logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
22m 51s

The Intelligence: French fly, catch up

The Economist
About this episode

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 draw upon (09:36). And artificial intelligence predicts the structures of 2m brand-new materials (16:38).


Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+. 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.


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

Up next
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
Nov 21
Flee country: Britain seeks to slash migration
<p>Britain’s home secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed a big shift in <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/11/20/will-britain-copy-asylum-policy-from-a-place-with-poor-integration?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discov ... Show More
23m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2023
The Intelligence: French fly, catch up
<p>Our correspondent joins the French air force on a mission in the Baltics, seeing <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/12/03/french-fighter-jets-join-the-baltic-mission?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.cont ... Show More
22m 51s
Dec 2023
The Intelligence: is America’s media fair?
<p>News outlets are often hounded by the right for being too <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/12/14/american-journalism-sounds-much-more-democratic-than-republican?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery. ... Show More
21m 46s
Nov 2023
The Intelligence: on the ground in Gaza
<p>There is little left, in terms of people or infrastructure, in <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/11/15/the-battle-of-northern-gaza-is-almost-over?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content ... Show More
27m 56s
Nov 2023
The Intelligence: Swede demons
<p>Drug-related shootings and bombings are on the rise. Policies are changing and law-enforcement budgets rising, but stemming the violence is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/11/13/sweden-is-suffering-a-grim-wave-of-gang-violence?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio. ... Show More
25m 26s
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
Sep 2023
Support systems: allies debate Ukraine’s tactics
<p>As progress on the front line slows, Western countries are divided over how <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2023/09/12/are-ukraines-tactics-working?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous ... Show More
24m 32s
Feb 2024
The Intelligence: Out-of-this-world war
<p>This is not science fiction. Space is already a part of modern warfare and as technology advances, it will be an even more crucial sphere. What will <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2024/01/31/america-china-and-russia-are-locked-in-a-new-struggle-over-space?utm ... Show More
27m 19s
Sep 2023
No end in sight: how Ukraine is being shaped by a long war
<p>Reporting from the ground, our Eastern Europe editor explores how the country is bracing for a <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/09/21/to-endure-a-long-war-ukraine-is-remaking-its-army-economy-and-society?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source= ... Show More
26m 13s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: the killing of a Hamas leader
<p>Saleh al-Arouri has long been a high-priority target for Israel and his death could weaken the Palestinian militant group. However, it could also draw neighbouring Lebanon into the war in Gaza. As <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2023/11/13/south-africa-faces ... Show More
22m 18s