Economist Podcasts

Support systems: allies debate Ukraine’s tactics

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As progress on the front line slows, Western countries are divided over how the army should proceed. There are disagreements about where should be tar...

Refresh your feed: introducing Economist Podcasts+

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For 17 years, The Economist has brought you a host of brilliant shows. Now we are taking that even further. But to bring you even more of the content ...

Chilean effect: the 50th anniversary of the coup

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On September 11th 1973, president Salvador Allende shot himself in the head after being overthrown in a coup, giving rise to the violent rule of Gener...

Midnight train to Moscow: Kim Jong Un cosies up with Russia

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a rare trip outside of the hermit state, it seems the dictator is planning to meet with Vladimir Putin. With the prospect of an arms deal on the ta...

Preparing for the long war: an interview with President Zelensky

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the counter-offensive continues, Ukrainian forces are running out of time to make substantial gains. Diplomatic attempts to isolate Russia have fai...

Moves over: American house prices

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The highest interest rates in years should lead to a fall in house prices. But peculiarities of America’s mortgage market are driving them up. Egg-f...

A messy oil change: Nigeria’s fraught reforms

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Axing generous fuel subsidies was just one necessary reform promised by Bola Tinubu. A hundred days into the president’s term, we examine his ideas ...

Show and sell: Amazon v Hollywood

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The retail behemoth is splashing tremendous amounts of cash on streaming content; critics are unimpressed with the outcomes. But Amazon may have the b...

Upping arms: the new three-way nuclear race

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The calculus of the cold war is back, but there are new variables in the equation—namely China’s growing arsenal. We look at how three-way deterre...

Held fire: America’s murder rate slips

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The absolute numbers remain troubling but a close look at statistics reveals that, across American cities, fewer people are being killed. Th...

Paranoia politics: a Tunisian lesson in demagoguery

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The president is using racist hate-mongering as both a rallying tool and a distraction mechanism. It is the oldest trick in the autocrat playbook and ...

Going, going… Gabon: another African coup

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Putsches in Africa are becoming more common and there appears to be a trend. Are there more to come and is there any hope of restoring democracy? Leba...

Game of drones: can Ukraine pull ahead?

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Three months into the counteroffensive, the military is reaping the fruits of several months of drone development. But as the war continues, will it b...

Teutonic plague: is Germany the sick man of Europe?

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Owing to a host of deep-rooted economic and political challenges, it could be the only G7 economy to contract this year. How might it turn the tide? M...

Going non-nuclear: East Asia’s changing families

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Japan to South Korea, from China to Taiwan, family structures are becoming less traditional. More premarital cohabitation, single parenthood and ...

Fellow-BRICS road: a club expands

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The alliance was always based more on common fortunes than common interests. We ask what to make of the six new members, and whether the bloc’s motl...

Flight of the long knives: Prigozhin’s reported death

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

History would suggest that the crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane was an assassination. Our correspondent considers what the supposed death of the W...

Vote with no confidence: Zimbabwe goes to the polls

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Arranging friendly media coverage, giving handouts to voters, stifling opposition rallies: once again the country’s ruling party has put its thumb o...

Home groan: China’s housing-sector crisis

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Once again, fears are ripping through the industry—this time starting from a firm once thought too big to fail. In an economy so dependent on houseb...

Latin lessons: two contrasting elections

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ecuador and Guatemala faced similar preoccupations with violence and corruption—one of Ecuador’s candidates was assassinated on the campaign trail...

Gun-shy: why Niger’s coup stands, for now

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For weeks, the regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to undo the putsch by force. But appetite for a military response—the ultimate deterrent in a cou...

Make ore break: Latin America’s commodities

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The region is home to most of the world’s known lithium. Given the mineral’s usefulness in batteries and electric vehicles, could it be on the cus...

Through the fire: an update from Hawaii

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the death toll surpasses 100, we report from Maui where fires have ravaged the island in the deadliest American wildfire in over a century. Why was...

“Witch hunt”, Part Four: Trump indicted, again

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The former president has been hit with a new set of charges, under a catch-all racketeering act that has been used to prosecute everyone from rappers ...

West-siding story? Turkey’s tactical shift

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite cosying up with Russia and accusing America of trying to topple him, the newly re-elected president now appears to be flirting with old allies...

In the big leagues now: Saudi Arabia’s push into sport

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman says a presence in top-level global sport is one route to modernising; critics call the effort a distraction from the...

Taken too soon: why so many Americans die young

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An appalling record compared with much of the rich world is not just down to drugs and guns. We ask what changes, both in policy and philosophy, might...

Trust the processor: America’s CHIPS Act one year on

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Big-money legislation to bring microprocessor manufacturing to the country is off to a reasonable start—but dominance of the industry is and will pr...

Bloc can tackle? ECOWAS and Niger’s coup

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Economic Community of West African States may yet try to restore President Mohamed Bazoum militarily. Either way, Niger’s status as a bulwark ag...

Back to front: visiting Ukraine’s firing line

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As diplomatic efforts played out in Saudi Arabia our correspondent recounts travels along the nearly unbroken front line of the war—finding frustrat...

Too big tech: is Alphabet approaching a growth ceiling?

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the tech giant approaches its 25-year anniversary, there are questions of just how much more it can possibly grow. Investors are used to stratosphe...

Industrial waste: the world’s misguided manufacturing policies

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The industrial arms race is on. For many political reasons, countries with the means are throwing billions of dollars into local industries. But when ...

Big-claims court: Donald Trump’s latest indictment

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The former American president is facing a new set of unprecedented legal challenges linked to his claims that he won the 2020 election. These charges ...

Strong arms: North Korea’s pandemic era weapons program

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The country is not new to seclusion, but under the aegis of the pandemic, Kim Jong Un tightened borders even more. His regime has enjoyed the extra co...

Putsched out: Niger’s coup d’état

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Following years of military takeovers in the region, Niger is the West’s last solid ally in the Sahel. But with this coup, and growing alignment wit...

Trading criminality for autocracy: El Salvador

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a brutal roundup of young men by a wildly p...

With a grain assault: a deal abandoned

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s axeing of the Black Sea grain deal reveals a war machine running out of options. We explore how to get the deal back on track. A month-long...

Forewarned before armed: how to predict war

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Military types need not wait until mass movements of troops to know a conflict is coming. We examine a raft of subtle and not-so-subtle market moves t...

Squash court: Israel’s controversial law reform

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A seemingly small change to the Supreme Court’s powers to adjudicate “reasonableness” represents a significant risk to the country’s democrati...

Small-Vox symptoms: Spain’s elections

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After no party won a majority, forming a government may take weeks—or another election. But predictions that Vox, a far-right party, might enter gov...

Palace intrigue: the Kremlin after the mutiny

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It has been a month since the head of the Wagner group led a march on Moscow. Although it failed, Putin appears considerably weaker. What does this me...

Runaway soldier: American detained in North Korea

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Little is known about why he fled across the border into the hermit kingdom, but securing his release will require some tactical diplomacy. Given the ...

Model growth: Tesla’s ambitious plans

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The carmaker, which reports results today, is still celebrating impressive growth and its boss has even bigger plans for it. But with the threat of fa...

Charming the prince: Biden seeks a deal with Saudi Arabia

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

America is keen to mend the relationship between the Gulf state and Israel, but Muhammad bin Salman has hefty demands. Is the deal worth the price? As...

Cruel summer: heatwaves rage across the world

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Europe, America and Asia are all enduring scorching heatwaves, air temperatures are repeatedly breaking records and the health impacts are alarming. B...

Mass destruction: is the Ethiopian government covering up war crimes?

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The burning of burial grounds in the northern region of the country suggests that authorities are destroying evidence. If these claims are proven true...

Second thoughts: Donald Trump’s policy plans

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When he was last elected, many were surprised, even in his own camp. This time around, his backers are taking no such chances. We take a closer look a...

AI-pocalypse: predicting the threat from artificial intelligence

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wiping out a tenth of the world? Possible. Wiping out all of humanity? Less likely, but not entirely impossible. We examine how two groups of experts ...

Rutte, damn: the Dutch prime minister steps down

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Rutte is stepping down after leading the Netherlands for 13 years. Despite his renowned political survival skills, our correspondent explains why...

States, disunited: the controversy around cluster bombs

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite considerable opposition from allies in NATO, America has agreed to send them to Ukraine. The highly controversial munitions could speed up Ukr...

I spy: meeting Ukraine’s intelligence chief

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We sit down with Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s youngest-ever spymaster. He is intense, resolute—and oddly charismatic. A world of electrified transpor...

Clone wars: Meta’s Threads takes on Twitter

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If there is one thing Facebook’s parent company does well, it is aping other social-media features and platforms—and it is a propitious time to st...

Group dynamics: Wagner in Africa

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Its leader is in exile and its future is uncertain. But the Wagner Group will be loth to abandon the influence and the cashflow that its murky African...

Break camp: Israel’s West Bank raids

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The so-called refugee camp in the city of Jenin has been subject to raids for months—and a hotspot for militants for decades. We ask what set things...

Riot-geared: the tensions behind France’s unrest

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The killing of a teenager in a Paris suburb has ignited national unrest. We ask what is driving the disquiet, and what it means for a president squeez...

Hot to trot: the up sides of climate migration

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mass movements of people expected as climate change progresses are often depicted as catastrophes-in-waiting. We visit Niger, where that shift has beg...

Antitrust, the process: America’s competition cops

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s court battle involving Microsoft and Activision, giants of tech and gaming, reflects a sea change under way in America’s trustbusting ...

Juan way, or another? Argentina’s election

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, leftist policies first espoused by Juan Perón have dominated the country’s politics. But as electioneering begins it is clear that ram...

Belarusian roulette: a mutiny’s aftermath

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group fighters are said to be welcome in safe-haven Belarus. We ask how Aleksandr Lukashenko, the country’s puppet ...

Putin’s chef spoils the broth: mutiny in Russia

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed “Putin’s chef”, leads the Wagner Group of mercenaries fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. He had lambaste...

Pro-life post-Dobbs: America’s anti-abortion campaigns

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the months since America’s Supreme Court gave states the power to ban abortions, those in support of the ruling have become more splintered. And ...

No guarantees: NATO members debate Ukraine’s future

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Members of the alliance are conflicted over the prospect of Ukraine’s membership. In particular, America has changed its mind, and this could affect...

Balancing of Powers: India’s foreign policy

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi is cosying up to America, but not at the expense of valuable relationships with Russia and China. Our correspondent speaks with the coun...

Abodes well? The housing crash that wasn’t

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Much to the chagrin of hopeful first-time buyers, property prices remain stubbornly high across the West. Our correspondent explains why housing is de...

More Blinken meetings: a diplomatic visit to China

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a first since 2018, America’s secretary of state is visiting China amid escalating tensions between both countries. Can diplomats successfully st...

I, of the tiger: India’s influential diaspora

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They lead startups, giant corporations, even countries: people of Indian origin are finding great success outside their home country—and wielding mu...

Guilty party: Boris Johnson’s lies catch up with him

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The investigation into covid-lockdown-era parties during Boris Johnson’s premiership—and his denials of their impropriety—comes to damning concl...

Call of duties: the global costs of war

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Conflict in Ukraine has cut short the “peace dividend” the world was reaping. We count the economic costs of a widespread return to a war footing....

Death of a salesman: Silvio Berlusconi

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Italy’s longest-serving prime minister has died aged 86. He inspired as much derision as devotion, and for all his gaffes and scandals he helped to ...

Gain, wait: Ukraine’s tentative push

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hints of the long campaign ahead are emerging, but all the operations so far are just drawing the eventual, full-scale battle lines. Cheap vaccination...

Charged up: Trump’s latest indictment

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

He is expected to be charged for failing to return classified documents and obstructing justice. The former president denies wrongdoing, and any possi...

No Khan do: Pakistan’s meddling army

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The country’s military is renowned for political overreach. Now, its leaders are taking on former prime minister Imran Khan. Is violent unrest on th...

Not born yesterday: the world’s ageing population

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fertility rates are falling to worrying levels, and an older, smaller, global population is bad news for economic growth. Apple’s new headset could ...

Dam and blast: Ukraine launches counter-offensive

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After months of waiting, probing attacks have begun. A destroyed dam in Kherson suggests that Russia is upping the ante in response. But what else is ...

Trouble in Shangri-La: Sino-American tensions escalate

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At a meeting of defence ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington were all too apparent. A naval spat...

League of her own: Sheikh Hasina’s grip on Bangladesh

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over two decades in office, the prime minister and her Awami League party have overseen impressive growth and reforms in a notoriously corrupt country...

On pain of death: Uganda’s anti-LGBT law

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The country’s homophobes claim that homosexuality is a malign foreign import; in reality it was anti-LGBT groups from abroad who helped lay the grou...

Debtors’ prism: mounting crises of Africa’s loans

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of the continent’s economies are hamstrung by debt—much of it held internationally. We look at the growing need for closer co-operation betwe...

Cash out: the digital-payments revolution

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The global digital-payments shift is more than just a matter of convenience. We examine the cashlessness push in different economies and potential eff...

Poor more years! Erdogan triumphs in Turkey

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again retained the presidency. We ask how the best chance in a generation to unseat him came unstuck—and what to expect fro...

Russian lessons: new and improved war tactics

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From infantry to air defences and even electronic warfare, improved strategies and engineering could threaten Ukraine’s counter-offensive plans. How...

A Ron turn: DeSantis’s disastrous announcement

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a glitchy announcement on Twitter, the Florida governor’s campaign is off to a shaky start. And despite strong donor backing, he will struggle...

Still the one that I want: Greece’s prime minister wins again

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Although Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party fell short of a majority in parliament, meaning there will be a second vote, the incumbent prime minister did mu...

Narcos and avocados: Mexico’s diversifying drug cartels

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In attempts to amass more wealth, these organisations are dabbling in newer narcotics and even taking on the mining sector. The result is taking a tol...

Raise the roof? America’s debt-ceiling debacle

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, the president will meet with the Republican leader in the house of representatives to try and prevent the country from defaulting. But what if ...

The Economist: Kissinger on avoiding world war

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Henry Kissinger was one of the most influential and controversial diplomats of the 20th century. He was National Security Advisor and Secretary of Sta...

Shining armour: China’s new fleet

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last couple of decades, the state has been making significant investments into its armed forces in an attempt to challenge America’s domina...

In from the cold: Assad’s diplomatic redemption

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow, Syria’s president will be welcomed back into the Arab League as regional leaders meet in Jeddah. Is this the dictator’s first step in a ...

Better call Kissinger: an interview with the renowned diplomat

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a conversation that lasted eight hours over two days, the statesman discussed paths to peace in Ukraine, his evolving view on their NATO membership...

New school Thais: a military establishment voted out

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Largely thanks to young, liberal citizens, a reformist third party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election. But a powerful army and influe...

Changing the Guard? Turkey’s inconclusive election

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the opposition’s lead in the pre-election polls, the incumbent president seems to have performed better than expected. What does a run-off m...

Suck in the middle: the hole in America’s consumer base

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The past few years have proved tumultuous both for American consumers and for retailers selling to them. The end result is a curious slump for middle-...

Autocrat v bureaucrat: Turkey’s crucial vote

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It is probably this year’s most important election—and for the first time in a long time, the country’s strongman leader has a plausible adversa...

A scratch in the Teflon: Trump’s sexual-battery loss

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A jury unanimously found Donald Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation. We examine his first major legal loss. Thailand’s opposition looks s...

Ukraine 2.0: a revealing visit to Kyiv

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our Russia and defence editors travelled to the capital, finding a city largely back to normal. They ask both civilians and the country’s top brass ...

Good, bad and ugly: the Taliban and Afghanistan

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Their return to rule is unequivocally bad for the country’s women and girls. But wholesale collapse has not come and some aspects of government have...

Another season of the crown: the coronation of Charles III

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

He has been king since September; now it is time for the pomp. We examine the modern monarchy—and the ancient frippery of coronations. Despite prior...

Difference between right and Ron: DeSantis miscalculates

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Florida’s governor has made a headline-grabbing rightward lurch as part of a presumed bid for the White House. But both Mr DeSantis’s critics and ...

Another think coming? An AI pioneer steps down

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Geoffrey Hinton, a legend of artificial-intelligence research, wants to be able to speak his mind about the technology’s risks. We ask whether those...

Re-route of all evil: transnational crime and Ukraine’s war

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Criminal networks have had to reorganise since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with knock-on effects from Afghanistan to the Andes. We take a look at ...