logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
51m 25s

Checks and Balance: Well enough alone?

The Economist
About this episode

On foreign policy, trade and immigration, the Republican Party wants America to push the world away. This is a departure, but also a return to what the party used to believe. How did the Republican Party go from isolationism to internationalism and then back again? And what does that mean for America’s foreign policy?


John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, and The Economist’s Edward Carr.


Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. 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 how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.


For full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/uspod


Podcast transcripts are available upon request at podcasts@economist.com. We are committed to improving accessibility even further and are exploring new ways to expand our podcast transcript offering.


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

Up next
Yesterday
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
Jul 8
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
Jul 7
Trump card: can he broker a Gaza deal?
While Israel and Hamas officials discuss a ceasefire via mediators in Qatar, a key meeting will take place at the White House today, when Israel’s prime minister talks to the US president. Why the Chinese Communist Party is removing alcohol from official events. And remembering J ... Show More
21m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Checks and Balance: Year all about it
If the election were held tomorrow, Donald Trump would probably be the favourite to win.  How should we be thinking about the race with a year to go? And how can the world outside of America prepare itself for the possibility of a second Trump term? John Prideaux hosts with Charl ... Show More
50m 27s
Jan 2024
Checks and Balance: Biden or bust
Joe Biden’s chances against Donald Trump in November do not look good. He is unpopular and his age puts many Americans off. How did it come to this? And what can the Democrats do about it? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Congressman ... Show More
47m 15s
Sep 2023
Going bump in the right: Europe’s worrisome politics
Populist, right-wing parties are already in power in Hungary, Poland and Italy—and getting closer to it across the continent. We ask why. At long last Rupert Murdoch, the patriarch of a global media empire, has stepped aside—sort of. We examine how he will still pull the strings ... Show More
21m 49s
Feb 2024
Checks and Balance: Strike accord
America has launched strikes against Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East, in response to an attack on a base in Jordan where three US troops died. How close are America and Iran to war? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by General ... Show More
51m 46s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: Ron down, two left
He went from being the most viable challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, to endorsing him. Our US editor opines on why Ron DeSantis’ campaign fell short, and what it means for the New Hampshire primary. What the opening of a temple says about Narendra Modi’s H ... Show More
24m 24s
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
Feb 2024
The Intelligence: Coming to a Nikki end
After a 20-point primary walloping in South Carolina, the state she governed for eight years, Nikki Haley vowed to fight on against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. But why? Seasonal opportunities for natural-gas arbitrage have been juicier during the war ... Show More
23m 45s
Feb 2024
The Intelligence: No water, no lights, no beds
Hardened war-zone doctors say the situation in Gaza is the worst they have witnessed—and that will cost lives long after the current conflict is resolved. Numbers from America’s tight labour market suggest that long-standing gaps between black and white workers are narrowing (09: ... Show More
23m 52s
Feb 2024
61. James Rubin: Working for Biden, American intervention, and the fight against Russian disinformation
“You took me to one side and said be very, very careful of these people, these neo-cons. Because they’re going to use this to do all sorts of stuff that you shouldn’t be involved in.” What are the limits of foreign intervention? Do the American people still want their country to ... Show More
1h 8m
May 2024
Expenses claims: Trump’s hush-money trial
Michael Cohen has been testifying in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. Did the former president’s fixer provide what the prosecution had hoped for? The Middle East has a militia problem. Many of the region’s governments are too weak to keep them down; others simply let them in (10 ... Show More
25m 46s