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The Rachman Review

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

  • 31 minutes 14 seconds
    The backlash against AI

    Gideon talks to Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, a book about the career of Demis Hassabis and his AI company, Google DeepMind. They discuss the growing backlash against AI, why people are worried, and what governments can do to mitigate the risks of the coming technological revolution. Clip: WSJ


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    OpenAI’s foundation to spend $250mn on research into AI’s impact on economy

    Pope’s appeal can’t change the AI race’s risky logic

    AI guardrails stripped from Meta and Google models in minutes

    How AI threatens the giants of consulting 

    AI companies are just companies


    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.

    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.

    28 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 27 minutes 6 seconds
    Mitsotakis on Hormuz, Iran and how to escape a debt trap

    Gideon talks to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on Greece as a leading shipping nation. They discuss Greece’s recovery from the financial crisis of 2015, how to achieve European strategic autonomy and the best way to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. Clip: France 24


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Three supertankers attempt Strait of Hormuz crossing

    America owes its European allies a defence roadmap

    Protests spread in Africa as fuel crisis deepens

    UAE says drone strike caused fire at nuclear plant

    Tipping point looms for global energy crisis


    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.

    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 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 31 minutes 44 seconds
    Trump returns to Beijing: what’s at stake

    Gideon Rachman speaks to James Crabtree, former head of the Asia programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and author of The Perimeter, about Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, his first in a decade. What do Washington and Beijing hope to gain, and what does the trip reveal about the evolving balance of power between the world’s two leading superpowers?


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Donald Trump’s plan to discuss Taiwan arms sales with Xi Jinping rattles Asian allies

    Trump is up against China’s great wall of confidence

    Trump’s war has given China an economic opening

    Trump, Xi and the bid for a ‘grand bargain’ between superpowers  

    Trump prepares to press Xi on Iran war 


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

    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Nisha Patel. Sound design is by Breen 

    Turner


    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.

    14 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 28 minutes 54 seconds
    Lloyd Austin on Ukraine, Iran and the lessons of war

    Gideon talks to Lloyd Austin, who served as US defence secretary under the Biden administration, about the need to adapt to new forms of warfare, accusations that he presided over a ‘woke military’ and how he headed off a nuclear threat from Russia in the early days of the Ukraine conflict. Clip: AP


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    US pauses ‘Project Freedom’ as Trump seeks way out of Hormuz impasse

    US warns Europe of delays to arms shipments as Iran war drains stockpiles

    Pentagon to pull 5,000 soldiers out of Germany in dispute over Iran war

    Donald Trump’s Iran war has cost $25bn, Pentagon says


    Our inaugural FT Weekend Festival in NYC is quickly approaching! Join John Lithgow, Orna Guralnik, Jancis Robinson and more on Saturday, June 20 at Spring Studios or online — as the FT Weekend comes to life for one unforgettable day. Register now and as a podcast listener save 10% off using our code FTPodcast— this is the Saturday you won’t want to miss it.


    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.

    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.

    7 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 27 minutes 1 second
    Ukraine’s ‘existential’ battle with Russia

    Gideon talks to Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian foreign minister, about the current state of Russia’s war against Ukraine. What would it take to break the stalemate and how has the conflict been impacted by the US-Israeli attack on Iran? Clips: DW; Reuters


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Vladimir Putin pares back Victory Day parade over fear of Ukrainian strikes 

    US ambassador to Ukraine to leave over differences with Donald Trump

    Ukraine’s drone pilots hit Russian targets from 500km away

    Toxic rain falls on Russian city after refinery blaze


    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.

    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.

    30 April 2026, 4:00 am
  • 1 minute 17 seconds
    Introducing: The Story of Money

    Those who do not study history may be destined to repeat it . . . and lose money. The Story of Money is a new podcast from The Financial Times exploring the past to see where the next opportunities — and disasters — may lie. Hosted by FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth, The Story of Money explores the history of global finance through the people, ideas, events, and institutions that have shaped it. From unregulated frontier banking experiments in 19th-century America to institutionalised debt forgiveness in ancient Mesopotamia, The Story of Money traces how financial systems evolve — and why familiar patterns often repeat — offering context for everything from market cycles to emerging AI trends.


    Watch episode 1: They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 April 2026, 4:00 am
  • 30 minutes 55 seconds
    Trump finds it’s easier to start a war than to end one

    Gideon discusses why the Iran conflict is proving so difficult to end with Michael Singh and Dana Stroul of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. What are the options on the table for both sides and can America’s allies play a useful role? Clip: New York Post


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    The Iran crisis has not yet peaked

    Iranian tankers bypass US blockade

    Macron and Starmer to hold summit on plan to secure Strait of Hormuz

    Lufthansa cuts 20,000 flights to save fuel as prices soar


    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.

    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.

    22 April 2026, 4:00 am
  • 27 minutes 26 seconds
    Iran war: What does Tehran want and will it get it?

    Gideon discusses possible negotiated solutions to the Iran war with Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution. What do Tehran's leaders want and how long can they hold out for a winning settlement that will ease the country’s economic pain? What are the stakes for Trump and the global economy? And what role, if any, can Gulf countries play in curbing the regime’s power to blight progress in the region? Clip: Fox News


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Why time is on Iran’s side

    Iran is America’s Suez crisis — and just as ridiculous

    Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US bases

    Iran faces halt to oil production within weeks if US blockade succeeds

    Life inside Iran’s internet blackout


    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.

    16 April 2026, 4:00 am
  • 32 minutes 55 seconds
    Is it possible to negotiate with Iran?

    What is it like to negotiate with Iran and what are the key issues that need to be resolved if the war is to end? Has the war permanently reshaped the relationship between the US and Europe? Gideon talks to Baroness Catherine Ashton, who was the EU’s high representative for foreign policy from 2009 until 2014 and played a leading role in negotiations with Iran.


    More on this topic:

    Armageddon is off . . . for now

    US and Iran agree 2-week ceasefire that will open Strait of Hormuz 

    Has Trump officially united Europe 

    Trump’s threats to pull out of Nato leave alliance exposed  


    Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman


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

    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Nisha Patel. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    8 April 2026, 3:47 pm
  • 28 minutes 16 seconds
    Trump says the Iran war may be ending soon: mission accomplished?

    Donald Trump has said the US military action against Iran may be coming to an end. If so, what would it have achieved and where does this leave the key question of safe passage for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz? Gideon discusses the consequences of the war for the US and its allies with Philip Gordon of the Brookings Institution. Clip: NBC News


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Trump threatened to stop weapons for Ukraine unless Europe joined Hormuz coalition

    Shutting Hormuz is a template for China in Taiwan

    Iran could emerge from the war stronger and more dangerous

    UK to host coalition talks on securing Strait of Hormuz

    One battle after another: Netanyahu’s new security doctrine


    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.

    2 April 2026, 4:00 am
  • 30 minutes 2 seconds
    Hungary’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
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