive geopolitical shifts going on right now and am stoked to announce we're currently in production for the second season of Take Me To Your Leader.
Tue, June 27, 2023
Emergency Podcast | Yevgeny Prigozhin
Yevgeny Prigozhin is becoming a figure of huge influence in the world right now. A former petty criminal, hotdog vendor and restaurateur from St Petersburg who went on to build a powerful private army. Prigozhin has been a loyal ally of Putin’s until he turned his sights on Moscow, sparking the biggest crisis in Vladamir Putin’s presidency.
S1 E9 · Tue, June 27, 2023
Bonus Episode | Yevgeny Prigozhin — The Man Who Challenged Putin
Yevgeny Prigozhin is becoming a figure of huge influence in the world right now. A former petty criminal, hotdog vendor and restaurateur from St Petersburg who went on to build a powerful private army. Prigozhin has been a loyal ally of Putin’s until he turned his sights on Moscow, sparking the biggest crisis in Vladamir Putin’s presidency.
Tue, April 11, 2023
PRESENTS — Nothing is Foreign
If you enjoyed our episode on Giorgia Meloni and the rise of her brand of right-wing politics, then check out this episode from our friends at CBC Podcasts in Canada, and the series Nothing is Foreign. This excerpt is from the episode, Visiting Mussolini's Hometown As Italy Veers Right, and takes you to Mussolini's birthplace, Predappio, which, to this day, is home to souvenir shops and shrines honouring the dictator. Nothing is Foreign tells international stories from where they are actually happening. Hosted by Tamara Khandaker.
Tue, March 14, 2023
08 | Take Me To Your Leader — Narendra Modi
How did Narendra Modi go from selling tea on railway platforms rise to becoming the leader of almost 1.4 billion people? He’s a man with big ideas and an even bigger ambition for his country. But with a backstory full of both mythology and secrets, how much do we really know about his plans?
S1 E8 · Tue, March 14, 2023
08 | Take Me To Your Leader — Narendra Modi
How did Narendra Modi go from selling tea on railway platforms rise to become the leader of almost 1.4 billion people? He’s a man with big ideas and an even bigger ambition for his country. But with a backstory full of both mythology and secrets, how much do we really know about his plans?
Wed, March 08, 2023
07 | Take Me To Your Leader — Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin became Finland’s third female prime minister at just 34. Her coalition of women-led parties suggest that another kind of politics might be possible. Leading a country with a 1300km border with Russia, Marin finds herself navigating choppy diplomatic and economic waters for Finland, and making the case to other world leaders on taking a tougher line against autocrats.
S1 E7 · Wed, March 08, 2023
07 | Take Me To Your Leader — Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin became Finland’s third female prime minister at just 34. Her coalition of women-led parties suggest that another kind of politics might be possible. Leading a country with a 1300km border with Russia, Marin finds herself navigating choppy diplomatic and economic waters for Finland, and making the case to other world leaders on taking a tougher line against autocrats.
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