The Lede

On the podcast this week, Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper, author of “World Cup Fever” and co-author of “Soccernomics,” joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the politics of the 2026 World Cup, why he says America "isn't just Trump," and how soccer became a vehicle for money and power. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On the podcast this week, journalist Patrick Gathara and public health expert Tolbert Nyenswah join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei on Global Insights to discuss Kenya's decision to host an Ebola quarantine facility, the geopolitics of disease, and the deadly outbreak spreading across the DRC. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On the podcast this week, journalist Negar Mortazavi and New Lines’ Danny Postel join Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the chances that the Iran peace deal will hold, the unresolved fault lines from Hormuz to Lebanon and how the conflict leaves Donald Trump exposed. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist Hannah Lucinda Smith joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the rival geopolitical blocs reshaping the world, how Europe's margins — from Transnistria to the Balkans — became the front line of a conflict the West refuses to see, and her new book, “Hinterlands: Journeys Through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers.” Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist Yeganeh Torbati joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the multiple revolutions stolen from the Iranian people by their rulers, why the Islamic Republic has thrived under sanctions and survived war, how the United States has failed to understand its opponents in Tehran, and her new book, "Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran." Produced by...

On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist and author Suzy Hansen joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how ordinary people experience authoritarianism in the 21st century, what a decade spent in one Istanbul neighborhood reveals about Turkey under Erdoğan, and why the West so often misreads the Middle East, as set out in her new book, "From Life Itself." Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, human rights lawyer Sari Bashi and journalist Sara Cincurova join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss sexual violence against detainees in Israeli prisons and in Russian captivity in Ukraine; why men so often go unrecognized as victims; and why accountability for these crimes remains so elusive. Please be aware that this episode contains discussio...

Writer Robin Yassin-Kassab joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss why the Syrian revolution succeeded where others failed, what the new state has and hasn't reckoned with one year on, and his new book, "The Blood Between Us: Syria's Revolutionary Transition." Produced by Finbar Anderson

Historian Quinn Slobodian joins Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss what Elon Musk reveals about a new era of digital capitalism, the fusion of rockets and far-right ideology, and his new book, "Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed," co-authored with Ben Tarnoff. Produced by Finbar Anderson

Novelist Hannah Lillith Assadi joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the century of Arab exile, the question of what it might mean to forget and the spiritual return at the heart of her new novel, "Paradiso 17." Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, journalist and historian Michael Smith and New Lines Culture Editor Lydia Wilson join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss the strains on the U.S.-U.K. special relationship in the wake of the Iran war, the enduring role of intelligence sharing between the two countries, and whether Britain may pivot closer to Europe as a lasting consequence of the...

Investigative journalist Barbara Matejčić and author Jasmin Mujanović join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss Matejčić's New Lines investigation into a 1992 execution in Bosnia, the ethics of war photography and the long afterlife of the Bosnian genocide in today's far-right politics. Produced by Finbar Anderson Further reading: They Photographed an Execution in Bosnia. Did They Influence t...

Journalists Nada Bakri and Zahra Hankir join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the latest strikes on Lebanon, the shrinking space of civilian safety and what it means to watch your country's destruction from afar. Produced by Finbar Anderson Far From the Land of Good News by Nada Bakri Who Is Left To Cover Lebanon? by Zahra Hankir

On this week's episode of the podcast, novelist and essayist Rana Dasgupta joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss a world in crisis from China to Iran, why what we call fascism may just be the standard operating practice of the nation-state, and his vision for a political architecture that responds to the needs of today’s global world, as set out in his new book, "After Nations." Produced by Finbar Ande...

On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, New Delhi restaurateur Anuj Wadhwa tells Kwangu Liwewe Agyei how the Iran war is squeezing his third-generation family business, while economist and Bloomberg columnist Mihir Sharma explains why South Asia is particularly vulnerable to the crisis — and why it could get much worse. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist and author Anand Gopal joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss two decades of conflict from Afghanistan to Iran, how the stories told by the powerful ignore the people who live under them, and what a forgotten democratic experiment in Syria can teach us about authoritarianism worldwide, as set out in his new book "Days of Love and Rage." Produced by Finba...

Writer and anti-corruption expert Sarah Chayes and journalist Emran Feroz join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the Epstein files, global networks of kleptocracy from Washington to the remote valleys of Afghanistan, and what elites really get up to when they think we’re not watching. Produced by Finbar Anderson

As the war on Iran enters its second week, Bloomberg Economics Middle East lead Dina Esfandiary and Saudi analyst Sultan Alamer join Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how the war has come to the Gulf, upending years of careful diplomacy. Further reading: Saudi Arabia’s Break With Interventionism by Sultan Alamer Produced by Finbar Anderson

In a special emergency episode of The Lede, journalist and The Iran Podcast host Negar Mortazavi and historian Arash Azizi join Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and what comes next for the country and the region. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this month’s episode of Global Insights on The Lede, political scientist Zachariah Mampilly and Nigeria expert Ebenezer Obadare join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to examine Donald Trump's surprisingly hands-on approach to Africa, including airstrikes on northern Nigeria and the signing of trade and mineral deals across the continent. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week’s episode of the podcast, the historian Sam Dalrymple joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the partition of the Raj from Myanmar to Yemen; how borders continue to shape our lives today and their influence on nationalism and ethnic conflict; and his new book, “Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia.” Produced by Finbar Anderson

Loubna Mrie joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how the Syrian state’s authoritarianism seeped into her early home life, her role in the uprising against Bashar al-Assad and the painful memories brought up in the writing of her new memoir, “Defiance.” Produced by Finbar Anderson

Journalist Nilo Tabrizy joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the dynamics of Iran’s uprisings that get lost in Western coverage, reporting on her country of birth from a position of exile, and her new book, “For the Sun After Long Nights.” Produced by Finbar Anderson

For this month’s edition of Global Insights on The Lede, journalist Isma’il Kushkush and international law expert Mutasim Ali join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss the lack of international attention on the war in Sudan, and the prospect of success for peace talks underway in Cairo. Produced by Finbar Anderson

Sven Beckert joins Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to unpack how capitalism came to shape our modern world, as set out in his new book, “Capitalism: A Global History,” taking in Aden, Cairo, and Guangzhou along the way. Produced by Finbar Anderson