The war in Gaza has provoked mass demonstrations across the Arab and Muslim world and exposed the policy failings of regional leaders. Gideon discusses regional leaders’ response to the crisis with Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East Programme at Chatham House in London. Is there now sufficient unity to bring about a new plan for Middle East peace? Clips: NBC News, Al-Jazeera Free links to read more on this topic: Israel, Oppenheimer and the laws of war The world must start preparing for...

Some have described Russia’s war against Ukraine as being at a stalemate. But one side could quickly gain the upper hand. Gideon discusses the strengths and weaknesses of both sides with Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute in London. Clips: Deutche Welle; NBC News Free links to read more on this topic: Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia in maps — latest updates Russia’s war economy leaves businesses starved of labour Ukraine reaches deal with insurers for grain...

Gideon talks to Emile Hokayem, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, about Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. How long is it likely to last and what will be the repercussions for Israel and the wider region? Clips: Channel 4 News; AFP Free links to read more on this topic: Iran’s interests are trumping the Palestinian tragedy From the US to Ukraine, the Gaza war will change the world ‘Dead man walking’: How Yahya Sinwar deceived Israel for...

Gideon talks to Wally Adeyemo, US deputy Treasury Secretary, about the power of US financial sanctions to punish autocrats and dictators and curb terrorism. What exactly are these sanctions designed to do and how effective are they? Clip: PBS Free links to read more on this topic: US pushes allies for more sanctions on Hamas China capitalises on US sanctions in fight to dethrone dollar Russia is increasingly using China’s currency to evade sanctions Qatar’s super-fixer role in Israel-Hamas...

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

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 positioning itself to benefit from the Israel-Gaza conflict Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever...

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 blame game will follow Israel’s wartime unity All involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict should heed the...

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: John Kerry: Energy transition is the ‘new industrial revolution’ Adam Posen: ‘Russia and North...

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 launch economy and finance working groups to stabilise ties Global trade falls at fastest pace...

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: White House embraces ‘Bidenomics’ as it seeks to woo sceptical voters Investors must realise the...

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 in animal communication. Could we one day learn to ‘speak whale’ or even chat with bats? And if...

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 a fashion hub The EU’s transformations will reshape its ‘British question’ too  EU and UK to...

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 links to read more on this topic: The US and Iran look for de-escalation Regulating artificial...

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 Middle East push: a Saudi Arabia-Israel pact Grand Delusion — America’s imposition on incompatible...

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 against billionaire oligarch Andrey Melnichenko Russia fires ‘General Armageddon’ in Wagner...

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 people in the west build stories about who’s good and who’s bad. The Russian Banker is a special series that will run...

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 from sanctioned empire Using crypto for crime is not a bug — it’s an industry feature Ecuador gripped...

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 China’ global hub status — but it must want it Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts –...

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 Political Science, to discuss what this all means for Trump’s future and the future of American...

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 Kholood Khair and Alan Boswell. Clips: Middle East Eye; VOA; Human Rights Watch; Sky News. More on this...

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 on this topic: Franco’s ghost fails to scare Spain away from the hard right ‘Spain first’: Vox...

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 expect from COP28. Clips: COP 28, The National News, United Nations More on this topic: UAE to...

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 actors are losing their voices to AI We must avoid the evils of social media with AI European companies...

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 regime Ukraine says ‘main event’ in counteroffensive still to come Wagner’s future in Africa in...

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-SPAN More on this topic: Rwandan genocide fugitive arrested in South Africa There can be no impunity...