Worldly

by Vox
1,721

We live in a confusing time, bombarded every day with news from around the world that can be hard to follow, or fully understand. Let Worldly be your guide. Every Thursday, senior writer Zack Beauchamp, senior foreign editor Jennifer Williams, and staff defense writer Alex Ward give you the history and context you need to make sense of the moment and navigate the world around you. Produced by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Recent Episodes
  • The end of the World(ly)
    Aug 12, 2021 – 50:23
  • Authoritarians without borders
    Aug 5, 2021 – 42:59
  • Trouble in Tunisia
    Jul 29, 2021 – 41:44
  • iSpy
    Jul 22, 2021 – 45:04
  • Cuba Libre
    Jul 15, 2021 – 52:42
  • Erdoğan’s enemy in the NBA
    Jul 9, 2021 – 46:01
  • Brexit interview
    Jul 1, 2021 – 23:53
  • Hungary's new anti-LGBTQ law gets a red card
    Jun 24, 2021 – 42:40
  • Joe Biden’s Eurotrip
    Jun 17, 2021 – 48:59
  • Introducing: Now & Then
    Jun 12, 2021 – 46:46
  • Canada’s reckoning with residential schools
    Jun 10, 2021 – 50:17
  • The end of the Netanyahu era?
    Jun 3, 2021 – 50:35
  • Why John Cena is apologizing to China
    May 27, 2021 – 49:49
  • The big picture of the Israel-Gaza war
    May 20, 2021 – 51:54
  • The Israel-Gaza doom loop
    May 13, 2021 – 58:35
  • Bonus: Rep. Ro Khanna on what America owes India
    May 7, 2021 – 42:20
  • The politics of India’s Covid crisis
    May 6, 2021 – 46:56
  • The surprising success of Covid-19 travel bans
    Apr 29, 2021 – 47:10
  • Bonus: The Super League
    Apr 23, 2021 – 09:58
  • How Nigeria explains the climate crisis
    Apr 22, 2021 – 59:02
  • America is finally leaving Afghanistan
    Apr 15, 2021 – 54:01
  • Jordan’s royal family feud
    Apr 8, 2021 – 42:08
  • Is Myanmar heading for civil war?
    Apr 1, 2021 – 42:52
  • Your questions about the world, answered
    Mar 25, 2021 – 51:34
  • Europe’s vaccine disaster
    Mar 18, 2021 – 55:59
  • The Trump of the Tropics vs. the Bernie of Brazil
    Mar 11, 2021 – 46:00
  • The future of the US-Saudi relationship (ft. Sen. Chris Murphy)
    Mar 4, 2021 – 01:05:47
  • Why Biden hasn’t reentered the Iran deal — yet
    Feb 25, 2021 – 46:23
  • The world’s great powers
    Feb 18, 2021 – 54:11
  • Protesting farmers, India's democracy, and Rihanna
    Feb 11, 2021 – 44:30
  • Myanmar’s coup has no heroes
    Feb 4, 2021 – 44:12
  • Why Putin wants Alexei Navalny dead
    Jan 28, 2021 – 46:09
  • Biden’s World
    Jan 21, 2021 – 47:49
  • Was it terrorism?
    Jan 14, 2021 – 46:16
  • America, humiliated
    Jan 7, 2021 – 46:20
  • Hindsight is 2020
    Dec 17, 2020 – 51:49
  • The last Brexit
    Dec 10, 2020 – 43:50
  • Beijing’s bad tweet
    Dec 3, 2020 – 36:05
  • Fewer troops, forever wars
    Nov 19, 2020 – 42:14
  • Lost in Transition
    Nov 12, 2020 – 42:11
  • If Joe wins
    Nov 5, 2020 – 44:22
  • France, Islam, and free speech
    Oct 29, 2020 – 49:38
  • American democracy, hacked
    Oct 22, 2020 – 47:11
  • Nigeria’s bad cop ring, Thailand’s playboy king
    Oct 15, 2020 – 45:00
  • The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
    Oct 8, 2020 – 38:18
  • India vs. Amnesty International
    Oct 1, 2020 – 44:15
  • Is Trump bringing peace to the Middle East?
    Sep 24, 2020 – 52:13
  • The new politics of energy (ft. Daniel Yergin)
    Sep 17, 2020 – 55:42
  • Trumped-up intelligence
    Sep 10, 2020 – 46:10
  • Europe’s second coronavirus wave
    Sep 3, 2020 – 44:58
Recent Reviews
  • mcmurrayjlive
    Nope
    Can down load them won’t let me.
  • pinkmuskrat
    Amazing guide to foreign policy
    So sad the show ended. Past episodes are still a treasure trove of timeless great explanations. Don’t assume you have special prerequisite knowledge but treat you as being smart. Hosts are good at staying objective and have a witty dynamic between them.
  • Msquared19
    Nice and thorough
    Good show. Good analysis. Just an FYI, the quick Arabic lesson from the July 29 episode regarding how to pronounce the Islamist party Ennadha was incorrect. It is not an aspirated “h” sound (ح), but rather an aspirated “h” sound (ه). Just FYI. Other than that…good show and good content.
  • Mi-marie
    A Forever Fan
    Seeing this show go is a sting to my heart. I loved the topics & discussions. I truly appreciate all the hosts’ insight & wish them well in their other endeavors.
  • Lovetoshop28
    Great female leads
    Wonderful female leads. The dead weight of uselessness is Zack. When will Vox learn to elevate the ideas and opinions of the most capable and limit the mediocre to the corner
  • Maude The Third
    Hard to Listen to the Selfish Mansplaining
    The female contributors to the reporting and discussion are outstanding and make for compelling listening. So it’s still worth it in spite of the battering headwind that is Zack. If you’re activated by college-kid-level intellectual narcissism, maybe give it a pass and follow the journalism of the Jens. I feel like this problem is a long-standing pattern at Vox. Don’t rely on excellent female journalists to counterbalance annoying male ones. In the end, the whole is weaker.
  • midwestBlue
    june 17 show
    ur comnent about that g7 photo with trump. trump was pouting like the child that he is because he couldn't get his way. the rest of them were like his parents and uncles/aunts saying no donnie not this time. hahaha
  • TheLollipopGuild
    Great podcast
    they don’t talk about soccer enough, honestly
  • Dafuuni
    Huh?
    Why do the hosts keep chuckling during the Israel-Gaza loop episode? Also please rehearse your material before even recording. It’s kind of painful to listen to a million pauses.
  • Smicheleclark
    Silly tone is odd for facts being presented
    I was interested in getting an in depth and critique of events happening around the world from the perspective of Vox employees. But it’s hard to listen to after a while when they can’t stop giggling or laughing at themselves, maybe because they’re not confident in how they present the info, but it’s definitely not landing as humorous. It comes off as this nerdy club that’s full of them selves and maybe isn’t as knowledgeable as they want to be or think they are. Their guests are more informative and serious in their presentation, and it’s sad to hear the hosts cut them off with “USA, USA.” In a way they’re turning the show into a joke in itself.
  • Inliwa
    I love this podcast!!!
    Another great Vox podcast.
  • BaseballG
    Another misleading media
    If you want people to understand world power, please explain it from all perspectives. repeating authoritarianism is the only thing you can say about China. As an example, I want to hear people who have been to China and know China to talk about China, at least do some research unless all you try to do is further brainwashing Americans with terms like democracy and freedom.
  • Marc Robillard
    It’s ok
    The topics are interesting and the hosts are thoughtful. However, the conversation often seems to ramble. I often get to the end of the 40-50 min long show and am unsure of what the “point” was - or what about the analysis I need to walk away with.
  • king boofus
    Annoying hosts
    I love the Weeds but these hosts are just kinda annoying and think they are more clever than they are. (Please stop saying “sort of” before every clause. Hard to listen to for more than a few minutes. Unsubscribed
  • ROHAN. 321
    Great stuff but other vox better than this
    Amazing content great but a lot of other vox shows are better than this
  • Sastephanie
    Generally good content
    The hosts are very knowledgeable and engaging to listen to. Their voices all drive me crazy and they seem a bit pedantic and too critical.
  • Seagon_
    Not what it used to be
    I’ve been having a really hard time with this show lately. I come to Vox for complete journalism that tells the whole story about an issue and pushes us to question assumptions, but this show lately has been full of lazy neoliberal takes for “complex reasons.” I don’t think I’ll be coming back for more.
  • Jorge92745
    More conceptual?
    I enjoy stepping away from the politics of the moment and hearing about things that are more conceptual. That being said, one of the big challenges in news these days is hearing about what’s going on around the globe. So probably a mix of both current news and conceptual framework‘s is helpful.
  • Hotsexypants
    Good subjects, annoying hosts
    Very good podcast for in-depth learning about current world events, but the hosts are just too annoying. They try to have inside jokes and live in an imaginary world where their proposed actions would have few negative consequences. I just wanna be informed about current events without the self righteousness and bad humor.
  • Xanekka
    If you don’t know, just say you don’t know. It’s okay.
    The world is a big place. No one can truly understand the nuances of every part of the world. To pretend as such is a Trumpian approach to the world. Yet, at the very least, you could conduct proper basic research for basic facts before you start your show. But you don’t. And you should be ashamed. Your episode on Burma is littered with so many basic factual errors and assumptions that I thought I was listening to a Qanon podcast. Also please do not make generalized statements with conviction and confidence about people, countries and situations that you skimmed on the Internet. Thanks for highlight the events in Burma but coverage was counterproductive.
  • lrhhrl
    Worldly or American Ignorance?
    “Bombarded every day with news from around the world” is in the show description yet it seems the only news that matters is coming from the US...
  • PBB420
    Worldly is not so worldly
    Stop covering the US as much. Please! There are enough Vox podcasts that do that. Another one is just unnecessary
  • Sunnycreek
    Another great podcast from Vox
    Love it! As with Vox's other podcasts, this one is interesting and informative👍🏻
  • Freddie bag of donuts
    Motel 6 keeps the light on for you
    Liberals think if they take a vacation in another nation that means they are worldly and all knowing.
  • Farhad Rezaei
    Conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia
    Hi guys, really enjoy your podcast. Can you do an episode on the conflict of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
  • Sadie Foote
    Great Topics - needs more equal input
    I really enjoy the topics that Vox puts out on worldly. Any discussion on US foreign policy is very biased, but this is more of just a discussion among colleagues of their opinions, so I find it interesting. My only complaint is that I wish Alex piped up more. Most of the show is a dialogue between Zack and Jen. I enjoy Alex’s perspective because he tends to be more neutral and just analyze an issue based on all factors. I will say - Jen knows the Middle East very well. I do enjoy listening to her on this topic.
  • Rmm mm
    Really want to like this show more
    I love Ezra and Matt but I’m not a domestic policy guy. I do foreign policy, especially from a non-US-centric perspective, so I was really happy to see a Vox podcast take this on. Worldly is a good move in that direction but really needs to up its game. If the hosts can’t speak knowledgeably about a country, region or issue, then don’t talk about it or bring someone on who can. But don’t do half-news/half-policy because then you just get the worst of both. Vox: Give me a podcast that gets Weeds-y (or Ezra-y) about different corners of the globe. Go deep on national context and comparative structures. Make it mini-series if you need to. So always good to see more foreign policy podcasts out there. Keep it up.
  • Hope V H
    How Joe Biden Sees The World
    This by far is one of your best episodes. Compare and contrast between Biden & Trump, Biden & Obama and Biden & HRC are so informative. My takeaways are: You are industrious students of our world. Each leader has strengths and weaknesses. The key is to surround oneself with competent individuals. We can all learn and practice this key to success. Many thanks.
  • beccajbird
    Thoughtful. Provocative.
    This podcast is really helpful to dive deeper into difficult topics. I appreciate the varying viewpoints with civic discussions that help to provoke my thinking. Highly recommended.
  • bpfrank8
    Palestinians in West Bank have stopped using violence?
    You’re kidding, right?
  • redwag0n
    My only complaint
    I only have 1 issue with this podcast. It’s not daily. This and the Weeds go together so well. Editing to wish Jenn a birthday happy
  • Jabittan
    This is Jen’s birthday present
    And the podcast is excellent as well.
  • jigsmorf
    Happy birthday Jen!
    This is her birthday present, but Worldly is a really great podcast too!
  • Speichers in China
    Happy Birthday Jen
    Love the podcast!
  • DoctorWhat7u
    Informative and excellent rapport among hosts
    I love these nerds. Also it’s jen’s birthday, allegedly. So happy birthday Jen. You are my favorite one!
  • megie8911
    Happy birthday Jen
    !!
  • The Birthday Gifter
    Jen’s birthday present
    This 5-star review is Jen’s birthday present 😀
  • HokieHi2016
    Happy birthday Jen!
    Love this podcast
  • razz67890
    The happiest birthday to Jen! 🎂
    Love this crew, love this podcast. Always informative.
  • Bebop user
    Informative and Fun Birthday Present
    Great episode in honor of Jen’s birthday.
  • childQuack
    Happy Birthday 🥳
    -
  • happi happy
    Happy birthday
    Great show, longer podcasts please.
  • gambigambigirl
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN
    Love love love
  • Fynbios
    Happy Birthday Jen!
    Love the show, and look forward to when it releases every week. I wish there were more foreign policy podcasts like this one
  • @iamchrisbarlow
    Happy Birthday Jenn!
    But seriously: This team delivers world news with a relaxed tone that make bad news feel like smooth jazz. 🎷
  • Jabeorwhat
    Jenn’s Birthday Present
    Happy birthday Jenn. But seriously, great show. Can tell the hosts values are in the right place even through sharp, nonpartisan explanation and analysis. I always learn something. Thanks guys.
  • CzarPeter727
    Great Show
    Greatly informative, covers international issues in easily understandable ways and are fair to the different sides of a given issue.
  • sarah e ugh
    Happy birthday!
    Great podcast, keep it up!
  • Progull
    Happy Birthday Jen!
    exploding from the womb of ignorance into a world of knowledge!
  • Kuhrisy
    Happy Birthday Jenn Williams!!
    Zack & other guy(sorry) told me to.
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