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
Gideon talks to FT Middle East correspondent Raya Jalabi about what she found when she drove from Beirut into Damascus shortly after the toppling of President Assad. What signs are there that the rebel group HTS will be able to manage a peaceful transition of power and end the country’s civil war? Clip: AFP
Free links to read more on this topic:
Netanyahu and Erdoğan compete to be the Middle East’s strongman
Assad dispatched $250mn of Syria’s cash to Moscow
Now Syria can dream of a future again
Justice for the victims of Assad’s atrocities in Syria
How the Assad family built an empire of fear in Syria
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of the most important groups of advisers around Donald Trump are the 'restrainers'. They want to radically reduce America’s commitments to global security alliances. Gideon talks to Dan Caldwell, a leading restrainer and military veteran who believes the Iraq war was a 'monstrous crime'. Clip: Face the Nation
Free links to read more on this topic:
Foreign Affairs article: Trump Must Not Betray “America First”
The tragedy of Iraq, 20 years on
Nato chief warns Donald Trump of ‘dire threat’ to US if Ukraine pushed into bad peace deal
The west should not succumb to cynical regret over Syria
Trump swoops into Paris as Europe prepares for a more transactional relationship
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to FT contributing editor Kim Ghattas about the rebel advances in Syria that have taken place in the wake of Israel’s bombardment of President Bashar al-Assad’s Hizbollah allies in Lebanon. Will Assad’s backers in Iran and Russia hold firm and can the ceasefire agreement in neighbouring Lebanon hold? Clip: Channel 4 News
Free links to read more on this topic:
Rebel advances in Syria spell danger for Russia’s Middle Eastern ambitions
Inside Aleppo: the Syrian city captured by rebels
Rebel offensive boosts Turkey’s influence in Syria
Assad is sitting tight as Syria burns
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to Sir Alex Younger, former head of Britain's secret intelligence service MI6, about the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. They discuss Donald Trump’s choice of Tulsi Gabbard for the role of US director of national intelligence and they also consider what Britain needs to do to secure a role for itself in the world order.
Free links to read more on this topic:
Keir Starmer to urge G20 leaders to ‘double down’ on Ukraine support
Where Trump could surprise on the upside
Ask Shrimsley: how do I keep a relationship special?
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to Sebastian Mallaby, author of a best-selling book on Silicon Valley called The Power Law. They discuss the reason why Elon Musk decided to back Donald Trump for president, what the entrepreneur will bring to the Trump administration, and what Musk's businesses stand to gain. Clip: WFAA TV
Free links to read more on this topic:
Who’s who in the Musk ‘A-team’ vying to shape Trump 2.0
Elon Musk is an unguided geopolitical missile
Valuations at Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI set to soar in new deals
Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, has made a life-long study of China’s leadership. He tells Gideon how an understanding of Communist ideology helps explain Xi Jinping’s decision to roll back on the market reforms of his predecessor Deng Xiaoping. They are also a crucial guide to what could happen next. Clip: Sky News Australia
Follow Gideon on X @gideonrachman
Free links to read more on this topic:
US-China relations will depend on which Trump shows up
US Space Force warns of ‘mind-boggling’ build-up of Chinese capabilities
Why Xi Jinping changed his mind on China’s fiscal stimulus
Sinologist Li Cheng: ‘America is not in the mood to study China’
‘Too boring’: Chinese students are sleeping through propaganda
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to his colleague Ed Luce and to Susan Glasser of the New Yorker about what to expect from a second Trump presidency. Clip: Fox News
Free links to read more on this topic:
How Trump won in maps and charts
Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off
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 Samantha Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to Ivo Daalder, a former American ambassador to Nato and chief executive of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, about the potential threat to US democracy if Donald Trump wins next week’s presidential election. Clip: Politico
Follow Gideon on X @gideonrachman
Free links to read more on this topic:
How Trump learnt to love big business
Trump is the man who would be king
America isn’t too worried about fascism
Kamala Harris warns of ‘more chaos’ under Donald Trump and vows ‘different path’
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, about her efforts to keep hope alive during a humanitarian catastrophe. Clip: United Nations
Follow Gideon on X @gideonrachman
Free links to read more on this topic:
Israel ‘starting to implement’ north Gaza starvation plan, say rights groups
Hamas chief’s death opens up choice for Benjamin Netanyahu over Gaza war
US warns Israel humanitarian crisis in Gaza could threaten military aid
Israel, Lebanon and the mirage of a new Middle East
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After three years of sanctions, women's lives in Afghanistan are highly restricted and hunger is widespread. So if sanctions have failed, is it time for the outside world to change its approach and re-engage with the country's Taliban rulers? Gideon discusses this question with Saad Mohseni, chair of Afghanistan’s largest television station and co-author of a new book Radio Free Afghanistan, and Afghan women's rights activist Fatima Gailani. Clip: CBS News
Follow Gideon on X @gideonrachman
Free links to read more on this topic:
Leaving Kabul: what happened when the Taliban returned
Taliban’s closer ties with UAE signal global divide over Afghan regime
How the Taliban’s return made Afghanistan a hub for global jihadis
Singer Elaha Soroor on her anthem for Afghan women
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gideon talks to Norbert Röttgen, a CDU member of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament and author of a new book called Democracy and War. Röttgen criticises Chancellor Olaf Scholz for failing to live up to his early pledges of support for Ukraine. He laments the country's 'deplorable' divide on the Ukraine war, but says he is convinced that most Germans recognise that a victory for Russia would be disastrous for Europe. Clips: SPD; Info fur die Welt
Follow Gideon on X @gideonrachman
Free links to read more on this topic:
Germany, political extremism and the risks to Ukraine
Victory for the AfD raises difficult questions about east Germany
Germany to launch limited military service in push to be ‘war ready’
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.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Your feedback is valuable to us. Should you encounter any bugs, glitches, lack of functionality or other problems, please email us on [email protected] or join Moon.FM Telegram Group where you can talk directly to the dev team who are happy to answer any queries.