logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
22m 50s

A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund t...

The Economist
About this episode

The procedure is simple—genial, even. Contact Houthi rebels in Yemen and pay up, and your freight can pass into the Red Sea unmolested. We examine how this extortion affects world trade. China is fast closing its gap with America on AI innovation, and doing so far more cheaply (7:22). And a trip to a Ghanaian rum distillery reveals a regional trend (15:44). 


Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. 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
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
Jan 2025
A tax or attacks: how the Houthis fund themselves
The procedure is simple—genial, even. Contact Houthi rebels in Yemen and pay up, and your freight can pass into the Red Sea unmolested. We examine how this extortion affects world trade. China is fast closing its gap with America on AI innovation, and doing so far more cheaply (7 ... Show More
22m 50s
Feb 2025
Rebel with a new cause: meeting Syria’s president
From media-studies dropout to international jihadist to Syria’s ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa has an unlikely résumé. He speaks with our editor-in-chief, sharing hopeful-sounding hints of his vision—but precious little detail. Japan’s economy has been hobbled by low inflation for years; ... Show More
28m 44s
May 23
Get rich, quick: Vietnam’s next revolution
The country’s leader is in a mad rush to transform his country into an upper-middle-income powerhouse before geopolitical forces stall its rise. America’s army is being thinned out; we examine the risks of putting both weapons and generals on the chopping block (10:12). And remem ... Show More
24m 59s
Apr 23
Division multiplication: the UAE’s foreign meddling
The United Arab Emirates projects an image of level-headed calm in the Gulf. Its actions abroad, however, betray a far more divisive and ideological agenda. Japan’s recent rice crisis is in part about market reforms—but solving it is mostly about making farmers happier (10:29). A ... Show More
22m 32s
Mar 2025
You spin me right round: Europe’s populists reckon with Trumpism
For Europe’s hard-right politicians, Donald Trump’s second White House bid looked like validation and opportunity. Now that he is in it, the tensions and trade-offs are becoming clear. The Houthis’ grip over Yemen and the Red Sea is only strengthening, even as other Iranian proxi ... Show More
21m 30s
Mar 2025
Sects and balances: a violent flare-up in Syria
Horrifying attacks on Alawites, the sect of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, throw into question the power—or the will—of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s leader, to maintain peace. For the first time in decades it now makes more sense to pay off a mortgage early (10:36). And high-e ... Show More
22m 36s
Jul 2024
Bibi talk: a speech light on detail
Anyone hoping to glean hints of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s plans for the Gaza war and its aftermath will have been disappointed: it was a political speech aimed at Israelis. Nigerians spend more than anyone on food, as a fraction of income. We look at the factors making ... Show More
23m 45s
Mar 2025
Kurds in the right place: a truce nears
The leader of Turkey’s Kurdish rebels has called on the group to disband. That could end one of the world’s longest running conflicts. How tariffs and political volatility may affect the American economy (10:16). And the craze for eating caviar… with chicken nuggets (18:33).  Lis ... Show More
25m 15s
Mar 2025
Whack of all trades: America’s economy
No surprises here: The Economist reckons tariffs are a terrible trade tool. But what is most clearly harming American businesses and scaring off investors is persistent uncertainty about them. Our correspondent sees the effects of one non-military donor to Ukraine: help not to fi ... Show More
26m 19s
Jan 2025
Against the clock: Gaza peace talks
Israel continued to pound Gaza, even as ceasefire negotiations began in Qatar. The familiar dynamic will soon be interrupted by a new American administration. Our analysis shows that Nordic firms have markedly better fundamentals than the European average; we examine what’s behin ... Show More
25m 16s