logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
21m 46s

Iraq to its foundations: a chance to rem...

The Economist
About this episode

With elections looming, there is an opportunity to remake a state ravaged by war and riven by power struggles. We ask how to take Iraq out of a hard place. Fires are raging again in the American West; a “megadrought” in the region may shape its future development. And the 175th anniversary of a foundational free-trade battle.

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
Yesterday
At your services: Britain’s economic bright spot
Growth is abysmal; wages are low. But seen from the outside, Britain is a great place to contract services and buy bargain-basement bonds. We explore the opportunities amid the challenges. After months of reporting, our correspondent shares what he learned about Austin Tice, a mi ... Show More
23m 14s
Jul 10
Migration roots: the broken asylum system
Immigration is a political lightning rod in part because the ageing global asylum pact is no longer fit for purpose. We examine how best to update it. As paycheques for top-notch AI researchers go stratospheric, demand for rank-and-file coders is quickly cooling. And what a gimmi ... Show More
21m 49s
Jul 9
Sprawl of duty: Trump’s tariff drama
Once again President Donald Trump extended the deadline for spine-stiffening tariffs to go into effect on trading partners. We look at the effects of all the uncertainty. Brazil once dominated the world of football; we ask where it went wrong and assess the route to a comeback. A ... Show More
21m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Iraq, a hard place: 20 years after the invasion
America invaded Iraq 20 years ago this week. Today Baghdad is bustling, violence across the country is less frequent, but these gains have come at a horrific cost. India is getting a huge, essential infrastructure upgrade. And we say goodbye to one of our hosts. For full access t ... Show More
22m 35s
Nov 2022
Beaten, a retreat: cautious hope in Kherson
Russia says it will withdraw from the only captured Ukrainian provincial capital. We ask how the drawdown might go and what it means for the wider war. Britain is set for the largest wave of industrial action in decades; the strikes could throw the country into chaos. And the lon ... Show More
25m 17s
Jan 2021
Restoring Iraq's Marshes
In this week's episode of Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Dr. Azzam Alwash, an engineer working to restore Iraq's wetlands and the founder of Nature Iraq. Dr. Alwash talks about why wetlands are important and how he and others work to convince Iraq's government to take action. The ... Show More
28m 50s
Oct 2019
Iraq War: Is Iraq Better Now Without Saddam? (Faisal Saeed Al-Mutar Interview)
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Faisal Saeed Al-Mutar (human rights activist) about Iraq. What is Iraq like now? Is Iraq safer now? Is Iraq better now than it was under Saddam Hussein? Faisal answers these questions and shares his first-hand accounts of what life was like ... Show More
1h 12m
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: A region holds its breath
For the first time Iran launched a huge attack on Israel from its own territory, though the effort largely failed. Israel’s response could easily lead to regional war; what is it likely to be? The first of the four criminal trials that Donald Trump faces will get under way today. ... Show More
26m 35s
Sep 2022
How close did Iraq come to civil war?
August 2022. Political tensions in Iraq boil over, and peaceful demonstrations outside the country’s parliament turn violent. The sounds of gun and rocket fire return to Baghdad, and 30 people are killed. The violence ends when populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr tells his followers ... Show More
24m 21s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Pressures for peace
The international push for a ceasefire in Gaza continues, but the tragedies keep coming; in many ways a resolution still seems as distant as it was early in the war. We consider the temptation to go all in on stocks, given just how flaming-hot the markets are (10:55). And a data- ... Show More
22m 15s
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: A civil society in waiting
The ruling military junta that seized power in a coup in 2021 is losing ground, slowly—and the rebels are now thinking about what happens if they win. We examine the structural reasons behind Britain’s dearth of industrial robots (10:22). And climate change boosts Canada’s yields ... Show More
22m 16s
Apr 2023
The Iraq I never knew
What is it like to leave a country in crisis - only to return years later to a devastated homeland? Today, a Post photojournalist journeys back to Iraq after 24 years.  Read more: Salwan Georges, a photojournalist at The Post, left Iraq more than two decades ago. Georges and his ... Show More
24m 57s
Oct 2023
Checks and Balance: War in the Middle East
In recent years the US has facilitated a warming in relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours but, after Hamas attacked Israel, that is under threat. What should America’s Middle East strategy be now? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re jo ... Show More
45m 41s