The Rachman Review

Thirty years ago Mexico made a fateful decision to open its economy and engage with the US. Now that decision is being tested by Donald Trump’s tariff threat. Gideon talks to Mexican economist Luis de la Calle about the impact this could have on his country's economy and that of the US. Clips: ABC News; Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo Free links to read more on this topic: How Trump could destro...

Europe is facing its biggest defence challenge since the second world war. This is compounded by the destabilising impact of US tariffs. So how is it measuring up? Gideon puts this question to Arancha González Laya, dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Science Po and a former foreign minister of Spain. Clip: Emmanuel Macron Free links to read more on this topic: EU retaliates after...

Canada’s Liberal party will elect a new leader this weekend and Chrystia Freeland is running to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister. Donald Trump’s belligerence towards his northern neighbour seems to have restored the party’s popularity ahead of a general election this year. Chrystia tells host Gideon Rachman that Canadians are sticking together and that they have some strong cards to play....

Gideon tests the mood in Kiev three years after the Russian invasion as the Trump presidency upends previous tenets of international politics. He talks to Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko and Oleksandr Khomiak, director of Drone Space Labs, a defence start-up. Clip: European Commission Free links to read more on this topic: Ukraine agrees minerals deal with US US drives Ukraine war measure through UN...

Gideon dissects US vice-president JD Vance’s incendiary speech at the Munich Security Conference   with German businessman Mathias Döpfner. They discuss the state of the transatlantic relationship and how Donald   Trump’s actions towards Russia and Ukraine could mark a turning point. They are then joined by FT colleague Laura Pitel to talk about Döpfner’s media empire Axel...

Gideon talks to Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University in the US, about why it’s no longer possible to trust America and what the rest of the world can expect from the Trump presidency. Clip: CBC Free links to read more on this topic: Tariffs won’t bring back America’s unipolar moment 'Cost and chaos’: Donald Trump’s metal tariffs sweep across corporate America T...

Gideon talks to Andrew England, the FT's Middle East editor, about the US president's 'crazy' plan for a takeover of the Gaza Strip. And he talks to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid about the prospects for his country as it finally returns to peace and stability. Free links to read more on this topic: Middle East and Europe condemn Donald Trump’s plans to take over Gaza Donald Trump’s...

Gideon talks to Muhammad Yunus, interim leader of Bangladesh, who was invited by students to take charge after their revolution last July. He describes the alleged corruption that took hold when Sheikh Hasina was in office and his vision for a better future for the country. Clip: AP Free links to read more on this topic: Bangladesh hires Big Four audit firms to review ‘robbed’ banks Tycoon th...

As Donald Trump begins his second term as US president, and Russia presses forward in Ukraine, Gideon Rachman speaks to Finland’s President Alexander Stubb about Europe’s place in the world. They also discuss the risk of strategic irrelevance in Europe, the rise of the far right, Finland’s position in Nato – and whether other European countries need to be a bit more like Finland.  Clip: Reute...

Gideon talks to Michael Ignatieff, the former leader of Canada’s Liberal party, about how the country will deal with its newly-hostile southern neighbour when it is undergoing a change of leadership at home. They discuss Donald Trump’s threat to raise punitive tariffs on Canadian imports and how to respond to his suggestion that Canada should become the US’s 51st state. Clip: Global News Follow Gi...

Gideon talks to the FT's Christian Davies about President Yoon’s thwarted attempt to impose martial law in South Korea. What lies behind the shock move, and what does it tell us about the underlying problems of a country better known for the global success of its entertainment industries? Clip: Washington Post Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: South Korea cr...

Gideon hosts an end-of-year discussion with Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Karin von Hippel of the Royal United Services Institute. They discuss what we can expect from the incoming Trump presidency, the prospects for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine, and China’s strengthening ties with Russia. Clip: Fox...

Gideon talks to FT Middle East correspondent Raya Jalabi about what she found when she drove from Beirut into Damascus shortly after the toppling of President Assad. What signs are there that the rebel group HTS will be able to manage a peaceful transition of power and end the country’s civil war? Clip: AFP Free links to read more on this topic: Netanyahu and Erdoğan compete to be the Middle...

One of the most important groups of advisers around Donald Trump are the 'restrainers'. They want to radically reduce America’s commitments to global security alliances. Gideon talks to Dan Caldwell, a leading restrainer and military veteran who believes the Iraq war was a 'monstrous crime'.  Clip: Face the Nation Free links to read more on this topic: Foreign Affairs article: Trump Must Not...

Gideon talks to FT contributing editor Kim Ghattas about the rebel advances in Syria that have taken place in the wake of Israel’s bombardment of President Bashar al-Assad’s Hizbollah allies in Lebanon. Will Assad’s backers in Iran and Russia hold firm and can the ceasefire agreement in neighbouring Lebanon hold? Clip: Channel 4 News Free links to read more on this topic: Rebel advances in Syria s...

Gideon talks to Sir Alex Younger, former head of Britain's secret intelligence service MI6, about the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. They discuss Donald Trump’s choice of Tulsi Gabbard for the role of US director of national intelligence and they also consider what Britain needs to do to secure a role for itself in the world order. Free links to read more on this topic: Keir Sta...

Gideon talks to Sebastian Mallaby, author of a best-selling book on Silicon Valley called The Power Law.  They discuss the reason why Elon Musk decided to back Donald Trump for president, what the entrepreneur will bring to the Trump administration, and what Musk's businesses stand to gain. Clip: WFAA TV Free links to read more on this topic: Who’s who in the Musk ‘A-team’ vying to shape Trum...

Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, has made a life-long study of China’s leadership. He tells Gideon how an understanding of Communist ideology helps explain Xi Jinping’s decision to roll back on the market reforms of his predecessor Deng Xiaoping. They are also a crucial guide to what could happen next. Clip: Sky News Australia Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read...

Gideon talks to his colleague Ed Luce and to Susan Glasser of the New Yorker about what to expect from a second Trump presidency.  Clip: Fox News Free links to read more on this topic: How Trump won in maps and charts Trump’s new world order Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented...

Gideon talks to Ivo Daalder, a former American ambassador to Nato and chief executive of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, about the potential threat to US democracy if Donald Trump wins next week’s presidential election. Clip: Politico Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: How Trump learnt to love big business Trump is the man who would be king America isn...

Gideon talks to Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, about her efforts to keep hope alive during a humanitarian catastrophe. Clip: United Nations Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: Israel ‘starting to implement’ north Gaza starvation plan, say rights groups  Hamas chief’s death opens up choice for Benjamin Ne...

After three years of sanctions, women's lives in Afghanistan are highly restricted and hunger is widespread. So if sanctions have failed, is it time for the outside world to change its approach and re-engage with the country's Taliban rulers? Gideon discusses this question with Saad Mohseni, chair of Afghanistan’s largest television station and co-author of a new book  Radio Free Af...

Gideon talks to Norbert Röttgen, a CDU member of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament and author of a new book called  Democracy and War . Röttgen criticises Chancellor Olaf Scholz for failing to live up to his early pledges of support for Ukraine. He laments the country's 'deplorable' divide on the Ukraine war, but says he is convinced that most Germans recog...

Gideon talks to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East programme at Chatham House in London, about what Israel and Iran may be planning for their next move as the region slides towards all-out war. Clips: The Telegraph; BBC Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: Middle East at war: 12 key moments  Oil prices climb as Iran missile attack prompts supply fear...

Gideon talks to Kim Ghattas, an FT contributing editor based in Beirut, about Israel’s decision to step up its war against Lebanon’s Hizbollah. How will the militant group and its allies respond, and can the war be contained? Clips: Sky News; The Guardian Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: Israel tells troops to prepare for possible ground offensive in Lebano...