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Podcast: The Lede
Episode: Statecraft and Storytelling — with Faisal Devji and Faisal Al Yafai
Description: Geopolitics is often conceived of as a realm of pure realpolitik, where ideology takes a back seat to the ruthless and unsentimental pursuit of strategic interests. But all politics involves storytelling, and geopolitics is no exception. Nation-states deploy narratives to legitimize themselves on the world stage, to shore up domestic support and to unite their allies around a common cause. But, says Faisal Devji, a professor of history at the University of Oxford, geopolitical storytelling is about more than just political strategy.
“They may tell one story externally or to a domestic audience and reserve ano...