The Rachman Review
by Financial Times
Latest episode
After the US, how should middle powers work together?
After the US, how should middle powers work together?
About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 380 episodes
- After the US, how should middle powers work together? · 26 minThe world’s superpowers have become increasingly unpredictable. How should ‘middle powers’ such as Japan, Canada, Brazil and the UK react? Gideon speaks to Robin Niblett, warden…
- Impeachments, Iran and the presidency: what’s next after the midterms? · 27 minDemocrats secured control of both chambers of congress in a stunning victory for the party, and a sharp rejection of President Trump’s Republican Party. Democrats won…
- Can Netanyahu hold on to power? · 25 minBenjamin Netanyahu emerged from this week’s Israeli elections with a slender lead over his closest rival, Gadi Eisenkot, but his far-right coalition fell short of an overall…
- Are we sleepwalking into a third world war? · 35 minA third world war may seem a distant prospect to the general public, but to world leaders, it’s very real. In recent years, In recent years, presidents Donald Trump and Xi…
- What’s at stake in the Saudi-Houthi conflict? · 28 minSaturday’s missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia since the US and Israel’s war on Iran began in February. By…
- What would a Bolsonaro victory in Brazil mean for the world? · 29 minFlávio Bolsonaro took a clear lead in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, and is the favourite to assume power after a run-off against the incumbent, Lula Ignacio…
- Could AI really end humanity? · 32 minHigh-profile AI safety incidents, as well as warnings from industry figures about AI’s rapid progress, have stoked a new wave of fear about the future of humanity. Artificial…
- Francis Fukuyama on democracy, AI and his own intellectual journey · 31 minMore than three decades after The End of History and the Last Man made Francis Fukuyama one of the world’s best-known political thinkers, he is still correcting misconceptions…
- David Miliband: ‘Peacemaking has gone into retreat’ · 29 minThe world is experiencing a record number of conflicts, just as governments retreat from international aid and diplomacy to leave a more politically fragmented international…
- The world at war · 33 minWar is raging in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, while tensions are rising between China and Taiwan. What is driving this surge in global conflict, how should we respond and…
- Will Bessent’s ‘economic D-Day’ break Iran? · 32 minUS Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is calling for an “economic D-Day” for the Iranian regime while threatening secondary sanctions on countries that do business with the…
- Making the UN great again · 25 minThe UN is choosing a new secretary-general at a time when it’s struggling to remain relevant. Sidelined in the wars in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East, and facing a severe…
- The making of the modern Middle East · 27 minGideon Rachman speaks to historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore about his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. They discuss the forces that shaped…
- Iran’s growing strategic ambitions · 29 minGideon talks to Vali Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy and professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, about how the balance of power in the Middle…
- The cockroach rebellion in India · 31 minWhat began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika…
- The weaponisation of trade · 31 minTariffs, sanctions and chokepoints have become the weapon of choice to punish political rivals - but what happens when these fail? Gideon discusses the impact of geopolitical…
- Does Nato have a future without US leadership? · 28 minGideon talks to Julianne Smith, former US ambassador to Nato about the future of the alliance. There seems to be greater transatlantic agreement on Ukraine, but tensions remain…
- Trump, Infantino and the political history of the World Cup · 24 minGideon talks to Simon Kuper, FT columnist and author of World Cup Fever, about what distinguishes this World Cup from previous tournaments. What role has geopolitics played…
- What would a far-right government in France look like? · 29 minMarine Le Pen has run for the French presidency several times before, but her chances of winning next year look better than ever. Gideon talks to the FT's Victor Mallet about the…
- Lebanon peace deal: can it hold? · 21 minThe war in Iran triggered a new round of conflict between the Hizbollah militia in Lebanon and the Israeli army. More than 4,000 people have been killed and about a million…
- Bonus episode: Rahm Emanuel on how to fix America · 28 minIn this special edition of the Rachman Review, Edward Luce, the FT's Washington commentator, talks to Rahm Emanuel, former White House chief of staff for Barack Obama, about…
- America's waning power · 26 minWhat are the repercussions of the Iran war for American power? How will the outcome be viewed by America’s allies and the leadership in Beijing? Gideon discusses these questions…
- Jaishankar and Nusseibeh on the challenges of a world at war · 28 minHow much should we care about wars that are not in our neighbourhood? What role can countries not directly involved play in paving the way for a more peaceful world? Gideon…
- Britain’s post-Brexit policy options · 34 minWhere should Britain stand in the great power struggle between the US and China? Does the special relationship with Washington mean anything anymore or do all roads lead back to…
- Mideast war: The view from Tehran · 26 minWhat is life like in the Iranian capital and is the regime ready to compromise to achieve a lasting peace? Gideon discusses the mood in Tehran and the changing political…
- The backlash against AI · 31 minGideon talks to Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, a book about the career of Demis Hassabis and his AI company, Google DeepMind. They discuss the growing…
- Mitsotakis on Hormuz, Iran and how to escape a debt trap · 27 minGideon talks to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on Greece as a leading shipping nation. They discuss Greece’s…
- Trump returns to Beijing: what’s at stake · 32 minGideon Rachman speaks to James Crabtree, former head of the Asia programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and author of The Perimeter, about Donald Trump’s…
- Lloyd Austin on Ukraine, Iran and the lessons of war · 29 minGideon talks to Lloyd Austin, who served as US defence secretary under the Biden administration, about the need to adapt to new forms of warfare, accusations that he presided…
- Ukraine’s ‘existential’ battle with Russia · 27 minGideon talks to Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian foreign minister, about the current state of Russia’s war against Ukraine. What would it take to break the stalemate and how has…
- Introducing: The Story of Money · 1 minThose who do not study history may be destined to repeat it . . . and lose money. The Story of Money is a new podcast from The Financial Times exploring the past to see where the…
- Trump finds it’s easier to start a war than to end one · 31 minGideon discusses why the Iran conflict is proving so difficult to end with Michael Singh and Dana Stroul of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. What are the options on…
- Iran war: What does Tehran want and will it get it? · 27 minGideon discusses possible negotiated solutions to the Iran war with Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution. What do Tehran's leaders want and how long can they hold out for…
- Is it possible to negotiate with Iran? · 33 minWhat is it like to negotiate with Iran and what are the key issues that need to be resolved if the war is to end? Has the war permanently reshaped the relationship between the US…
- Trump says the Iran war may be ending soon: mission accomplished? · 28 minDonald Trump has said the US military action against Iran may be coming to an end. If so, what would it have achieved and where does this leave the key question of safe passage…
- Hungary’s pivotal election · 30 minViktor Orbán has been a thorn in the side of the EU and a favourite of Donald Trump. But his party is now behind in the polls ahead of next month’s Hungarian elections. So could…
- The heavy cost of the war on Iran · 33 minGideon discusses the Iran war with defence analyst Jack Watling, author of Statecraft - The New Rules of Power in a Divided World. Why did the US fail to foresee the need to…
- Introducing Untold: Opus Dei · 1 minIntroducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation…
- Formidable US firepower fails to unseat Iran’s regime · 34 minGideon speaks to Sir Simon Gass, a former UK ambassador to Iran, about why the formidable destructive power of the US and Israel has failed to dislodge the Islamic regime. They…
- Iran war risks turning into a battle of endurance · 33 minGideon discusses the US and Israeli war against Iran with Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. What are the war aims, can they be achieved and…
- Boris Johnson: Pressure on Putin is the price of peace · 25 minGideon discusses the state of peace talks on Ukraine with Boris Johnson at a conference organised by the Yalta European Strategy group in Kyiv. The former UK prime minister…
- Chrystia Freeland on how to negotiate with autocrats — and allies · 25 minGideon talks to Chrystia Freeland, former deputy prime minister of Canada, about different approaches to negotiating with the Trump administration. They also discuss the current…
- Trump's predatory foreign policy · 23 minGideon talks to American political scientist Stephen Walt about the phrase ‘predatory hegemon’ that he coined to describe the US administration under Donald Trump. What are the…
- Can diplomacy avert a US-Iran war? · 27 minAndrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, speaks to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, about Iran’s escalating crisis. Can…
- Bill Gates: AI, aid cuts and the fear of speaking out · 21 minBill Gates tells Gideon that a climate of fear has taken hold in the US business community under the Trump administration: “People are afraid to speak out about being afraid to…
- Mark Carney on a world in rupture — and what comes next · 15 minCanada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, received a standing ovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos after warning that the global order has entered a period of “rupture”. In a…
- Alexander Stubb on Greenland: the good, the bad or the ugly? · 28 minGideon speaks to Finland’s president about how to resolve the stand-off between Europe and the US over Greenland. Alexander Stubb describes the dispute as the "most difficult…
- Sudan: inside the world’s worst humanitarian crisis · 26 minFamine, mass killings and the collapse of basic government services have pushed Sudan into what the UN now calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As regional powers across…
- ‘Regime roulette’ in Venezuela: Is Greenland next? · 24 minNow that the Trump administration has fully embraced the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ - a policy claiming the western hemisphere as a US sphere of influence - which country will be next in…
- 2025: a year of chaos and confusion · 31 minGideon and guests look back at 2025 as well as forward to the year ahead in an FT Live discussion for the Global Boardroom. Donald Trump set the tone of world politics this year…
