• Get the App
  • Moon FM - The Ultimate Podcast App
  • Get the App
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

  • 30 minutes 55 seconds
    The cockroach rebellion in India

    What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government.


    Clip: BBC


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protests

    India’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enough

    India should listen to its frustrated youth

    Why India’s student protests are different

    India’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quits


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


    Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. 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 August 2026, 10:17 am
  • 31 minutes 8 seconds
    The weaponisation of trade

    Tariffs, sanctions and chokepoints have become the weapon of choice to punish political rivals - but what happens when these fail? Gideon discusses the impact of geopolitical disputes on global trade with Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. Clip: Al Jazeera


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Trump vows to deliver ‘beating’ to Iran in retaliation for latest attack

    Saudi Arabia joins US strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

    Ukraine, Iran and how regional wars go global

    Donald Trump rebuilds his tariff wall


    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.

    30 July 2026, 4:00 am
  • 28 minutes 7 seconds
    Does Nato have a future without US leadership?

    Gideon talks to Julianne Smith, former US ambassador to Nato about the future of the alliance. There seems to be greater transatlantic agreement on Ukraine, but tensions remain over Europe’s stance on Donald Trump’s war on Iran. So can the alliance survive without the US at the helm? Clip: ANI News


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Nato’s carnival of Trumpian caprice

    Why the world trusts China more than America

    Ukraine’s drone swarms test Moscow air defences

    Nato opens its cheque books in bid to keep Trump engaged


    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.

    23 July 2026, 4:00 am
  • 23 minutes 54 seconds
    Trump, Infantino and the political history of the World Cup

    Gideon talks to Simon Kuper, FT columnist and author of World Cup Fever, about what distinguishes this World Cup from previous tournaments. What role has geopolitics played historically in the World Cup and is there any truth to some of the conspiracy theories surrounding this year's events? Clip: ITV Sport


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Bellingham brace carries England past Norway into World Cup semi-final

    World Cup shows US is ‘golden market’ for football, says Major League Soccer boss

    How western Europe became a formidable football factory

    Why are China and India so bad at football?

    Inside the secretive Fifa committee that suspended the US red card


    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.

    15 July 2026, 4:00 am
  • 29 minutes 10 seconds
    What would a far-right government in France look like?

    Marine Le Pen has run for the French presidency several times before, but her chances of winning next year look better than ever. Gideon talks to the FT's Victor Mallet about the source of her growing popularity and what a far-right government would mean for France and the EU. Clip: The Guardian


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Le Pen revives presidential bid echoing Trump

    French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she will run for president

    Marine Le Pen’s massive double gamble on presidency

    France’s crowded race to replace Emmanuel Macron


    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 Simon Panayi.

    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.

    9 July 2026, 4:00 am
  • 20 minutes 54 seconds
    Lebanon peace deal: can it hold?

    The war in Iran triggered a new round of conflict between the Hizbollah militia in Lebanon and the Israeli army. More than 4,000 people have been killed and about a million displaced. Lebanon and Israel signed a peace deal in Washington at the weekend to end the fighting, but without Hizbollah’s participation, can the deal hold? Gideon puts the question to the FT's editor Roula Khalaf and Andrew England, the FT's Middle East editor. Clip: This is Beirut


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Lebanon’s deal with Israel sparks backlash

    How Hizbollah’s fighters ended up in court

    Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Doha for talks over US-Iran deal

    How Benjamin Netanyahu’s big moment backfired


    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.

    2 July 2026, 4:00 am
  • 27 minutes 57 seconds
    Bonus episode: Rahm Emanuel on how to fix America

    In this special edition of the Rachman Review, Edward Luce, the FT's Washington commentator, talks to Rahm Emanuel, former White House chief of staff for Barack Obama, about where the Democratic party has gone wrong in recent years and how to win back the confidence of middle America. This is an edited version of a discussion that took place at the recent FT Weekend Festival in New York.


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Rahm Emanuel says Trump ‘got schooled’ by Iran in bad ceasefire deal 

    Why young America is trending socialist

    Rahm Emanuel and the 2028 ‘ideas primary’

    How Benjamin Netanyahu’s big moment backfired


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

    Presented by Gideon Rachman and Edward Luce. 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.

    28 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    America's waning power

    What are the repercussions of the Iran war for American power? How will the outcome be viewed by America’s allies and the leadership in Beijing? Gideon discusses these questions with Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister of Australia, Katherine Thompson, who until recently was a senior official in the Pentagon under President Trump, and Philip Gordon, who was national security adviser to vice-president Kamala Harris. This is an edited version of a discussion that took place at the recent FT Weekend Festival in New York. News clip: Fox News


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    America’s allies look to declare independence from the US

    The rise and fall of US hegemony

    Nato chief reveals Italy allowed US planes to use bases in Iran war

    Trump and Xi will not determine Taiwan’s fate


    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.

    25 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 27 minutes 31 seconds
    Jaishankar and Nusseibeh on the challenges of a world at war

    How much should we care about wars that are not in our neighbourhood? What role can countries not directly involved play in paving the way for a more peaceful world? Gideon discusses these questions with India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar, Lana Nusseibeh, minister of state for foreign affairs for the United Arab Emirates, and Finland’s foreign minister, Elina Valtonen. The discussion was recorded at the Kultaranta conference in Finland. Clip: CNN


    Join Gideon live on Saturday, June 20 at the FT's inaugural NYC Weekend Festival


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Donald Trump says US will not invest in $300bn fund for Iran

    Brussels approaches Kremlin over potential Ukraine talks

    A fragile Iran peace follows a war without victors

    The long way back from the Iran energy shock

    How the US-Iran deal came together


    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.

    18 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 33 minutes 46 seconds
    Britain’s post-Brexit policy options

    Where should Britain stand in the great power struggle between the US and China? Does the special relationship with Washington mean anything anymore or do all roads lead back to Europe? Gideon discusses these questions with Ben Judah, former special adviser to deputy prime minister David Lammy.

    Clip: Channel 4 News


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Donald Trump warns US will soon hit Iran ‘hard’ again

    Will Trump abandon Taiwan?

    It is time for a European Security Council 

    Britain re-entering the EU ‘an inevitability’, says Treasury minister

    Putin and Trump don’t have the cards


    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.

    11 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 25 minutes 39 seconds
    Mideast war: The view from Tehran

    What is life like in the Iranian capital and is the regime ready to compromise to achieve a lasting peace? Gideon discusses the mood in Tehran and the changing political landscape in the country with the FT’s Tehran correspondent, Najmeh Bozorgmehr. Clips: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg.


    Free links to read more on this topic:

    Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis ready to pay Strait of Hormuz transit fees

    One killed and dozens hurt in Iranian strike on Kuwait airport

    Benjamin Netanyahu faces backlash after Donald Trump call

    Why Iran fears a deal today means more war tomorrow 

    Iran is beating Trump at the art of the deal


    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.

    4 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App

Discover

  • Featured
  • Top Charts
  • Popular

More

  • Get the App
  • News
  • Setting
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit Your Podcast

Contact

  • [email protected]
  • Twitter
Your feedback is valuable to us. Should you encounter any bugs, glitches, lack of functionality or other problems, please email us at [email protected] or join where you can talk directly to the dev team.
© MoonFM 2026. All rights reserved.