Economist Podcasts

Eye to the chancellor: interviewing Friedrich Merz

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The winner of Germany’s upcoming election will also play a crucial role in Europe. The Economist’s editor-in-chief speaks to Friedrich Merz, the f...

I’ll be jammed: electronic warfare in Ukraine

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the most frenetic innovation of Ukraine’s war happens in the electromagnetic spectrum: detecting and denying signals to and from materiel. T...

Scam Inc 3: The bottom line

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you run a scam operation? Perks, recruitment, outsourcing and a monthly landscaping budget—this is Scam Inc. To listen to the full serie...

Scam Inc 2: Opportunity of a lifetime

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who are the scammers? They aren't who you think. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to T...

Scam Inc 1: Pigs in a barrel

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You wouldn’t fall for a scam—would you? A small town in Kansas is left reeling after one of its best and brightest gets sucked in. To listen to th...

It could happen to you: introducing “Scam Inc”

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our new podcast series is a shocking look at transnational organised crime: nearly as big as the illegal-drug trade and far more sophisticated than yo...

Leeward: we meet South Korea’s probable president

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We meet the opposition leader who is likely to be the next president. Cleaning up the domestic mess after an alleged coup would seem easy compared wit...

Trailer: Scam Inc

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’...

As a next resort: Trump’s vision for Gaza

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The details President Donald Trump laid out for American ownership and redevelopment of the Gaza Strip took everyone by surprise—not least Israel’...

Rebel with a new cause: meeting Syria’s president

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From media-studies dropout to international jihadist to Syria’s ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa has an unlikely résumé. He speaks with our editor-in-chief,...

Trailer: Scam Inc

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’...

Thy neighbours, beggared: Trump’s opening tariffs

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threats, starting with Canada, Mexico and China. We look at the first skirmishes in what promise...

Below Delhi, the search for India's mythical past

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Mahabharata is one of India’s two great Hindu epics. It is thousands of years old and thousands of pages long. Over the past 75 years archaeolog...

Turkish delight: influencing the new Syria

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria will reshape the wider region. Our correspondent says few countries have as much to gain from a stable Syria as T...

Trailer: Scam Inc

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’...

Putty people: can Trump get his picks?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As some of Donald Trump’s most controversial choices for top jobs are questioned this week, our correspondent analyses how supine Republicans may be...

Remote control: Rwandan proxies occupy Congo

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rebels linked to Rwanda have occupied the city of Goma in eastern Congo. Our correspondent reports on the horrific scenes there, and warns that Rwanda...

Trailer: Scam Inc

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’...

Bot against America: a Chinese AI jolts markets

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon Valley firms have poured billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. But a new cheap AI model from DeepSeek, a Chinese start-up, has sen...

Trailer: Scam Inc

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’...

Gaza, stripped: Palestinians return to ruins

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Though thousands of Palestinians are going back to northern Gaza, rebuilding their lives and homes will take years. Just a week into the ceasefire, ou...

Trailer: Scam Inc

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’...

In with a chancellor: dissecting Britain’s growth plan

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves has had a rocky start as chancellor of the exchequer. Our editor-in-chief meets her at Davos to dissect her plans for growth. Australia ...

Right turn at a broken traffic light: Germany’s AfD

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After the collapse of the governing “traffic light” coalition in December, the hard-right AfD has a renewed swagger. How long can other parties ke...

A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The procedure is simple—genial, even. Contact Houthi rebels in Yemen and pay up, and your freight can pass into the Red Sea unmolested. We examine h...

Executive orders of magnitude: Trump’s day one

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is back in office, this time with less pearl-clutching in Washington. We examine his inaugural address and his first executive orders as ...

Reunions and rubble: Gaza’s first moments of peace

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quiet skies, returned Israeli hostages, Gazans going back home: there is much to celebrate, for the moment. We examine the path to a more robust and l...

Billionaires boldly go: private space-treks

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’s space-exploration company, successfully launched a rocket into orbit on its first attempt. That marks a new fron...

Peace by piece: a ceasefire in Gaza is close

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 15 months of fighting, a ceasefire in Gaza may soon be agreed. What does the deal entail – and could it last? Our correspondent has uncov...

Arrest development: South Korea’s Yoon held

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After dramatic scenes in South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained on insurrection charges, stemming from his attempt to impose martial l...

View to a killing: bond yields rise and rise

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Though central banks have cut interest rates, uncertainty about the future has sent yields sky-high. Our correspondent explains why expectations diver...

A run for cover: LA’s fires and insurance

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Among the lessons emerging from California’s devastating fires is the idea that insurers cannot price risk on past data: the climate-change future i...

Moving the post goals: Musk’s British-politics meddling

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has taken an abiding interest in Britain, and a hard line against its prime minister. It reveals a division within British politics that may...

Adaptitude: India and climate change

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s most populous country is at the front line of climate change. Our deputy editor explores the many ways it is adapting—because it must....

Towards Russia with love: Austria’s political tilt

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A once-fringe far-right party looks close to power—and serves as another sign of a broad and worrying pro-Russia trend in central European politics....

It’s no longer Trudeau: Canada’s PM resigns

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the end Justin Trudeau could not resist the internal pressure. We ask why the liberal standard-bearer got pushed out, and what comes next. Ten year...

Against the clock: Gaza peace talks

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Israel continued to pound Gaza, even as ceasefire negotiations began in Qatar. The familiar dynamic will soon be interrupted by a new American adminis...

All the president’s money men: the Trumponomics team

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There are three types of economics-minded people in Donald Trump’s incoming administration. We ask whether they are likely to collaborate or to comp...

Three presidents and counting: South Korea

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The country is on its third president in as many weeks—a deep political crisis only made worse by the most deadly air disaster in South Korean histo...

Don’t mention the war: Russia’s internal tensions

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is no simplistic split of sentiment about Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. But what most Russians want is a return to normal that now seems im...

Billions of voices heard: a year of elections

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In some places, votes resulted in political chaos; in others they showed a promising shift away from identity politics. Our deputy editor looks back o...

Of peanuts and principles: Jimmy Carter dies

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a single term and a landslide loss to Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter’s presidency was judged unduly harshly. What matters, though, are the princi...

Passing mentions: the notable lives lost in 2024

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From a legendary baseball slugger to a beloved comic actor, from Scottish politicians to America’s sex therapist to the leader of Russia’s resista...

Tomes will tell: books that predict the future

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some people read books to escape. Others turn to them for instruction. As the new year looms, our correspondents – and listeners – consider which ...

Good moos: cows could help the climate

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cows produce far more milk in rich countries than in poor ones. Our correspondent explains how beefing up bovine productivity could feed more people a...

The club rules? India’s RSS

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is it a community-minded boys’ club, like the Scouts? A breeding ground for seething Hindu nationalism? A paramilitary puppetmaster of India’s gov...

Country of the year: The Economist picks

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the past 12 months, there has been no lack of news. Editors at The Economist have picked their way through the rubble to uncover some optimism: whi...

Between Estonia and a hard place: NATO meets

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the icy border between Russia and Estonia, the anxieties of NATO member states are clear, our correspondent reports. Leaders there have been debati...

Mass graves: revealing Syria’s horror

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ten days after the fall of Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad, the full brutality of his rule is being uncovered. Our correspondent travels to a site ...

Scholz fired: Germany calls snap election

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, lost a confidence vote in parliament yesterday, Germany is preparing for a snap election. Urban waste is a ...

Off-side: Georgians reject new president

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend, the ruling Georgian Dream party elected a new president – but only one name was on the ballot. That sparked further street protests, a...

Minds blown: are we getting dumber?

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many adults perform worse in tests of literacy and numeracy than the average ten year old. And results have worsened in the past decade. Are our brain...

Intel in slide: a chipmaker on the ropes

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Layoffs, suspended dividends, a share price in free fall, a chief executive hustled out the door: Intel is in a bad way. But America needs a chipmakin...

Bye, cell: inside a notorious Syrian prison

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Syrians awoke to a new era, thousands rushed to fling open the dark, filthy prisons where Bashar al-Assad locked up dissenters. Our correspondent f...

Bringing up Bibi: Netanyahu testifies

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For five years the prospect of a criminal prosecution has loomed over Binyamin Netanyahu. Today he becomes the first Israeli prime minister to testify...

Peace from pieces: Syria after Assad

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Bashar al-Assad has been run out, his regime in tatters. As Syrians awaken to a new era, how can they put their broken country back together...

Ashes to Masses: Notre Dame’s stunning return

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many thought a five-year timeline was too ambitious. But even as France’s politics falls apart, it has managed to put the cathedral back together wi...

Michel shock: France’s government falls

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An alliance of the far right and the left has sacked Prime Minister Michel Barnier; out goes his budget and the government. Can President Emmanuel Mac...

Dark side of the Yoon: South Korea’s chaos

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The country’s increasingly unpopular president, Yoon Suk Yeol, backed down six hours after his shocking move of imposing martial law. South Korea’...

Talk to EU later: Georgia’s fiery protests

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The country has been turning increasingly away from Europe and towards Russia—but a halt to EU-accession talks has sparked enormous demonstrations. ...

Shock and thaw: Syria’s frozen war resumes

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The country’s civil war never ended—it became a fragile stalemate that fell out of the news. A surprise rebel advance reveals how the war’s inte...

Milei’s way: Argentina’s president, a year on

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In an interview with Javier Milei, our correspondent probes how far the “anarcho-capitalist” president plans to push his promise to slash spending...

A losing battle: Sudan’s elusive peace deal

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As civil war rages in the country, millions of people have been displaced and famine is widespread. Why won’t the warring parties join talks to end ...

Moment of truce: a ceasefire in the Middle East

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This morning, a deal halting fighting between Israel and Lebanon for 60 days came into effect. Our correspondent considers if that can hold, and what ...

Legally bombed: Trump cases dropped

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump had been facing a swathe of lawsuits this year. Now he has won a second term in office, the cases against him are falling away. Why welln...

Scandal in the wind: Adani’s indictment could hurt Modi

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gautam Adani is one of India’s richest men, whose fortunes are closely aligned to those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What will the political ram...

Assisted dying: why Britain should back a change

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should people have the right to choose how they die? Though many Britons support the principle, a vote on assisted dying in the House of Commons may f...

All for one: Donald Trump and his key Musketeer

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What will the world’s richest man do in the White House? Our correspondent analyses the political and ideological role Elon Musk could play in Donal...

Up and atom: can Trump stop Iranian nukes?

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump tore up America’s nuclear deal with Iran in his first term. What will he do when he becomes president again? The pushy tactics China’...

Rio brand: why Brazil is courting China

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trade ties between the two countries have been increasing for over a decade. The election of Donald Trump for a second term means the relationship cou...

The long game: how will US missiles help Ukraine?

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America feared that letting Ukraine use US weapons to attack far-off targets in Russia would escalate the conflict. Why has President Joe Biden finall...

Kyiv calm and carry on: Trump’s win may benefit Ukraine

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump admires Vladimir Putin’s strongman style and has failed to condemn his invasion of Ukraine. So why do some people in Kyiv think Trump’...

The Peking order: Can China’s army surpass the US?

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

China is enacting a rapid project of military modernisation. Though in some areas its forces are already stronger than America, that does not mean Chi...

Needs Musk: Donald Trump’s new appointments

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A week after Donald Trump won a decisive victory in the presidential election, he is making appointments to his new White House. What do they tell us ...

Parting Scholz: what next for Germany?

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when Russia is making gains in Ukraine and Donald Trump has been re-elected as president, Europe needs strong leadership. Instead, Germany’...

Some like it hot: could Trump derail climate talks?

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last time Donald Trump was president he pulled America out of the Paris climate agreement. What is on the agenda at COP29, as world leaders meet after...

Look at who’s talking: divining Trump’s Middle East plans

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump will inherit a tangle of conflicts in the Middle East; will he deliver on his promise to “stop the wars”? That will depend on who has...

Do the after math: how Trump won

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The American presidential election delivered a mercifully quick and decisive outcome. Our data editor explains why such a tight-seeming race was likel...

Don of a new age: Trump’s decisive win

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the end America got a swift and decisive call as to the next president: Donald Trump. We invite the hosts of “Checks and Balance”, our subscrib...

Election results: a brief message from John Prideaux

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon are on today's edition of The Intelligence with their take on the election results so far. To liste...

Vote! Our election-day special

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America and the world hold their proverbial breath for what has become a dead heat. Our special episode explains how the vote works and how the count ...

Last-ditch pitch: America’s campaigns conclude

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Both campaigns have racked up air miles covering the swing states that will decide America’s knife-edge election. We take a measure of things one da...

Turn up the PA: the last in our swing-state series

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our series concludes with an examination of the state with the most electoral-college votes: Pennsylvania. It is practically a must-win for either can...

Tax driver: Labour’s budget

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves’s first budget as chancellor of the exchequer saw the biggest tax rises in decades, as well as promises of high spending and investmen...

Hot shot: the wider promise of weight-loss jabs

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

First they treated diabetes. Then obesity. Now GLP-1 drugs are being tested on a range of other diseases too. Though the US economy is roaring, many A...

Ukraine reaction: Russia deploys North Koreans

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Russia is advancing in Ukraine, has more troops and more weapons. In Kyiv and beyond, questions are being raised about the future. Why does America ma...

Timed bombs: Israel’s pre-election attack on Iran

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Israel has been expected to attack Iran for weeks. Why was the assault at the weekend more limited than some expected? How Artificial Intelligence cou...

The Weekend Intelligence: The Apology

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The subject of reparations - making amends for wrongs, is a topic which has been building momentum over the past decade. And last week it was especial...

Follow the leader: who will run Hamas?

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is a vacuum at the top of Hamas following the killing of the militant group’s commander in Gaza. Our correspondent tells us about two of the m...

Coming up Trump: our election model puts Harris behind

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The two American presidential candidates have been neck and neck. But this week, the Economist’s forecast model noted a shift towards Donald Trump. ...

Left field: a new force in German politics

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our correspondent interviews Sahra Wagenknecht, the popular leftist whose eponymous political party is now making the political weather in Germany. Ho...

Marching borders: what was Hizbullah’s plan?

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Israel is planning to strike Iran within days, even as its wars in Lebanon and Gaza deepen. Our correspondent reports from the Lebanese border, where ...

Spies isn’t everything: Putin’s global-chaos machine

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Aggression, election-meddling, “psychological destabilisation”: Russia’s leader is sowing chaos like never before. We ask what power the West ha...

Leaderless: the death of Yahya Sinwar

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7th attacks, is dead. What does that mean for Hamas, for a ceasefire in Gaza and for regional stability mo...

Shoal searching: the South China sea simmers

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A constellation of islands, reefs and rock-piles has been the source of disputes for decades. As a new phase in the conflict begins, how to calm thing...

Your money for a run? Campaign finance in America

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris has proven to be an enormous draw for campaign donors. But the size of a candidate’s war chest influences the outcome much less than i...

Keir eye for the FDI: an interview with Britain’s PM

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our correspondent sits down with Keir Starmer on the sidelines of a conference dedicated to drawing much-needed investment. We examine the prime minis...

One giant, cheap for mankind: SpaceX’s Starship

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The fifth test flight of the absolutely enormous Starship went entirely to plan, returning everything to Earth for reuse and heralding a new era of bi...

Labour’s love lost: Keir Starmer’s first 100 days

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Britain’s Labour Party came to power promising to restore order and stability. Our correspondent explains whether its rocky start exposes a bigger p...

Paradise lost: Hurricane Milton bashes Florida

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Global warming is increasing the intensity of storms like the one that just hit Florida. Our correspondent explains the science. In a week of reflecti...