The Rachman Review

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...

As world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly, Gideon Rachman speaks to António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN. Guterres explains why he thinks the organisation remains indispensable - as the world struggles to get to grips with an array of daunting global challenges - including war and climate change. Clip: The Guardian Free links: World must exit ‘highway to climate hell...

Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region of Russia represented another sign that Vladimir Putin’s invasion is not going to plan. But numerous setbacks, and the sanctions regime imposed by the west, have so far failed to loosen the Russian leader’s grip on power. Gideon discusses why Russians are still backing Putin with Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.   Clip: Deu...

Gideon talks to Gabriel Gatehouse about his new book, The Coming Storm: A Journey into the Heart of the Conspiracy Machine. They discuss the US Republican party’s embrace of far-fetched conspiracy theories, and how these are being deployed in the upcoming presidential election. Clip: CNN Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: Conspiracy theories are being baked i...

Gideon talks to Takako Hikotani of the Asia Society Policy Institute about how Japanese attitudes towards security have changed in light of the war in Ukraine and China’s more aggressive stance in the South China Sea.  Clips: CNA Follow Gideon on X @ gideonrachman Free links to read more on this topic: Japan says China’s airspace incursion ‘totally unacceptable’ Never a zealot, Fumio Kishida...

Ben Hall, the FT’s Europe editor, discusses Ukraine’s Kursk incursion with Andriy Zagorodnyuk, former defence minister and chair of the Centre for Defence Strategies in Kyiv. What is the strategy behind the move? How could it affect the fighting elsewhere on the frontline and could it prove to be a turning point in the war?   Clips: Global News; France 24 To take part in the audienc...

Michael Stott, the FT’s Latin America editor, talks to Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based senior analyst for the International Crisis Group and Michael Shifter, former president of the Inter-American Dialogue think-tank in Washington, about the crisis in Venezuela. How long can Maduro cling to power, having so obviously lost the July election. Clips: Channel 4 News, The Economic Times To take part in th...

Two assassinations carried out by Israel, one in Beirut and one in Tehran, have brought threats of retaliation from Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah. Andrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, discusses whether the latest escalation can be contained with Emile Hokayem, a Middle East expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Clips: AP; CBS To take part in the audi...

Despite some early setbacks the Paris Olympics is proving a big success. The French have set aside their initial doubts and are enjoying a breather from the disagreements that have torn apart the political classes. Gideon asks Sylvie Kauffmann, editorial director of Le Monde, how long the truce can last. Clips: BBC To take part in the audience survey mentioned by Gideon, and to be in with the...

Gideon Rachman hosts the show from Washington, DC, with his guest Jacob Heilbrunn, the editor of the National Interest magazine. They discuss the state of the US presidential election after Joe Biden’s decision to stand down and endorse his vice-president, Kamala Harris. Heilbrunn makes an unusual prediction: he thinks Harris could win big. Clip: MSNBC Free links: Read Gideon’s latest column, Trum...