Special episode · Samuel Woodall · Released 23 October 2026
When does political disagreement become a struggle to destroy the conditions that make disagreement possible? Samuel Woodall brings intellectual history into conversation with international relations, examining domestic extremism, authoritarian interference and the distinction between party and faction.
Listen to The World in Fall on Buzzsprout
Evidence, influence and political judgement
The episode considers Russian influence operations and financial relationships, the US intelligence assessment of Iranian intervention around Gaza protests, reporting on China-linked networks, and scholarship on authoritarian power. It distinguishes documented connections from allegations and inference. Convergence does not require common command, and foreign amplification does not establish that a state organised a protest.
The argument
The conclusion argues for a liberal, democratic Europe and for sustaining freedoms of inquiry, toleration and restraints on arbitrary power. The linked policy paper supplies the full argument and references; this episode offers an accessible route into its questions.
Read the policy paper
The World in Fall: the full paper and references
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Cite this episode
Woodall, Samuel. “The World in Fall: Foreign Interference and the Defence of Liberal Europe.” Beyond the Text. 23 October 2026. Permalink.
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