The Rachman Review

4.8 (28)
POLITICS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist talks to the decision-makers and thinkers who are shaping world affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2D AGO

Trump's predatory foreign policy

Gideon talks to American political scientist Stephen Walt about the phrase ‘predatory hegemon’ that he coined to describe the US administration under Donald Trump. What are the risks and benefits of this policy for the American people, and for those who formerly considered themselves staunch allies? Clip: The White House Free links to read more on this topic: A post-Trump restoration is still possible Why Maga loathes London Trump and the normalisation of deviance Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 min
FEB 5

Can diplomacy avert a US-Iran war?

Andrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, speaks to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, about Iran’s escalating crisis. Can diplomacy prevent a war between the Trump administration and Tehran? What are the prospects for reform of the increasingly unpopular Islamic regime in Iran? Clips: Channel 4 News; CBS Free links to read more on this topic: US and Iran set to meet in Oman as Middle East tensions spiral ‘The game is over’: critics of Iranian regime seize on killings to push for change Iran’s people stand to lose whether or not talks succeed Arab and Muslim powers mount last-ditch effort to avert US-Iran conflict Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Andrew England. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 min
JAN 29

Bill Gates: AI, aid cuts and the fear of speaking out

Bill Gates tells Gideon that a climate of fear has taken hold in the US business community under the Trump administration: “People are afraid to speak out about being afraid to speak out.” He discusses falling aid budgets, why philanthropy cannot replace government funding, and an ambitious new collaboration with OpenAI to improve access to healthcare in Africa. Gates also reflects on the more destabilising uses of artificial intelligence and his past association with the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clips: NBC4, Bill Gates Free links to read more on this topic: Bill Gates and OpenAI back $50mn AI rollout in African health clinics Tech titans lined up for Trump’s second inauguration. Now they’re even richer Bill Gates and Sergey Brin among newly released Epstein photos Bill Gates warns aid cuts risk big increase in child deaths Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 min
JAN 21

Mark Carney on a world in rupture — and what comes next

Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, received a standing ovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos after warning that the global order has entered a period of “rupture”. In a post-speech interview with Gideon, Carney reflects on how globalisation went wrong — and on what can still be salvaged through deeper co-operation among countries and institutions that share common values. Interview and clips courtesy of the World Economic Forum Free links to read more on this topic: Mark Carney warns of ‘rupture’ to global order as Donald Trump rattles allies Donald Trump’s ‘wrecking ball’ set to touch down in Davos Republicans begin to push back against Donald Trump’s pursuit of Greenland America’s barbarians inside the gates Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Breen Turner and Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 min
JAN 20

Alexander Stubb on Greenland: the good, the bad or the ugly?

Gideon speaks to Finland’s president about how to resolve the stand-off between Europe and the US over Greenland. Alexander Stubb describes the dispute as the "most difficult issue he has faced since taking office", arguing that discreet “back office” diplomacy, rather than public grandstanding, is the best way forward. He also touches on Ukraine, applauding the transatlantic alliance’s achievements so far but cautioning that the Greenland row is beginning to sap momentum from efforts to advance peace talks.. Clips: DWS; BBC Free links to read more on this topic: Greenland is ground zero for Arctic ‘Great Game’ How the Greenland deployment of a few European troops enraged Donald Trump Trump’s Arctic ambitions torch the most important US asset Russia knocks out power, heating and water to Ukraine’s freezing capital Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 min
JAN 15

Sudan: inside the world’s worst humanitarian crisis

Famine, mass killings and the collapse of basic government services have pushed Sudan into what the UN now calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As regional powers across the Middle East fuel the conflict by backing rival factions, civilians have largely been left to fend for themselves. Gideon speaks to Sudanese political analyst Kholood Khair and Sudan expert Alex de Waal to understand how the country reached this point — and where the country and its people go from here. Clips: Sky News; Africa News Free links to read more on this topic: There is already an answer to securing Sudan’s future US rebukes backers of Sudanese paramilitary force behind ‘horrific’ atrocities The human cost of a world without rules How the UAE-Saudi Arabia alliance ruptured Israel’s Horn of Africa gamble raises tension with Arab and Muslim rivals Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 min
JAN 8

‘Regime roulette’ in Venezuela: Is Greenland next?

Now that the Trump administration has fully embraced the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ - a policy claiming the western hemisphere as a US sphere of influence - which country will be next in the line of fire? Gideon discusses this with Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group consultancy, which has just published its top risk report for 2026. Free links to read more on this topic: Venezuela and the trouble with the Donroe doctrine Greenland’s future must be decided by island and Denmark, Starmer warns Trump Donald Trump’s imperial Venezuela folly will leave America no richer The gangs, goons and guerrillas running swaths of Venezuela No, Trump is not a fascist Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Simon Panayi and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 min
2025-12-25

2025: a year of chaos and confusion

Gideon and guests look back at 2025 as well as forward to the year ahead in an FT Live discussion for the Global Boardroom. Donald Trump set the tone of world politics this year from his tariff wars to his efforts to make peace in the Middle East and Ukraine, while also bombing Iran and threatening Venezuela. In a bid to make sense of the contradictions, Gideon is joined by Leslie Vinjamuri, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Dan Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher school at Tufts university in Boston, and James Crabtree, author of an acclaimed book on Modi's India and a forthcoming book on US-China tensions in the Pacific. Clip: PBS Free links to read more on this topic: When business and democracy don’t mix The AfD’s love-in with Maga Open source could pop the AI bubble — and soon China is making trade impossible Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 min

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Gideon Rachman

Host
Sanam Vakil

Guest
Bill Gates

Guest
Mark Carney

Guest
Alexander Stubb

Guest
Kholood Khair

Guest
Alex de Waal

Guest

4.8

out of 5

28 Ratings

One of the best

2024-03-07

BatchNicholson

Gideon I love listening to your interviews- so insightful and in large part it’s thanks to your exceptional insight. I rarely miss an episode
Indispensable part of my information flow

2021-05-12

BIGBOY513

This podcast is a great source for geopolitics and world affairs. It is a good complement to publications such as The Economist, the Nikkei Asia Review, and Foreign Affairs. Gideon Rachman brings on top diplomats, politicians, academics and military minds to discuss the complexities of an increasingly multi-polar world. Gideon himself is very knowledgeable and gets the most out of his guests.

Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist talks to the decision-makers and thinkers who are shaping world affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.