Economist Podcasts
Episodes
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...
Google’s lurch: how to fix its monopoly
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This summer, an American judge ruled that Google’s search dominance was illegal. Now the Department of Justice has revealed possible solutions. How ...
Climbers (part one): A way out of China
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Necoclí is a tiny town on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Beach bars blast party music and sell brightly-coloured cocktails. But Necoclí is not just a...
General rule: how to reinvent America’s army
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty years ago America was fighting insurgents in Afghanistan and Iran. As state-on-state clashes become more likely, Randy George is the person in ...
Year of destruction: how October 7th shattered the Middle East
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After Hamas militants attacked Israel a year ago, few people predicted how deep and devastating the ensuing conflict in the Middle East would be. The ...
The Weekend Intelligence: Gaza, after the dust settles (republished)
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
*This episode was first published 20/07/24After a year of war in Gaza, people are beginning to discuss the aftermath. Schools, hospitals, the sanitati...
The Weekend Intelligence: Black boxes (part one): Michael Kovrig on how he became a political hostage in China
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One evening, Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, grabbed a late dinner in Beijing with his partner. When they arrived back at his apartment, m...
A key Keystone: the race for Pennsylvania
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whoever wins Pennsylvania will probably win the presidency: according to The Economist’s forecast model it’s the most likely tipping point state. ...
The arc of war: a bloody week in Lebanon
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a matter of weeks the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah has transformed life in Lebanon. Our correspondent reports from the streets of Beirut. ...
Yuan for the money: China stimulates its economy
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After years of slowing growth, the Chinese government is finally attempting to bolster consumer demand, business confidence and the stock market. Our ...
Veep state: the running mates debate
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After JD Vance and Tim Walz squared off against each in last night’s vice-presidential debate, our correspondent assesses their performance – ...
Ground assault: Israeli forces invade Lebanon
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Israeli troops move into Lebanon and missiles strike Damascus in Syria, can Israel’s next offensive really stay “limited, localised and targete...
Beirut force: Israel kills Hizbullah leader
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Yemen this weekend will have implications far beyond the militant groups that were the apparent targets. Our corresp...
The Weekend Intelligence: Crunch time for Ukraine
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine’s President has been in New York this week. With a victory plan in his pocket, he’s been shoring up support at the UN and among Amer...
Woke croaks: “peak woke” has passed
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past decade a form of wokeness arose on the illiberal left, characterised by extreme pessimism about America and its capacity to make progres...
Missile-stop tour: Zelensky in America
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine’s president is again on American shores, trying to secure support of all kinds. He needs it—diplomatically, militarily and politically. Am...
War or less? Lebanon on the brink
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For now, Israel’s moves seem to be posturing, a means to intimidate Hizbullah into backing down. But there remains a prospect of a ground invasion—...
No right left: Afghanistan’s oppressed women
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Even before last month’s revised religious rules, Afghanistan’s women were being crushed under the Taliban’s thumb. Now they cannot even so much...
Shun while it lasted: never-Trumpers’ fading sway
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A handful of Republican leaders have been denouncing Donald Trump since his first presidential campaign. Will the voices of those who remain be heeded...
Bulls’ AI: funding artificial intelligence
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial Intelligence has gained ground so fast that OpenAI, the firm powering ChatGPT, is changing Silicon Valley’s investment model and how it i...
Election rejection: fears of a contested result
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans are already preparing to contest the result if Kamala Harris wins the presidency. American elections demand patience and trust, but with D...
Rocketing: Israel escalates Lebanon conflict
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After Israeli fires rockets into Lebanon and Hizbullah warns of “red lines” crossed, the Middle East is braced for further attacks. As the planet ...
Fed-letter day: at last, a rate cut
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The first reduction in interest rates for four years shows America’s Federal Reserve thinks inflation is now in check. But does the central bank’s...
Pager turn: the Israel-Hizbullah conflict escalates
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The explosion of thousands of pagers across Lebanon and Syria was an attack on Hizbullah, a Shia militant group which had been trying to evade Israeli...
Playing the fuel: reforming Nigeria’s subsidies
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Large fuel subsidies in Nigeria are popular but ruinous to other public services. Our correspondents report from Lagos on how home-grown oil refining ...
Foiled again: a second attempt on Trump
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With less than eight weeks to go to the presidential election, tension is running high after a second probable assassination attempt on Donald Trump. ...
Open to debate: Harris and Trump clash
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday night in Philadelphia Donald Trump and Kamala Harris took part in what might be the only debate between them in this campaign. The race is ...
Come on out, the vacuum’s fine: SpaceX
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Capsule that can withstand vacuum? Check. Low-pressure spacesuit? Check. Space-friendly Doritos? Check. The first spacewalk by private citizens showca...
Chip wreck: Intel is on the rocks
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of America’s stalwart tech giants is on the ropes, having first missed the move to mobile and then the one to AI. We ask what fate awaits it. Ou...
Don wan: Harris keeps Trump tame
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The vice-president turned in a confident if imperfect performance, leaving Donald Trump flustered. But will it change anything? A global shortfall of ...
Mario druthers: Draghi’s plan for Europe
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The EU’s unofficial chief technocrat issued a doorstop of a report outlining how the bloc can boost growth and keep up in a changing world. Is it al...
Plainly reigns but on a plane to Spain: Venezuela’s leader
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nicolás Maduro has stolen an election, again—but this time the rightful winner felt so threatened that he has fled to Spain. We ask what happens ne...
Grand Barnier: France’s new prime minister
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two months ago, French politics was thrown into crisis after a snap election left no party with a clear majority. Michel Barnier, the new prime minist...
Current affairs: how batteries will green the grid
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Though we use more renewable energy than ever before, electricity grids need ways to cope with intermittent wind or solar power. Innovations that make...
Beyond the bullets: we go to Ukraine
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We take a look at the grim conditions in and prospects for the frontlines in the country’s east and north. But not all of the fighting is military i...
The sound of fury: pressure builds within Israel
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The recovery of six hostages from Gaza has provoked mass demonstrations on the streets of Israel and a general strike. But Israel’s government refus...
Extremes come true: Germany’s far-right triumph
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The hard right has taken Germany into uncharted territory, winning one state election and racking up a large share in another. The far left is on the ...
For whom the well tolls: Why we must price water
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Water scarcity is growing even in parts of the world that used to be drought-free. Since most countries waste vast quantities of water, charging...
Nvincible? What could curb Nvidia’s supremacy
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The American chip designer has become one of the world’s most valuable companies on the back of the AI revolution. But there are some contradictions...
Cryptic message: why arrest Telegram’s founder?
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Pavel Durov sits in a French cell waiting to find out if he will be charged, our correspondent probes the links between Telegram and Russia. What c...
Block busters: how Russia flouts sanctions
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since the invasion of Ukraine, the West has deployed massive economic restrictions on Russian trade. So why is Russia’s economy growing? A survivor’...
The chips are down: will diet drugs devour junk food?
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Snack-food companies have long shown their adaptability to changing diets. How could the rise of appetite-suppressing drugs and fears about ultra-proc...
The Weekend Intelligence: The war the world ignores
24 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Weekend Intelligence, Africa correspondent Tom Gardner tells the story of 21st century Sudan. A story bookended by war. Darfur,...
KamaChameleon: What does Harris stand for?
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After an electric week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Kamala Harris now faces the real test in her bid to be president. Can she con...
Electric eye: AI is helping fight terrorists
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Predicting political violence is a painstaking job. Now AI is helping analysts look for clues and throwing up fascinating insights into the shifts tha...
The human strain: can mpox be contained?
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mpox is spreading fast across Africa, yet public information campaigns are scant and vaccines in short supply. Is a new pandemic in the offing? Strate...