The Intelligence from The Economist
Episodes
Truce believers: Rwanda and Congo’s fragile deal
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After decades of conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, last week Donald Trump brokered a truce in the Oval Office. Our corresp...
Going gang-buster: we meet Ecuador’s president
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday’s arrest of a notorious gang leader is a win for Daniel Noboa. He assures our journalists he can beat back rampant transnational gangs wit...
Not-deciding factor: Iran’s supreme leader
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We examine the path of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once a bookish cleric underrated by everyone—including himself. He has hung on to power perhaps in pa...
Stayed in China: a domestic-brand boom
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Western brands used to define cool and luxurious in China. No longer. Now consumers are turning to homegrown brands, some of which are becoming global...
Truce and consequences: a fragile ceasefire in Iran
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Iran’s strikes both before and apparently after a ceasefire began seem to threaten peace. If it holds, what will that mean for Iran’s ambitions, a...
No good options: how Iran will respond
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After America’s strikes intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, one question is whether they succeeded. Another is how Iran will respond; al...
Hurry up and wait: Trump’s choice on Iran
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The most consequential decision of Donald Trump’s presidency is now on pause for two weeks. We examine how the choice pits two sides of Mr Trump aga...
I’d like not to thank the academy: graduates’ fortunes slip
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The workplace wisdom that a university degree is a sure-fire key to success is very much in question—and the trend started long before AI began eati...
A house divided against itself: America simmers
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Political assassinations. Troops on city streets. National protests. We examine the edgy mood inside America through the lens of past periods of inten...
Confused unity: the mood in Iran
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A sudden war made Iran’s leaders look unprepared. And many Iranians loathe the regime. But there are no signs yet that internal dissent will shape t...
Bunkers unbusted: Israel and Iran
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So far, Israel’s strikes have not accomplished the stated mission of crippling Iran’s nuclear programme. A war of endurance will be decided by whi...
Lone raider: Israel bombs Iran
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After Israel launches an all-out assault on Iran without clear US backing, our correspondent explains how the conflict could escalate. The Trump admin...
Same news story: why Murdoch endures
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The all-famous Murdoch clan is engaged in a fierce battle over control of the family’s media companies. Our correspondent explains why turmoil at th...
Golden girls: do parents prefer them?
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, male children were prized as heirs and breadwinners. Now the desire to have boys is diminishing and some parents would rather have a gi...
Core blimey: what’s up at Apple?
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It brought us the iPhone–and changed the world. Now Apple is struggling to keep up with rapid advances in AI. Our correspondent assesses its future....
California screaming: National Guard in LA
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our correspondent reports from LA, where Donald Trump’s decision to send in troops risks inciting further antagonism. The argument is now about far ...
Billion dollar babies: Trump-Musk spat
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when the world’s most powerful man falls out with its richest? Our correspondent analyses where the Trump-Musk brawl leaves the relatio...
Count their losses: Russia casualties hit 1m
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the number of Russian dead and injured in Ukraine reaches a grim milestone, what do these losses signify about Vladimir Putin’s strategy? Though ...
He’s got Seoul: South Korea’s new leader
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The election of South Korea’s new president represents a resounding rejection of the political turmoil that preceded the campaign. Our correspondent...
Apocalypse soon? Britain ups its defence
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Britain, alongside other European countries, faces rising threats to its security. But a bold new strategy to bolster its defence forces risks being u...
Poles apart: hard right wins by a sliver
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Poland’s presidential election was a fight between two distinct visions of the country’s future. Our correspondent explains how the nationalist vi...
No major food groups: aid chaos in Gaza
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A newly formed, private foundation took charge of aid distribution in the territory; a melee ensued. What is the group’s origin, and what is its pla...
Duties bound: a Trump-tariff smackdown
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US Court of International Trade ruled that Donald Trump’s so-called fentanyl and Liberation Day tariffs constituted executive overreach. Now wha...
Ivy beleaguer: Harvard hung out to dry
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration’s determination to bend higher-education institutions to its will seems to know no bounds—and nowhere is getting it worse...
Soldiers’ fortune: Ukraine’s prisoner swap
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No one knows which soldiers will be on the buses; many families simply come in hope. As the wider war grinds on, our correspondent witnesses a mix of ...
Perverting the course of justices: Mexico’s judiciary
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Voters will be electing each and every one of the country’s judges—removing the last meaningful check on Morena, the ruling party. Nigeria has mor...
Get rich, quick: Vietnam’s next revolution
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The country’s leader is in a mad rush to transform his country into an upper-middle-income powerhouse before geopolitical forces stall its rise. Ame...
Suspicious mines: Putin-proofing the Baltics
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia know their borders may be the next front for Russian aggression. They do not want to deploy mines and razor wire—but t...
Worse even than it seems: Gaza’s death toll
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A careful study of a range of data sources suggests that Israel’s military actions in Gaza have resulted in far more deaths than published tallies i...
Islands in the scheme: a Britain-EU deal
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A “reset” with the bloc is merely a first step in maintaining relations. We ask what is in this week’s deal. Millennials and Gen Z get all the m...
May-poll dance: Poland’s presidential race
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor expected to win the first round cleanly only squeaked by. We ask what’s at stake in the NATO-front-line country...
Boss Class: Innovation: Coming up with new ideas
17 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forget the hammocks and ping-pong tables. Creativity takes work. Managers at Google, Lego and a pair of AI startups share advice on breaking through. ...
Bucharest pressed: Ukraine’s election effect
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Negotiations in Turkey to bring peace to Ukraine could be a flop. But the repercussions of shifting alliances with Russia will play out in this weeken...
Drug war: Trump takes on big pharma
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Drugs in America often cost more than three times as much as those elsewhere. But Donald Trump’s plan to cut prescription costs and impose tariffs m...
All talk, no sanctions: Trump lifts Syria embargo
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Donald Trump removes bans on trade with Syria and meets its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, our correspondent analyses the implications. Two feuding politi...
Hunger strikes: Agony in Gaza as Israel blocks aid
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A ceasefire becomes ever more urgent in Gaza as Israel expands military operations and obstructs aid. As Donald Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia, the reg...
Duty falls: US and China reach a deal
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tariffs against China were the centrepiece of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” trade plans. Our correspondent explains the significance of a new ...
Holy smoke! An American pope
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The choice of Robert Prevost reflects a desire for unity and compromise. But insofar as Pope Leo XIV represents a middle path, how will he lead on the...
Identity parades: our VE-Day special
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eighty years since the surrender of Nazi forces, we consider the differing ways that nations frame that distant history for today; none does so more g...
Neighbour-rattling: India strikes Pakistan
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Two weeks after a terrorist attack in Kashmir, Indian missiles streaked into Pakistan. Will the retaliation end this latest flare-up or intensify it? ...
First not past the post: Germany’s chancellor shocker
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a post-war first, Germany’s round of parliamentary voting for a chancellor did not produce one. We ask why members of Friedrich Merz’s coalitio...
Trailer: Boss Class Season 2
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Good bosses are rare. They don’t have to be. The skills of management can be learned.The Economist’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, is here ...
People vilify plastic. they should use it better instead
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many people view plastic as an environmental disaster that blights landscapes and chokes marine life. Our correspondent argues that instead we need to...
Aussie rules: give Trumpism the boot
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s Conservative party was on the ascent until Donald Trump took office in January. At the polls this weekend, the dominant concern is who w...
Mine craft: US-Ukraine resource deal
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
America and Ukraine have signed a deal to share the profits of extracting natural resources. Our correspondent explains its significance. How the trad...
Executive disorder: Trump’s first 100 days
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since Donald Trump took office, there has been a deluge of news. Our correspondent considers what might happen next. Fifty years on from the fall of S...
The Carney army: Canada unites against Trump
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canada’s election campaign was dominated by Donald Trump’s threats against the nation. Now the Liberal party has won, it faces a tougher fight: co...
Modi behaviour: will India retaliate against Pakistan?
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tensions between India and Pakistan have flared after the terrorist attack in Kashmir last week. Our correspondent explains what Narendra Modi may do ...
Carney score: last days of Canada’s campaign
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canada’s sovereignty has loomed large in the federal election campaign, but beyond the show of national unity the country’s media and political la...
Fed man walking? Trump v Powell
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
First, Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, was for the chop; then he was safe. As elsewhere President Donald Trump’s flip-flopping chips...
Division multiplication: the UAE’s foreign meddling
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The United Arab Emirates projects an image of level-headed calm in the Gulf. Its actions abroad, however, betray a far more divisive and ideological a...
Cardinals in: choosing the next pope
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the cardinals of the coming conclave prepare, our correspondent considers what will guide them. Which of the church’s challenges will the next po...
A man of the people: Pope Francis has died
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He shunned fancy vestments and paid surprise visits to prisons and hospitals: our obituaries editor reflects on the life of a reform-minded pontiff wh...
Gene genies: CRISPR’s critical moment
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It is a Nobel-winning idea with untold promise in health care, agriculture and more. We examine what must change in order to capture those benefits. A...
Trump’s fickle, Xi’s pickle: the dynamic driving US-China tensions
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Xi Jinping’s style of negotiating is staid, distanced, a quiet projection of power. President Donald Trump’s is not. That dynamic is com...
Cash and checks: Argentina’s next IMF loan
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the 23rd time the International Monetary Fund will cough up, this time to the tune of $20bn. But the reforms stipulated by the loan, alongside pro...
The buck stops here? The threats to dollar primacy
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Falling trust in the greenback is most apparent in bond-market moves. How close is the dollar to losing its status as the world’s go-to currency, an...
Bloody Sunday: Russia’s strikes on Sumy
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump called the weekend strike on Sumy a “mistake”; other leaders called it a war crime. We examine the prospects for peace when...
The great brawl: China v America
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump is now aiming his trade war squarely at China. As the tit-for-tat tariff battle keeps escalating, investors are fleeing to safe assets. W...
Art of the real: Trump bows to markets
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just 12 hours after Donald Trump launched his searing regime of tariffs, he paused many of them for 90 days. What's next for global trade? An outlandi...
Pulp friction: the trade war bites Apple
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs take effect, our correspondent explains how one of America’s most profitable companies may navigate the trade w...
Economies of sail: migrant-smuggling entrepreneurs
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More than 36,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats last year. Our correspondent investigates the increasingly sophisticated business...
Doomed traders: Trump’s tariff fallout
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since Donald Trump announced punishing tariffs on “Liberation Day” last week, stock markets have fallen and governments and businesses scrambled t...
Over the Yoon: South Korea ousts president
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
South Korea has been paralysed since its president declared martial law in December. Even after his impeachment, politicians face a divided polity and...
Wall of duties: Trump’s towering tariffs
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Even in the run-up to Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff hikes, few had expected such colossal levies. Our correspondent explains how they w...
Ballot from the blue: will Ukraine hold a poll?
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Months ago, holding an election in wartorn Ukraine seemed impossible. Now plans are being made. Our correspondent explains the prospects for the campa...
Right down: Le Pen barred
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marine Le Pen is one of France’s most popular politicians, who has brought the National Rally party to the heart of the political landscape. Our cor...
Shock and war: Myanmar junta exploits quake
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Civil war in Myanmar is hampering relief efforts after the devastating earthquake on Friday, as the ruling military regime intensifies attacks on resi...
Whack of all trades: America’s economy
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No surprises here: The Economist reckons tariffs are a terrible trade tool. But what is most clearly harming American businesses and scaring off inves...
You spin me right round: Europe’s populists reckon with Trumpism
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For Europe’s hard-right politicians, Donald Trump’s second White House bid looked like validation and opportunity. Now that he is in it, the tensi...
Canuck of the draw: Canada’s election campaigns
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Conservative Party, led by a Trump-tinged populist, once had the polls locked up. That is changing radically now that Donald Trump is seen as a th...
The chat is out of the bag: a stunning leak
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Put aside for the moment the outrageous security breach of a journalist being brought in on classified military planning: a leaked group chat reveals ...
Bibi driver: battles led by and within Israel
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The ceasefire in Gaza is in tatters; the campaign against Hizbullah is flaring up again. Yet the most telling battles are those happening inside Israe...
Spy-fall: Trump imperils intelligence pact
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
America’s international intelligence-sharing relationships have been decades in the making and rely not on a treaty but trust. Could Donald Trump da...
Not so delightful: Erdogan arrests rival
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested just days before he was likely to be elected leader of Turkey’s opposition. Where does this leave Turkish democracy? Wha...
Cold call: Putin thwarts Trump
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump hoped Vladimir Putin would agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead he made marginal concessions, then launched a missile attack. Our cor...
Peace broken: war returns to Gaza
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After Israel launched dozens of missiles into Gaza overnight, what does this mean for the prospect of a lasting ceasefire? As two stranded astronauts ...
In sickness and in stealth: threats to America’s CDC
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump’s team has called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “the most incompetent and arrogant agency” in the federal governme...
Wheels of justice: the ICC gets Duterte at last
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The International Criminal Court has arrested Rodrigo Duterte, a former president of the Philippines. The case highlights both the strengths and the w...
When the levy doesn’t break: a trade-war world adjusts
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration’s dedication to tariffs now seems more fervent than the first time around. Markets are noticing. We ask what might temper t...
Thirty-day trial? A Ukraine-ceasefire proposal
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The ceasefire proposal hatched by American negotiators and agreed by Ukraine is now a matter for Russia to consider. We ask how the not-yet-a-breakthr...
Sects and balances: a violent flare-up in Syria
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Horrifying attacks on Alawites, the sect of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, throw into question the power—or the will—of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the coun...
No question, Mark: Canada’s new PM
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The governing Liberal party is enjoying a stunning turnaround in the polls, and now it has a new leader. We ask how Mark Carney will tussle with Donal...
One week in the life of Volodymyr Zelensky
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a turbulent seven days, how will President Volodymyr Zelensky tackle the domestic and international challenges ahead? Our correspondent attends ...
Kurds in the right place: a truce nears
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The leader of Turkey’s Kurdish rebels has called on the group to disband. That could end one of the world’s longest running conflicts. How tariffs...
Pompcast: Trump rallies Congress
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
American presidents often use their first meeting with Congress as a chance to lay out their agenda for the next four years. Donald Trump, by contrast...
Buck off: US pauses Ukraine aid
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In an effort to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table, America has paused military help to the war-torn country. What will this mean on the ground? O...
Conversation peace: can Europe bargain with Russia?
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
European leaders met in London this weekend after Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s public row shattered hopes for a US-led truce in Ukraine. Wh...
Ode to dread: Europe after Trump
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week European leaders have lined up to charm Donald Trump. But the broad smiles belie a bigger fear: what would it mean for the continent’s sec...
Heir-raising: the boom in inheritance
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the baby-boom generation starts to die and economic growth slows many more people are getting rich from family wealth. Are we returning to the age ...
Phase transition? Gaza’s shaky peace
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The first phase of Gaza’s ceasefire is near its end, but planning for the even more fraught second phase has hardly begun. What chance for near-term...
Emmanuel dexterity: Trump and Macron chat
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The meeting between France’s and America’s presidents had a familiarly chummy feel. We ask whether Emmanuel Macron’s charm offensive might have ...
Left, right and centre: Germany’s election
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Instead of needing three parties to cobble together a majority, the country’s two traditional main ones have the numbers. What to expect once the ta...
Friends (the one with estrangement): Europe without the US
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Europe must move boldly as the American-led world order shatters beneath it; we explain how. Many people view the freedom to work from home as a perk....
Young, gifted and black: Africa’s next generation
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Africa’s young are educated, ambitious side-hustlers. But they are hampered by their economies and dispirited by their politicians. How to harness t...
Colour visions: a German-election lookahead
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The possibilities for an inevitable coalition government are a head-spinning colour wheel of party logos. We look at the most likely outcomes, and the...
Get your Strait facts: China’s quiet Taiwan push
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We investigate China’s under-the-radar push to get other countries to change their official language on Taiwan’s independence. Would it make a dif...
Munich insecurity conference: a re-ordering begins
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Backing away from European security guarantees and seeking mineral rights in Ukraine as recompense for military aid: at the Munich Security Conference...
Love match: Modi-Trump’s tariffs tussle
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The American president and Indian prime minister have long been friends. But when the two met at the White House yesterday, they had many thorny issue...
With this ring: Trump and Putin omit Ukraine
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
During a 90-minute telephone conversation, the American and Russian presidents started negotiating a future for Ukraine. What will this mean for Europ...