Eurovision, Chapter Two: Pop Music as Problematic Diplomacy

Eurovision, Chapter Two: Pop Music as Problematic Diplomacy

From Ridiculous History by iHeartPodcasts

April 16, 2026 · 44 min

About this episode

The episode explores how the Eurovision Song Contest serves as a form of soft diplomacy among countries with strained relations.

Now, we know this is going to sound weird, but... it turns out one of the world's most popular pop music contests is also one of the world's best examples of 'soft diplomacy'. So what happens when countries that hate each other get together to determine the year's best song? Spoiler: it gets ridiculous. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max continue their obsession with the Eurovision Song Contest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Ben, Noel

Topics covered

  • Eurovision
  • pop music
  • soft diplomacy
  • international relations

Keywords

  • Eurovision Song Contest
  • diplomacy
  • music contest

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