More than three decades after The End of History and the Last Man made Francis Fukuyama one of the world’s best-known political thinkers, he is still correcting misconceptions about what he actually meant. In a wide-ranging conversation with host Gideon Rachman, Fukuyama revisits his original thesis and explores how resentment and the search for recognition are reshaping liberal democracy. They also discuss whether US institutions can withstand Donald Trump’s authoritarian impulses, why Fukuyama remains optimistic about American democracy, China and Russia’s quest for status, and his own intellectual journey away from neoconservatism. Cip: BBC

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In the Realm of the Last Man — how the future disappeared from politics

A German election result heard around the world

A spreading war threatens Trump and MBS

Supreme Court rejects Donald Trump’s restrictions on mail-in ballots for midterms

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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The world is experiencing a record number of conflicts, just as governments retreat from international aid and diplomacy to leave a more politically fragmented international landscape in their wake. That is the view of David Miliband, the former UK foreign secretary and president of the International Rescue Committee, in conversation with host Gideon Rachman. They discuss the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the collapse in humanitarian funding and whether middle powers can ever fill the vacuum left by the US. Clip: Al Jazeera

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Fragile states in Africa and Middle East hit by more than 40% cut in UK direct aid

Life on the frontline against Ebola

How will UK foreign policy change under Ed Miliband?

Donald Trump reboots foreign aid with cash-for-data strategy

Presented by Gideon Rachman. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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War is raging in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, while tensions are rising between China and Taiwan. What is driving this surge in global conflict, how should we respond and where, if anywhere, are the prospects for peace? Gideon is joined by Sir John Sawers, former head of MI6; Tom Tugendhat, the UK’s new shadow foreign secretary; and Kim Ghattas, FT contributing editor and author of Black Wave. They discuss how today’s conflicts are connected, the risk of further escalation and the importance of ending a war well.

This episode is an edited recording of an event organised by FT Weekend Festival. Clip: CBS News

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Trump envoys take Ukraine peace proposal to meeting with Putin

Trump envoys hold talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv after meeting Putin in Moscow

Russia launches missile strikes against Kyiv as pause in raids ends

Why the US and Iran keep escalating

Lebanon warns of ‘dangerous escalation’ after Israeli strikes

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is calling for an “economic D-Day” for the Iranian regime while threatening secondary sanctions on countries that do business with the country. Will this be more effective than previous attempts at economic pressure? What impact will this have on US relations with China? And how will energy markets react? Sasha Polakow-Suransky, executive opinion editor, speaks with Emma Ashford, Stimson Center senior fellow and Foreign Policy columnist, about Washington’s latest Iran sanctions push dubbed Operation Economic Outcast. Clip: CBS News

Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London, and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.

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US launches further strikes on Iran as conflict flares up

Energy price surge hits bond markets as European gas reaches three-year high

Donald Trump says US will hit Iran ‘hard’ as conflict reignites 

Scott Bessent: an economic D-Day is coming for Iran

Scott Bessent threatens Iran’s economic partners with more sanctions

Is China’s ‘wise camel’ the winner from the US-Iran war?

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Presented by Sasha Polakow-Suransky. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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The UN is choosing a new secretary-general at a time when it’s struggling to remain relevant. Sidelined in the wars in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East, and facing a severe funding crisis, the organisation is under growing pressure. This week, guest host Alec Russell speaks to Thant Myint-U, a former UN official, author and the grandson of former UN secretary-general U Thant, about the challenges its new leader will face. Clip: AP Archive

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António Guterres on the future of the UN

Superpowers are discovering their limits, says UN chief

The new world order? Every man for himself

Wanted: a leader to rescue the UN

Nuclear watchdog chief pitches ‘leaner’ UN in secretary-general bid

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Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.

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Presented by Alec Russell. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon Rachman speaks to historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore about his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. They discuss the forces that shaped the region, from the Ottoman Empire and Ataturk to the ongoing tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. Gideon and Simon examine the region's complexities and interconnectedness and whether lessons from the past can offer a glimpse into the future. CLIP: British Pathé

Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.

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Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian homes

The exodus from Israel

Egypt deploys jets to UAE as Iran war strains Arab alliances

Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night

Israel moves to give police powers in occupied West Bank

Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon talks to Vali Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy and professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, about how the balance of power in the Middle East is changing. After six months of on-off hostilities, Nasr argues, Iran’s core aims are unchanged - ending the US threat and securing economic relief. But Iran now looks to have the upper hand and is using its leverage from controlling the Strait of Hormuz to seek ever more far-reaching concessions from the superpower. Clip: CTV

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Will failure in Iran reshape how the US fights?

Iran’s supreme leader elevates loyalists as he tightens grip

Trump and the failure of the Fafo doctrine

Brinkmanship in the Strait of Hormuz

Israel’s campaign to make southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’ 

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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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

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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

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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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

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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

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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