Yesterday

Even-more-maximum pressure: sanctions on Iran

After much hullabaloo America announced its “Operation Economic Outcast”, a new tranche of sanctions. It is thin gruel, and might in fact invite military reprisals from Iran. Call centres form a large part of the economy of the Philippines; surprisingly, AI is not stopping the in ... Show More

23m 25s

Aug 24

Elbows up, again: a US-Canada trade flare-up

Promising trade talks imploded after a literal 11th-hour change from the American side. We examine the new trade barriers being erected, and the complex calculation for Prime Minister Mark Carney. In Japan Gen X workers are even still bearing the costs of an economic bubble-burst ... Show More

21m 48s

Aug 21

I, robot? AI and consciousness

The rise of generative AI has put new urgency into ancient questions. What is consciousness, and can machines ever have it? We dive into the data that reveal a surge in sexually transmitted infections in Europe. And our obituaries editor considers the life of Mary de Rachewiltz, ... Show More

24m 48s

Feb 2025

Leeward: we meet South Korea’s probable president

We meet the opposition leader who is likely to be the next president. Cleaning up the domestic mess after an alleged coup would seem easy compared with his tasks on the international stage. Our correspondent reports on renewed violence in Colombia; again, or still, it is about co ... Show More

25m 4s

Jan 2025

Can the Colombian leader stand up to the US and make peace at home?

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro is facing a critical moment. Violence near the Venezuelan border, a state of emergency, and US deportation flights have tested his leadership. Can Petro hold onto power and regain the trust of a divided nation? In this episode: Christina Noriega ... Show More

20 m

May 2022

Guerilla. Economist. Colombia’s next president?

<p>China has offered “a few hundred million dollars” in lending to Sri Lanka to help alleviate a shortage of essential goods, Wall Street investors got spooked by an earnings warning from Snap, and the FT traced a massive European bank sell-off to one fund manager. Plus, Colombia ... Show More

10m 45s

Jun 2022

The Colombian Left Comes to Power

After this week’s runoff elections in Colombia, former Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro is set to become the South American country’s first leftist president. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, director for the Andes at the Washington Office on Latin America, joins Ryan Grim to discuss what Petro ... Show More

33m 30s

Jun 2025

Going gang-buster: we meet Ecuador’s president

Yesterday’s arrest of a notorious gang leader is a win for Daniel Noboa. He assures our journalists he can beat back rampant transnational gangs without trampling democracy. The torrent of big geopolitical news has, perhaps surprisingly, not much moved the markets; we ask why. An ... Show More

25m 48s

Mar 2022

A non-member states: Finland’s ex-PM on NATO

<p>Perched at Russia’s north-western corner, the country has plenty of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/11/what-is-finlandisation?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_s ... Show More

22m 57s

Oct 2022

Redrawing the lines: cocaine policy in Latin America

Regional leaders recognise the abject failure of the war on drugs. We speak with Colombia’s president about some <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2022/10/13/booming-cocaine-production-suggests-the-war-on-drugs-has-failed?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast. ... Show More

27m 48s

Sep 2022

Lula loop: meeting Brazil’s presidential front-runner

<p>Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist former president, looks well-placed to win a third term. But <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/09/19/how-left-wing-on-economics-is-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theinte ... Show More

27m 21s

Leeward: we meet South Korea’s probable ...