logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
21m 33s

The French disconnection: a retreat from...

The Economist
About this episode

President Emmanuel Macron’s about-face on maintaining a presence in the coup-stricken country portends a broader change in France’s relations on the continent. Shifting geopolitics is changing the list of the world’s big arms dealers (9:08). And the internet influencers taking a swing at professional boxing (16:02).


Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited-time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcasts+ launches.


If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.


For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page.


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

Up next
Today
Working memory: the surprising decline of dementia
A dive into the data reveals that, despite dire past predictions, the prevalence of dementia is actually waning. We take a look at Pix, a beloved Brazilian digital-payments system, and why it so bothers President Donald Trump. And we attend one of the concerts that reveals how th ... Show More
25m 8s
Yesterday
Brave New whirl: Turkey’s opposition overhaul
An ousted former opposition leader started a new party—called the New Party. We assess its chances at the ballot box, and under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s thumb. A surrogacy scandal in Germany has prompted a government reshuffle, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz left holding ... Show More
20m 27s
Jul 28
Burning questions: a more fire-prone world
Wildfires in France and Spain are only growing worse by the day. We examine what can be done as a future of more fires, and worse ones, becomes more assured. A dig into data on women at work shows several indicators starting to move in the wrong direction. And the American cities ... Show More
24m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
The French disconnection: a retreat from Niger
<p>President Emmanuel Macron’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/09/25/why-emmanuel-macron-is-pulling-french-troops-out-of-niger?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_showno ... Show More
21m 33s
Jul 2025
The French reconnection: Macron in Britain
Anglo-French relations have not been so good since before the Brexit vote. Beneath the state-visit pageantry, though, there is much co-operation for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss. Gangs have infiltrated many of Latin America’s mining operati ... Show More
21m 10s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: Emmanuel override
Gabriel Attal, France’s youthful new prime minister, represents President Emmanuel Macron’s renewed push to pass policy reforms and to counter a resurgent far-right. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a landslide re-election of President Félix Tshisekedi has raised eyebrows ... Show More
21m 53s
Oct 2023
The Intelligence: meeting Senegal’s president
As country after country in the Sahel has fallen prey to coups, President Macky Sall’s Senegal seemed an outpost of stability. Yet our correspondent finds him less than sanguine about democracy in the region. We sift through what little is known about “the Phantom”, the Hamas fig ... Show More
23m 50s
Oct 2025
France in turmoil
This week Mark Leonard welcomes Célia Belin, senior policy fellow and head of ECFR’s Paris office, to discuss the unprecedented political turmoil in France. Just weeks after his appointment, Sébastien Lecornu became the fourth prime minister to resign in a year—leaving Macron to ... Show More
20m 29s
Apr 2022
Le Pen pusher: Macron wins again
<p>Emmanuel Macron’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/04/24/emmanuel-macron-wins-a-second-term-as-frances-president?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=s ... Show More
27m 28s
Jun 2024
France's far-right tilt, Israel's war cabinet shakeup and Modi's third term
French president Emmanuel Macron calls a snap election after a bruising defeat in European elections. Benny Gantz quits Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet. And as Narendra Modi is sworn in as India’s prime minister, we visit the temple town of Ayodhya where a miscalculati ... Show More
12m 16s