Episodes

  • 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.


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    Keir Starmer to urge G20 leaders to ‘double down’ on Ukraine support

    Bill Burns and Richard Moore: Intelligence partnership helps the US and UK stay ahead in an uncertain world

    Where Trump could surprise on the upside

    Ask Shrimsley: how do I keep a relationship special?


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Who’s who in the Musk ‘A-team’ vying to shape Trump 2.0

    Elon Musk is an unguided geopolitical missile

    Valuations at Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI set to soar in new deals

    Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    US-China relations will depend on which Trump shows up

    US Space Force warns of ‘mind-boggling’ build-up of Chinese capabilities

    Why Xi Jinping changed his mind on China’s fiscal stimulus

    Sinologist Li Cheng: ‘America is not in the mood to study China’

    ‘Too boring’: Chinese students are sleeping through propaganda


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    How Trump won in maps and charts

    Trump’s new world order

    Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Samantha Giovinco.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    How Trump learnt to love big business

    Trump is the man who would be king

    America isn’t too worried about fascism

    Kamala Harris warns of ‘more chaos’ under Donald Trump and vows ‘different path’


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Israel ‘starting to implement’ north Gaza starvation plan, say rights groups 

    Hamas chief’s death opens up choice for Benjamin Netanyahu over Gaza war

    US warns Israel humanitarian crisis in Gaza could threaten military aid

    Israel, Lebanon and the mirage of a new Middle East


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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 Afghanistan, and Afghan women's rights activist Fatima Gailani. Clip: CBS News


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    Leaving Kabul: what happened when the Taliban returned

    Taliban’s closer ties with UAE signal global divide over Afghan regime

    How the Taliban’s return made Afghanistan a hub for global jihadis

    Singer Elaha Soroor on her anthem for Afghan women


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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 recognise that a victory for Russia would be disastrous for Europe. Clips: SPD; Info fur die Welt


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    Germany, political extremism and the risks to Ukraine

    Victory for the AfD raises difficult questions about east Germany

    Germany to launch limited military service in push to be ‘war ready’

    Ukraine’s shifting war aims


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Middle East at war: 12 key moments 

    Oil prices climb as Iran missile attack prompts supply fears

    Israel steps up offensive against Hizbollah as region braces for retaliation

    How Israeli spies penetrated Hizbollah


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Israel tells troops to prepare for possible ground offensive in Lebanon

    Military briefing: Israeli intelligence and air force use ‘victory doctrine’ against Hizbollah 

    ‘Leave your homes now’: Lebanon endures bloodiest day in decades

    Its strategy may lie in ruins, but Hizbollah will not admit defeat


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    World must exit ‘highway to climate hell’, UN boss warns, as records are again broken

    China and US push each other on priorities for UN COP29 climate talks

    ‘Enfeebled’ UN fights for relevance in divided world

    Alarm raised on sea level rise and ocean warming as Pacific Islands leaders meet

    Nobel winners hit out at removal of fossil fuels from draft UN pact

    China and US push each other on priorities for UN COP29 climate talks


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    Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.


    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and Simon Panayi.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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: Deutsche Welle


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    Vladimir Putin visits Mongolia despite international arrest warrant

    US accuses China of directly supporting Russia’s ‘war machine’

    The Kremlin princelings cementing Putin’s rule

    Ukraine’s battle against Russia in maps: latest updates


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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

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    Conspiracy theories are being baked into American politics

    A mind-infecting virus: the dark dreams of QAnon

    Misinformed about misinformation

    America’s election year battle over who polices online disinformation


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Japan says China’s airspace incursion ‘totally unacceptable’

    Never a zealot, Fumio Kishida showed a surprising fearlessness

    China rejects Nato accusations of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine

    US and Japan announce ‘most significant’ upgrade to military alliance


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Simon Panayi.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Ukraine wants to create ‘buffer zone’ with Kursk incursion, says Zelenskyy

    ‘People are horrified’: Moscow turns to reluctant conscripts to defend Kursk

    How Ukraine pulled off its biggest gamble: invading Russia

    Ukraine’s battle against Russia in maps: latest updates


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    Presented by Benn Hall. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Simon Panayi.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    How Venezuela’s Maduro is clinging on to power

    Venezuela ramps up fear campaign after disputed presidential vote

    Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s contested president

    Nicolás Maduro blocks access to X amid feud with Elon Musk


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    Presented by Michael Stott. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Simon Panayi.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Netanyahu is prepared to escalate in the Middle East 

    How all-out war between Israel and its adversaries might play out

    Hamas picks Yahya Sinwar as new political leader

    Iran will ‘definitely’ retaliate against Israel for killing of Haniyeh, says new president


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    Presented by Andrew England. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Olympics organisers apologise as risqué ceremony sparks backlash

    Inside France’s Olympic medals factory

    A bold leap towards a leaner and greener Olympics

    Fake Games, cyber threats and disinformation: Russia reacts to sporting isolation


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • 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


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    Read Gideon’s latest column, Trump, Harris and a fear-filled campaign

    Read the latest FT report, What are Kamala Harris’s chances against Donald Trump?

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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Sound design is by Breen Turner


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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  • Gideon discusses the latest drama in the US presidential race with his friend and colleague Ed Luce at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. After his narrow escape from an assassination attempt, Donald Trump is looking like a winner. How would he change the US political landscape during a second term and can the Democrats find a strategy that will get them back in the race? Clip: CNN


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    Republicans are delighted with Biden

    Joe Biden looks for early Democratic nomination to silence critics

    The US itself could be the biggest loser in this election


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    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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