Yesterday

Duo’s lingo: what to watch for in Trump-Xi summit

The meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will set the tone for three more this year. We examine what and what not to expect. Pepsi has been losing ground to Coca Cola recently; to catch up, it may have to become more like its rival. And th ... Show More

21m 40s

May 12

Apocalypse soon? AI could hasten bioweapons

Artificial intelligence could help terrorists develop new dangerous pathogens. Our correspondent asks how humanity can protect itself from machine-assisted biological weapons. Stock markets are soaring, despite the oil shock. What does this tell us about investor confidence in tr ... Show More

20m 39s

May 11

Keir hunters: will Britain’s PM go?

After catastrophic local-election results, Britain’s prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is fighting for his political life. One airline has folded and others may follow: jet-fuel prices are crimping carriers the world over, but the pain is not spread evenly. And could San Andrés, a ... Show More

20m 10s

Jun 2025

Confused unity: the mood in Iran

A sudden war made Iran’s leaders look unprepared. And many Iranians loathe the regime. But there are no signs yet that internal dissent will shape the conflict. Shortly after Nayib Bukele became El Salvador’s president, he was labelled as the world’s first millennial dictator; no ... Show More

23m 28s

Jun 2025

Not-deciding factor: Iran’s supreme leader

We examine the path of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once a bookish cleric underrated by everyone—including himself. He has hung on to power perhaps in part by not making decisions at crucial points. Our finance correspondent looks at the shifting wisdom on how best to manage an inheri ... Show More

23m 54s

Jun 2025

Truce and consequences: a fragile ceasefire in Iran

Iran’s strikes both before and apparently after a ceasefire began seem to threaten peace. If it holds, what will that mean for Iran’s ambitions, and for the wider region? A meeting of NATO-country leaders seems precision-engineered to appease the alliance’s most fickle member. An ... Show More

24m 44s

Aug 2025

Rule and divide: opposition grows in Syria

Less than nine months after Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled, the honeymoon is over. How is the new regime responding to rising dissent? Introducing Britain’s revolutionary retirees: why pensioners increasingly dominate political protest. And celebrating the life of o ... Show More

23m 38s

Jun 2025

No good options: how Iran will respond

After America’s strikes intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, one question is whether they succeeded. Another is how Iran will respond; all of its options are bad ones. In the West people have been shedding religion for decades, but that secularist shift now seems to be s ... Show More

22m 29s

Jul 2024

How Iran may look under new Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian

The election victory of heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian has aroused hopes and doubts in Iran and beyond. He is a Reformist who says he will be more lenient towards women and will seek to reduce tensions with the West. Yet, his record is spotty. While defying hawkish ... Show More

42m 8s

Aug 2025

The United States vs. Iran

Fareed Zakaria hosts a detailed special tracing the historical conflict between the United States and Iran, starting with a dramatization of a B-2 bomber strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. The narrative revisits the pivotal 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, emphasizing its roots in ... Show More

48m 6s

Apr 2025

The Rachman Review: Iran’s nuclear talks could reshape the Middle East

Swamp Notes is taking this weekend off so instead we wanted to share the latest episode from our fellow FT podcast, The Rachman Review. Nuclear talks between the US and Iran began last weekend in Oman, and are set to continue in the coming weeks. President Trump has ... Show More

23m 54s

Apr 2025

Nuclear diplomacy: Trump, Iran and a potential new deal

After years of stalled diplomacy, the US and Iran are back in high-level talks. Surprise meetings have taken place in Oman and Rome, with more expected soon. Could this be President Donald Trump’s long-awaited foreign policy win? Or will competing agendas, regional tensions and i ... Show More

32m 25s

Oct 2025

One peace at a time: hopeful Gaza talks

As negotiators gather in Egypt, appetite for a short-term peace seems high on all sides. But there is much ambiguity surrounding a lasting accord. In New York, renters fear being evicted far less than they once did—but pity flat-hunters. And remembering Kim Seong Min, a North Kor ... Show More

22m 54s