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PODCAST

The Rachman Review

Financial Times

Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist talks to the decision-makers and thinkers who are shaping world affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

news politics

All Episodes

30:28

Israel's man without a plan

The Rachman Review ·

2025/09/11

Gideon talks to journalist Anshel Pfeffer about Israel’s ‘strongman’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They discuss how his ‘brazen disregard’ for international norms has helped him to cling to power, but also left him at the mercy of more and more extreme forces in Israel. This episode is an edited recording of an event organised by Intelligence Squared that took place in central London earlier this month. Clips: LBC; CNN; BBCFree links to read more on this topic:Israel unbound: was Qatar a strike

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29:29

Lea Ypi on parallels between the 1930s and today

The Rachman Review ·

2025/09/04

Gideon talks to Albanian academic Lea Ypi about her bookIndignity. In the book, she describes how living first under the Ottoman empire, then as part of fascist Italy and later in a post-war communist state affected the lives of her grandparents. They discuss possible parallels between the first half of the 20th century and the times we are living in today and ask what lessons can be drawn from this history to avoid making the same mistakes. Clip: AQSHFFree links to read more on this topic:Kant and

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25:32

Taiwan’s Trump problem

The Rachman Review ·

2025/08/28

The longheld US position to defend Taiwan’s independent status in the face of Chinese aggression is looking shaky under the Trump administration, in spite of Taiwanese efforts to court the American president. This week, Gideon talks to analyst and author James Crabtree - former director of the Asia office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies - about why the US now seems more interested in doing a deal with China than showing support for Taiwan. They also discuss the broader

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22:46

Trump ‘plays into Putin’s hands’

The Rachman Review ·

2025/08/21

Gideon discusses the outcome of the recent Alaska and Washington summits with Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. Has Russia emerged as a clear winner? What can be achieved without more pressure on Vladimir Putin? How effective would western security guarantees be to prevent future Russian aggression?Clip: Sky NewsFree links to read more on this topic:Ukraine talks expose Trump’s dreadful attention to detailDonald Trump says US could play role ‘by air’ in Ukraine

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22:37

What next for India as Trump-Modi friendship sours?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/08/14

The Trump administration has hit India with 50% tariffs. And just after a short military conflict between India and Pakistan, President Trump played host to Pakistan’s army chief of staff at the White House. Gideon discusses what this means for India and for the region with Tanvi Madan, author of a noted history of the US-India relationship. Clip: WION. Weekend Festival linkFree links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump tariffs threaten Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ driveHow Pakistan wooed

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29:42

The cold war guru whose warnings on Russia still stand

The Rachman Review ·

2025/08/07

Zbigniew Brzeziński was one of the most influential statesmen of the cold war. But many of the geopolitical problems he wrestled with in Russia, China and the Middle East, have returned with a vengeance. Among his many prescient ideas, ‘Zbig’ as he was known, predicted that American hubris might lead to an ‘alliance of the aggrieved’ between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Gideon discusses his life and legacy with FT colleague Ed Luce, who has written an acclaimed biography of the Polish-born

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28:25

Can Israel translate power into peace?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/07/31

Israel has demonstrated its capacity to strike at its enemies far and wide since the Hamasattacks of October 7 2023.But what will it do with this military dominance?The FT’s Charles Clover puts this question to Palestinian historian Yezid Sayigh. They discuss the weakness and instability of neighbouring Arab states and how the Netanyahu government’s moves to prevent Palestinian statehood represent the biggest threat to peaceful coexistence in the region. Clips: France 24; Channel 4 NewsFree links to

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28:21

Our shrinking and ageing world

The Rachman Review ·

2025/07/24

Humans have never been healthier or better fed. We’re living longer, but having fewer children - and many countries’ populations are now shrinking. Gideon discusses these trends with demographer Nicholas Eberstadt. Have smartphones played a role in our declining fertility? How will we look after our elderly people? Is migration the answer? Clip: CBCFree links to read more on this topic:The fight to revive Europe’s shrinking rural areasPopulation undercounting threatens public policy, scientists

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29:28

The war in Gaza - what do Israelis want?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/07/17

Israel’s military victories have brought little comfort to Israelis who are focused on the fate of those hostages still in Gaza. Sasha Polakow-Suransky, FT executive opinion editor, talks with Dahlia Scheindlin, Israeli pollster and author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled about what Israelis want. Why has widespread opposition to many of the Netanyahu government’s policies so far failed to translate into political change? And why do Israelis seem unable to sympathise

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19:23

Putin steps up summer offensive against Ukraine

The Rachman Review ·

2025/07/10

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are escalating, both on the front lines and across urban centres. Ben Hall, the FT’s Europe editor, talks to military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady about Ukraine’s battle to hold onto territory until a ceasefire can be agreed. Clips: Channel 4; ABCFree links to read more on this topic:Russia attacks Ukraine’s draft officesRussia hits Ukraine with biggest air attack of the warNato’s summit cannot disguise Ukraine’s plightKyiv’s sleepless nights under fireSubscribe to The

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24:03

Is the US heading for a debt crisis?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/07/03

Gideon talks to Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund and author of a new book: How Countries Go Broke. They discuss the size of the US debt and what history tells us about identifying warning signs. Clip: CBSFree links to read more on this topic: Is Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ a political curse for Republicans?Fears over US debt load and inflation ignite exodus from long-term bondsDonald Trump’s big, beautiful act of self-harmThe fall in the dollar is

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25:11

Too soon to celebrate peace between Iran and Israel?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/06/24

Gideon discusses whether the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran can hold with Vali Nasr, Professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Can anyone claim victory from the war? Where does this leave the battered regime in Tehran and its nuclear ambitions? And what will the US need to do to ensure that intense fighting doesn’t break out again? Clips: Channel 4 News; BBC Free links to read more on this topic:Best summer books of 2025: PoliticsHow Donald Trump brokered a shaky

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30:00

Israel goes to war with Iran

The Rachman Review ·

2025/06/18

Israel has launched an aerial bombardment of Iran, with the aim, it says,of ending Iran’snuclear ambitions. Gideon talks toPhilip Gordon,who wasnational security adviserto former US vice-presidentKamala Harris, about how realistic Israel’s aims are, Iran’s capacity to fight back, and whether the US is about to be drawn into another conflict in the MiddleEast. Clips: Channel 4 News, The IndependentFree links to read more on this topic:War on Iran is splitting Trump’s Maga movementCan an American

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29:17

Nato’s moment of truth

The Rachman Review ·

2025/06/12

Gideon talks to Oana Lungescu, Nato's former and longest-serving spokesperson, about what to expect from this month’s summit and what's at stake?Can Europe convince the Trump administration that Russia is a risk they need to take seriously, and will an agreement to increase defence spending be enough to satisfy the US president? Clips: Sky; Channel 4, AljazeeraFree links to read more on this topic:Europe, the US and the question of valuesEurope confronts Trump’s triple threat on Ukraine, Nato and

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31:20

What drives China’s strongman?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/06/05

Gideon Rachman and China historian Rana Mitter discuss the evolution of Xi Jinping from internal exile, to party apparatchik, to strongman leader. What motivates Xi and what’s behind his friendship with the Russian leader? This episode is an edited recording of an event organised by Intelligence Squared that took place in central London late last month. Clip: CGTNFree links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump says China’s Xi Jinping is ‘hard to make a deal with’Xi’s history shapes China’s

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2:08

Coming soon: Martin Wolf and Paul Krugman unleashed

The Rachman Review ·

2025/06/04

In a special six-part series of The Economics Show, Martin Wolf, the FT’s chief economics commentator, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman discuss the economic events reshaping the world in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s election.Subscribe and listen to this series on The Economics Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to podcasts.Episodes will also be available on the FT’s YouTube channel.If you’d like to get in touch and ask Martin and Paul a

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51:58

A foreign policy debrief with Jake Sullivan

The Rachman Review ·

2025/05/29

President Biden’s time in office was a momentous period in world affairs and American foreign policy. The Taliban returned to rule Afghanistan, Russia invaded Ukraine, and Hamas attacked Israel all on the watch of National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.Gideon talks to Sullivan about the Biden legacy and hears how and why events unfolded and what the Trump administration is doing now.Clips: BBC, CBS, Sky News, The Guardian, Radio Free Europe, CGTNFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X

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26:33

Is Trump a threat or an opportunity for the EU?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/05/22

The EU is in Donald Trump’s cross hairs. So how should it respond? In this week’s episode, Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s finance minister and president of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, discusses whether the euro can challenge the dollar. He tells Gideon that European integration should go even further - and makes the case for immigration and a new relationship between the EU and the UK. Clips: Euronews,PBS NewshourFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanMore on

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22:15

India and Pakistan: what now?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/05/15

After a short but intense clash, a ceasefire is holding between India and Pakistan, but tensions remain high. Both sides claim victory, but the rapid escalation in the conflict bodes ill for future diplomacy between the two countries. Gideon talks to Professor Sushant Singh, lecturer in south Asian Studies at Yale University, about the conflict and what’s at stake if tensions escalate again. Clips: Times of India, Fox NewsFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanMore

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27:47

How can Democrats combat Donald Trump?

The Rachman Review ·

2025/05/08

Donald Trump continues to issue a blizzard of controversial statements and executive orders. His political opponents often seem confused, even stunned. So how should the Democratic party take on the US president? Gideon talks to Senator Andy Kim, a new Democrat from New Jersey, on the merits of different approaches to opposition and what is needed to win back voters.Clips: KTVU FoxThis is Gavin NewsomFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanMore on this topic:Take no

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333 results

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