logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
23m 54s

Not-deciding factor: Iran’s supreme lead...

The Economist
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
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
Recommended Episodes
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
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
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
Sep 2025
Combative, conservative, cut down: Charlie Kirk
America’s most prominent young conservative was assassinated while conducting one of his signature campus events. His death might only widen political divides. In Asia a broad trend of deflation points to lower prices but unhealthy economies. And what happens when spiritual leade ... Show More
23m 1s
May 2024
Trailer: The Modi Raj
Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy. A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider. The man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has beco ... Show More
4m 58s
Feb 2025
Young, gifted and black: Africa’s next generation
Africa’s young are educated, ambitious side-hustlers. But they are hampered by their economies and dispirited by their politicians. How to harness their vast potential? America’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is, in a real-world accounting, not actually budging th ... Show More
21m 11s
Feb 2025
Scam Inc 1: Pigs in a barrel
You wouldn’t fall for a scam—would you? A small town in Kansas is left reeling after one of its best and brightest gets sucked in. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our show ... Show More
41m 31s
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
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
Sep 2025
When the son comes up: the Murdoch succession battle
A high-stakes tussle about who will take over Fox and News Corp from Rupert Murdoch has concluded; Lachlan, his eldest son, came out on top. Will the new boss be the same as the old boss? Our correspondent looks at kush, a synthetic opioid tearing through west Africa. And a look ... Show More
24m 58s