AI Summary
5 min read“If any question why we died, tell them, because our fathers lied.” That line from Rudyard Kipling, written after his only son was killed in World War I, captures a deep unease about the relationship between noble words and ugly war. In a recent episode of The Intelligence, The Economist’s culture correspondent explores how the rhetoric of war has changed—and not for the better. The shift from Churchillian eloquence to a White House video set to Gladiator and Transformers clips is not just a matter of taste. It signals something more troubling about how leaders frame conflict and what citizens are asked to believe.
The old oratory: elevation through allusion
For centuries, great war oratory did not celebrate violence. It invoked higher purposes—liberation, democracy, a way of life worth defending. Franklin Roosevelt, on the eve of D-Day, told Americans that the soldiers fighting “fight to liberate.” Winston Churchill, in his history of the war, opened with the maxim: “In war, resolution; in defeat, defiance; in victory, magnanimity.” These speeches borrowed from culture—Shakespeare, the Bible, classical history—to elevate the moment and remind listeners what was at stake beyond the battlefield.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:08) **Friedrich Merz, One Year On: The Oldest New Chancellor** - Tom Noddle, chief Germany correspondent, assesses Merz’s disastrous first year, marked by low approval, coalition infighting, and a personal feud with Trump.
- 2 (04:52) **Why the Coalition Can’t Turn It Around** - The structural gridlock on pensions, taxes, and healthcare makes a recovery in the short term nearly impossible.
- 3 (05:43) **Merz vs. Trump: A Spat That Backfired** - Merz’s boast that dealing with Trump would be “very easy” has been shattered by a personal feud over Iran, leading to threats of troop withdrawals.
- 4 (07:13) **The Real Damage: Missile Deals and NATO Credibility** - The deeper consequence is the collapse of a key missile-deterrence deal with the US, which shakes the dependability of the entire alliance.
- 5 (11:13) **The Biggest Challenge Ahead** - The erosion of US dependability as a security partner is the most serious problem Merz faces as he enters his second year.
- 6 (12:59) **Why Chatbots Are Suddenly Selling to You** - Tom Wainwright, media editor, explains that OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft are inserting ads into AI conversations to offset the enormous cost of running the models.
- 7 (14:04) **How Ads Work in a Chatbot Conversation** - The ads appear differently across platforms, with ChatGPT acting like a patient salesman waiting for the right moment.
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Show Notes
Germany’s chancellor came to office making big promises. A year later they are unfulfilled, his government is squabbling and he has drawn President Donald Trump’s ire. The advertising industry is, inevitably, starting to peddle its wares quietly in AI chatbots. And a historical look at the oratory around war and how it has taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Guests and host:
- Tom Nuttall, chief Germany correspondent
- Tom Wainwright, media editor
- Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent
- Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
- Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Topics covered:
- Germany, Friedrich Merz, Donald Trump
- AI, chatbots, advertising
- rhetoric of war
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