logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
22m 31s

Desert stands: France in the Sahel

The Economist
About this episode
Terror groups and separatists run riot in the sprawling region, and France has had some success in keeping the peace. But how, and when, to draw down its troops? Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the World Trade Organisation’s history-making new leader, has quite the task ahead to rebuild trust in and among the institution’s members. And the worrying shifts in subsea soundscapes. Additional audio courtesy Jana Winderen. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

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

Up next
Today
Party likes it 1959: Cuba in crisis
<p>The country’s Communist Party leadership continues to cling to old ideals amid on-again, off-again diplomacy with America—and the people’s suffering <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/11/18/cuba-is-heading-for-disaster-unless-its-regime-changes-drastically?ut ... Show More
23m 15s
Yesterday
Wage against the machine: the distortions of minimum pay
<p>For decades governments have found minimum-wage rises a politically expedient means of redistribution. But the onward <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/11/20/why-governments-should-stop-raising-the-minimum-wage?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_so ... Show More
22m 16s
Nov 24
Emission creep: a contentious COP closes
<p>It is telling and troubling that the annual climate talking-shop’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2025/11/22/cop30-ends-with-a-whimper?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownote ... Show More
25m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2020
Sahel of a mess: France’s impossible peacekeeping mission
Jihadism is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/10/15/malis-civilian-government-has-rather-a-lot-of-soldiers?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">g ... Show More
23m 1s
Apr 2022
Nasty, brutish and long? The war’s next stage
Russian troops have withdrawn from suburban Kyiv to focus on the eastern Donbas region. With Western weapons for Ukraine flowing in, a grinding war of attrition looms. For our French-election series we meet members of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, which has <a href="https://www ... Show More
26m 21s
Apr 2024
Preparing for war: Is Europe getting ready?
The war in Ukraine has increased tensions in Europe as governments across the continent look to secure a peaceful existence. Expanding military service, increasing defence spending and joining Nato are only a few options available. But the importance of self-defence becomes clear ... Show More
24m 21s
Dec 2023
The Intelligence: French fly, catch up
Our correspondent joins the French air force on a mission in the Baltics, seeing increasing support for NATO just as the country draws down in Africa. Drones have by now become a standard feature of warfare, but in Gaza the demands are different—and Israel has much expertise to d ... Show More
22m 51s
Oct 2021
States of emergency: Nigeria
<p>Criminal gangs in north-western states, jihadists in the north-east, a rebellion in the south-east: kidnappers, warlords and cattle rustlers are making the country <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/how-kidnappers-zealots-and-rebels-are-making-nigeria-un ... Show More
23m 35s
Oct 2020
Secular-stand nation: terror in France
<p>The brutal murder of a schoolteacher comes amid warnings of mounting Islamism in the country. The attack <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/10/18/the-beheading-of-a-teacher-will-harden-frances-belief-in-secularism?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&ut ... Show More
22m 26s
Jun 2024
Putin in Vietnam, seafarer shortage and South Africa’s new government
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to Vietnam is a gamble for the Southeast Asian nation. Yemeni Houthi attacks in the Red Sea deal another blow to an industry already facing a global shortage of seafarers. And a look at the new coalition government in South Africa as the A ... Show More
11m 19s
Mar 2017
Ghost Fleet - The Shape of War to Come?
STRATEGIKON can be found on iTunes, SoundCloud, YouTube and the SIA website: www.sageinternational.org.au Topics covered: > The theme for today's episode is Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War > Do authors Singer & Cole point to real issues with regard to the prosecution o ... Show More
30m 49s
Oct 2023
Behind the News: The Niger Coup w/ Samar Al-Bulushi
<p><a href="https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/samaralbulushi/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Samar Al-Bulushi</a> examines the coup in Niger, political unrest in France’s former colonies in Africa, and the US-led “war on terror” on that continent. <a href="https://www.joannawues ... Show More
53 m
Dec 2021
Maghreb Analyst Jalel Harchaoui: Turkey could find itself fighting Libyans in Tripoli in the wake of cancelled elections
<p>Libya was supposed to hold elections on December 24 that were meant to help the war wracked North African nation move on the path of stability and national reconciliation.&nbsp;But continued rivalries between numerous&nbsp;factions exacerbated by foreign meddling&nbsp;forced a ... Show More
27m 51s