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Alex Kopytko is a ”radical centrist” that wants to understand the extremes. He has worked in politics and has studied public policy and political science. Alex argues that centrism is less about being a contrarian, it is about being able to change your mind and embrace an openness to new ideas. He is concerned about where the United States is headed and through conversations with people from all sides of the political spectrum, he wants to know how Americans can limit the tribalism that is flourishing. As someone that dances along the center-right of the political spectrum, Alex thinks the country needs to come together and talk to one another before it could be too late. This podcast covers domestic politics, as well as political philosophy, and international issues.
Episodes
Monday Sep 05, 2022
Monday Sep 05, 2022
In this episode, Alex focuses on climate related issues both in the United States and abroad. He starts by discussing the disasterous scenario in Jackson, Mississippi in which the water is not drinkable and decades of neglect have finally come to the surface. The Guardian writes that “most of the population had already been without drinkable water for more than a month, but flooding last weekend, caused by weeks of rain, further interrupted operations at the city’s beleaguered main water plant. Currently large numbers have nothing come out of their taps, and for those that do, it must be boiled before being consumed.” Alex discusses how Jackson faces systemtic inequality and neglect that can be linked back to a declining tax base and declining infrastructure as wealthy, white residents fled for others areas.
Next, Alex looks at floods in Pakistan. The floods were the worst on record and impacted 33 million people and devastated large swathes of the country. They have also led to political division, upheaval, and pointless finger pointing. Alex discusses how this is likely going to be a reoccuring problem as climate crises are getting worse and more frequent.
Finally, Alex discusses the idea of climate reparations. As the climate crisis gets worse, wealthy countries with exploited resources and the ability to adapt will be able to deal with the crisis. However, countries that have been historically colonized or oppressed will see a consistent drop in stability. Foreign Policy writes that there must be a new approach to international relations in dealing with climate change: “climate reparations are better understood as a systemic approach to redistributing resources and changing policies and institutions that have perpetuated harm. Rather than a discrete exchange of money or of apologies for past wrongdoing.” Alex does not completely agree with this concept, but he agrees that there needs to be a new approach that is more equitable.
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