Gabriel Crossley
Showing 1–2 of 2 transcripts.
- The Economist6 min
Has China become cool?
China's Communist Party is capitalizing on a global sentiment shift driven by technological innovation and pop culture, exemplified by YouTube streamer iShowSpeed's viral two-week visit that showcased high-speed rail and advanced robotics to millions of Western viewers. By pivoting from traditional state propaganda to embracing unscripted creator content, officials aim to rebrand the nation as a modern, "cool" destination while leveraging this soft power for geopolitical gain. Despite the optimistic framing of these organic interactions, Beijing remains cautiously skeptical about whether this renewed cultural appeal will effectively translate into tangible political influence or business advantages.
- The Economist23 min
Billions of voices heard: a year of elections
Rosie Bloor, Ed Carr, Gabriel Crossley, Maria Wilczek
The 2024 global election cycle saw Donald Trump secure a decisive US victory and marked a surge in right-wing populism across Europe, challenging centrist technocratic rule in nations like Germany and France. Simultaneously, major shifts occurred in autocracies such as Russia and Bangladesh, while India and South Africa delivered rejections of unchecked nationalism through coalition governments. Parallel political and economic trends emerged in China, where urbanization is pivoting from megacities to provincial hubs, and in Poland, where communist-era "milk bars" face subsidy cuts while modernizing to survive rising operational costs.