Podcast Selection

One Good Term Deserves Another: Biden Declares

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 elected again? The rollout of…

Macron and Europe: the French vision for strategic autonomy

Last week, France’s president Emmanuel Macron threw the EU bubble into turmoil by suggesting that Europe should not become the United States’ “vassal” over Taiwan. But is the controversy overshadowing the possibility that he could…

Macron’s flawed diplomacy in China

Emmanuel Macron sparked an international backlash over remarks he made to the press about Taiwan after a visit to China. The French president is also facing growing opposition at home after he pushed through an…

Hard pact to follow: the Good Friday Agreement at 25

The famed power-sharing deal did its work of sharply reducing sectarian violence, but a quarter-century on it has led to depressingly dysfunctional politics.

Hungary’s strategy for connectivity

Mark Leonard joined by Balázs Orbán, political director of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, on more independent middle and regional powers

German foreign policy with Christoph Heusgen

Mark Leonard is joined by Christoph Heusgen to talk about Germany’s foreign policy. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s famous Zeitenwende speech aimed to shape a new political narrative for Germany. But, a year into Russia’s war on Ukraine, questions…

The Belt and Road Initiative 2.0 is all about security

When the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first announced in 2013, its official objective was to improve connectivity. However, many things have happened since then, from the US-China trade war to US containment of…

Bill Gates on Ukraine’s ‘shock to the system’

The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist talks to Gideon about his efforts to keep global development goals alive amid rising geopolitical tensions. They discuss shrinking aid budgets, climate, technology, China-US tensions and whether Gates remains an…

How useful have the EU’s financial sanctions on Russia been?

A reflection on the impact of sanctions against Russia, one year since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. When the sanctions against Russia were first implemented, Giuseppe Porcaro invited Nicolas Véron and Elina Ribakova on The Sound of Economics to…

Fire and grim tone: Putin’s and Biden’s speeches

President Joe Biden’s riposte to the bellicose speech of his counterpart Vladimir Putin was a study in contrast. The Economist examines their views on Ukraine and ask how a lasting peace could be secured. They…

The economics of Russia’s war in Ukraine

Investors are betting the European Central Bank will raise interest rates to all-time highs, and the FT’s Ben Hall explains the impact of the war in Ukraine on the country’s economy.

FT News briefing: Russia’s ‘second front’

Consumer confidence in the Eurozone is up, Moscow is buying influence in Africa on the cheap, and the FT’s Henry Foy explains how the war in Ukraine shattered illusions and shifted EU foreign policy.