Rephonic
Artwork for The IR thinker

The IR thinker

Martin Zubko
China
Russia
European Union
Energy Security
United States
North Korea
Nuclear Weapons
Cybersecurity
International Relations
Donald Trump
NATO
Africa
Renewable Energy
Democracy
Ukraine
Iran
India
Ransomware
European Diplomacy
Geopolitics

The IR thinker features in-depth interviews with leading experts in international relations. The IR thinker is an independent, non-partisan and non-aligned platform. It hosts a wide range of perspectives on international relations but does not endorse any political party, government or ideological position. Since its first episode in 2023, The IR thinker has produced more than 100 episodes as a pr... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes128Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DocumentaryScienceSocial SciencesSociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The IR thinker

Latest Episodes

Published by the Brazilian Institute of International Relations since 1958, the Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional (Brazilian Journal of International Politics, also known as RBPI) has spent nearly seven decades serving as a vital bridge be... more

YouTube

In 1989, an American cultural institute helped arrange Boris Yeltsin's first trip to the United States — and a single visit to a supermarket may have changed the course of Soviet history. Thus, what is the untold story of America's involvement in the... more

YouTube

After 9/11, the word "terrorism" replaced older colonial vocabularies — but the racial logic underneath stayed intact. Dr Somdeep Sen of Roskilde University joins The IR thinker to show how concepts such as development, security, and the War on Terro... more

YouTube

Artificial intelligence is redrawing the boundaries of cybersecurity — accelerating attacks, complicating attribution, and compressing the time humans have to make decisions that matter. 

In this episode, Myriam Dunn Cavelty of ETH Zurich examines A... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Foreign Policy Live
Foreign Policy LiveForeign Policy
FT News Briefing
FT News BriefingFinancial Times
Ukraine: The Latest
Ukraine: The LatestThe Telegraph

Recent Guests

Haroldo Ramanzini Júnior
Editor-in-chief of RBPI, Brazilian political scientist
RBPI / Brazilian Institute of International Relations
Episode: Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional: Brazilian IR Journal — Haroldo Ramanzini Júnior
Daniel Satinsky
Independent scholar, retired attorney and business consultant; author of Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy Through American Eyes
Independent scholar; author
Episode: America's Role in Post-Soviet Russia: The Untold Story — Daniel Satinsky
Somdeep Sen
Associate professor in International Development Studies; author and scholar on race and racism in international relations
Roskilde University, Denmark
Episode: Racism Without the Word — Somdeep Sen
Davide Vampa
Lead editor of Regional and Federal Studies, senior lecturer in territorial politics at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
Episode: Publishing in Regional & Federal Studies Journal — Davide Vampa & Mariely Lopez-Santana
Mariely Lopez-Santana
Deputy lead editor and associate professor of political science at George Mason University
George Mason University
Episode: Publishing in Regional & Federal Studies Journal — Davide Vampa & Mariely Lopez-Santana
Piotr Pietrzak
Co-founder of In Statu Nascendi Think Tank; independent political analyst and lecturer at Vistula University (Poland)
In Statu Nascendi Think Tank
Episode: Poland's New Strategic Culture and Geopolitical Ambitions — Piotr Pietrzak
Carl Death
Senior lecturer in international political economy; author of African Climate Futures
University of Manchester
Episode: Africa's Agency in Global Climate Governance — Carl Death
Myriam Dunn Cavelty
Leading scholar in cybersecurity, risk politics and governance of emerging technologies
ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Episode: Publishing in Contemporary Security Policy — Myriam Dunn Cavelty & Nicole Jenne
Nicole Jenne
Associate professor; expert on security in Latin America and civil-military relations
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; visiting scholar at Harvard
Episode: Publishing in Contemporary Security Policy — Myriam Dunn Cavelty & Nicole Jenne

Host

Martin Zubko
Host of The IR Thinker

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Racism Without the Word — Somdeep Sen
Q: Can you explain the relationship between terrorism discourse and racialized thinking in the context of post-9/11 geopolitics?
Terrorism discourse crystallizes a binary of good versus evil and expedites the labeling of certain peoples and geographies as threats, which obscures complex historical and political factors while legitimizing aggressive policies and surveillance.
Racism Without the Word — Somdeep Sen
Q: How did you observe the shift in IR after anti-colonial movements, and why do you think race remains central?
Despite anti-colonial challenges, the field redirected attention away from race and toward a sanitized image of interstate relations, thereby maintaining the centrality of Euro-American perspectives and masking ongoing imperial legacies.
Racism Without the Word — Somdeep Sen
Q: Let's start with the first question. How should this debate on race be approached—academically and with evidence?
We should ground the discussion in robust historical context and empirical scholarship that reveals how race has shaped the discipline from its origins, while openly challenging sanitized vocabularies and views that erase or normalize racial hierarchies in IR.
America's Role in Post-Soviet Russia: The Untold Story — Daniel Satinsky
Q: And how is it possible that the United States had so many programs, special projects, but the Esalen Institute was able to get trust from the Soviets?
The guest explains Esalen's independence from the US government and its roots in human potential and peace movements, which created informal trust channels with Soviet researchers and officials, enabling citizen diplomacy and later broad exchanges.
Poland's New Strategic Culture and Geopolitical Ambitions — Piotr Pietrzak
Q: What are the main Polish doctrines and their relevance today?
Pietrzak outlines the Giedroyc-Mirozhevsky, Berzezinski, and Sikorski-Task doctrines as foundational but argues for updating and adapting them to current realities, particularly in relation to Russia, Ukraine, and regional stability.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The IR thinker

What is The IR thinker about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show offers long-form conversations with leading international relations scholars, policy experts, and regional specialists, often centered on global power dynamics, security, and governance. Episodes frequently explore how ideas, institutions, and historical context shape contemporary world politics, with a notable emphasis on multipolarity, regional autonomy, and the role of emerging topics like climate policy, cyber security, and media influence in international affairs. A standout aspect is the host's willingness to surface diverse perspectives from academia, policy, and regional studies, often challenging conventional narratives and examining how norms, power, and strategy interact on the world stage. This mix makes the program a s... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The IR thinker?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The IR thinker. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The IR thinker and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The IR thinker get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The IR thinker, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The IR thinker?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The IR thinker, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The IR thinker have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The IR thinker has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The IR thinker?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The IR thinker:

1. Foreign Policy Live
2. Independent Thinking
3. The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
4. FT News Briefing
5. Ukraine: The Latest

How many episodes of The IR thinker are there?

The IR thinker launched 3 years ago and published 128 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The IR thinker?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The IR thinker?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The IR thinker from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The IR thinker?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The IR thinker. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The IR thinker?

Recent guests on The IR thinker include:

1. Haroldo Ramanzini Júnior
2. Daniel Satinsky
3. Somdeep Sen
4. Davide Vampa
5. Mariely Lopez-Santana
6. Piotr Pietrzak
7. Carl Death
8. Myriam Dunn Cavelty

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days