Economist Podcasts
Episodes
The Intelligence: Redoubled agents
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A slew of spycraft mishaps might suggest Russia’s once-great intelligence services have hopelessly decayed. Do not be fooled: the spooks are back, a...
The Intelligence: If Beijing had a ballot
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some within China might prefer another Donald Trump presidency while others might favour Joe Biden. On balance, though: from there, neither option loo...
The Intelligence: Horn under a bad sign
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The birth rate of unicorns—firms with a valuation north of $1bn—has plummeted, and prior investors in them are eyeing what exits exist. We ask why...
The Intelligence: Coming to a Nikki end
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a 20-point primary walloping in South Carolina, the state she governed for eight years, Nikki Haley vowed to fight on against Donald Trump for t...
The Intelligence: Ukraine’s war, two years on
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this roundtable discussion our editors examine how the past year has progressed, discuss how things may go over the next year and consider a few fu...
The Intelligence: No water, no lights, no beds
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hardened war-zone doctors say the situation in Gaza is the worst they have witnessed—and that will cost lives long after the current conflict is res...
Babbage: The hunt for dark matter
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dark matter is thought to make up around a quarter of the universe, but so far it has eluded detection by all scientific instruments. Scientists know ...
The Intelligence: I’m your private lander, a lander for money
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If it succeeds—and that is no sure thing—this week’s soft landing of Odysseus will be the first by a private firm. We examine the prospects and ...
The Intelligence: Faith-based reeling
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
China’s firms are shedding value at pace and foreign investors are starting to look elsewhere. We ask why faith is fading in a market that once look...
The Intelligence: Russia after Navalny
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At last President Vladimir Putin’s regime has succeeded in silencing the country’s most prominent opposition figure. What happens next? Demand for...
The Weekend Intelligence: One day in the life of Alexei Navalny
17 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Alexei Navalny flew back to Russia in 2021 he never made it through passport control. In an excerpt from Next Year in Moscow, The Economist’s s...
The Intelligence: Out-of-this-world war
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is not science fiction. Space is already a part of modern warfare and as technology advances, it will be an even more crucial sphere. What will e...
The Intelligence: A former general, elected in Indonesia
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prabowo Subianto stormed to victory in the world’s largest single-day election. But critics say his presidency could jeopardise two decades of democ...
The Intelligence: Split bill
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After an all-nighter, a $95bn foreign aid bill for Ukraine and other allies passed the US Senate. But amid much division, it may not even make it to a...
Drum Tower: The sounds of old Beijing
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In some ways, Beijing now sounds like a lot of other mega cities. Yet, back in imperial times, sound was used in creative ways to display wealth, to c...
The Intelligence: Undoing PiS poor laws
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Tusk’s predecessors in the hard-right PiS party captured the state and compromised its checks and balances. The newly-elected centrist party ...
The Intelligence: Troubled waters
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Squabbles over the seas and their tributary waterways are becoming more tense as rivalries deepen and the climate changes. How should the West prepare...
Checks and Balance: Strike accord
10 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
America has launched strikes against Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East, in response to an attack on a base in Jordan where three US troops di...
The Intelligence: General dynamics
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As had long been telegraphed, Ukraine’s top general Valery Zaluzhny is now out; Oleksandr Syrsky is in. That marks a new phase in the war, and an op...
The Intelligence: Going for broker
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our correspondent is travelling with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on yet another gruelling tour of the Middle East trying to broker peace...
The Intelligence: At a crossroads (really)
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In one of this year’s largest votes, Indonesia will elect a new president in one week’s time; this time the sanctity and future of its democracy a...
The Intelligence: They thought it was Sall over
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, has said he would not stand again. So what to make of the move to delay the election until December? Our correspond...
The Intelligence: Strikes, a careful balance
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dozens of air strikes in Iraq, Syria and Yemen were designed to show American resolve without themselves provoking a deeper conflict. We ask what happ...
The Intelligence: Will Apple’s customers share its Vision?
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, Microsoft briefly overtook the iPhone maker as the world’s most valuable company. As Apple’s core business slows, could the launch of ...
The Intelligence: Vietnam’s golden opportunity
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The populous South-East Asian country is uniquely well-positioned to benefit from the deepening rift between America and China, so what’s stopping i...
The Intelligence: Indonesia’s election, more TikTok than tick-box
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Campaigning for a coming election in the world’s fourth-most-populous country has been almost entirely policy-free: a good social-media presence is ...
Drum Tower: Competing for kids
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
China’s decades-long economic boom was powered by workers who migrated from the countryside to cities to find jobs. But to do so, many of them had t...
The Intelligence: China’s ever grander property crisis
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the country’s biggest property companies, Evergrande, has been crippled by its debt. What does a new court order mean for prospective homebuy...
The Intelligence: Iran increases the stakes in the Middle East
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Iran-backed proxies have killed three American soldiers and injured dozens of others in their weekend strike. A response from the Pentagon seems inevi...
The Weekend Intelligence: Digital Ghosts
27 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As life moves progressively online, it is becoming increasingly possible to keep people alive in the digital sense. Tech companies are starting to use...
The Intelligence: Milei’s laborious reforms
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, Argentina’s labour unions have seemed like they can’t be touched. But the country’s new radical, libertarian president is daring to...
The Intelligence: what AI could mean for the world’s poorest
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Generative artificial intelligence dominated conversations at Davos this year. How might education and healthcare be transformed as the technology rea...
Babbage: Sam Altman and Satya Nadella on their vision for AI
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI and Microsoft are leaders in generative artificial intelligence (AI). OpenAI has built GPT-4, one of the world’s most sophisticated large lan...
The Intelligence: Donald trumps Haley in New Hampshire
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
His decisive victory demonstrates just how much of a hold he still has on the Republican party, but his last remaining competitor is not bowing out ju...
The Intelligence: is Germany al[t]right?
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party represents a growing anti-immigrant rhetoric in the country, but people are taking to the streets in their tho...
The Intelligence: Ron down, two left
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
He went from being the most viable challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, to endorsing him. Our US editor opines on why Ron DeSanti...
The Intelligence: the relentless audacity of Alexei Navalny
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The ominous disappearance of Russia’s opposition leader led many to fear the worst. But he has turned up in an Arctic penal colony—his message of ...
Money Talks: Europe’s luxury crown
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
European firms dominate the global luxury landscape, accounting for two-thirds of sales and nine of the ten most valuable luxury brands. A strong emph...
The Intelligence: The darkness before the Don
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of America’s business leaders reckon a second Trump term would be worse for them and for the economy than the first was—not that they’re sp...
The Intelligence: Gaza’s ever-graver crisis
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A tentative aid deal in Gaza is just a sliver of what is needed; hunger and disease may well claim more Palestinian lives this year than the military ...
The Intelligence: The CCP would like chips with that
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
China’s flip-flopping on video-game regulation reveals a messy message: leaders want to encourage “hard tech” such as chips and AI over the cons...
The Intelligence: Independents’ day
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Taiwan’s election of William Lai Ching-te of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is sure to annoy leaders in Beijing; we ask what to e...
The Intelligence: Air strikes on Houthi rebels
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
America and its allies delivered on a threat to retaliate against Houthi rebels in Yemen who have been targeting Red Sea ships. How far will the escal...
The Intelligence: Growing, no pains
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
America seems to be in a best-of-worlds scenario: growth is outpacing expectations even as inflation keeps falling—how will the party end? This week...
The Intelligence: Emmanuel override
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gabriel Attal, France’s youthful new prime minister, represents President Emmanuel Macron’s renewed push to pass policy reforms and to counter a r...
Drum Tower: Taiwan goes to the polls
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
China is watching Taiwan’s next presidential race closely. The results will influence Xi Jinping’s next steps when it comes to resolving the “Ta...
The Intelligence: Country code
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As with many technologies that preceded it, generative artificial intelligence is increasingly viewed as a means to geopolitical advantage: welcome to...
The Intelligence: If a tree falls in the Amazon
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our correspondents travel through the rainforest, seeing the pollution and clear-cutting firsthand. Establishing the rule of law first requires a dece...
Checks and Balance: Biden or bust
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Biden’s chances against Donald Trump in November do not look good. He is unpopular and his age puts many Americans off. How did it come to this?...
The Intelligence: The city that never slipped
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From Brexit to covid-19, nothing has yet stymied London’s successes. The city has its problems, but it remains a paragon of policymaking. In the las...
The Intelligence: Workers of the world, delight!
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Labour markets are changing in all kinds of ways, thanks to ageing societies, hot-running economies and technological boosts. It all adds up to a gold...
The Intelligence: the killing of a Hamas leader
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Saleh al-Arouri has long been a high-priority target for Israel and his death could weaken the Palestinian militant group. However, it could also draw...
The Intelligence: Volodymyr Zelensky on Ukraine’s year ahead
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Vladimir Putin promises to intensify Russia’s attacks, Mr Zelensky is frustrated at the wavering support from the West. Speaking to The Economist...
The Intelligence: 2024 is a big year for democracy
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Citizens across more than 70 countries will be heading to the polls over the next twelve months. It’s a record year for voting, but how democratic w...
The Intelligence: the notable deaths of 2023
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Only at the end of the year can a full appraisal be made of the figures—and landmarks—that the world has lost. From Harry Belafonte to Henry Kissi...
The Intelligence: The Economist reads
28 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke tell us about AI? Does Shakespeare's Othello contain a warning for the 2024 US presidential election? Our ...
The Intelligence: The Economist explains
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On our website and in our app, “The Economist explains” is one of the best-read features. Today we invite a few of their authors to keep explainin...
The Intelligence: who wins The Economist’s country of the year?
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Which country improved the most this year? Nominations poured in from across the editorial department, and the competition was tough, but who came out...
The Intelligence: searching for the elixir of life
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists are making considerable progress in the race to slow the ageing process of our cells, and in turn, our bodies. But what would living for lo...
Money Talks: There’s no business like it
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We raise the curtain on the business of New York’s iconic theatre district. Broadway has been struggling with rising costs and falling sales since t...
The Intelligence: Alice Weidel’s alternative plan for Germany
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our Berlin bureau chief sits down with the increasingly popular co-leader of the Alternative for Germany, the furthest-right of the country’s seven ...
Babbage: Science book club
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Books are the original medium for communicating science to the masses. In a holiday special, producer Kunal Patel asks Babbage’s family of correspon...
The Intelligence: Colorado blocks Donald Trump’s candidacy
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The state’s supreme court has ruled that he cannot appear on the Republican primary ballot, citing insurrection and a constitutional amendment. It’...
The Intelligence: Congo’s election
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a dubious win in 2018, Felix Tshisekedi is running for office again in the Democratic Republic of Congo – and an incumbency bias could work in...
The Intelligence: Red (Sea) alert
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In response to the war in Gaza, Iran-backed Houthi militants are attacking vessels along the key shipping route. If it continues, the consequences cou...
The Weekend Intelligence: MH17 and the battle for truth
16 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For almost a decade The Economist’s Noah Sneider has been following the story of MH17, the passenger plane shot down over Eastern Ukraine on July 17...
The Intelligence: Zelensky’s plea
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping to secure more aid from Washington. But the decision rests with a divided Congress. What does this mean for the next phas...
The Intelligence: is America’s media fair?
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
News outlets are often hounded by the right for being too left-leaning. Our data show there might be something to that, but the reasons why are more c...
The Intelligence: good COP, bad COP?
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a landmark agreement, nearly 200 nations have agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. However, that is not the same as phasing them out. Has t...
The Intelligence: Antisemitism and freedom of speech
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, debate at America’s top academic institutions has turned sour. Now, the issue has reignited an ...
The Intelligence: French fly, catch up
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our correspondent joins the French air force on a mission in the Baltics, seeing increasing support for NATO just as the country draws down in Africa....
The Intelligence: America’s culture wars brought to bears
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the American West, grizzly bears are spreading—and fights over protecting them under the Endangered Species Act test the frontiers between scienc...
The Intelligence: Putin’s growing advantage
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even before America’s tussle over funding Ukraine’s war effort, it seemed as if Russia was gaining the upper hand—by exploiting Ukraine’s wide...
The Intelligence: No more Mr Nice-to-Guyana
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By the numbers, the outcome seems clear: Venezuelans voted to annex much of newly minted petrostate Guyana. But our correspondent says the referendum ...
Drum Tower: Stand-up feminists
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tickets for “Nvzizhuyi”—a monthly stand-up comedy show in New York City— often sell out in less than a minute. The show invites Chinese citize...
The Intelligence: I spy, with my Valley eye
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The cradle of American technology was once known for its libertarian values—but as law-enforcement agencies seek more means of surveillance, Silicon...
The Intelligence: Israel pushes south in Gaza
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As its ground offensive appears to be expanding, Israel is acutely aware that time and international support will run out; we examine its impossible s...
The Weekend Intelligence: A nation on a knife's edge
02 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Economist's editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, and our Russia and Eastern Europe editor, Arkady Ostrovsky, return to Kyiv to to find out if cr...
The Intelligence: meeting Ukraine’s first lady
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Olena Zelenska foresees a time when her family can regain a quiet life. Our editor-in-chief sits down with her to discuss her mental-health campaign a...
The Intelligence: Henry Kissinger’s legacy
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The doyen of diplomacy has died, leaving a complex legacy. Following extensive interviews with him earlier this year, our deputy editor examines what ...
The Intelligence: Swede demons
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Drug-related shootings and bombings are on the rise. Policies are changing and law-enforcement budgets rising, but stemming the violence is proving po...
The Intelligence: as Zuck would have it
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The singular focus on the metaverse of Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s boss, fretted investors. But in the past year he has pulled off a spectacularly timel...
The Intelligence: eyewitness to slaughter in Sudan
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our correspondent speaks with the Africa head of the Red Cross who has borne witness to the war, famine and genocide that continue—unrelenting and l...
The Intelligence: Land of the rising sums
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Look past short-term stumbles: there are plenty of reasons to think Japan may spin out of its decades-long deflationary spiral. But how to avoid anoth...
Money Talks: Play it again, Sam Altman
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In five days OpenAI’s boss was fired by its board; hired by Microsoft, the startup’s biggest investor; and returned to his post at OpenAI. Yet thi...
The Intelligence: a far-right victory in the Netherlands
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Geert Wilders campaigned on leaving the European Union, closing the borders, and even suggested banning Islam. The Dutch surprisingly voted for him an...
Babbage: Fei-Fei Li on how to really think about the future of AI
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A year ago, the public launch of ChatGPT took the world by storm and it was followed by many more generative artificial intelligence tools, all with r...
The Intelligence: Israel and Hamas’s hostage deal
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After weeks of negotiations, Hamas has agreed to release some hostages. In exchange, there will be a four-day pause in fighting. But then what? Americ...
The Intelligence: Sam Altman and the divide in the AI world
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is still unclear why the board of OpenAI fired him last week, but hundreds of staff are revolting anyway. The debacle reveals a sizeable rift betwe...
The Intelligence: can Milei cure malaise in Argentina?
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
He is a self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist” and in a run-off, the people have entrusted this political firebrand to shake the country out of econ...
Checks and Balance: Year all about it
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If the election were held tomorrow, Donald Trump would probably be the favourite to win. How should we be thinking about the race with a year to...
The Intelligence: Yes, Trump could win again
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Were America’s presidential election to be held today, Donald Trump would probably win. We examine the winds shifting in his favour, and how the Bid...
The Intelligence: on the ground in Gaza
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There is little left, in terms of people or infrastructure, in the north of the strip. Our correspondent, embedded with the Israel Defence Forces, con...
The Intelligence: antisemitism in France
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the European country with both the largest Jewish and largest Muslim populations, a rise in antisemitic acts brings particular perils; we examine t...
The Intelligence: putting a Dave face on it
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Former prime minister David Cameron is back from the political wilderness—and his appointment as foreign secretary reveals much about the state of t...
The Intelligence: Kherson, one year later
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a grinding and lethal eight-month battle, Ukraine’s forces retook the port city a year ago. Our correspondent visits, finding a populace both ...
The Intelligence: how strong is the Chinese military?
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Miscalculating the prowess of the People’s Liberation Army is dangerous. Overestimating it could cause unnecessary confrontation, but underestimatin...
Money Talks: Touring America’s industrial revival
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act promised $370bn for green infrastructure and industry. It has spurred a surge in massive construction ...
The Intelligence: higher-for-longer interest rates
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Economists have stopped waiting for interest rates to drop because it doesn’t seem to be coming. The upward pressure on long-term bond yields sugges...
The Intelligence: Asia’s transnational crime gangs
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A high-profile money-laundering case in Singapore with links to Chinese gamblers has shed light on a broader web of organised crime across the region....