Economist Podcasts
Episodes
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 ...
Long shots: the complex nature of civil wars
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change is stirring up internecine conflicts, criminality is making them longer, and cross-border contagion is complicating matters further. We...
Without reserves: Bolivia faces an economic crisis
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
AS A GAS // As a gas producer, the state was able to build up enormous reserves. But failing to pivot when global prices fell has created debt, a doll...
Rising Starmer: An interview with Britain’s opposition leader
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the country prepares to go to the polls next year, The Economist sits down with the leader of the Labour Party. Could Sir Keir Starmer’s agenda r...
One Good Term Deserves Another: Biden Declares
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
He made the same announcement on the same day four years ago and went on to win. But this time, the President is older and less popular. Could he be e...
Brazilian balancing act: Lula’s foreign policy plans
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ATTEMPTS TO MAINTAIN // Attempts to maintain a neutral stance on the invasion of Ukraine, while also buddying up with China, are sending confusing sig...
Khartoum is burning: fighting continues in Sudan
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ceasefires have failed, civilians are fleeing, and there is no end in sight to the fighting. We bring you an update on the escalating conflict. A Ukra...
Tick, Tick, Boom: SpaceX launches Starship
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a historic first, the largest rocket ever assembled managed to get off the ground. But then it exploded midair. We ask if this launch can still be ...
Revolution Song: Myanmar’s unending war
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Deep in the mountains along the Thai border, a bloody civil war rages. Our correspondent gives us rare insight into one of the world’s oldest insurg...
Fighting chance: Ukraine prepares for counter-offensive
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The top-secret plan to pierce Russia’s defenses and reclaim territory could unfold any day now. We ask why this moment, in particular, could prove c...
A cut above the West: America’s astounding economy
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Contrary to the groaning of both Republicans and Democrats, the economy is still the world’s largest. How has this success been sustained? We ask wh...
A tough transition: unrest in Sudan
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clashes in Khartoum have turned deadly as two rival military factions fight for power. As the conflict escalates, a transition to civilian rule could ...
Never-ending storeys: rebuilding Turkey
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It will be years until the country recovers from February’s devastating earthquakes—but progress toward that goal will determine whether President...
Make the world’s money go ‘round: a bunged-up IMF
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The International Monetary Fund is sitting on oodles of cash, but failing to disburse it. We examine why China’s lending practices are putting the I...
File-sharing: America’s huge intelligence leak
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A trove of once-secret documents is proving an embarrassment to both America and its allies, and a danger to Ukraine’s planned counter-offensive. Th...
Hard pact to follow: the Good Friday Agreement at 25
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The famed power-sharing deal did its work of sharply reducing sectarian violence, but a quarter-century on it has led to depressingly dysfunctional po...
Home economics: housing markets’ future
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many people think that with inflation and interest-rate rises abating, the worst effects on housing markets might be over. Not so fast. A study that r...