The Rachman Review
Financial Times
Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist, takes you with him on his travels, as he meets the decision-makers and thinkers who are shaping world affairs
- 30 minutes 2 secondsHungary’s pivotal election
Viktor Orbán has been a thorn in the side of the EU and a favourite of Donald Trump. But his party is now behind in the polls ahead of next month’s Hungarian elections. So could this mark the end of the Orbán era? Gideon discusses this with Zsuzsanna Végh, an analyst at the German Marshall Fund. They also discuss Orbán's close relationship with Russia and hostility to Ukraine. Clip: APT
Free links to read more on this topic:
ECB warns Hungary’s seizure of Ukraine cash risks euro credibility
Hungarian opposition groups quit to make way for Orbán challenger
Kremlin backs covert campaign to keep Viktor Orbán in power
The riches of Viktor Orbán’s home village
How Viktor Orbán’s oligarchs reaped billions in public contracts
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 Sean McGarrity.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 March 2026, 5:00 am - 33 minutes 7 secondsThe heavy cost of the war on Iran
Gideon discusses the Iran war with defence analyst Jack Watling, author of Statecraft - The New Rules of Power in a Divided World. Why did the US fail to foresee the need to protect the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route? What options are there to bring the war to a close?
Clip: NYT
Free links to read more on this topic:
Iran vows retaliation against energy sites across Gulf after largest gasfield hit
Trump ally warns US economy not strong enough to cope with Iran war
Iran still seen capable of escalating attacks on Gulf’s energy
Israel says it has killed Iran’s top security official
Top US counterterrorism official resigns over war against Iran
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 Sean McGarrity.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19 March 2026, 5:00 am - 1 minute 9 secondsIntroducing Untold: Opus Dei
Introducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. The first episode of Untold: Opus Dei launches March 25.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 March 2026, 4:00 am - 33 minutes 36 secondsFormidable US firepower fails to unseat Iran’s regime
Gideon speaks to Sir Simon Gass, a former UK ambassador to Iran, about why the formidable destructive power of the US and Israel has failed to dislodge the Islamic regime. They discuss how long the war can continue as well as likely outcomes for the US, Iran and the Gulf region. Clip: Middle East Eye
Free links to read more on this topic:
Trump’s Venezuela strategy has failed in Iran
Iranians rethink the price of regime change
Iran official says new supreme leader is ‘fine’ despite absence from view
Drones, lasers and radars: Middle East war spurs hunt for cheaper air defence
Taco on Iran will come too late for Trump
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 Sean McGarrity.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 March 2026, 5:00 am - 33 minutes 8 secondsIran war risks turning into a battle of endurance
Gideon discusses the US and Israeli war against Iran with Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. What are the war aims, can they be achieved and where does this leave the future of the region and its relations with Israel? Clips: CBS; CNN
Free links to read more on this topic:
Gulf insurance costs soar 12-fold despite Trump guarantee
Trump has no realistic plan for Iran’s future
Military briefing: how Iran could wage a new ‘tanker war’
The cynical opportunities of ‘Epic Fury’
The influencers leaping to Dubai’s defence
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 Sean McGarrity.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 March 2026, 5:00 am - 24 minutes 57 secondsBoris Johnson: Pressure on Putin is the price of peace
Gideon discusses the state of peace talks on Ukraine with Boris Johnson at a conference organised by the Yalta European Strategy group in Kyiv. The former UK prime minister offers his view of what needs to be done to bring an end to the conflict: put more pressure on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Otherwise, we are “setting a course for years more of conflict”. Clip: BBC
Free links to read more on this topic:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says war in Ukraine at ‘beginning of the end’
European leaders express solidarity with Ukraine as US hangs back
Ukraine’s economy shows grit amid lasting war damage
Europe re-arms as US slows defence spending
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 Sean McGarrity.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 February 2026, 5:00 am - 25 minutes 21 secondsChrystia Freeland on how to negotiate with autocrats — and allies
Gideon talks to Chrystia Freeland, former deputy prime minister of Canada, about different approaches to negotiating with the Trump administration. They also discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine, her new role as adviser to President Zelenskyy and how to pressure Russia into ending the conflict. Clip: US Department of State
Free links to read more on this topic:
Why Rubio failed to repair the transatlantic rift
Carney’s new global order needs a huge shift in political will
Russia-Ukraine talks yield ‘some progress’ on ceasefire, says Zelenskyy
Europe’s path to security without the US
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 Sean McGarrity and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19 February 2026, 5:00 am - 23 minutes 1 secondTrump's predatory foreign policy
Gideon talks to American political scientist Stephen Walt about the phrase ‘predatory hegemon’ that he coined to describe the US administration under Donald Trump. What are the risks and benefits of this policy for the American people, and for those who formerly considered themselves staunch allies? Clip: The White House
Free links to read more on this topic:
A post-Trump restoration is still possible
Trump and the normalisation of deviance
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 the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 February 2026, 5:00 am - 27 minutes 13 secondsCan diplomacy avert a US-Iran war?
Andrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, speaks to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, about Iran’s escalating crisis. Can diplomacy prevent a war between the Trump administration and Tehran? What are the prospects for reform of the increasingly unpopular Islamic regime in Iran? Clips: Channel 4 News; CBS
Free links to read more on this topic:
US and Iran set to meet in Oman as Middle East tensions spiral
‘The game is over’: critics of Iranian regime seize on killings to push for change
Iran’s people stand to lose whether or not talks succeed
Arab and Muslim powers mount last-ditch effort to avert US-Iran conflict
Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.
Presented by Andrew England. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 February 2026, 5:00 am - 20 minutes 38 secondsBill Gates: AI, aid cuts and the fear of speaking out
Bill Gates tells Gideon that a climate of fear has taken hold in the US business community under the Trump administration: “People are afraid to speak out about being afraid to speak out.” He discusses falling aid budgets, why philanthropy cannot replace government funding, and an ambitious new collaboration with OpenAI to improve access to healthcare in Africa. Gates also reflects on the more destabilising uses of artificial intelligence and his past association with the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clips: NBC4, Bill Gates
Free links to read more on this topic:
Bill Gates and OpenAI back $50mn AI rollout in African health clinics
Tech titans lined up for Trump’s second inauguration. Now they’re even richer
Bill Gates and Sergey Brin among newly released Epstein photos
Bill Gates warns aid cuts risk big increase in child deaths
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 the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 January 2026, 5:00 am - 15 minutes 21 secondsMark Carney on a world in rupture — and what comes next
Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, received a standing ovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos after warning that the global order has entered a period of “rupture”. In a post-speech interview with Gideon, Carney reflects on how globalisation went wrong — and on what can still be salvaged through deeper co-operation among countries and institutions that share common values. Interview and clips courtesy of the World Economic Forum
Free links to read more on this topic:
Mark Carney warns of ‘rupture’ to global order as Donald Trump rattles allies
Donald Trump’s ‘wrecking ball’ set to touch down in Davos
Republicans begin to push back against Donald Trump’s pursuit of Greenland
America’s barbarians inside the gates
Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.
Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Breen Turner and Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 January 2026, 2:13 pm - More Episodes? Get the App