The Rachman Review

Gideon talks to Comfort Ero, president of the International Crisis Group, about what’s behind the recent resurgence of military coups in the Sahel region. Clip: BBC Free links to read more on this topic: US signals intention to engage with Niger junta Where is the next African coup? Niger is the graveyard of French policy in the Sahel Ethiopia’s plan to rebuild in the wake of a ‘brutal’ war Subscr...

Gideon talks to Baroness Catherine Ashton, former high representative of the EU on foreign affairs, about the role of diplomacy in helping to contain the Israel-Gaza conflict. Clip: The White House Free links to read more on this topic: The Israel-Hamas war in maps: latest updates Humanity must prevail in Gaza Supporting Israel and protecting Palestinians are not contradictory policies Iran is pos...

Gideon talks to the historian and writer Lawrence Freedman about what led to the catastrophic events of the past week in Israel and what options the Netanyahu government has to respond to Hamas's deadly attack. Clips: 11Alive; NBC News Free links to read more on this topic: The Israel-Hamas conflict in maps ‘Nothing is normal any more’: war with Hamas reshapes life in Israel A bitter bla...

Will Bidenomics help the US Democrats win another term in office? Will the policies be effective in tackling the climate crisis? Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, thinks not. In the last in our series on Bidenomics, he tells Gideon why offering incentives to private sector businesses is, in his view, a bad strategy. Free links to read more on this topic:...

In the second of our three-part series, Gideon talks to WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about the impact of Bidenomics on countries' attitudes to free and open global trade and the WTO's role in protecting this. Clip: France 24 Free links to read more on this topic: Western companies take slow steps towards China ‘de-risking’ South American leaders issue ultimatum on EU trade pact US and China to la...

In the first of a three-part series on Bidenomics, Gideon talks to Brian Deese, former head of the National Economic Council in the Biden White House. They discuss how big a change of direction this was for the US, what motivated the policy and whether it is working well enough to convince American voters to re-elect Joe Biden next year. Clip: Biden-Harris 24 Free links to read more on this topic:...

Subscribe now to the FT's Tech Tonic podcast: Some scientists believe that rapid advances in artificial intelligence may also hold the key to decoding animal sounds, allowing us to ‘translate’ them into human language. In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill and series producer Persis Love explore how the same technology that powers ChatGPT is being applied to research i...

Opinion polls now suggest that about two-thirds of British people think that Brexit has failed. So was it all a terrible mistake? Gideon talks to FT colleague Peter Foster about his new book, What Went Wrong With Brexit: And What We Can Do About It Clip: BBC Free links to read more on this topic: UK SMEs not ready for ‘avalanche’ of Brexit 2.0 rules and taxes London and the fight for its future as...

Are our politicians doing enough to protect humanity from the potential risk of a nuclear war, a deadly pandemic or AI without guardrails? Gideon discusses these risks with Jason Matheny, president of the Rand Corporation in California and former director for technology policy on President Joe Biden’s National Security Council. Clips: YahooFinance; Dr Strangelove , Columbia Pictures (1964) Free li...

Gideon talks to Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, about the strength of bipartisan support for Ukraine and about President Joe Biden’s proposed “grand bargain” that could see Saudi Arabia and Israel normalise diplomatic relations in return for American security guarantees. Clip: CBS News Free links to read more on this topic: Joe Biden makes his big...

Gideon talks to political commentator and economist Sergei Guriev about the lessons Russians and the outside world will draw from the apparent killing of Yevgeny Prigozhin. How does this affect the stability of the Russian regime and the outlook for the war in Ukraine? Clip: BBC Free links to read more on this topic: When democratic spin conceals a descent into dictatorship Russia files lawsuit ag...

Who is Sergei Leontiev? To the US asylum system, he’s an exiled Russian banker who was persecuted by the state and forced to flee. To Russia, he’s said to be responsible for massive fraud. On The Russian Banker, a new series from the Financial Times, reporters Courtney Weaver and Stefania Palma try to uncover the truth, and find a story that tells us about Russia today and how peopl...

Gideon talks to the FT’s Miles Johnson, author of a new book called Chasing Shadows  about the links between international crime and geopolitics. They discuss how wars and the breakdown of democratic accountability have contributed to the ability of criminals to operate across borders and, in some cases, with state backing. Free links to read more on this topic: Wagner leader generated $250mn...

China’s assertiveness on the global stage has reinvigorated economic and political ties between the US and Japan. Leo Lewis, the FT’s Asia business editor, discusses what’s changed with Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan.  Want more? Free links: Corporate Japan back in the hunt for US deals Japan looks to expand diplomatic corps in overseas charm offensive Tokyo could win ‘not Chin...

Donald Trump was indicted this week on charges related to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. But the former president is also in the running for the 2024 presidential election and polls suggest he’s likely to win the Republican nomination. Gideon Rachman is joined by Professor Peter Trubowitz, director of the US Centre at the London School of Economics and Poli...

The Sudanese people are being held hostage by warring generals in a power struggle that has already lasted 100 days. With no solution in sight, the fighting risks drawing in outside actors like Russia’s Wagner group and destabilising neighbouring countries. David Pilling, the FT’s Africa editor, discusses the state of the conflict and its repercussions for the region with political analysts Kholoo...

The government of Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez looks set to lose Sunday's elections to the centre-right People's party. But the PP may be unable to form a government without the participation of the hard-right party Vox. Henry Mance, standing in for Gideon Rachman, discusses what this will mean for Spain with the Madrid-based political scientist Pablo Simón. Clips: Deutsche Welle; El País More o...

The UAE, host of this year’s UN climate conference, has pushed for a “global stocktake” of progress towards Paris targets, aimed at triggering fresh climate action. But it has also been criticised for its choice of an oil executive, Sultan al-Jaber, as president of the talks. Henry Mance, standing in for Gideon Rachman, talks to Farhana Yamin, British lawyer and climate activist about what we can...

Scientists have been sounding the alarm about the potentially catastrophic dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Gideon talks to Anu Bradford, professor at Columbia University and author of a forthcoming book on the global battle to regulate technology about the different approaches being taken in the US, Europe and China. Clips: Amanpour & company; C-SPAN More on this topic: How actor...

Gideon talks to Edward Lucas, author and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, about the stability of Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. With his weaknesses exposed by the Prigozhin rebellion, how will rival centres of power respond? Clip: BBC More on this topic: The revolution will now be Telegrammed A huge humiliation’: failed Russian putsch exposes deep flaws in Putin’s regi...

Gideon talks to Indian opposition Congress politician and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor about the concept of the 'responsibility to protect', which allows countries to intervene militarily in order to protect a population from mass murder. This was first mooted by Kofi Annan in the late 1990s after the Rwandan genocide. Can it be applied today, and in what circumstances? Clips: Global News, C-SPA...

Gideon talks to Karin von Hippel, director-general of the UK defence think-tank RUSI, about Ukraine’s counteroffensive and the discussions that are already taking place about a new world order once the fighting is over. Clips: Channel 4 News More on this topic: Military briefing: Ukrainian troops make early gains against ‘well-prepared’ Russians Germany’s first-ever security strategy names Russia...

Gideon meets Britain’s shadow foreign secretary on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the main forum for discussion of security issues in the Indo-Pacific, in Singapore. They discuss Britain’s relations with China, Ukraine, Brexit and the Commonwealth. Clips: ShanghaiEye, CNA More on this topic: US pledges to maintain military capacity to defend Taiwan The Starmer Project: Labour’s surprisi...

Gideon talks to the FT’s Chris Miller about the recent upsurge in military operations between Ukraine and Russia. Is this the start of Kyiv’s long-awaited offensive and if so, what would constitute a successful fightback? Clip: NBC More on this topic: Military briefing: Ukraine’s daring ‘shaping operations’ stretch Russian defences Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in maps — latest updates F-16s might...

Gideon talks to strategist Raja Mohan about India’s rising geopolitical influence. As the countries of the world form alliances to counterbalance the power of China, India is being courted for its support. How is India responding, and what are the prospects that it could one day become a superpower itself? Clips: DD India More on this topic: The G7 must accept that it cannot run the world BBC accu...