Nikhil KamathNikos Christodoulides on Why India Must Lead What Comes Next | Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- July 1, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 13m
- Channel
- Nikhil Kamath
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
I sat down with Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus — and the rare leader who came to politics as a historian first. Cyprus is a country of a million and a half people sitting on the bridge between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which makes it one of the most strategically placed nations on earth right now. We got into why he believes the world is sliding back into raw power politics, why the institutions built after World War II no longer reflect reality, why India has to be at the centre of whatever replaces them, and why he thinks war is the easiest mistake a country can make and the hardest to undo. We also talked about democracy under pressure, why he moved from the left to the centre-right over a lifetime, what AI might do to work and governance, and what it actually feels like to wake up every day and carry the weight of a country. He told me it's a very lonely role — and that the only thing that matters is whether history, not tomorrow's headlines, judges you well. 00:00 Introduction 03:07 Being a historian first, a politician second 08:02 Why power politics is returning to the world 12:03 The case for India on the UN Security Council 17:01 How postwar institutions favoured the incumbents 22:23 Whether democracy still delivers economic progress 27:02 Designing a new regional order from India to Europe 34:39 Why interests, not values, reshape alliances 40:53 The only real way to avoid war 42:35 Where he stands on left versus right 46:02 Moving from academia into political reality 47:11 What AI could do to work and democracy 52:08 Thinking about the next generation, not the next election 56:22 What it feels like to hold power 1:03:09 What diplomacy taught him about negotiation 1:07:57 A closing argument for India's leading role #NikhilKamath – Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast Twitter/X: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/ Nikos Christodoulides – President of the Republic of Cyprus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikos-christodoulides-660b02139/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikoschristodoulides/?hl=en X: https://x.com/Christodulides Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59 Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th #WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline
SPEAKERS
Nikhil Kamath
hostIndian entrepreneur and podcast host of “WTF is with Nikhil Kamath” / “People by WTF.”
Nikos Christodoulides
guestPresident of the Republic of Cyprus and former foreign minister.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Nikhil Kamath, featuring Nikhil Kamath and Nikos Christodoulides, Nikos Christodoulides on Why India Must Lead What Comes Next | Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF explores cyprus President argues India should shape updated global order now Nikos Christodoulides frames today’s geopolitics as a return to realist power competition, arguing the post–World War II system no longer reflects current global realities.
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